Unity in Separating

The idea of unity among Christians can be a tricky one to manage. Case in point? Acts 15.

The majority of the chapter focuses on how the early church manages one of its first big questions. Exactly how much and to what extent must the Gentiles take on Jewish practices to be "Christian"? What's necessary for salvation and what's necessary for good relations among the church? Paul, Barnabas, and several others leave their work to travel all the way to Jerusalem to discuss and solve the problem.

It's a problem that threatened to divide the early church, and especially because it's a conversation surrounding the very nature of salvation, it's an important one to iron out and set straight.

So many steps are taken to preserve the unity of the church as they try to incorporate new believers from different cultures and backgrounds. The decision follows the clear, firm idea of salvation by the grace of God through Christ alone ("We lay on you no greater burden than what is absolutely necessary"), but it includes some guidelines to get along well with one another ("If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well"). The letter is sent by Jewish delegates who can relay all of this to the Gentile believers in person, with words of encouragement.

But then, a few verses later, our two principal apostles have a sharp disagreement. It's time for Barnabas and Paul to keep traveling. Barnabas wants to give Mark a second chance and Paul doesn't want to be bothered, wants to keep going. This disagreement was strong enough that they decided to separate.

Why, after going to all of these great lengths to preserve unity, do we see these two leaders splitting? It's easy to see the two stories as being contradictory to one another, as though Paul and Barnabas are setting a bad example and discrediting all the work they had just accomplished.

It's easy to twist this story one way or the other. In our natural inclination to declare someone right and someone wrong, we choose a side. And certain camps among us have the impression that conflict is sin and the goal of the Body of Christ is to always and forever stick together, at all costs, no matter what.

The first thing to realize is that we are not told who was right and who was wrong. We're not told that anyone was sinning nor acting selfishly in this conflict, and we are given no extra information to show that that was the case. Instead, it appears as though two men, wired differently, want to do God's work in two different ways, and in the end they decide it's best to go their separate ways. The decision appears to be made fairly quickly, and as both of them continue in positive directions, it seems as though they were in agreement on this point, agreeing to disagree in a sense.

That's not to say this was an easy separation! The two have a long history together, have already experienced so much at each others side. It was most likely difficult to say goodbye, but it was the right thing to do.

But back to the original question. Does this separation contradict the efforts seen in the first part of the chapter? No, and for one important reason. The truth and meaning of the gospel is not at stake in the decision to take Jean-Marc along or not. We must be unified in our understanding of the gospel, but not necessarily in our way of working.

And what's the outcome of this conflict and separation? Paul and Barnabas find other men to take with them as they go: the workers and the efforts multiply and have an even greater impact moving forward. Separation, when done in unity, can be a very good, healthy, productive thing.

It's also important to note that they did NOT conclude after this conflict that it would be easier to just work alone. Working in teams and with others remains a high priority. No one is trying to be the star of the show.

We must seek unity as Christians, but that doesn't mean we all have to sit around the same campfire and prohibit anyone from leaving. What are the principal questions? The essentials? The majors? The foundations? Let's get it right together.

From there, let's acknowledge and respect and appreciate and encourage and empower the different personalities and gifts and ways of working. In some moments we have to lay aside 'my way' for the good of the community; I'm sure Paul and Barnabas had plenty of moments before this where they had to submit to one another. Surely there were moments when they got on each others nerves and wanted to separate, but knew they needed each other, knew they could do more together. But then, there are other moments where it is simply best to separate.

Paul and Barnabas weren't separating simply because they just didn't like each other anymore. There was work to be done and a decision to be made in this moment on how to do it. And so we must ask, when can we accomplish the most for our Lord in staying together? When can we accomplish the most for our Lord in separating?

Their focus was not selfish, but remained unified on the Lord, which is perhaps rarely the case in many of the separations we experience today.