Years ago, Charles Spurgeon said this on the subject of church unity: “To remain divided is sinful! Did not our Lord pray: ‘That they may be one, even as we are one’? A chorus of voices keep harping on the unity tune: what they’re saying is, ‘Christians of all doctrinal shades and beliefs must [be tolerant and] come together in one visible organization, regardless… Unite, unite!’ Such teaching is false, reckless and dangerous. Truth alone must determine our alignments. Truth comes before unity. Unity without truth is hazardous. Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17 must be read in its full context because He also prayed (v17): ‘Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth’. Only those sanctified through the Word can be one in Christ. To teach otherwise is to betray the Gospel.

Charles H. Spurgeon, The Essence of Separation, quoted in The Berean Call, July, 1992, p.4