Unity
Psalms 133:1 (NASB)
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Unity, being in agreement with those around us, is a wonderful thing. It’s something that God has designed for us. Unfortunately, life and human nature tend to get in the way, and our unity is destroyed. The Bible gives us ways to fix this.
Creation
Genesis 1:27 (NASB)
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve. We are all descended from them. We all look different, with many variations, but we all have red blood, DNA, hearts, lungs, arms, and legs. We might be tall, short, fat, skinny, have black hair, red hair, or no hair; dark skin, light skin, or many variations in between. It’s easy to look at someone else and focus on how they are different. If we look more closely, though, we would see that we are a lot more alike than we are different.
One Body
Romans 12:4-5 (NASB)
4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
When we gave our lives to Christ, we became part of the body of Christ. We all look different, and we all have different abilities. That just means that we are meant to serve as different parts of the body.
True Diversity
1 Corinthians 12:18-21 (NASB)
18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.
19 If they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now there are many members, but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
God placed each one of us in His body, not we ourselves. If God did it, it’s perfect. If we try to do things our own way, we have problems. If every part of the body was the same, it couldn’t function. Expecting everyone else to look, act, feel, and speak the same way you do is not realistic, and it can lead to problems.
At the same time, some people will say that we need to accept someone’s sinful actions, because they are being “diverse.” Being different is not wrong; doing sinful things is wrong. Why is it wrong? Because God says it is. That’s not being mean; it’s just being honest.
Jude 22-23 (NASB)
22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting;
23 save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.
We can love someone while hating their sinful actions. It’s hard for both people involved, but that is love. Leaving someone in their sin is not.
Love
John 13:34-35 (NASB)
34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 15:12-13 (NASB)
12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Jesus said this was His commandment, not suggestion. We are commanded to love one another. Love is both a choice and a feeling. There are probably some people around you that you don’t care to hang out with. There are probably also times when your best friend or spouse has a disagreement with you. This is when the love choice comes in.
It’s easy to hate or be offended. Loving the other person in a hard situation is a choice. It’s one that Jesus made for us.
Jesus’ Love
Romans 5:8 (NASB)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
We were not just annoying; we were sinners, opposing everything that Jesus had given to us. Jesus didn’t tell us to do certain things, then He might think about dying for us. While we were at our lowest point, with no chance of eternal life, He died in our place, simply because of His love for us. He made the choice to love us, while we were unloving and unlovely.
Love One Another
John 15:12-13 (NASB)
12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
If Jesus can love us this much, we should be able to get along with each other. It could be that the other person didn’t mean to offend you. Even if they did, stop and think about what Jesus forgave you of. It’s definitely far worse than what someone else could possibly do to you.
Forgive
Matthew 6:14-15 (NASB)
14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
Jesus made it very simple. It’s only fair and just that He would expect us to love and forgive each other.
Forgiveness is a critical part of love.
Without forgiveness, you can not love.
What is Love?
1 Corinthians 13:1 (NASB)
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Paul tells us that if we don’t have love, whatever we say is just a bunch of noise. He then tells us what love is not.
Spiritual Gifts
1 Corinthians 13:2 (NASB)
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
Having spiritual gifts is wonderful, but that is not love.
Self Sacrifce
1 Corinthians 13:3 (NASB)
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Giving up all of our possessions and even dying is not necessarily love.
True Love
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NASB)
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Notice in this list how love always puts the other person first. Love “does not seek its own.” Love refuses to believe the worst, even if it seems obvious. It is always holding out hope for the other person. Love always gives, never takes. Love will accept a gift, but it will never demand or expect.
Unity
1 Corinthians 12:26-27 (NASB)
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.
If we have love, we will have unity. Without love, unity will always fail. If one of us fails, we all fail. If one is honored, we can all rejoice. We should always be happy for their success, never jealous.
Truth
1 Corinthians 13:4-6 (NASB)
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
Our unity has to be based in truth. Accepting someone’s sin so we can be “unified” is not love. Love “rejoices with the truth.”
The truth is that Jesus loves us. Because of that, we are able to love each other. When we do, we will be unified in our purpose to tell everyone else about His love.
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