Unity Without Uniformity

We’ve been walking through the Book of Acts for most of this year—watching the gospel move from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. When we arrive at Acts 15, the church reaches one of the most critical moments in its early history: the Jerusalem Council.

1. Guarding the Gospel in Matters of Salvation

At the council, Peter stands first and reminds everyone of God’s clear design:

“…that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.” (Acts 15:7)

Not “hear and keep the law.” Not “hear and become Jewish first.” Just hear and believe.

Peter continues:

“Why place a yoke on their neck that even we could not bear?” (v. 10)

Then the heart of the gospel is declared:

“We believe we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are.” (v. 11)

James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, stands next and confirms this truth from the prophets. He concludes:

“We should not trouble the Gentiles who turn to God.” (v. 19)

Salvation is:

• Grace alone
• Faith alone
• Christ alone

Jesus plus anything ruins everything.

2. Guiding the Church in Matters of Fellowship

James then offers four practical instructions—not to save the Gentiles, but to protect the unity of the church.

• Sin — Always out of bounds

Sexual immorality is always destructive and outside God’s design. The church calls believers to holiness.

• Reverence & Health — Wise boundaries

Avoiding blood and strangled animals came from Leviticus 17–18. Gentiles were coming out of pagan rituals—including drinking blood as an act of worship. The church is calling Gentile believers to a new pattern of worship and holy living.

• Unity — Things that are allowed but not worth division

Food sacrificed to idols wasn’t sinful (1 Corinthians 8), but it caused major conflict with Jewish Christians.

The instruction was simple:

Unity matters more than your preferences.

A Helpful Grid for Christian Fellowship

Not every issue carries the same weight. Here’s a simple, biblical framework the early church models for us:

1. Matters of Eternity (Non-negotiables)

• The Gospel
• The deity of Christ
• The authority of Scripture
• The resurrection
• Heaven and hell

On these, we stand like an iron rod set in concrete.

2. Matters of Importance (Secondary doctrines)

Gifts of the Spirit, end-times views, church structure—faithful Christians may disagree. We discuss humbly, but we do not divide.

3. Matters of Opinion (Preferences)

Music style, school choice, traditions, politics. Paul calls these “opinions” (Romans 14:1). They must never divide Christ’s body.

Unity, Not Uniformity

So how do we actually live this out? The early church gives us clear, practical steps:

1. Make the gospel the centerpiece

Let Jesus and His finished work be the loudest message of your life. Not political opinions. Not personal preferences. Not secondary issues. The gospel must stay front and center.

2. Pray for unity—and practice unity

Unity doesn’t happen by accident. It takes pursuit. It may require you to reach out to someone you’ve disagreed with. To apologize. To reopen a line of communication. Or to say, “This wasn’t a matter of eternity. Let’s make things right.”

Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would be one, so that the world would believe the Father sent Him.

3. Be firm in theology, gentle with people

This is where that phrase comes from:

“Steel wrapped in velvet.”

Firm on biblical truth. Soft in tone, posture, and approach. Uncompromising on the gospel. Unshakeable in love for neighbor.

4. Obey your conscience—but don’t weaponize it

There may be things that bother your conscience even if they’re not sinful. Paul says:

“If your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love.” (Romans 14)

Follow the Holy Spirit’s conviction. But do not force your personal conscience on others. And do not use your freedom in a way that wounds someone Christ died for.

5. Put people before preference

If Jesus put the needs of others before Himself—even to the point of death—we must do the same. The meat sacrificed to idols wasn’t sinful… but it was dividing believers. So the apostles said:

“Love your neighbor more than your liberty.”

6. Be hard to offend

This may be one of the strongest indicators of spiritual maturity. And here’s where the story comes in.

I probably shouldn’t tell this story—but sometimes you learn more from a man’s weakness than his strengths.

There’s a McDonald's I often stop at early in the morning. My breakfast is simple: one small coffee and one apple pie.

But multiple times, I paid for my apple pie, then pulled up to the window only to hear:

They would offer a pumpkin pie (which, no thank you), or ask me to wait while they cooked more. This happened not once, not twice, but six times.

On the sixth time, I asked to speak to the manager. I wasn’t yelling, but I wasn’t gracious either. Let’s call it “pastorally irritated.”

Later that evening, Wendy reminded me:

I could’ve melted into the floor.

I walked in the next morning to pick up food for students… from the same manager I had just corrected the day before.

And I could almost sense the Holy Spirit saying:

“If a missing $1.50 apple pie can offend you this easily, your spiritual tank is lower than you think.”

Being easily offended isn’t a personality quirk. It’s usually a sign of spiritual immaturity. It means we’ve begun caring more about our comfort than God’s mission.

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

So let’s bring Acts 15 home.

If you’ve never trusted Jesus as your Savior:

There is salvation in no one else. Nothing else saves. Nothing else cleanses. Nothing else forgives. Jesus alone.

And if you are saved, but fellowship has been broken in your life—not over theology, not over eternity, but over opinions—today can be a day of healing.

You can make things right. You can reconcile. You can choose unity over uniformity. You can decide to keep the main thing the main thing.

A Final Word

Salvation is in Christ alone. Unity is the fruit of walking with the Spirit. And the world will know we belong to Jesus not by our preferences, but by our love for one another.