Avoiding Discord: The Unity Creed's Call to Love Without Division

The New Testament is remarkably direct about the danger of those who cause divisions within the Body of Christ. Paul warns in Romans 16:17: 'I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.' The Unity Creed echoes this apostolic counsel: believers should avoid discord and those that cause divisions within the Body of Christ.

What Is Discord?

Discord is not the same as honest disagreement. Two believers who disagree about a theological question, discuss it openly, and maintain love and respect for each other are not in discord - they are doing theology together. Discord arises when disagreement becomes personal attack, when legitimate correction becomes factionalism, when someone's identity becomes bound up in being against other Christians rather than for Christ.

The Creed also mentions grumbling and complaining as threats to unity. Philippians 2:14 instructs believers to 'do everything without grumbling or arguing.' This is not a command to suppress legitimate grievances. It is a call to address problems directly and redemptively rather than through the corrosive habit of complaint that poisons community life without solving anything.

The Alternative: Unconditional Love

The Creed's antidote to discord is not merely conflict avoidance. It is unconditional love. This is the love Jesus commanded when He said 'Love one another as I have loved you' (John 15:12). The standard is not 'love those who agree with you' or 'love those who treat you well.' It is the love that Christ himself showed - self-giving, costly, patient with failure, persistent through offense.

The Command and the Desire of Jesus

The Unity Creed describes love as 'a command and a desire that Jesus had for His disciples.' This dual framing is important. It is a command: Jesus expects it of those who follow Him. It is also a desire: Jesus longs for His people to experience the harmony and joy that genuine love produces. He does not merely legislate the form of unity; He yearns for its reality. This should give urgency to our pursuit of it.