Unity causes us to have peace. Disunity causes unrest. What is unity? We cannot deny the ‘feeling’ we have when a spouse or significant person in our lives ‘understands’ us and agrees with us. Its a combination of ‘I’ve won’ (you know that’s right) and a feeling that you have been heard, valued, validated, etc. There is a ‘sense’ of being more unified with the person.
Unity causes us to have peace. Disunity causes unrest. What is unity? We cannot deny the ‘feeling’ we have when a spouse or significant person in our lives doesn’t ‘understand’ us and disagrees with us. Its a combination of ‘He/she’s losing out on my valuable opinion’ (you know that’s right) and a feeling that you have not been heard, or are undervalued, you are invalid, etc. There is a ‘sense’ of disunity with the person.
Romans 4.16 tells us, “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace…” Our unity must depend on our faith in the promise of future grace (see Piper Future Grace)
Ephesians 2.7 “…so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” In other words, we must bank on past grace, accepting what at that time was future grace, purposed by God, so that this time we can look toward more grace as we learn to have unity with God.
We must stop being so fickle-faithed and rest on Truth.
I am finding that unity is not about having similar ideas or interests or hobbies or physical features or skin color or language, but it is about agreeing on the great purpose of a great God.
Note the ‘union’ words here:
Ephesians 2.4,5,6 “But God…made us alive together with Christ…seated us withhim [God] in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” (Eph. 2.14) We are reconciled. He has killed the hostility.
Unity is not about our purposes but God’s purposes.
Unity causes us to have peace. But there can be a false peace like when we ‘get our way’ in relationships. This peace keeps us for a moment but it is not built upon Truth but a Lie that what we desire is always what is best (see Genesis 3.1 -7a). It is fleeting. This is the peace that Christ talks about in Matthew 10.34.
Unity causes us to have peace. When it is God’s peace it is a peace that draws us into a closer conformity with Christ who is the head: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”(Eph. 5.1) This peace is built on the Truth of God’s Word. It is hard news sometimes because it is not our nature (Eph.2.17 & Matthew 10.34) (Eph.2.1). ‘But God…made us alive in Christ’ we have his Spirit that lives in perfect unity with the Father. More than that we have a ‘more sure word’ (2 Peter 1.19) and all that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1.3).
Unity in Christ with others comes from knowing Him – which comes from studying His Word. Only when we work by grace in the knowledge of who God is can we obey God’s purpose and have godly unity.