Unity
June 15, 2023 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
There are two main passages in the Bible that speak about the unity of God’s people. One is Ephesians 4:1-6, which we have considered in recent sermons at Oak Hills. The apostle Paul commands the church to walk in a manner worthy of her calling, which includes being eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit. Paul grounds this command in the fundamental unity of God. The three persons of the Trinity are united in their saving work of us and in their formation of the single people of God, called the church. Our calling to maintain the unity is undergirded by God’s work to create the unity.
The second passage in the Bible addressing unity is found in John 17, which is called Jesus’ high priestly prayer. In the same night he would be betrayed by Judas, Jesus offers up this magnificent prayer recorded by John. In addition to praise, it contains six petitions. First, that the Son would be glorified by the Father in his sacrificial death (v. 1). Second, that the Father would keep the disciples in the security of his name (v. 11). Third, that the Father would protect the disciples from the Evil One (v. 15). Fourth, that the Father would sanctify the disciples in the truth (v. 17). Fifth, that the disciples may be one (v. 21). And sixth, that the disciples would be where Christ is (v. 24).
The fifth petition comes in verse 21 where Jesus prays, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” When Jesus makes the comparison (“just as”) of the unity of believers with the unity of the Father and Son, he helps us understand the nature of Christian unity. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus gives testimony that he and the Father are united in mission (see 5:30; 10:30; 14:10 & 17:4). They were working together to accomplish the same goal, which, of course, was the redemption of the elect.
Jesus prays, then, that all those who come to believe in him would be united in mission as well. Our mission is not the redemption of the elect, but the proclamation of what God has accomplished through Christ for us (Matt. 28:19). Naturally then, the result of believers’ unity in mission is “that the world may believe.” When Christians lay aside selfish pursuits, unite in their delight of Jesus, and strive for the gospel, people come to faith.
Ephesians is not the only letter in which Paul calls the church to unity. He writes in Philippians 1:27, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” Here Paul is explicit that our unity should be for the sake of gospel proclamation.
What’s the takeaway here? Often times, when we hear about unity we think about the relational dynamics among people. That’s a part of unity, as Paul stressed in Ephesians 4:2, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.” When we are only looking at one another, however, unity often slips through our fingers. The bigger part of unity is our focus on Christ and the mission to proclaim Christ. We will find ourselves in deeper unity with one another when our eyes are on Jesus, not one another. Putting Paul’s writings together, then, let’s “maintain the unity of the Spirit” by “striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.”
