The Unity of the Faith

Ephesians 4 : 11 – 13, And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… -NKJV

Psalm 133 : 1, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! -NKJV

It is God’s will that Christians learn to live in unity with one another. The Lord has directed me to share two scriptures that speak about unity in the church. Through these, we can see the importance that God places on us coming into the unity of the faith.  

If it is God’s will that all believers in Christ come into the unity of the faith, why is it so difficult for us to accomplish it? We must remember that we have an adversary, the devil, which seeks to stir up strife and division among believers so that we don’t unify. One of the most effective ways that Satan uses to divide us is through us focusing on our differences.  

God made every person different for a reason. God loves variety in every aspect of His creation, including humans. No two people have the same thumb print. While God celebrates differences, Satan promotes sameness or conformity. You must submit to the dictates of the world and alter who God made you to be as a person before the world accepts you.

Jesus doesn’t tell us that we have to lose our individuality before we can be saved. By contrast, if you want to be accepted by the world, you must surrender your uniqueness from God. Sameness or conformity has nothing to do with achieving unity but has everything to do with controlling people.

You may ask why Satan and the world are set against unity, especially when it comes to Christians. God can work powerfully through believers in Christ who live in unity. God commands His blessing on His people who live in unity according to Psalm 133.

Satan, our adversary, fights us so that we won’t allow ourselves to be unified when it comes to things that pertain to God and His Word. The enemy will use our differences to divide us so that we are weaker in our fight against him.

Paul teaches in Ephesians 4 that it is the Lord who ordained five-fold ministries within the New Testament Church. Since God has made a distinction between those who are called to minister and those who are called to hear them, Satan is constantly trying to stir up strife between us. As Christians, we must overcome any spiritual attack that would cause division within church fellowships.  

Instead of viewing ministers as being different and against us, we should see them as God has set them to be in the church. Ministers have been placed by the Lord as shepherds who protect the flock of God.

If we view those who lead us as individuals who must answer to God for our well-being, this leadership should cause us to have a burden to pray for them. We need each other or God wouldn’t have designed us this way. To overcome the things that divide us, including Satan, let us focus on the One who unifies us, Christ Jesus!

Pastor Asa Dockery


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