Unity Matters

I appeal to you brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgement. 1 Corinthians 1:10

Agreement can be a very difficult thing to achieve. When two people cannot agree on wallpaper or paint colour or even something as trivial as what t.v. programme to watch, how do we navigate the complexities of scripture?

Think of all the different translations of the Bible that we have access to, from the King James version to The Message and everything in between. Some are word-for-word, some are thought-for-thought and some are general themes in everyday language. What we need to be careful of, is that we don’t strip back the Word of God to the point that it loses the very essence of the truth God wants us to hear (and to tell).

The Church needs to be united in the truth of God’s Word, but if that truth is being snipped away at, it can lead to a breakdown of unity. That being said, as a wise friend of mine pointed out, ‘God really does bless unity, but disunity doesn’t always come from different versions of the bible; people can argue over the same translation.’ This is absolutely true; five people can read one verse from the same Bible and have five different conclusions. What Paul is urging is that we find the truth of scripture and stand in that truth together.

A divided church is of no use within a community. As the Lord himself said, “no city or house divided against itself will stand” (Matthew 12:25). Sound teaching is so important within the Church, and when we take the message of salvation beyond our doors, we need to be ‘united in the same mind’, speaking with one clear voice.

Unity of faith is a powerful weapon and is one that we should strive to have. When reading God’s word, we should always ask the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth so that, together, we can stand strong and firm in the ways of the Lord.