The Church of Christ: The Unity of the Church
In John 17 Christ prayed, “I do not pray for
these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their
word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You;
that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You
sent Me” (vs. 20,21).
In one of the final recorded prayers of Jesus, His last plea was for the
unity of all believers. Soon Jesus would be betrayed, crucified and
resurrected from the dead. How is the church in the 21st century
treating the final wishes of Jesus?
Some brush off the words of Christ and say, “Unity is impossible, an
unachievable ideal.” Others claim a false unity that consists of the
“agree to disagree” philosophy.
Yet, New Testament Christians still strive to achieve the type of unity
Jesus referred to in His prayer. The Messiah wanted us to have the same
unity He had with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Was that an “agree to disagree” attitude? Can you imagine Jesus saying
to the Father, “Well, I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on that
issue!” Or, can you imagine the Holy Spirit saying to Jesus, “Well, I
guess the three of us need to just give up on being unified!” No, though
three persons, they were unified in their mission to save mankind.
So, it should be with the church. We are “many members, but one body”
(1 Corinthians 12:20). So, how can we achieve the union of each and
every Christian? How can we fulfill the prayer of Christ?
Paul writes in 1 Cor. 1:10, “...I plead with you, brethren, by the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and
that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined
together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
It starts with accepting the same authority— “the name of Jesus
Christ.” Then, we must “speak the same thing.” It is so easy
to do when God’s Word is our only standard (1 Pet. 4:11). Then, without
self-will or rebellion we can be “perfectly joined together in the
same mind and in the same judgment.” The unity of the church depends
on this process.
Contentment with division is union with sin!
October 2005