Unity In Diversity

Unity In Diversity is an old doctrine used by pluralist movements all over the world. It allows for one body practicing multiple doctrines and practices. Many groups like Bahai and Hindu and even Catholicism use the doctrine of diversity to try to create a unified world movement, which allows local differences. Those who practice infant baptism split off into diversity, allowing differences as long as you allowed infant baptism and three modes of baptism. Even some Church of Christ groups have moved in that direction, accepting differences as long as you practice believers immersion. Is it really biblical? Why do some large protestant bodies such as the Wesleyan and Calvinist sects practice unity in diversity.

The answer is no it isn't biblical, it is based upon the false idea of a Jewish body and a Gentile body with different practices of worship. A diversity of allowing Jewish or Gentile customs within Christian worship. This being pulled from Acts 2 where the Christians were mostly Jewish. There were some prostelytes to Judaism, but most were Jewish. The idea was that the  Jewish church practiced the law of Moses while the gentiles were free from the law. This created a precedent for deviation doctrinally and separation by denomination.

Unity in Diversity teachers almost always begin their indoctrination with Acts 2, teaching the early Church used Jewish practices. So things like a human high priest or musical instruments or a physical temple with alter were brought forth into Christianity. These were all Jewish practices. After argueing them to be acceptable they took the next step and argued them to be Christian law.

The misunderstanding can be corrected if we realize both Jew and gentile were free from the law concerning justification, both practiced the commands and ordinances of Christian doctrine as given by Christ and the Apostles, see Acts 2:40-47. From the beginning the Jewish church followed the 'Apostles doctrine' as did the gentiles, especially more standardized after Acts 15 clarified justification. The apostles doctrine wasn't the sanhedrin's doctrine. They were not the same.

Following the law of Moses, when practiced by Christians, was not for justification. The Jews were free to keep the Law of Moses but not for justification. Concerning justification, the Jew and Gentile were under the same Christian doctrine. Concerning justification there was no Unity in Diversity. Concerning Christian ordinances there was no difference between Jew and Gentile.

Acts 13:39

And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses...

The law could not justify either group. By Christ all believers can be justified, by Moses none are justified.

You see concerning justification both Jew and Gentile, "all that believe", are justified through the Gospel, apart from the Law of Moses. See Romans 4:13 Paul spoke Acts 13:39 to a Jewish audience in a Gentile city, so we have clear evidence for Jew and Gentile. Many Jews did keep aspects of the law of Moses for other reasons like entering the temple area. They never kept the law for justification. Christians never kept the complete law.

Unity in Diversity violates the great commission by being silent about some aspects of the Gospel when it would violate another's beliefs. Things like baptism for the remission of sins can be simply watered down into baptism for any purpose. We are commanded to proclaim the Gospel in its fulness, not a different Gospel as described in Galations 1:8. Yes your churches may grow watering down the Gospel, but pews will be full of partially believing christians, plus it leaves their souls in jeopardy and Christianity weaker.

Jews were zealous for the law Acts 21:20, just as Christians are to be zealous for good works Titus 2:14, without believing good works save without Christ. We can be zealous without believing they justify.

Acts 21:20 took place after the judgment in Acts 15, so zealous does not mean being a law or being justified, the entire Jerusalem church understood this.

Christians could keep Jewish law when entering the Temple area as in Acts 21, or keeping holidays or food laws Romans 14, but they would never take temple practices and add them to the Church, that would have been highly offensive to Jew and Church. These were private expressions, not public law. They would never borrow Levitical instruments such as manna plates or oil lamps or temple instruments and practice them at the Lord's worship. That could be cause for death under Jewish law. They would never judge others with those laws Colossians 2:9-17. If they practiced Judaism it was done lawfully, so 

So they practiced parts of the law to appease the Jews, but did not keep all of the law.

So not all of Jewish law was kept by Christians. As a complete system it was not.

Unity In Diversity is a false theory that allowed Judaism to flow into the Church. The Jews could practice Judaism for many reasons besides salvation, while not being allowed to bring Judaism into Christian worship. It was a one way street, they could practice personally without making it a Christian precedent. Christianity was separate in structure. 

baptism

Lord's Supper

Church structure

Prayer

Singing

These were all different from Judaism in some details. So to claim Christians practiced Judaism is not true. In Acts 2 it says they followed the Apostles doctrine, not the Sanhedrin's doctrine. They followed Judaism when it helped spread Christianity by appealing to conscience without creating law. 

Christians followed Christ as High Priest, not the Levitical High Priest. To say so is blaspheme really.

Many teach that almost everything we practice was brought from Jewish law into the church, because the church was Jewish, but this is a bad analogy. You see, things like prayer were practiced before Judaism. Animal sacrifices were before Judaism. Murder was a crime before Judaism. Marriage law was practiced before Judaism. Judaism recorded them in history books like Genesis and Exodus before the law was ratified.

In Acts 2 the Church practiced human norms affirmed by Christ that were taught before Judaism, practiced in most every culture including Judaism.  Things like prayer were taught by Christ in the fashion he desired, not according to Judaism. Jesus taught not to pray or give alms like the Jewish leaders. The assumption the early church practiced Judaism was simply false. The idea James the Lord's brother practiced the Law of Moses for justification is put to rest in Acts 15.

Acts 15:17

that the residue of men might seek after the Lord...

So with unanimous consent they wrote to the Gentiles that justification was through seeking the Lord. Then in Acts 15:24 James testifies they gave no such commandment endorsing Judaism. Many Christians kept Jewish law for conscience sake, but not by commandment for justification.

So the idea Jew and Gentile had different worship commands is false. Both had liberties of keeping local laws and of conscience. These laws could be different in different countries.

I Peter 2:13

"submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake"

This was not for justification, but to aid in the spread of the Gospel. Some kept the law from ignorance, the church tried to edify each weak member, but weak members were not the precedent and our end doctrine. The Christian could use such freedom to fit into any society.  Justification was the same for all. No king or governor had power to change the ideas of Christian justification. Justification could not submit to the king or governor.

Christians did keep area and local laws, but not for moral justification. Jews had freedom to keep Gentile laws in foreign lands as Gentiles did in Jewish land. But keeping secular law did not change christian worship and justification. Nor did we have the freedom to change things like baptism into a pluralist practice that allowed multiple modes or purposes. We cant alter christian ordinance into human purpose, it is the purpose God gave to it. Its original purpose is to be retained.

I Cor.11:1-2

Now I praise you, brethren , that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.


It is my estimation that unity in diversity is simply a catholic justification for the priesthood and musical instruments. They want a precedent to style their church after Judaism. It offers a precedent for their practice, but it is a false precedent.