Unity Love Family

One of the greatest challenges we as Christians face today, is how to get along with our brothers and sisters in the midst of all the division and chaos within the body of Christ. Certainly there is a call of the Spirit to come out of the mess that has become of the professing church. Yet how do we "come out from among them" without adding to the divisiveness and chaos that already exists? Aren't there enough denominations and splinter groups as it is? This blog will examine 3 keys to getting along, that we can't afford to overlook: unity, love, and family.

Unity: Do we really understand the importance of Christian unity? With all the talk of being separate from the world and being separate from the apostate church, the importance of unity is often overlooked. We are not talking about a false unity where we abandon truth just to get along, but a true unity in the Spirit based on the one true Gospel of Jesus Christ. With the body of Christ so divided, it can be hard to even imagine what such a unity would even look like. Try meditating on the following passages to get a graphic illustration of how biblical unity ought to look.

Psalms 133:1-3
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

1Corinthians 12:12-27
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

We must come to a place where we appreciate the importance God places upon unity within His body. It was so important that Jesus specifically prayed that we would be made one with each other, and one with God (John 17:21). Unity is not merely a good idea, it is a command of the Lord. In fact, God says someone who sows discord among the brethren is an abomination unto Him (Proverbs 6:16-19). Here is what Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus about unity:

Ephesians 4:1-5
1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Notice the unmistakeable theme of oneness and unity in this passage. The other thing to note in this passage is that unity requires effort on our part. We are told to endeavor to keep the unity. [Strong's #4704 spoudazo. From G4710; to use speed, that is, to make effort, be prompt or earnest: - do (give) diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavour, labour, study.] Are we commited to doing our part in obeying the command to be unified with our brothers and sisters whenever possible?

May God give us the grace to make unity a priority!

Love: It is by truly knowing the love of God that unity can be possible. This love is not the shallow, selfish love of the world, but the supernatural love of the Lord.

1 John 4:7-8
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

This love is what sets believers apart from the rest of the world. This love is what draws us closer to our brothers and sisters, and holds us together. The scriptures call love (charity) the "bond of perfectness" that "knits us together". Only by having this love shed abroad in our hearts will be able to accept one another and get along.

Colossians 3:12-15
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Colossians 2:2
That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

In this last scripture we see yet another beautiful illustration of what unity is to look like-- to be knitted together with our fellow brethren like one flawless garment. It is the love of God that makes this possible. When we truly love our brothers and sisters as Christ loves us, we will be at peace with God, and at peace with one another. As we saw with unity, love is not merely a good idea, it is a commandment. We are commanded to love one another.

John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

May God give us the grace to love one another more perfectly!

Family: The last key to getting along better with our brothers and sisters is to understand the concept of family. As believers in Christ we are born into a new family-- the family of God.

Ephesian 3:14-15
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.

We often refer to one another as brothers and sisters, but do we even appreciate what this means?
Do we really treat each other as fellow family members?
Sadly the Church of Jesus Christ often looks more like a dysfunctional family of this world, than a special family of God.
The family of God is not based on biology, but of the Spirit. We are born into the family of God by the Holy Spirit, and are made one with God and one with each other. What a privilege and honor it is to become the adopted sons and daughters of the Living God, and siblings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Hebrews 2:11-13
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

It may be hard for some to accept, but our new spiritual family should be even more important than our biological family. It is eternal. The family of God transcends bloodline and all boundaries of race, gender, age, economic status...etc. etc.

Galatians 3:26-28
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Finally, it is important to note that God's family is determined not simply by those who call themselves sons and daughters of God, but by those who do the will of the Father. Isn't it time we acted like children of God's royal family?

Matthew 12:46-50
46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

May God give us the grace to walk as true members of His royal family!

I thank God for my dear brother in Christ, who wrote this for me. I would also like to add, it is wonderful to see the Love of God in the body of Christ, as I see His love in my brother who wrote this.