Unity: Is It the School of Christianity? | Revelation 22:18-19
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I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.
Revelation 22:18-19
Scripture ends with a solemn warning: do not add to or subtract from God’s Word. Yet man-made religions consistently do both. Some place new books alongside the Bible; others elevate a founder’s writings to “scripture.” The pattern is ancient. Deuteronomy 4:2 commands, “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it,” and Deuteronomy 12:32 repeats it. Any system that supplements or silences Scripture stands under God’s rebuke.
How do false teachers operate? One sophisticated strategy is redefining or denying the plain, literal meaning of Scripture — “it doesn’t really mean what it says.” Another is mixing some biblical truth with error. Peter’s final letter warns us plainly: “There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies… And many will follow their destructive ways… By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words” (2 Peter 2:1–3). Note Peter’s verbs: false teachers “introduce” error by “bringing it in alongside” truth and doing it secretly. The most dangerous teaching is not all error; it’s part truth and part error.
Discernment is urgently needed. 1 John 4:1 commands, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits.” Paul foresaw a time when people would “not endure sound doctrine” but would “heap up for themselves teachers” and “turn… to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3–4). That time is now.
A Closer Look at Unity
Unity School of Christianity (Unity) presents itself as “Bible-based.” Yet, its method is openly metaphysical: names, places, and events in Scripture are treated as symbols or “states of consciousness,” not literal history. This method undermines Luke’s claim to careful historical research and the verifiable accuracy of Acts. When the Bible’s people and places become metaphors, the door opens to make the text say anything our “indwelling guidance” wishes.
Unity’s key interpretive word is “metaphysical.” But sound hermeneutics treats Scripture in its plain, literal sense (while recognizing genuine symbolism in genres like apocalyptic). We let Scripture interpret Scripture, building doctrine by comparing passages so that themes like the atonement, resurrection, and salvation emerge clearly and coherently.
Where Unity Deviates from Biblical Christianity
Scripture’s authority. Unity treats the Bible as one “textbook” among many and elevates experience and reason over divine revelation. Yet 2 Timothy 3:16 insists, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” and Proverbs 30:5 says, “Every word of God is pure.”
The Trinity and the nature of God. Unity recasts “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” as abstractions (“mind, idea, expressions”) and often portrays God as an impersonal principle or universal law. Scripture reveals a personal, triune God who acts, speaks, loves, judges, and saves (cf. Matthew 28:19).
Jesus Christ. Unity separates “Jesus” (human) from “Christ” (a divine idea or consciousness) and suggests we can rise to that same consciousness. The Bible proclaims the deity of Jesus: “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”(Titus 2:13), “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28), and the Father addressing the Son as God (Hebrews 1:8). He alone is “one Mediator between God and men” (1 Timothy 2:5).
The Holy Spirit. Not an impersonal force, but a Divine Person equal with the Father and the Son (Matthew 28:19).
Sin, salvation, and reincarnation. Unity minimizes sin and reframes salvation as mental alignment with “Divine Mind,” often within a framework of reincarnation. Scripture is unambiguous: “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). We are not cycling upward through lives; we must be born again now—by grace through faith—not “by works” (Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:5).
Prosperity and experience. Material prosperity and subjective experience are unreliable guides to truth. Godliness is measured by conformity to Christ and His Word, not by bank balances or feelings.
Bottom Line
Unity both adds to God’s Word (by granting equal status to metaphysical teachings) and takes away from it (by denying its exclusivity, inerrancy, and authority). Measured by the apostolic warnings and by the closing cautions of Revelation 22:18–19, Unity does not stand within orthodox, biblical Christianity. Therefore, test every claim, cling to the Scriptures, and hold fast to the Lord Jesus Christ—our God, our Savior, and our only Mediator.
Discussion Questions
How do false teachers attack the uniqueness of the Bible?
What claims does the Bible make about its own power and authority? Look at 2 Tim 3:16–17, 2 Peter 1:21, Is 55:10–11, 2 Peter 1:24–25.
What is so dangerous about the way that false teachers introduce their teachings?
What religions and individuals had a profound impact on the founders of Unity? How do we see their beliefs reflected in the beliefs of Unity?
How does Unity view the Bible? What principle do they use to interpret it?
How does Unity distort the biblical teaching on the nature of God and the Trinity? List some verses that describe God’s personal attributes.
How is a person saved according to Unity?
What issues would you focus on in witnessing to a member of Unity? Write a short outline of how you would direct the conversation, including verses that support your points.
