Christian Unity

I’ve been hearing a repeated plea for unity within the Church, and I agree there is a real need for this. But what does that look like?

The apostle Paul wrote “There is one Body” (Ephesians 4:4), and in John’s gospel we see how Jesus prayed for Christian Unity, asking that we be one just as He and the Father are one. (John 17:20-23) And even if Scripture didn’t discuss unity we could still embrace the practice. After all, practically speaking, there’s strength in numbers. For example: a healthy herd chases away predators, demonstrating how this plays out in nature. Likewise, we can observe that political parties push their agenda through when all party members vote in unity around an issue.

But understand this: Christian Unity is only possible when we are knit together through the Spirit of God. When Jesus said that He and the Father were one or that He abided in the Father, it defined unity as reflecting the likeness of God. When Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus explained that seeing the Son was like seeing the Father; even His words came from the Father. (John 14:8-18) The fact is as we draw closer to God, we look and act and speak more like Him. Drawing close to God, we reflect His image more closely. And as we individually seek clearer understanding of Who God is, we naturally draw closer together. Sure, there are different perspectives as we each grow in our understanding, so we should respectfully and lovingly challenge each other in our quest to know God better, and in so doing we will grow together. “As iron sharpens iron, so a person sharpens his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17)

The problem with how many are using the term “Unity” is that it’s being conflated with the word “Conformity”. Conformity is an ugly thing in Church, often done unintentionally to manipulate and control. Conformity impedes discourse, portraying healthy questions as somehow heretical or spiritually immature. It is not spiritually immature to struggle with a concept; rather, maturity continues to wrestle with an issue. Proverbs repeatedly encourages us to seek understanding, and it’s clear that God wants us to do just that. God chose Israel, giving Jacob this new name which means “struggles with God”. Before this new name, the meaning of Jacob was “deceiver”, and I believe that he was selected as a model of how God chooses His people (us!) in our sinful nature. Then, in our ensuing struggle with God, He prepares His Church as His Bride. This struggle is a journey each of us must make as we are changed from glory to glory into the likeness of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:15-18)

If you are in a church that discourages questioning, you may need a new church. I’m not saying you should definitely leave or suggesting that the leadership has bad intentions, but shutting down the conversation limits your spiritual growth and isn’t a healthy group dynamic. People who are threatened by questions are often insecure about their own position, and our goal should be to build them up, neither exploiting a weakness nor enabling the dysfunctional behavior.

I wouldn’t suggest focusing on reasons to leave so much as asking God to show you how to respond, praying all the more for your church and its leadership as you find gaps, specifically asking the Holy Spirit to fill in those gaps. Also, as uncomfortable as it may be, seek winsome ways to have conversations with the leadership from a biblical perspective rather than assuming bad intentions. We are, each of us, on a journey with Christ as our destination.


Speak the truth in love, and if they aren’t open to a conversation then be sensitive to how you respond. If there is an openness to growing together, then guess what? That is what unity looks like! But if there is no desire to walk through it, sharpening each other, then God may be leading you elsewhere (See Matthew 10:11-15). There is a priesthood of all believers, one body with many parts, and you have your part to play. So be careful to follow Jesus’ example as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah:

A crushed reed he will not break,
a dim wick he will not extinguish;
He will faithfully make just decrees.


copyright ©2024 Mitchell Malloy (http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com/)

Popular posts from this blog

What is Alpha?

Image
I want to tell you about the Alpha Course.  Around 30 years ago, I had the privilege of attending an Alpha course at Truro Church in Northern Virginia. I was already a believer in Christ, but I've always struggled connecting with others. Some people may be surprised by that fact because I've been blessed with so many wonderful relationships, but the Alpha Course was special in that it opened the door to lifelong, family relationships. The people in our Alpha group kept meeting until we were pulled to different parts of the country. Yet even after that, we've had reunions, attended the weddings of our daughters and even met remotely during the COVID lockdown. I can't say that every Alpha group is as special as ours. The reunions and remote gatherings were in large part due to one lovely lady in particular who has continued to pull us back again and again, and it was my privilege to see her enter into a relationship with Jesus 3 decades ago, a relationship that has poure
Read more

Challenges of a Father

Image
I haven’t written in a while because I’ve been trying to form my thoughts for a topic that I’ll post later this month, and like our society in general have considered Father’s Day only as an afterthought. Our society celebrates Mothers pretty easily, and that’s a good thing. But it seems harder to celebrate fathers. Why is that? The message at our church today was a really good one but reflecting upon the content I realized that it was mostly describing fatherhood wounds, the impact of a bad father figure and how God brings restoration. So I could choose to write about the qualities of a good father, and that would also be a good thing to share, but instead I thought it might be better to share my challenges as a father. Assuming that others may be challenged in similar ways, maybe someone would benefit from knowing that we’re not alone. As the father of five children, I know I’ve made mistakes and that I’ve also done the right thing. No one is perfect as a parent, and that shouldn’t
Read more

The Bible and Pride Month

Image
Then we will no longer be little children, tossed and carried about by all kinds of teachings that change like the wind. We will no longer be influenced by people who use cunning and clever strategies to lead us astray. Instead, as we lovingly speak the truth, we will grow up completely in our relationship to Christ, who is the head. ~ Ephesians 4:14-15   Speaking the truth in love sounds easy, but in practice it can be really hard. It can be hard to speak truth, fearful of how it will be received, and it can be hard to speak in a loving fashion when the truth can seem so obvious or when it’s being casually disregarded. But God made us to live in truth and love, to speak truth to others with love in our hearts. As I wrote this, I felt concern that my words could hurt people I care about: friends, colleagues and relatives. I don’t want to bludgeon anyone with the truth, but I don’t want to be unclear about the whole truth, explained if you read through to the end . There are many modern
Read more