Rock Solid Apologia

Publisher's Note: This article was published by admin, but written by a guest writer here at Rock Solid Apologia.

Unity is a critical topic in the Bible and is revisited repeatedly. The night that Jesus was betrayed, he prayed that believers would be one as He is one with the Father. Our unity is so important that it was on Jesus’ mind during the last hours before his death. If unity is that important to our Savior, we ought to spend some time studying what unity in Christ is, why it is important for the Church, and how we can achieve it.

 Unity in Christ is about working together and being of one mind. There are two illustrations used to help us grasp this concept of unity. The first is the parts of a body. “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Romans 12:4-5) Additionally, Colossians 1:18 says, “And [Jesus] is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. The second illustration of our unity in Christ is a building where Jesus is the cornerstone. The individual stones are fitted together to build something much bigger than any single stone could have accomplished. Similarly, as Christians united under Christ, we can impact the world in ways otherwise impossible.

It is important to understand that unity in Christ is not about sacrificing Truth to get along. Although we are commanded not to quarrel about opinions, we cannot compromise foundational Truths in the name of unity. Christ is the head of the Church and abandoning the head to stay unified with other believers is unscriptural and predictably leads to disaster.

Now that we understand what unity in Christ is, it would be fair to ask why this is important. There are several reasons the Bible gives for unity. The chief reason is that we might be a witness to non-believers. In Jesus’ prayer mentioned earlier, he prayed “that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.” In a world of conflict and chaos, unity is unusual, which sets us apart in a way that others will notice. How can Christians live peacefully with one another? Our unity gives glory to God and points non-Christians to Christ. Unity also gives us a strength and effectiveness at reaching the lost that an individual person could never attain. We each have unique gifts, and when we unify our efforts, we can make a significant impact for Christ.

 So, what exactly does unity in Christ look like? The Bible does not leave us to wonder. To be unified in Christ, we are to work together and serve one another with the gifts that God has given us. We are to be humble and care for our fellow believers, suffering and rejoicing with them. Christians are still sinners, so it is necessary that we bear with one another and forgive one another, because we will all stumble. We can work together to be sober-minded and alert, on guard against false doctrines. And finally, we are instructed to “put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” (Colossians 3:14)

Although this gives us a path forward towards the unity God intends for us, this perfect unity seems above our grasp. We cannot find this unity alone, but “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:3) Through Christ, we do have the ability to live a life of godliness, which includes having unity with other believers. Let us pray and strive for unity in the Church that brings God glory.