Is Unity Always a Good Thing?
It seems there are calls for “unity” everywhere you turn. Politicians call for national unity. Sports leagues call for unity, between players and fans. Activists call for unity in the face of injustice, or in the aftermath of violence. Social service agencies call for unity in the wake of devastation. Pop stars call for unity to tackle world problems like hunger, poverty, slavery, disease.
I’ve always been struck by the verse in Genesis 11:6, where God looks down from heaven and sees all of mankind united, building a tower, that would stretch up into the heavens. Their motive is self-glory, to make a name for themselves, to usurp God’s authority. Unity is their ploy. The Tower of Babel is their project and cause.
And God says: “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” Unity isn’t always a good thing. History testifies that sometimes unity can be catastrophic. In Genesis 11:7, God confuses the language of man expressly to divide, disrupt, and disperse them! He’d rather humankind “babel divided, than blaspheme in unity.”
There are two rather significant events that occur in the New Testament I want to mention. The first event is Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17:20-23, where toward the end of his earthly life, Jesus kneels before the Father and says: “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 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. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—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.”
Notice Jesus’ core concern for believers. Unity is means to a greater end—that God might be glorified in the world. That the whole world know that God sent His One and Only Son into the World, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Its that the whole world knows their loved of God, even as the Son is loved of God! Imagine what might be possible, were people of every tribe, tongue, and nation united for the glory of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing would be to impossible for a world united no just together, but united in Christ, and for God’s glory!
But how can such unity occur. In Genesis 11, the languages are confused. Man is divided, his plans disrupted, his person dispersed/scattered to the edges of the earth! In Acts 2, God intervenes in history once more. It’s the day of Pentecost. Men/Women from every nation on earth is gathered in Jerusalem before the temple of the Living God. Rumors were circling far/wide about this man named Jesus, who claimed to be the Son of God, who was said to have been crucified, to have died and been buried, but raised to life, and to have appeared to many.
Acts 2:1-11 describes what happened on that day: “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues [languages] as the Spirit enabled them.”
“5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
What we see in Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, is a reversal of the Tower of Babel. Man divided/disrupted/dispersed because of his self-glory. But now all mankind gathered in one place, united, and made able to proclaim the glory of God in Christ Jesus! Unity must serve the glory of God in Christ Jesus. And this is the exact call God places on us. Churches call for unity. Entire denominations call for unity. But if its not for the glory of God in Christ, if it’s not to make God’s love in Christ Jesus known to the nations, if it’s not to proclaim true knowledge of God in Christ, it’s for naught/nothing!
How God Uses Unity for His Redemptive Purpose
So you ever get a sickening feeling in your stomach when men call for unity? How many times has someone issued the call to “unity” when in fact what they were really doing was serving their own ambitions, or ego? I think there is a time and place for calls to unity. When storms decimate our cities, we need to be united. When enemies threaten this great nation, we need to be united. When vile things like injustice, violence, racism, sexual perversion, sex slavery, and the killing of innocence (abortion) threaten… we need to stand united. But here is the key reality for the Christian… if you stand, make sure it’s truly for God’s glory in Christ.
I’ve spent some time reflecting on this idea of unity. We’ve been saying its for God’s glory in Christ. Our unity is for the sake of reflecting God’s Grace and Truth. Let me say this another way. What unites us most profoundly, isn’t looking toward one another. What unites us most profoundly, is looking toward God in Christ Jesus. Its when all of us are looking to Christ that we become united. It’s when we take our eye off Christ, and set our eye upon each other, that divisions occur. The whole key to unity is that all of us would possess a common focus point… the glory of God in Christ! When our focus is right, unity is the “fruit”… unity is the “sign”… unity is the “testimony”.
If churches want to be unified they need to stop talking about unity, and start talking about Christ. It’s the same thing in a marriage, or a family. Everyone is divided. There is so much anger and animosity. The best advice for any size group of people… whether it be a nation, a state, a church, a denomination, a corporation, a small group, a marriage, a family, or a friendship… serve the glory of God in Christ, and nothing will be too impossible for us all.
What does it mean to serve the glory of God in Christ? Here are four simple, practical ways served the glory of God in Christ, and became unified.
#1.The Church possessed the Mind/Faith of Christ Jesus.
I could take you the countless places where the Apostles commanded us to be “like-minded” and of “one-mind.” But whose mind is in view here? The only mind ever in view in Scripture is the mind of Christ. He is after all the head of the church. He’s the eyes, the ears, the mouth, the brain!
In contrast, we are the body of Christ. We’re to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ/Head. I love 1 Corinthians 2:16 where Paul says, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” Unity is all about taking instruction from Christ, possessing the mind of Christ, being like-minded, being of one-mind, his mind! What a disaster, when a body part goes rogue. When a Christian disregards God’s word. What did Jesus pray to God in John 17:17, he made it clear in his prayer to God, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” But what a mess, we think we get to dictate to God what we think he should think… instead of taking the posture of learner. Unity isn’t the means. Unity is the byproduct of a people possessing the mind/faith of Christ Jesus himself. Unity is the byproduct of a church that values, takes captive every thought and submits it to Christ.
#2. The Church possessed the Heart/Will of Christ Jesus.
What good is to know God’s will, without willing God’s will? I’m thinking of Paul’s instruction in Colossians 3:1-2 where Paul says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” We don’t always perish for lack of knowledge. We perish for lack of desire. Instead of “willing with Jesus” to love God with all our heart, mind, body, and soul… and to love people… we treat the whole of Christianity like an academic elective. If we’re only interested in learning interesting things about Christ, and not interested in willing from our heart to live like Christ, we’re fools.
How can there be any unity is a church when one group is sold out living for Jesus but then a whole other group, perhaps a majority, is only interested in spiritual info-tainment? That is what worships becoming… not a submission of one’s will to God, but admission to a great show with great music, and dynamic presenters, and comfortable seats, and winsome programming! Unity is the byproduct of a church who wills along Christ, to worship/serve the living God. Are we all on the same page here?
#3. The Church possessed the Life/Love of Christ Jesus.
I’ve got to go back to Colossians 1:1-3 a moment! “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Whatever does that mean? You died, like R.I.P. Your life, got hidden away in Christ, when you gave your life to Christ in faith, in repentance, in baptism. That’s what you’re baptism was… assuming you made the choice… you’re choice was to lay down your body, your life, in the waters of baptism, and die a death. And friend, what arose from that baptistery wasn’t your life, but the life of Christ, Christ living in you, Christ dwelling in you, Christ’s love overflowing through each/every part of your body. In baptism you dedicated yourself to being Christ instrument, a conduit, of his life.
Romans 6:3-4, “…Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
Romans 6:11-14, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”
Some of you still haven’t been baptized, for whatever reason you refuse to offer your very life/body to Christ Jesus. Some of you have no unity to Church, because you are operating on your own terms spiritually. You’re deciding what to do with “your life.” But for the rest of us, in baptism, we decided our life isn’t our own. And the byproduct of that decision, to let Christ now and forever live out his life through us, is unity!
#4. The Church possessed the Spirit/Power of Christ Jesus.
I’ve gotta mention the power… Philippians 2:1-4… “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
When its our desire to love God in mind/thought, heart/will, life/love… God infuses his Church with power. If when men are united nothing is too impossible… then what about when men are united together, serving the glory of God in Christ?