Unity and Sound Doctrine (Part 2)
Unity Vs. Group Think
One of the most powerful tools in the enemy’s arsenal is Group Think. There is a big difference between Group Think and Unity and it is just as much the Christian’s responsibility to avoid Group Think as it is to be unified. The Bible does NOT teach unity at all cost. It takes more love to rebuke than it does to allow fellow believers to continue in error. Proverbs 27:5 states it well when the Bible says that open rebuke is better than concealed love. Rebuke is not an ugly word – though it can be. Ultimately the foundation of every action in the Christian’s life is based on faith in God, His word and love. Rebuke can be hateful, but that is not godly rebuke. True rebuke is a pleading of the heart that desires the best for another person.
Let’s take a moment to define Unity and Group Think.
Group Think is based on peer pressure. Peer pressure does not end when we leave high school; in fact, the church can be one of the greatest sources of peer pressure most people will encounter. We experience peer pressure in every area where social encounters are present. How we feel that we are perceived among our peers also affects how we view ourselves. We do not like to feel like the odd man out. Group think is the affect of peer pressure directly dictating our opinions, viewpoints, actions and unwillingness to take action. Group think is when we allow the group of people in which we are influenced by to think for us. When a person submits to Group Think, they will accept the ideas of the group even when it goes against thier better judgment.
Asch’s experiment is a great example of this. In 1951 a psychologist named Solomon Asch conducted an experiment to prove that peer pressure could cause individuals to make a false statement even when the truth was irrefutable. He created a classroom test with 10 students at a time using a card with three lines printed on it – two short and one line that was clearly longer. The test was to identify the longest line. Nine of the students were instructed to pick the same line and declare that it was the longest line; the tenth student was unaware that the other nine were coached. When the tenth student was given the card after each person declared the same short line was the longest and was praised by the teacher, many reluctantly identified the same line as the majority even though it was clearly a false statement.
Well over one third of the students trusted the group’s perspective over the clear evidence before them. When you consider that the consequence of nonconformity was minimum, one third is an extremely high number. If someone went against the group in this test, there was little threat of rejection, yet they still succumbed. If you take the same strategy into a religious or political group where leaders are passionate about persuading others to their point of view, the number of those who give in will skyrocket. In a social group where rejection is real and the risk of being isolated causes people to fear, it is very, very difficult to go against the crowd.
Group Think is fed by the promise of reward and threat of punishment – even if that threat is only perceived. How did Jim Jones convince 914 people to drink poison? How did Marshall Applewhite persuade 39 people to commit suicide in the Heaven’s Gate cult in 1997. How does cult leaders like Sun Myung Moon persuade his followers to give everything they own to him? The list of examples is inexhaustible. People are drawn in by acceptance and then surrender their reasoning by fear of rejection. We see examples of group think in religion, politics, science, education and anywhere a social culture can be established.
Group Think is when an individual rejects their own discernment and ability to reason and allows the group to dictate what is to be believed, accepted and practice as well as what is not tolerated. It is not based on a concrete standard, but rather on the desires of the group at the moment. Situational ethics are preached in various flavors. In Group Think, standards are discouraged or mocked and those who adhere to standards are viewed as intolerant or troublemakers.
Unity
Group Think is often mistaken for unity when in reality the two are not the same at all. In the Bible, unity is the bond created by a common purpose and common principles. We should dispel the myth that the Bible teaches unity at all cost. In truth, the Bible commands us to evaluate the things we are being taught; evaluate those who are teaching; evaluate all doctrine and then to cling to what is good while rejecting that which is contrary to the Word. A church is unified by the love of God poured out in our hearts. We love the brethren – even if we are not able to remain in agreement with them. Even rebuke must be founded upon love or it will become destructive. In fact, the Bible teaches unity while at the same time warning not to allow false doctrine. Look at Ephesians 4:11-16
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ --
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
According to this passage, those appointed to teach the congregation do so to edify the body (or church) so that there will be ‘unity of faith’. The goal of teaching is to instruct each other in the correct doctrine so we can have unity. The unity of faith is based on knowledge and measuring up to the standard of Christ. Right after instructing us on unity, we are then given the secondary reason – so that we are not tossed to and fro and carried away by every wind of doctrine. Sound doctrine creates unity and avoids the pitfalls of false teaching. The truth is based solely on God’s word. Scripture is our unchangeable standard – yet equally important is that we have love as the platform in which we speak truth. We are not called to beat others down when they are in error, but love them back to the truth if they are willing. Paul explained this in 2 Corinthians 5:20:
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
That is the foundation of correction and rebuke. We speak the truth – not from a high and mighty position or from a puffed up attitude, but instead we plead for others to be reconciled to God. Truth without compromise is not divisive; resistance to the truth is what divides. Paul experienced criticism from those who were opposed to the truth:
Galatians 4:16 Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
We do run the risk of being marked as an enemy if we hold to the truth; however, if we truly care for our fellow believers, we must seek to be disciples of Christ. A disciple of Christ continues to learn while leading others into a deeper knowledge and faith in Christ.
