12 - Unity in Christ

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, on unity and testimony.

To the brothers and sisters in the churches in America, may the God of peace grant mercy.

Social networks present a tremendous opportunity for the gospel. Never before have believers had such reach with so little effort. For those who believe and profess Christ as Lord, however, this reach is a double-edged sword. Out of the same profiles—indeed, the same mouths—that speak truth and righteousness often come words that sow venomous division.

Scripture teaches us how to discern what spirit is at work.
“We know them by their fruit” (cf. Matt. 7:16).

The works of the Holy Spirit are made known by the fruit of the Spirit:
“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23).
The same passage also names the works of the flesh:
“enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions” (Gal. 5:19–21).

Division is a work of the flesh. And, we each have a choice—Spirit or flesh, life or death.

Jesus calls His people to one body, one Spirit, and one hope of our calling (cf. Eph. 4:4). “For just as the body is one and has many members… so it is with Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12). Where this unity is not found, Scripture does not describe spiritual maturity, but flesh at work. Christ does not gather many competing bodies to Himself; He gathers one.

Too often I hear language from pulpits and platforms across the Church in America that implies, “Others may not have it together, but we do.”
Conviction without humility quickly becomes division.

This forces an honest question upon each of us: are we building our own small kingdoms, or are we building the Kingdom of God established by Jesus Christ two thousand years ago? The Kingdom of God does not originate with us, depend on us, or belong to us. We are stewards, not owners.

Just because something appears right, ordered, or even holy does not mean that it is. Scripture warns us that light can be counterfeited and righteousness imitated. What is from God produces humility, repentance, and love; what is from the flesh produces comparison, rivalry, and separation.

Scripture warns how easily the heart slips into gossip and judgment, and calls each of us to crucify the flesh daily (cf. Luke 9:23). Left unchecked, it disguises itself as discernment while producing the fruit of the flesh.

Jesus—born a Jew, born under the Law (Gal. 4:4)—will one day return to this earth. And just as His first coming defied expectations despite countless prophecies, His return will almost certainly come in ways that challenge our confidence and assumptions.

In this season, believers and unbelievers alike celebrate Christmas. Some argue about dates. Others argue about gifts or trees. Others still divide fiercely over end-times theories, Israel, governments, and the fate of the world.

Yet Scripture is clear on what truly identifies the Christian.

“By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

People do not reject the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven because they encounter the love of God. They reject it because too often those who preach love live in visible disunity and division.

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ—God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; who descended to the dead, and on the third day rose again; who ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and who will come again to judge the living and the dead—let us heed the exhortation of Scripture:

“Let us lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us” (Heb. 12:1).

The lives of people we love depend on it.