Now I beseech you brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10
How important is unity? It is Vital.
Unity is defined as the state of being united or joined as a whole. It comes from the Latin word ‘unus’ meaning “one”.
One of Jesus’ last prayers recorded for us was for Oneness, cp. John 17: 20-23. “I in them and you in me, that they may be made perfect in one:.
We know from Psalm 133 it is in the place of unity that God commands His blessing. From the book of Acts, chapter two, we find the Holy Spirit filling men and women in the place of oneness. They were assembled and in one accord.
Interesting to note, assembled doesn’t imply finding yourself in the same spot with another, rather, in the kingdom of God, assembled speaks to right order. It speaks to our proper placement when joined to the other parts. We have been assigned a place in the body of Christ and it is when we are in the right place, doing the right thing (exercising our grace) that the body grows. The King James reads from Ephesians chapter four, “the whole body fitly joined together and compacted (thats assembly) by that which every joint (you and me) supplies according to the measure of every part, makes increase of the body.…”
Again, from Acts 2 we learn the apostles were in right order AND they were unified in purpose.
When we gather together it is for the purpose of being assembled in order to function properly. It is this place of right order, assembled AND the oneness that we value that creates the blessing of the Lord resting upon us.
What kind of grief do we bring the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with the very love of God, when we hold any place of faction or division towards another. His admonition is to build ourselves up on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of God.
Division only occurs through pride. Pride is simply the “I will ascend” of my desire above Gods. How much humility is required to live in this place of oneness? It can only be found in a preference for others above our selves. Galatians 5 reminds us the works of the flesh are strife, seditions, and envying. James 3:16 records where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
So, how important is unity? Again, it is vital. We are desirous of the presence and the power of God being manifested in our midst. I know God isn’t demanding our perfection for His work to be manifested but I do know things work so much better when we live from valuing unity amongst ourselves.
Can we excel at being one? Can we value unity at the cost of personal denial and sacrifice? We can only find out in and through our next relational opportunity. My prayer is that we may find ourselves so vitally connected to Him and overflowing with His love that unity is simply our nature.