From the Psalms to Paul’s letters the Bible is not silent about unity. We all have examples; some very close to home; of our struggle for unity. Marriages, friendships, churches, organizations, and teams all provide chapters of material. There are no mere bystanders.

When the Bible uses words like “strive” and “contend” in relation to our unity in the faith with other believers, it’s clear this no easy task.

The Old Testament is full of examples of the divisions within Israel; among themselves and with their leaders and the horrible consequences to their rebellion. God never gave up on reminding them of His desire for them to ALL follow Him with their WHOLE hearts. Their obedience as a nation to the one and only loving, moral, and sovereign God was to set them apart from the evil kingdoms around them.

Jesus prayed for His first followers and us to be set apart. He asks the Father that we may be one, just as He and the Father are one. Why? So that the world may believe that He sent Him and we can share in their love. The purpose of our oneness is amazingly more than the formation of a pleasant homogeneous group.

Yet the historical account continues with the early church receiving letters from Paul revealing their divisions, rivalries, and quarrels.

A long list of reasons can be given for why unity has always been hard. Every reader can make their own. Jon Bloom, of Desiring God Ministries, shares that he sees it as a way to be refined and glorify God. “Our pursuit of unity is designed to give us many opportunities to die to our own sin and bear with the sin of others.”

What could “dying to sin” mean in the groups we have lived in or find ourselves now?

• Seeing not just my local neighbors and students (for me) as made in the image of God – but my ex-pat co-workers too?




• Not expecting or needing to be consulted?




• Waiting to speak – or not speaking at all?




• Holding my schedule loosely?




• Admitting I am wrong?

And then reading John 17:23 again. And again.