Remember, unity is a promise from God (see Ephesians 4:13) and is an eventual reality. How do we protect it in keeping with Paul’s command in Ephesians 4:3?
One way is to acknowledge something called adiophora. Adiaphora is that category of things which the Bible neither commands nor prohibits, about which Christians may disagree and which are not essential to a relationship with God. The primary biblical support for this category is Romans 14. If we understand and apply what Paul teaches in this chapter, we will be well on our way toward “protecting the unity of the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:3). There are six instructions from Paul which prove helpful.
One is that Paul acknowledges that there are disputable matters or matters of opinion (see Romans 14:1). Everything is not written in stone. All matters do not constitute what we call dogma.
A second instruction is that we can expect Christians to have disagreements about these matters (see Romans 14:2). This is part of the reality of living in community on this side of heaven.
A third is that we are told to respect those with whom we disagree (see Romans 14:3). Do you respect people who see these non essential matters differently? Fourth, we must not put a “stumbling block” before someone with whom we disagree. Paul unpacks what he means by a stumbling block in 1 Corinthians 8:10, when he explains that we are guilty of doing that if we “embolden” a fellow believer to violate his/her conscience regarding these non essential issues.
Fifth (resembles #4), we must never insist that others adopt our view of these things (see Romans 14:22). We may certainly have healthy discussions about differing practices, but we cross a line with God when we act like others must embrace our practices. A sixth instruction is that each of us is free to follow his/her own conscience (see Romans 14:23) when it comes to non essentials.
The Church has a long history of acknowledging a distinction between essentials and non essentials. As early as Augustine (354-430 ACE) we hear what Luther (1483-1546 ACE), Pascal (1623-1662 ACE) and others echoed: “In essentials have unity; in non essentials have liberty; in all things have charity.” How can we know the difference? More next week!