One of the features of the New Covenant that distinguishes it from Old/First Covenant religion is the concept of unity and oneness for which Jesus prayed in John 17:20-23:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

COMMENTARY: Jesus is the perfect human example of a New Covenant disciple. In this prayer, he highlights the New Covenant principle of unity and oneness.

Followers of Jesus should want what Jesus wants and practice what he preached. If they remain members of religious organizations, however, they reinforce disunity and practice fake faith. In doing this, they do not evidence Jesus’ kind of love. If they are not willing to give up their religious affiliations, they show that they love their religious organization more than they love Jesus. This is fake faith and hypocrisy.

The concept of unity is also confirmed in Ephesians 4:11-16:

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

COMMENTARY: Here unity of faith relates to maturity and Christ-likeness. Unity of faith is contrasted with being like an immature infant who is vulnerable to following an assortment of denominational teachings offered by a variety of denominational leaders.

Every religious organization, whether at the denominational level or local church/synagogue level, has its own head or heads who create and enforce religious laws. They are more or less unified within the organization, but unity between and among organizations does not exist. They are actually at war with each other to capture an control the hearts and minds of religious people whom they want to join their respective kingdoms. Being at war with each other, they do not demonstrate mutual love for each other.

Religious organizations, both large and small, formal and informal, are elements of a highly fractured world of religion. Each religious organization advances and protects what it calls its “faith tradition,” but what it is really advancing and protecting is its own little kingdom instead of working for the good of everyone. These conflicts are discussed in Religion is the Enemy, Gods at War and Sibling Conflict.

Religion separates people socially, economically and racially. Instead of bringing people together and looking out for the interests of others, each religious organization selfishly focuses on its own members and agenda. There is no evidence of a servant’s heart for care of people outside the local organization.

If Jesus’ warnings about caring for strangers, the sick and poor are rejected, whatever religious people might otherwise do is fake faith.

An attitude of unity and oneness is a New Covenant principle. It contrasts significantly with the Old/First Covenant pattern found in the Old Testament where people are identified according to their tribal affiliations and unique tribal characteristics. These differences are graphically represent the differences between the Old/First Covenant and the New Covenant. And their significance is forcefully brought home in James 2:1-10:

My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 7 Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? 8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

COMMENTARY: Verse 9 says that showing partiality is sin. This idea of sin does not fit into the doctrines of either Jews or Christians which are well known for being very exclusive and tribal in their religious habits. Verse 10 says that stumbling on this one point is guilty of sinning on all points of God’s spiritual laws.

Religions go to great lengths to distinguish themselves from all other religions. That is why there are so many denominations and religious movements. In the Bible, this is called making names for themselves. In modern language, this practice is called branding.

Religious branding creates distinctions that make it easy to differentiate one religion from another. These distinctions encourage demonstrations of partiality toward members of one religion while showing less favor toward members of all other religions and toward people who have no religion at all.

This expression of partiality is tribalism which is the opposite of God’s desire that all his people would be united in one faith. Therefore, religious partiality and favoritism may rightly be characterized as sin and fake faith.

Partiality and favoritism within a religious organization help create a sense of security while effectively separating one religion from all others. This security is constructed in strongholds of thinking, and reinforced in financial support and communal worship within the religious community.

It is very clear from the history of religion that members of one religion show greater love for members of their own religion than they do toward members of other religions. This is partiality. Partiality does not allow loving your neighbor as yourself and does not look out for the interests of others. Religion is sin because it puts limits on the definition of neighbors to whom love is shown.

Regarding keeping all points of the law in verse 10, the law to which this refers is religious laws. In other words, religious people may do a good job of obeying all of the laws of their chosen religion, but still fail  to satisfy God’s spiritual laws because they do not satisfy the royal, spiritual law which says to love your neighbor as yourself. Religious people sin, therefore, because, while showing partiality toward members of their own religion, they fail on the one critical point of showing true, impartial love toward everyone — including members of other religions.

The rich oppressors in verse 6 are those who are rich in pride and self-righteousness are not necessarily materially rich. They do not take people to legal courts as we understand courts today. Rather, this terminology symbolically represents the judgments with which Pharisees constantly evaluate (i.e. judge) obedience to religious laws and coerce people who do not obey those laws to be more religious. Of course they do not consider obedience to religious laws to be something onerous or evil. They call it evangelism. In God’s view, however, it is fake faith (i.e. religion) because it can be observed.