The Nature of Unity (2)

Ephesians 4:3-6, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

How do we keep biblical unity when many are striving for unity just for unity’s sake? Great question....Can we still be an effective church in our culture today and maintain biblical standards? Absolutely! We must all have a common thread to follow through God’s word. One of the big things that my mentor inspired me to believe was that God's word is true and never swerve from it. 

Let me use an example; Communion:
We partake of communion once a month. Some partake of communion quarterly, others do it weekly. Does the Bible set a specific time for which Communion should be observed? No, Acts says the first church observed it weekly in the temple courts and daily from house to house, but it does not command a time-table. So should we have unity with those who only take communion quarterly or weekly—absolutely?

Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 how to define what that unity should be based on…
“4 There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Should we be united with those who believe there is only one body? (that is Christ’s body or the true "Church")

Should we unite with those who believe there is only one Spirit? The Holy Spirit lives in us and God uses His spirit in us to give us power to walk this journey of faith.

Should we be united with people who believe there is only one hope of eternal life—which is through Jesus Christ? We therefore cannot be united with Muslims and Buddhist or anyone else who believes there is more than one hope of eternal life. That doesn’t mean we don’t share our faith, it means we have no foundation belief or unity with them.

Should we be united with people who believe there is only one Lord—which is Jesus Christ? We cannot be united with anyone who tells us that there is more than one person we must obey.

Should we be united with people who believe there is only one faith—which is faith in God through Christ?

Should we be united with people who believe there is only one baptism?

Should we be united with people who believe there is only one true God?

Should we be united with people who believe there is a God who is Supreme—over all and through all and in all?

Yes!

Are there other churches that believe these things besides just ours? Absolutely! Should we therefore be striving for unity with those people in those church bodies? Absolutely!
If they believe those things their saved!
If they believe those things they’re our brothers and sisters in Christ!
If they believe those things, they’re family!
If they believe those things, we should be united with them!

But here’s the hard part…if they don’t believe ALL of those things we should not unite with them just for the sake of unity! Because we would be going against Gods own word. More tomorrow....You are loved!