How do we avoid Group Think
We can easily identify when Group Think is occurring if we do not allow ourselves to be conditioned to accept it. In a Group Think environment, godly love is pushed aside and then conformity is miss-defined as unity. The Bible defines unity as ‘being knit together in love’ (Colossians 2:2). If godly love is not the motivating factor in unity then it is not truly unity. In the Bible, the love for God is the foundation from which everything else flows. We love God and obey Him and out of that love we are empowered to love others. Jesus stated that the one who has His commandments and keeps them loves God (John 14:21) and the one that does not obey does not love God (John 14:24). 1 John 5:2 teaches us that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments.
Just as Unity is founded upon love, Group Think pushes love aside. This is a subtle shift and often goes unnoticed by those who remain in the circle of the accepted. In Group Think only those who conform will remain acceptable to the group. In Group Think, fear and intimidation keep the group together. Sometimes people become unaware of intimidation if it is done covertly. Most people would be put on alert if a leader openly tried to intimidate by forceful demands; however, if the group begins to accept subtle intimidation, the same demands can be accomplished without brute force. For example, if the leaders begin to teach that it is wrong to question ideas or doctrine and makes the claim that those who do question are wrong, intolerant or unspiritual, the group is then intimidated into silence. The intimidation is not necessarily fear of retaliation from the leader but fear of appearing as a dissenter to the rest of the group where they feel loved and accepted.
Many times even the leaders are unaware of the path they are taking because they have been influenced by fellow leaders and have bought into philosophies rooted outside the Bible. If fear of rejection has become part of the group, love is already being replaced by Group Think. Look at 1 John 4:
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
If we find ourselves in an environment where we are afraid of rejection, we are not walking in love. God’s love is the only perfect love. If the love of God has been poured out in our hearts, we are set free from fear. In this passage we are free from the fear of the judgment of God, but we are also free from the fear of judgment of others.
Identifying Group Think is important in avoiding it but even more important is sound doctrine. It is impossible to be absolutely confident in truth unless we have a solid doctrinal foundation. This is why discipleship is so important in the church. It is only when we are confident and assured concerning what is truth and solid biblical doctrine that we can make a stand when the time comes – even when it is contrary to the philosophy of the group. Blurring truth and doctrine is necessary for Group Think to occur in the church. On the other hand, having absolute confidence in truth is necessary to avoid being carried by every wind of doctrine if we find ourselves surrounded by Group Think.
Following the Crowd
Doctrine is the Evidence of the End Times
Unfortunately, when the tide turns against sound doctrine, the masses always follow the error. This can clearly be observed in modern history as well as biblical history. I’ll give a few examples but first look at this passage from 2 Thessalonians 2:3
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
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10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The one major sign given to the church that it is indeed the last days is that there will first be a falling away from the faith. Faith is ONLY found in the church; therefore, we know the sign is that the church will loose its power and begin to follow false doctrine and deny or ignore the truth. Colossians 2:4 warns us to be on guard that we are not deceived:
4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.
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8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
2 Timothy 4:
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
We are forewarned that there will be a falling away from the faith and that we should beware that we are not deceived. It would not be deception if it were not persuasive. False doctrine will always sound good and most false teachers will use scripture but will mix it with philosophy and principles that are palatable to the world. Our only defense is to compare these to the principles of Christ. So we are warned that in the last days those inside the church will no longer endure sound doctrine and will seek out teachers that will give them the philosophies they want to hear; there will be a falling away from the faith; there will be a form of godliness but no true power (2 Timothy 3:4); and deceitful philosophies will replace or be mixed into the doctrine. If you take truth and mix it with error, is it still truth? We know that it is not.
