Gospel Unity

All believers know that the local church should be marked by unity.  The New Testament is full of teaching on unity in the body of Christ.  Unfortunately, many believers have stories about the discord that they have experienced in church life.

I commended my congregation on Sunday for the unity that we enjoy together in our church.  It has been a blessing in my life over the last 4 ½ years.  But I also offered a warning to us that we must be careful lest the enemy sneak in and destroy the very thing of which we were so sure.

My sermon Sunday concluded our series on gospel commitments as we considered the topic of gospel unity.  It was a big day for us as we reaffirmed our commitment to each other with the signing of our church covenant.  During the sermon we looked at John 17:20-26.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

I find it absolutely stunning that Jesus prayed for me in this passage.  John 17 contains a prayer of Jesus to the Father while on His way to Gethsemane where He would be arrested.  Jesus prays for Himself in the first part of the prayer.  He then directs His attention to His disciples.  The final section of the prayer is prayed on behalf of all believers.  What a beautiful reality; Jesus prayed for our unity together.

One of the interesting things about Jesus' prayer for unity is that He describes both the model for and foundation of our unity.  The Godhead experiences perfect unity together.  This unity is an example to the church.  It is also the very foundation on which our unity is built.

I stressed in the sermon that our unity in the body of Christ is not something that we can artificially create.  It already exists because of who we are in Christ.  No other club or community organization can make this claim.  Clubs and community organizations are bound together by similar interests.  The church is bound together by shared faith in Jesus Christ despite differences in age, experiences, physical appearance, economic status, interests, and ethnicity.  We are one body, and have one Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, and Father (Ephesians 4:4-6).

I also stressed that though our unity is not something we create, it is something that we have been instructed to maintain (Ephesians 4:3).  We must be devoted to loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We also should trust each other.  Too many believers are skeptical of the motives of their brothers and sisters in Christ.  Gossip is another issue that destroys unity.  We need to be willing to talk to our brother or sister that we have an issue with rather than discussing it with everyone but them.  Finally, we must pray for each other.  There is simply no way to avoid being united with someone that you are devoted to praying for.

Jesus in this prayer prayed for the unity of the universal church.  He also prayed for the unity of each local church as expressions of the universal church.  May we always be eager to maintain the unity that we have in Christ Jesus.