The grace-unity movement has been one of the major controversies among brethren over the past twenty years or so. It is often called “unity in diversity” and it is the idea that we can continue to have unity despite our differences in matters that pertain to the faith because the grace of God saves us and covers our sins.
This movement has not just affected those in churches of Christ. It is all through the denominational world. We hear of multi-denominational programs, ministries, and worship services. We have community churches which are open to people from all denominations to come together, ignoring the things that could divide them. The differences and distinctions between the denominations do not mean all that much anymore. Members of one denomination are free to jump between churches without being out of place because these churches accept, tolerate, and endorse one another.
Misunderstanding Grace
The grace-unity movement exists because of a misunderstanding of the grace of God. In the first century, when Christians misunderstood grace, it led to sin and error. The same thing happens today. Notice the following passages:
- “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2). The idea that Paul was combating was that the more we sin, the more grace we receive. This is not how grace works. We can be saved by the grace of God, but after that we have the responsibility to not continue in sin.
- “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness [a license for immorality, NIV] and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). Similar to Paul’s teaching to the Romans, Jude condemned the idea of using grace as an allowance for sin. Grace can never be used to justify sin.
With the grace-unity movement, grace is the basis for our unity. This misunderstanding is not used (at least initially) for one to justify his own sins, but it is used to justify the sins of others. In either case, this understanding of grace makes sin tolerable. As we will notice, this idea is directly opposed to what the word of God teaches. But first, we ought to be reminded about what the Bible teaches about grace.
What is Grace?
Grace is God’s gift of salvation. Paul told the Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Salvation by grace is available to all men (Titus 2:11) and all those who are saved will be saved because of grace (Acts 15:11).
The gospel is the message of God’s grace. Paul told the Ephesian elders that in his work among them, he taught “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). We already saw that salvation is “by grace” (Ephesians 2:8). The gospel is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). These verses show us how grace is connected with the revelation of God’s word. In the Bible, we have what was and is necessary for us to be saved.
We should also understand that there are certain works we must do in order to receive God’s grace. Someone may argue that the Bible teaches that we are saved by grace and not works. They sometimes cite Ephesians 2:8-9. But notice what these verses say:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).
There are two types of works mentioned here. The first are the works by which we “may boast.” They are the ones of our own invention (“of yourselves”). We cannot be saved by these works. But the second type of works are the works that “God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). What is the point? We are saved by God’s grace. Therefore, all the works that we come up with to try to earn our salvation are worthless. But to receive His grace, it is expected that we render faithful obedience to Him.
The Basis for Unity
The idea behind the grace-unity movement is that we can have unity because of grace. But the Bible plainly teaches that the basis for our unity is not grace, but is something else. If grace was the basis for unity, would we not have to have unity with all men, since “the grace of God has appeared…to all men” (Titus 2:11)? No, grace makes unity in Christ (Galatians 3:28) possible, but it is not the basis for it.
All unity, whether in religion or other areas of life, exists by agreement. Through the prophet Amos, God posed this question: “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). Some might contest this point and say that the grace-unity movement is unity in diversity, meaning that the people have unity despite their lack of agreement on certain things. But there most certainly is an agreement. Grace-unity advocates have agreed that they will ignore sin and error so that they can continue to work and worship together.
To have the kind of unity that God desires, we must agree upon what the word of God teaches. When Jesus prayed for His disciples, He said, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one” (John 17:20-21). The unity Jesus desires we have is based upon the message He gave the apostles to preach.
Characteristics of the Grace-Unity Movement
One characteristic of the grace-unity movement is a tolerance of sin. However, as Christians we cannot simply ignore sin. Jesus said, “If your brother sins, rebuke him” (Luke 17:3). Yet instead of rebuking one in sin to try to turn him from it, many ignore the sin and pretend there is no problem. James said it is commendable for one to turn a brother who has fallen into sin back to the truth (James 5:19-20). John said the reason why he wrote his first epistle was “so that you may not sin” (1 John 2:1). Nowhere in the New Testament do we get the impression that sin is no big deal. Yet many who have been affected by the grace-unity way of thinking overlook sins like drinking, immodest dress, adultery, and so on, rather than attempt to persuade the ones guilty of these sins to repent.
Another characteristic is the support of false teachers. This is explicitly condemned by the apostle John: “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds” (2 John 10-11). We are not to give financial support or moral support to one who brings something other that the doctrine of Christ. Paul reminded us that error leads to the destruction of both the one who teaches it and those who accept it (Galatians 1:6-9). Yet we see many continue to support false teachers and invite them to hold gospel meetings. When Paul encountered false teachers, he said, “We did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you” (Galatians 2:5). Instead of standing up against the false teachers, many sit back and listen to their lessons and support them in their efforts. Those who do this will not have the truth of the gospel remain with them.
Paul warned, “Do not participate in [have no fellowship with, KJV] the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). This means we are not to have fellowship with those in sin and/or error. Yet brethren following the grace-unity movement have stretched the bounds of fellowship far beyond what God intended. When this happens, what is to stop these brethren from moving farther? In this movement, we see various denominations working and worshipping together. Will we see our brethren joining in fellowship with the denominations someday as well? Who knows? But what is there to stop them? If they are already expanding fellowship beyond what is outlined in the New Testament, this would be just another step.
Conclusion
In the first century, some had a perverted concept of grace that justified their sin. Today, the skewed concept of grace that some have causes them to ignore the sins of others. This means that nothing is being done to try to save their souls from destruction (1 Corinthians 5:5). It also means that we (or others) may be influenced to sin (1 Corinthians 5:6). We must follow God’s plan and do what we can to save ourselves and the souls of others.
