Unity in Christ
by Maria Houpt
Unity is defined as the quality or state of being one. God calls His people to live in unity with one another, so we must make every effort to live together in agreement with those around us. God commands us to act in love. Life is messy, relationships are messy, and times of stress can strain relationships, so we can end up hurting each other and ruining the unity we have worked for. The Bible emphasizes the importance of unity and oneness. Psalm 133:1 tells us, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”
But how do we go about doing this the way God intends? I believe these three ways are a good start:
Be Humble
Unity begins with the way we see ourselves and others within the body of Christ. We are to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than [ourselves]” (Philippians 2:3). Disunity is most often caused when we act selfishly and believe ourselves to be better than others, but this is not how God wants us to think or behave. Paul tells the people of Philippi that “each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4), and that is what we, as Christ followers, should do, too. In all humility, we are to “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). The genuinely humble person will see their own faults against the perfection of Christ. The humble person sees his/her own heart, and the sinfulness concealed there. He sees the evil of his own heart and hopes in the goodness of others, and believes their hearts are purer than his/her own.
Be Gracious
Grace is undeserved favor. It is something we cannot earn. When we show grace to others, we show kindness even when they do not deserve it. Just as God showed grace to Noah (Genesis 6:8) and Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 12:3), we need to show the same to the people in our lives whether we think they deserve it or not. God’s love for us, while we were yet sinners, is so immense that He sent His only Son to die for us even though we did not deserve it. That is grace. Because of who God is and the grace He extends to us, we need to extend grace to others. He wants us to forgive them, love them, and be kind to them even if they make it hard to do so.
Look to the Cross
Most importantly, as Christians, we are to look at one another in the light of the cross. Christ died a horrific and excruciating death so He could trade His righteousness for our sins. Jesus did this so that we, not I, might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). How then can we not extend the love, compassion, and grace of our heavenly Father to others? How can we condemn and slander those who are covered with the precious blood of Christ? Were we not slaves to sin when He died for us, dead in our transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2:1)? So, the mission before us is not to argue and demand our own needs be met but to reveal, in a unifying and uplifting manner, His mercy and love to those who are also His.
If we live in humility, in graciousness, and in the shadow of the cross, as God calls us to do, “everyone will know that [we] are [His] disciples, if [we] love one another” (John 13:35).
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