Contributor: Annie
Scriptures: Genesis 1, 2:18 John 17:20-24 Ephesians
Christian unity can often be a divisive subject to broach. The gulf between denominational doctrines and traditions sometimes seems intractable and impassable. The differences that surface in individual churches, demonstrates the ease of a breakdown of any form of unity.
Yet, right from Genesis 1, we can see that God is a God of relationship. He created Eve because He declared it was not good for man to be alone. The love between the three Persons of the Trinity has existed since before the world was created, Jesus confirmed this (John 17:24), and this is the love Christ prayed would be in all believers. A Love that is the source of all unity.
God is unique, one Being yet three Persons. In Genesis, we see the Creator God, the Spirit Who hovered over the face of the earth, the Word Who said “Let there be…”, but still, He remains One God. Each Person of the Trinity does not live in isolation, but in absolute love and unity, One perfect Being. We were created in the image of God, He does not live in isolation, therefore, to be restored to that image, we have to get used to the idea that we are not meant to live in isolation either.
It has always been God’s desire for humankind to live in unity with Him and with each other, the perfect Community. And herein lies the crux of the matter. It can only be by being in the love and unity of our wonderful God that we can ever be in love and unity one with another. The circle of Love that is our God, is what we are invited to join. The laying down of our life so that we can be absorbed into that circle, that completeness, is eternal Life. The Love that holds us and grows in us, is an overflowing river of Life that enriches and feeds our relationship with other members of God’s family.
In Ephesians, Paul shows how God has broken down the barriers between Jew and Gentile. Equally, it is only by the power of Holy Spirit working within us that we are able to grow in the bonds of peace and love that result in true unity. We are One Body, with Christ as our Head, a living, vibrant Body. Years ago, I was trying to fathom how to reconcile in my mind the way God desires us to be and the way we often are, and God used the analogy of a marionette to help open my eyes. Christ’s Body is not separate bits of inanimate wood joined together by string with no connection between all the separate parts. We are a Living Body, knit together by His Spirit, His Life flows through each and every one of us. “I in them, You in Me, that they may be made perfect (complete) in One.” It cannot be clearer.
Unity that bears witness to who we are, can only exist within the Life of God. The perfect or complete union of all believers begins and ends with our individual union with our Father God, through the Blood of Christ and by the power of Holy Spirit. Then the world will truly see that we are disciples of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Abba Father, strengthen our resolve each day to lay down our lives and joyfully live IN You alone, and in communion with each other.
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