“I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” – John 17:23
Christians today seldom give unity with other Christians much thought. To the extent we ever think about unity, we mostly think about how to get others to agree with us. We prioritize being right, value getting others to yield, and often delight in “going it alone”. We consider unity a “nice to have” at best. In this, we’re very far from Christ’s will for His followers!
Jesus prayed for and prioritized genuine unity between believers. It’s more important to Jesus that we be unified as the church than that we agree on carpet color, music styles, or meeting times. It’s more important to Jesus that we be unified than that we be proven right on minor matters of preference, tradition, or power. If unity matters so much to Jesus, it needs to matter tremendously to every follower of Jesus!
Scripture teaches us to strive for unity. To work hard for unity. To prioritize unity. To sacrifice for unity. This makes sense given that Jesus died to make unity between fallen creatures of dust possible. More is at stake in our unity within the church than we generally imagine. Jesus is very clear that our unity as brothers and sisters in Christ is proof to the unbelieving world that God sent Jesus and that God loves us. Imagine that!
Your willingness to pursue unity with even those Christians you don’t particularly like proves the message of the Gospel! Our greatest isn’t our bumper stickers, our eloquent preaching, sophisticated teaching, bestselling books, or social media empire. The greatest testimony of Jesus we can offer to unbelievers is our ability as followers of Christ to live and love each other as one, unified body.
Are you pursuing unity with every other believer? Are you walking in unity with a local church? Are you willing to let go of things which are important to you but aren’t required by the Bible to promote greater unity and love in the church? That’s what Jesus prayed for you!