Christian Unity Study

Darron Steele Christian Unity Page, devoted to the document:

Church Unity with Bible Authority

Darron L. Steele

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This addresses issues that have hindered Christian unity, addresses divisiveness, teaches biblical unity of Christian purpose, and suggests applications. All is done holding to full accuracy and authority of Scripture. Generally, the study can be read skipping around among essays. Part 1 is foundation; Parts 2-7 are main component.

The main thesis is not unity based upon agreement between congregations over events of their separate meetings, but rather unity of purpose among Christians and congregations of Christians.

Please keep in mind that although the document is finished, it is not finalized. It is still a work in progress, and it changes.

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Here is the whole document, which is roughly 2300 kilobytes in size as of January 02, 2008:

dsteele1976.tripod.com/unity2.pdf -- IF THIS SITE FAILS to load it PLEASE TRY http://sites.google.com/site/darronsteeledocuments/Home and go to the attachment. If you have a dial-up connection with a 3.5 kilobyte/second transfer rate, it will take about 11 minutes to load. If you have a high-speed connection, it should take just a minute or two.

The links below are the parts and these may be older than the current whole-document file. After improvements are made to the study, replacement of the whole-document file gets priority. The "Start" and "Urging" are well under 200 kilobytes, and the other sections are usually several hundred kilobytes in size.

Opening two pages -- see when Parts were updated, view opening/outline: https://dsteele1976.tripod.com/start.pdf

Part 1: https://dsteele1976.tripod.com/part1.pdf

Part 2: https://dsteele1976.tripod.com/part2.pdf

Part 3: https://dsteele1976.tripod.com/part3.pdf

Part 4: https://dsteele1976.tripod.com/part4.pdf

Part 5: https://dsteele1976.tripod.com/part5.pdf

Part 6: https://dsteele1976.tripod.com/part6.pdf

Part 7: https://dsteele1976.tripod.com/part7.pdf

Epilogue: https://dsteele1976.tripod.com/epilogue.pdf

An Urging to Action: https://dsteele1976.tripod.com/urging.pdf

Personal Statement: https://dsteele1976.tripod.com/statement.pdf

Bibliography +; Permission to share; Index of New Testament citations: https://dsteele1976.tripod.com/end.pdf

Outline of Contents Return to Main Page of Darron Steele

The table width is adjustable; just use your mouse to drag the border/s so that both sides appear even.

Part 1: Identifying the Authority page iv
The Ancient Texts – Passages on Their Significance
What Books Compose Scripture?
Our Procedures for Handling Scripture – Initial Basis
Deciding the Text of Scripture – Part I of III: Introduction and Old Testament
Deciding the Text of Scripture – Part II of III: The New Testament Problem
Deciding the Text of Scripture – Part III of III: The New Testament Solution
Eliminating Proposed Competition to Scripture – Part 1 of 3: Other Texts
Eliminating Proposed Competition to Scripture – Part 2 of 3: Other Sources
Eliminating Proposed Competition to Scripture – Part 3 of 3: People
Scripture and the Age of “Traditions”
Authority for Congregation Governance Now
Our Procedures for Handling Scripture – Added Basis

Part 2: Identifying the Problem and
Starting Toward a Solution page 1
The Establishment and Duration of the Church of Christians
The Church During Jesus’ First Followers and Its Unity
The Carnal Flesh
After the Apostles
The Closing Period of the New Testament Era and the Apostolic Age
The Effects
A Basis for Christian Agreement -- Preliminary
Our Procedures for Handling Scripture – Full Basis
A Basis for Christian Agreement – Finale
A Recap and Look Back to the New Testament Era
Relevance in Scripture of Agreement to Unity
To Reinstate the New Testament-Era Unity

Part 3: What We Learn from
God ‘s Giving of His Word page 41
The Point Introduced
North of the Mediterranean
South of the Mediterranean
The Point Made
The Lesson of the Point

Part 4: What People are Christians page 46
The Basics of Salvation
What Follows from Our Salvation
An Explanation of the Relationship of Works to Salvation
The Nature of the New Covenant and of Conversion under It
Salvation: God’s Preference
New Testament Examples of Faith – Baptism in Water
New Testament Examples of Faith – Group Healing
New Testament Examples of Faith – Abraham
New Testament Examples of Faith – When Christ Died
Simplicity: A Detailed Narration of Conversion
Distinguishing Faith and Response Works
The Moment of Salvation
After the Moment of Salvation
Addressing Common Misconceptions about Faith
Summary of Salvation
What All This Means

Part 5: Scripture on Unity of Christians in the Church page 80
Purpose of Congregations – Hebrews 10:24-5 Essay 1 of 2
The Bible Meaning of “Church”
Warnings to Congregations in the Book of Revelation
Doctrine and Its Importance: Acts, Paul, and John
Christians Have a Different Calling – Romans 12:2
Mishandling Doctrine and Directed Division in Church Settings
Bad Corinthian Church’s Lesson about Bad Doctrine
The Corinthian Lesson Taken Forward in Time with 2 Peter 1:3
The Jerusalem Council Situation and Romans 12:1
Purpose of Congregations – Hebrews 10:24-5 Essay 2 of 2
“The Same Mind” in Directions to Congregations
The Effects of Division and What Jesus Christ Taught about Unity
“Divisions”: Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 1, Galatians 5:19-21
Titus 3:8-11
Obligation Because of Our Faith: Ephesians 4:2-3
Lessons of Local Situations: Colossae/Laodicea, Romans 14-16
Putting It All Together

Part 6: Lessons of Scripture and the Later Church page 106
A Lesson from History
Written and Unwritten Creeds, Whatever the Term – the Party Line
Hebrews 12:1-2a: How the Christian Walks
Attitude Problems
An Unholy Quartet of Biblically-Associated Sins
Problems with Understanding Scripture
An Example of Factiousness Made to Look Good
Effects of Factiousness
Major Misplaced Priority Which Has Led to Factiousness
Lessons of the Church Acting in Unity
Whom Church Is About – A Lesson from Modern Growth

Part 7: What Should We Do? page 136
Our Denominations and the One Church
Handling Disagreement Biblically
Follow Paul’s Example in Difference of Thought
Individual Responsibility
Using Scripture Correctly – 2 Timothy 2:15
Learn from Attitudes Disapproved of in Scripture
Pride and Divisiveness
Accept That Acts of Division Really Are of Sin
Concerns about `Doctrine’
Whose Community of Followers?
Recognize and Accept Who Has and Has Not Authority in What
Seek After Righteousness
Accept a Distinction in Actions – A Lesson of Romans
Accept That Church Unity Is Simple
Treating Well Jesus Christ with “the Good Fight”
A Little Sermon
Conclusion 1: Go Back to the Beginning -- Jesus Christ
Conclusion 2: We Need to Do Our Job
Conclusion 3: Three Final Thoughts We Ought to Consider

Epilogue: What the Church Could Be Like in Unity page 197
A Personal Urging to Action
Author’s Personal Statement About Lead-ups to This Study
Bibliography and More; Permission to Circulate
Scripture Index

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