And What About Unity?

Jesus prayed for His disciples in John 17:9-18. The prayer was powerful and it was His request for their unity. There are several important things to note:

1. After Jesus’ departure, the disciples would be under attack for their faith in Him. It was important that they be kept, or maintained. In fact, He prayed, “Keep them in Your name.”  A person‘s name represented his character.  For the Father to keep the disciples in His name meant that He would maintain among them the whole truth His Son had revealed about the Father.
   
2. The outcome would be complete unity among The Eleven. The unity would be dynamic because it was modeled in the relationship of the Father and the Son.
   
3. In verses 14-16, Jesus stated, “I have given them Your word.” The power of God’s Word solidifies our relationship with Him.
   
4. In verse 17, Jesus asked that they be “set apart” for God’s use, which according to verse 18, was their mission to the world. Their unity was important in fulfilling the mission.

Examples of Disunity

From these points we conclude, as He desired the unity of The Eleven, so He desires unity for the disciples who would come after them. That’s you and me!

As we consider the magnitude of this statement, we are perplexed when we see examples of disunity today in the Body of Christ.  We disagree on everything from the outcome of the election to abortion. You name it, we all have our opinion — and naturally our opinion is right! This often becomes a barrier in our relationships.  While meaningful discussions are essential in our spiritual growth in the Body of Christ, silos of opposing perspectives are very apparent. The polarization we see in our nation is sadly reflected in the Church.

It becomes easy to respond like the brother who noticed the speck in another brother’s eye while missing the beam he carried in his own eye.  (Matthew 7:5) Affording others the opportunity to have a different opinion is a high-priced commodity. As a result, we settle for less costly traits such as association only with those who agree with us, or rushing to judgment of those who disagree or are different. This often leads to hurting a fellow brother or sister. The differences can be over something as small as the way a brother or sister combs their hair, or as significant as the type of music the church choir sings.

When Disagreement Becomes Dangerous

Will we ever be a Church without differences? Of course not! This won’t take place until we stand before our Lord in Glory. Disagreements do not become dangerous until they form a wedge between us and our brothers and sisters in Christ, hindering our ability to love each other. Jesus said in John 13:34-35 we are to “Love one another, even as He has loved us . . . . 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (NASU)

You may have heard about the firing of Dan Darling because of an alleged policy violation at his employer, a well-known religious organization. Perhaps you have followed his story and have already taken sides. Whether you side with Dan or his former employer is irrelevant. What is important is Dan’s response. He shared his experience in an op-ed article and said, “I harbor no animosity toward my former employer, who are my brothers and sisters in Christ.”

We will never escape disagreements or sensitive and challenging discussions in the Church that are apparent as we do life together. However, as stated by Dan, we ought never to harbor animosity against those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Article by Dr. L.W. Edwards