As important as unity is, it is not our most important value. Jesus Christ taught that truth transcends unity as a priority. It is critical to recall that in Christ’s high priestly prayer, before He prayed that we would be one, He prayed that we would be set apart in the truth (Jn. 17:17). From God’s point of view, truth is not only more important than unity but it is in fact the basis for unity. The Bible does not know a unity that is just for unity’s sake. Authentic Christian unity is a unity forged in a common cause, a common conviction, a common interest. Biblical unity is forged in our mutual bondedness to the truth in Christ, “the way and the truth and the life” (Jn. 14:6). When we embrace the truth, we are free to embrace one another in the truth.
Joseph Stowell