Before we move on, I would like to point out another miss-used but often quoted phrase from prophecy that is used to make claims of latter day revivals. While God has promised to revive anyone who humbles themselves, repents and seeks His ways, the truth is that this is not the sign of the latter days. While revival is always God’s desire for us, the latter day church will reject true revival and depart from the faith. A large crowd is not evidence of revival. One phrase from prophecy is used for this misconception, “I will pour my spirit out on all flesh”. The church has already received the pouring out of the Spirit (See Acts 2); however, Israel cannot receive this until they first receive Christ.
Many so-called latter day rain revivals use this as their motto; however, it is not a promise to the church. Look at this phrase in context with the scripture God gave in Joel 2:27-28
27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. 28 " And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
This passage follows God’s promise of restoration of the Jews to their land in Israel. Prior to this God foretold that He would judge Israel and scatter them to the corners of the earth. At the same time He pronounced they would be scattered He also gave a promise that in the latter days He would bring them back again (Also see Romans 11). Now here in Joel, God is stating that He will bring them back, restore all that has been lost and after this, “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy”. This is a promise to the children of Israel, not to the church. By this point the church has already turned from God and fallen away from the faith.
If we truly believe this is the last days, we have to also face the realization that the masses within the church will depart or have already departed from the faith. Scripture leaves no room for a last days church revival; however, it does command us as individuals to remain faithful and stand firm even if those around us do not. We are warned not to go with what is popular but seek out sound doctrine. We also have history to prove this point as well. To set the foundation of these examples, let us first consider the following passages:
Luke 6:26 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Matthew 7:13-15 13 " Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 " Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Luke warns that the masses spoke well of the false prophets and we should be wary when we hear everyone speaking well of ourselves or we can also conclude that this is true when we hear others being praised by everyone. The majority are rarely in the right. The right path is narrow and difficult and few will go in. The masses will take the deception that is accepting of many things and various doctrines. There is room for everyone in the wide gate but only those walking with Christ can go through the narrow one. We should pursue unity but not be afraid of standing alone when the time comes.
I also find it interesting that after warning us to be aware of the gate we are pursuing, Jesus immediately put our focus on false prophets. These are the teachers and religious leaders that tickle our ears in the earlier warnings. They pass themselves off as loving sheep, but in their heart is deception and destruction.
Many seek safety in numbers but there will come a time when we may have to go against the tide. Unfortunately the masses rarely show godly discernment and we have many times where we can see that the crowd is wrong. Exodus 23 warns us:
2 "You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.
Jesus also made a point to warn us that when the crowd is in agreement, this should be a strong warning that we should evaluate our own message. Look again at Luke 6:
26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.
False prophets and teachers are often praised by all because their message appeals to human nature. Jesus’ message is that we must die to ourselves and have faith that God will fulfill us. The message of the cross is foolishness to the world because it goes against the carnal man that seeks only pleasure and gratification. Jesus compares this to the history of Israel when the masses followed after false prophets and doctrine as they rejected those who God truly sent calling them to be reconciled to the truth. A good example of this is found in 1 Kings 22:13. The king had a mass of prophets proclaiming good news and telling the people what they wanted to hear. Micaiah was called on to affirm the message everyone else was preaching:
13 Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, "Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement."
This sounds remarkably like our current culture. The message is welcomed as long as we only speak what people want to hear. When truth is not the standard, only what is in agreement with the crowd is accepted as encouragement and those who don’t walk with the group’s message are considered hateful or divisive. A call for repentance is considered a negative message to those who are only looking for affirmation; however, saying what people want to hear is not truly encouragement. In this story, Micaiah proclaimed the truth that went against the common message and he was punished for it. The scriptures are filled with warnings that the truth will not always be tolerated; therefore, if our message is well received by the masses we should examine our message. Godly men and women will speak well of truth so there are times we can find encouragement by the counsel of those who we know are solid in the word. Look at these passages as well:
Matthew 24:4-5 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, ’I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
Matthew 24:11 11 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
Mark 13:5-6 5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 "For many will come in My name, saying, ’I am He,’ and will deceive many.
Mark 13:22-23 22 "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 "But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.
Jesus has provided the warning and instructions before hand so that only those who love the deception over the truth will be deceived. Jesus also compared the last days with the time of Noah. Out of all the people on the earth, only eight people responded to the truth. The problem of truth being rejected by the masses has repeated itself over and over throughout history. This has been true among those in the world and among those claiming the name of God. Let’s take a moment and look at some examples.
