"In Essentials, Unity..."
Making sense of the Restoration Movement's plea

"In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, love." This is arguably the most well-known axiom from what is known as the Restoration Movement. However, this statement has received criticism over the years. Some claim that the famous saying lacks practicality, because people cannot agree on what constitutes "essential" doctrine. In other words, the phrase is an ideal which cannot apply to the real world.
While this statement is problematic, we should not disregard it completely. The principle behind the proclamation is correct: Christians should be united in biblical truth. There is too much division among believers. Even most churches which find their roots in the Restoration Movement have abandoned the plea for unity. So, we should approach this issue carefully and thoughtfully. What we need to do is provide a reasonable understanding of "essential doctrine." The purpose of this essay is to distinguish between matters of truth and matters of opinion; biblical and non-biblical doctrine; and essential and non-essential doctrine. Once these distinctions are made, we may be able to better apply the Restoration Movement’s plea, "In essentials, unity…" to our lives and our faith.
The first distinction is between matters of truth and matters of opinion. Matters of truth include those beliefs or doctrines adhered to by a Christian which may be either true or false. For example, one believer may believe the doctrine that claims "all believers ought to speak in tongues." This doctrine is a matter of truth, because it is either true or false. Either all believers ought to speak in tongues, or they ought not.
Matters of truth can be classified as being either biblical doctrine or non-biblical doctrine. Biblical doctrine is any doctrine or belief that is based on Scripture. For example, one’s belief concerning salvation, God, sin, the "last days," faith, righteousness, etc., are all based on what Scripture teaches. Non-biblical doctrine is any belief or doctrine that is not grounded explicitly on Scripture. For example, one’s belief concerning gun control, taxes, "size of government," farming methods, diet and exercise, medical procedures, scientific theories, etc., are not based on the teachings of the Bible. Because both biblical and non-biblical doctrines are matters of truth, what one believes about such doctrines may be correct or incorrect, true or false.
Contrary to matters of truth, matters of opinion are those beliefs which are neither true nor false. For example, one may believe that "singing hymns in church is much better than singing choruses." This statement is a matter of opinion, because it is based on one’s subjective, personal preference, and not on objective truth.
Now that the distinction has been made between matters of truth and matters of opinion, and biblical and non-biblical doctrine, we can now turn our focus to the famous slogan of the Restoration Movement. In the axiom, "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, love," beliefs and doctrines are given two classifications: essentials and non-essentials. In the "essential doctrines" Christians should be united. In the "non-essential doctrines" Christians should be tolerant of other perspectives, and no division in the body of Christ should occur because of a disagreement over any non-essential doctrine or belief. This was at the heart of the Restoration Movement. The noted persons of the Movement rejected man-made creeds as tests of fellowship; rather, they called for all people to unite under the authority of God as revealed in Scripture.
Our original dilemma remains: What constitutes "essential" doctrine? Remember that doctrines are either matters of truth or matters of opinion. Matters of opinion, since they are merely personal preference, should never be considered "essential." All matters of opinion should be categorized as "non-essential."
Also, remember that matters of truth are either biblical or non-biblical. While it is important that Christians seek the truth and formulate intelligent views on issues like politics, science, medicine, et al., these non-biblical beliefs and doctrines should not be considered "essential." While one’s position on such matters is often important, such doctrines should not be used as a test of fellowship for Christians, because non-biblical beliefs and doctrines are not based on the Bible. Scripture alone sets the standard for Christian fellowship, unity, and faith. This means Christians who are democrats and republicans, union workers and non-union workers, employer and employee, meat-eaters and vegetarians, can sit in the same pew and worship their God. They can come together and gather around the same communion table, remembering and honoring the crucified Christ. They can be united in vision and purpose, and together fulfill the Great Commission [Matt. 28:18-20].
So, only biblical doctrines – those doctrines and matters of truth taught in the pages of Scripture – should be considered as possibly being "essential." But even biblical doctrines may be either essential or non-essential.
Arriving at an understanding of what is meant by "essential" is crucial at this point. Let me suggest three qualifications:
1. The doctrine must be necessary for one’s salvation;
2. The doctrine must be necessary for spiritual growth;
3. The doctrine must be necessary for maintaining and upholding the truth of Christianity.
Doctrines which are described by one or more of these qualifications are what the New Testament writers had in mind when they warned the believers about "false doctrines" and "false teachers" [1 Tim. 1:3; 6:3; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 John 4:1] and exhorted Christians to "contend for the faith" [Jude 3].
Examples of such "essential" doctrines are: creation of the world by God [Gen. 1]; only one God [Deut. 6:4]; all have sinned [Rom. 3:23]; Jesus, the only way to God [John 14:6]; salvation by grace, through faith [Eph. 2:8-9]; the resurrection of Christ from the dead [I Cor. 15:14-15] (This is not an exhaustive list). Christians should be united in those doctrines which are essential for salvation, essential for spiritual growth, and/or essential for upholding the truth of the Christian faith.
"In essentials, unity…"
At this point, defining "unity" is significant. I think we should view "unity" here as being more than merely "tolerance" or even "friendship." We should tolerate and befriend others - even if their beliefs do not correspond with that which we consider to be "essential doctrine." Jesus told us to "love your neighbor." He didn't say, "Love your neighbor if he believes what you believe." However, unity is different. To be united in the essentials is to be in a state of oneness - oneness of mind, oneness of purpose. Calling for this oneness in the essentials should not imply rejecting those who believe differently in matters of "essential" doctrine. So, even concerning the essentials, there should still be liberty and "unity" in the more general sense of "harmony" and "fellowship."
Examples of non-essential biblical doctrine are: millennial views (pre-millennial, post-millennial, a-millennial); "young earth" or "old earth" creationism; determining when the battle in Heaven between Michael and Satan occurred; speaking in tongues; the role of women in the church (this also is not an exhaustive list). As with non-biblical beliefs, acquiring a proper understanding of non-essential biblical doctrine may be (and very often is) very important; however, disagreements over such beliefs should never be the cause of division in the church.
"…in non-essentials, liberty…"
Some in Christendom today are confusing non-essential biblical doctrines (as well as matters of opinion) as essential doctrine. Organizations such as the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) have convinced many that "young earth creationism" (the view that the earth is only 6000 - 10,000 years old) is "the Christian view." ICR gives the impression that, to be a Christian, one must accept the young earth doctrine. Perhaps the Bible does teach that the earth is "young" – perhaps it does not. Whatever one’s view on the issue, what is important is that the age of the earth is not an essential doctrine. Christians disagree on this issue, and we should allow liberty in this area.
Likewise, the "Left Behind" books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, while they make for somewhat entertaining reading, have convinced many that "pre-millennialism" (the view that includes a "rapture" of believers before a time of tribulation, which is followed by Christ returning to earth to reign for 1000 years) is "the Christian view." Again, the impression is that one must accept pre-millennialism in order to be a Christian. This is another area where believers disagree, and liberty should be applied.
The principles of the Restoration Movement are sorely needed today. We must become united in truth, love, and purpose. "In essentials, unity; in non-essential, liberty; and in all things, love."
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