Thriving in God’s FamilyNäide

Unity, Not Uniformity

Groups form around things they have in common. Neighbors share a common space. Friends share hobbies, interests, and frequently life seasons. Members of professional groups share skills and experiences. Families, couples, and roommates share a home. Often, the things we share are important to us and help us feel understood and connected.

Even if we have things in common with others, that doesn’t mean we won’t also have differences with them. In fact, we might have significant differences of opinion about current events, entertainment preferences, politics, food, or any number of things. Sometimes, despite all that we share, our differences can seem bigger and more powerful, resulting in conflicts and division.

The church has struggled with the same problem since its earliest days. Despite having many things in common, early Christians found themselves with some big areas of disagreement that threatened division:

• Jews and Greeks were divided over the treatment of widows (Acts 6:1-2).
• The Corinthians argued about who should lead their church—Paul or Apollos (1 Cor. 3:1-9).
• An unnamed disagreement among two women in Philippi stirred up the whole church (Phil. 4:2-3).

Disagreements don’t have to lead to division, though. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He prayed for His disciples and for us to have unity—that we would be one. In fact, the Greek word used—heis—is the same term that describes the way He and the Father are one:

The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me” (John 17:22-23 NASB, emphasis added)

God the Father and His Son Jesus, together with the Holy Spirit, make up the triune Godhead, otherwise known as the Trinity. Good theology says that the Godhead is indivisible, perfectly united. And yet Father, Son, and Holy Spirit remain three distinct persons. The Trinity is our model for understanding both who we are as communal beings and what the goal of Christian community is. In other words, the goal is unity—not uniformity.

Reflect:

Look up the words unity and uniformity (or uniform) in a dictionary. How are they similar? How do they differ?

Have you ever been part of a group that was divided because of differences among its members? What could have been done differently?

Why do you think Jesus says the world will recognize His followers by their love for one another (John 13:35)?