When Jesus walked the earth, what was the position of the religious leaders of the day? The Scribes and Pharisees were students of the word that we hold today, yet they still rejected the message of truth taught in the word. They allowed their philosophies, ideologies, traditions, and desires to pollute the truth. When Jesus challenged them with the truth, they hated Him and took every opportunity to try to discredit Him and destroy Him.
What was Elijah’s message and what was the opinion of the masses? All of the priests of God, leaders and people turned from the truth. They still kept much of the law but mixed into God’s truth the message of Baal. Elijah had to stand alone while the masses hated him and even sought to kill him. Even though he stood alone, God also had reserved seven thousand people who did not conform to the doctrine of the masses. Seven thousand may seem like a large number but in reality it is a very, very small number. If Israel only had a population of one million people, this would be the equivalent of just over ½ a percent of the population. Near the same time frame, Israel’s soldiers numbered one million, five hundred thousand (1 Chronicles 21:5), so the general population could have easily been double that number. Most of the seven thousand likely felt just as Elijah did – they were the only ones.
If we go back a little farther to the time when Israel was led to the Promised Land, how many people remained faithful? God, by His power, delivered Israel from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, delivered them again from the rage of the Egyptian army, conquered every enemy that stood in their way and still they trusted human nature over the power of God. The Lord tested them by sending in twelve spies to view the land so Israel could decide to trust God or reject true faith. Israel saw the mighty men and obstacles that stood in their way and the masses rejected God. Only two men trusted God out of the entire nation and only those two men lived to inherit the promise.
When Moses was with God on the mountain, what were the masses doing in the camp? Even the religious leaders fell into the trap and led the people into idolatry. The entire nation was unified as they danced around in their pagan ritual.
When Jesus was standing trial, what was the position of the masses? The religious leaders intimidated dissenters into silence and persuaded the masses to demand his crucifixion. The very people who were shouting Jesus’ praises a few days earlier were tossed as though by the wind under the influence of their leaders to reject him and call for his death.
In the book of Revelation, what is the position of the crowd? The false prophet in Revelation will lead all the world to worship the beast. I am certain that worshipping the beast will sound good and the arguments presented that he is the Christ will only make sense. Those who are firmly grounded in scripture will not be caught up in the excitement of the moment.
Even the church of the last days will heap false teachers to themselves that will tickle their ears and teach them what they want to hear. It will sound good; it will make sense; and those who don’t follow the program will be viewed as unspiritual and divisive. Even so, we should be prepared to stand alone if necessary. The Bible does not say it will be easy but we have been forewarned so that we are not caught off guard.
Not only is this true in biblical history, but it is equally true in world history. When Hitler persuaded the nation of Germany that it was good to annihilate the Jews, the church was equally persuaded. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a pastor during this time of history and he opposed Hitler. During this era there was a pastor’s conference in Germany in which Dietrich gave a speech. He expressed opposition to the persecution of the Jews and stated that the church was wrong to support it. As he gave his speech, every pastor turned their backs on him and walked out of the auditorium. By the end of his speech, Dietrich stood alone in the pulpit speaking to an empty room. He alone made a stand and every church he was connected to considered him to be divisive and a threat to their unity and purpose. As we all know, history proved Dietrich to be right and the rest of the churches and their leaders to be wrong. Even so, we don’t need history to prove truth; we hold truth in our very hands and are commanded to apply ourselves to it regardless of the cost. The masses did not speak well of Dietrich and did not stand on the truth.
History will repeat itself and we can already see this happening in our culture today. Each person who stands on the truth must be prepared to be spoken of as evil – even among those within the church. Even the apostle Paul experienced this when he said, “Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 6:16). Look at 2 Timothy 3:12
12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Unfortunately that persecution can enter the walls of the local church. At various times in history it has invaded the church and it will happen again. As Christians we have the power to stand and can endure because we have hope beyond this life. It is better to stand alone in obedience to God than to have unity contrary to God. Unity is vital to the health of the church but the unity must be founded upon sound doctrine through the knowledge of God’s word. Unity with God supersedes unity with the local body. When the body is unified in the truth, God will empower us with a common purpose and ministry. Look at Revelation 3:8
8 "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
When the local church keeps His Word, God opens the door to ministry that no one can shut. Unity must be founded upon truth. Throughout the Bible and history we have seen that those claiming to be God’s people have had unity while committing evil against His name. The church must first be unified in its commitment to sound doctrine and then God will give us unity in ministry as He opens the door. Truth must be first and foremost or we cannot be assured that unity is of God.
