Members of United and Uniting Churches are deeply committed to cooperating with Heaven to fulfill Yahushua’s prayer: “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (John 17:21) To this end, they bend their tireless energies to seeking unity within Christianity.
Unity is certainly a laudable goal, for harmony reigns in Heaven. Peace and harmony will likewise characterize relationships within the true church of Yahushua. Consequently, the temptation to ignore the command to go out of Babylon as not applicable to oneself is greatest among the sincere believers who are members of the various United and Uniting Churches. The command to flee Babylon, however, allows for no exemptions. Following are some of the dangers involved in attempting to unify disparate beliefs into a single entity:
- United and Uniting Churches seek to make Christian unity fully visible. To do so, they have accepted a “kenotic ecclesiology.” They are willing to “die” to their old religious identities so that they may “rise together” with other believers in a new, united church. To do this, they combine beliefs that frequently are actually contradictory. For example, the United Reformed Church accepts both infant baptism and adult baptism into its theology and liturgical practice. These are based on two, diametrically opposed beliefs: infant baptism is the result of a belief in original sin, while adult baptism rejects that unbiblical error.
Yahuwah highlighted the error of such an attempt by asking, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3)
- United and Uniting Churches undermine doctrinal purity. Truth is mutually exclusive. It is harmonious and does not contradict itself. Therefore, truth alone is the factor that unifies. Only as believers lay aside error and follow the Lamb into truth will they be truly unified. Yahushua’s last command to His disciples was: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Such a command presupposes that some beliefs are true, while others are in error. Were it possible to unify despite conflicting beliefs, Yahushua would not have given the command to instruct others.
No man has the right to force another to accept his personal beliefs. However, when truth has been presented and subsequently rejected with finality, apart from praying for the one who has rejected truth, Scripture teaches separation from the one clinging to error. “Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.” (Hosea 4:17)
- To artificially join different and opposing belief systems serves only to weaken truth and strengthen error for error needs truth to bolster itself up. Yahushua astutely observed: “If a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:24-25) Furthermore, such a joining can serve to obfuscate other truths as an unhealthy, symbiotic relationship is reinforced. “And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?” (Luke 6:39)
- The unity for which Yahushua prayed was for spiritual unity, not superficial uniformity. This will only be achieved when believers are united on truth. United and Uniting Churches, however, purposely downplay theological differences. Such a practice is directly opposed to the instruction given in Scripture: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)
Yahuwah Himself scattered truth amongst the various denominations. Had all truth been concentrated in one church, Satan would have destroyed it through annihilation or corruption. But enough truth has been entrusted to each church that the sincere truth-seeker may find Yahuwah who will then lead him out of the churches that make up Babylon into the true unity of pure truth.
