We live in a beautifully diverse world. No two people are the same. God created all of us different. We all look different, act differently, and think differently. And this is truly beautiful! Unfortunately, our diverse thoughts and opinions are often the cause of a lot of division and disunity. Gone are the days when people could civilly disagree with each other. Nowadays, if you disagree with someone, you are looked down upon and shunned, or, in more extreme cases, you are harassed and attacked. Though the people of our world are divided against each other, the people of God are to be united.
Church unity is a big theme in the New Testament. The issue is mentioned in almost all of the epistles. The Church is to live in harmony and have no divisions among themselves (Romans 12:16, 1 Corinthians 1:10). Christians are to have unity of Spirit, unity of mind, and unity of love (Ephesians 4:3-6, 1 Peter 3:8, Philippians 2:1-2). When Christians live unified in a divided world, so much can be done to advance the Gospel. It is such a good thing! David once wrote,
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” Psalm 133:1, ESV
Sometimes, though, churches can be unified on the wrong things. Some can be unified by members who are similar to each other. They can be unified by members who have similar thoughts on how things in church should be done. But churches are not to be unified by petty similarities. Whitney Capps has written a Bible study about church called We Over Me, and she teaches about true church unity. She comments:
“The one thing we have in common as a church that will hold us together is not musical tastes or similar interests, but Jesus Christ. He is the hub that sustains us and keeps us in the right direction.” (1)
The Apostle Paul preaches something similar to this in his letter to the Galatian church. He says:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
Whitney and Paul are both teaching that Christians are to be united in Christ. We are not united by other similarities. We are different, but we’ve all been made one in Christ Jesus at our salvation. None of us are more important than another.
We are not united by our race. We are black or white. We are Asian or Hispanic. But we’ve all been made one in Christ Jesus. None of us are more important than another.
We are not united by our background. Some of us have committed great sins in our past. Some of us have grown up in the church and lived relatively “good” lives. But we’ve all been made one in Christ Jesus. None of us are more important than another.
We are not united by gender. We are male or female. But we’ve all been made one in Christ Jesus. None of us are more important than another.
You are not to be united with other Christians and church members by petty similarities. You are to be united with them in Christ! You are all Christians, and it is only by being united in Christ that you all can be sustained in your faith journeys. It is only by being united in Christ that you all can continue on God’s path in your lives. It is only be being united in Christ that you all can spread and advance the true Gospel. It is only by being united in Christ that God can be glorified. I pray with Paul:
“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5-6
- Whitney Capps, We Over Me: Letters of Hope from Revelation (Nashville: Lifeway Press, 2019), 40.
