Sabbath Thought - Unity of Faith

When we truly stop to ponder our calling from the Father, it can become quite philosophical.  I say this because of the questions raised and answered: What is the purpose of life?; What happens after death?; Is there a God, and if so, what is His purpose?  These questions are important especially in light of the answers, because the answers show God's plan of salvation for mankind.  The calling from the Father is intended to change our character, from carnal human nature to taking on the nature and mind of God.

While the questions I just mentioned may not be front and center in our everyday thinking, God's calling is a calling to unity.  Unity with Him and His Son.  Unity with every member of the Body of Christ.  Unity within marriages and families.  It seems that within God's church unity is the one thing that Satan attacks regularly and without interruption.  While we think we know what unity is, it still can be elusive. 

How then do we accomplish this unity while we are still physical?  First, we must have unity in our relationships.  Unity can involve working together so an offense doesn't become so strong it is like iron bars (Proverbs 18:19).  How do we accomplish this unity?  One way is to "cover a transgression" (Proverbs 17:9), which means that we should seek love rather than "telling" on people.  We are to be slow to anger (Proverbs 15:18) to prevent contention.  We are to have a soft answer (Proverbs 15:1) in our conversations with each other rather than harsh words.

To achieve unity, we need to consider what we should do when contentions do arise rather than looking for a reason to condemn one another.  Are politics more important than our relationships in the Body of Christ?  Is our personal opinion more important that how we treat a brother or sister in Christ?  Is being right more important than being at peace or being unified?  We are instructed in Ephesians 4:11-16 that we are to have the unity of (Christ's) faith.  The English word "unity" in these verses is translated from the Greek word "henotes" (hen-ot'-ace) which literally means "oneness".  When we have factions (1 Cor. 11:19) we do not have unity.  When we don't have unity, we are not functioning properly with the faith of Christ.

Additionally, we must have unity in our marriages (and families).  Marriage is the foundational human relationship that God established at creation (Genesis 2:18-24).  A man and a woman bound in marriage are to become unified in every meaningful part of their lives just like the Father and the Son are unified.

We have Godly unity when we are united with God.  No matter how we might define unity, God seeks for us to have unity as He and Christ have.  God's love flowing through us is what is going to stand out to the world - it is what will bind us in spite of our differences and His love will in fact be what allows us to see past our weaknesses.  There is no contention or struggle for superiority in the Godhead - none.  I don't think we appreciate this reality as much as we should.  Unity between any of us must begin with unity with God (John 17:20-26).  God is building His unity in us so that we become perfect - measuring up to the standard of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).  The relationship between the Godhead is the most powerful thing they have.  The relationship we have with them is the most powerful thing we have.

Satan tried to divide the unity of the Godhead.  Satan sought to break this unity between the Father and the Son.  Satan seeks to break the agreement between God and His Church.  Satan seeks to break the bond between each of us.  The attitude of division is of Satan - the opposite of the oneness and unity that God has and that He seeks with us.

To become like Christ, to emulate both the Father and the Son, we must have unity in our relationships, in our marriages and families, and with God.  We must love one another as the Father and Christ love us.  Will we be one, as God is One?

I wish you a profitable and value filled Sabbath,

Dan Dowd

2 December, 2022