The Bible, Steering Away from Arguments, and Unity Among God's People

So far on this blog, I have tried to stay away from tricky theological subjects that Christians often disagree on. I knew that I wouldn't be able to stay away from it forever, and it is about time to address a few of those that are more important in an effort to understand, as simply as possible, what the Bible says about those subjects: What we can be sure about, and what we probably shouldn't be dogmatic about. Please understand that it is not my purpose to disagree with certain views or people, and I am not going to argue or nitpick.

In view of that, I would like to talk about the unity of the body of Christ (the worldwide Christian Church, not the sum of any certain denominations or beliefs, but rather all people who follow Christ, who believe the Bible to be true and Jesus Christ to be the forgiver of sins through His death on the cross and the giver of life through His resurrection from the grave) before I address any specific issues.


Here's a few of the Scriptures where the New Testament talks about unity:

Jesus, praying for his disciples in John 17:11b -- "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one."

Jesus, praying for his future followers in John 17:21-23 -- "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

Paul, in Romans 12:3-5 -- "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."

Paul, in Romans 14:10, 13, 19, 21 --
"You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. "
"Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way."
"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification."
"It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall."

Paul, in I Cor. 1:10 -- "I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought."

Paul, in I Cor. 8:9 -- "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak."

Paul, in II Cor. 13:11 -- "Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you."

Paul, in Gal. 5:13-15 -- "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."

Paul, in Eph. 4:1-6 -- "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

James, in James 2:8-9, 12-13 --
"If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers."
"Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!"

Peter, in I Peter 3:8-9 -- "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

John, in I John 4:7-12 -- "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

These aren't all the scriptures on unity in love in the New Testament, but hopefully we all can see how important this is to the Church of Jesus Christ, and even the unity that all of the different authors had about this one subject. I challenge you to consider whether you are really living these scriptures out in how you treat people, Christian or not. We have much to account for in this area, I believe, if we are to live up to the Word that we preach with our mouths.