Sunday, March 14, 2010 pm
CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? (2)
True Biblical Unity
Tonight we continue
a study we began last month dealing with the proper attitude needed as
brethren toward one another.
As stated at the beginning of that lesson my goal is for us to
examine in detail what the Bible says about brethren seeking true unity
in our midst.
Biblical unity
involves many things including unyielding respect for truth as well as
godly attitudes which must be present in all, both in times of peace and
times of conflict.
In our lesson
tonight, as a foundation for this study, we want to examine what the
Bible says about TRUE unity!
We will notice how it is emphasized in scripture AND some elements of
true unity.
a.
Unity
defined
i.
The word
unity is found only 2 times in the New Testament (NKJV) – Ephesians 4:3,
13. It is the Greek word,
ἑνότης (henotes). It is a
derivative of the word ONE, εἱ̂ς (heis - masculine) or ἓν (hen -
neuter).
ii.
Louw and Nida (63.3)
defines the word unity as “a state of oneness.”
Strong’s (G#1775) adds
“unanimity” to the definition.
iii.
Unity is
defined in the English language as:
1.
The state
or quality of being one; singleness.
2.
The state
or quality of being in accord; harmony.
3.
a. The
combination of arrangements of parts into a whole, unification.
4.
Singleness
or constancy of purpose or action; continuity.
(Unity - American Heritage Dictionary, © 2009 Houghton Miffin Company)
b.
What true
unity is NOT:
i.
Simply
agreeing to disagree – the
problem with such is that it either leads to indifference toward an
issue(which WILL get worse if ignored) or suppressed feelings about an
individual or issue that could eventually flare up.
ii.
Compromise of God’s word – we
know that this is NEVER an option!
iii.
Simply
tolerating one another – while
such might be necessary for awhile (i.e. a starting point), it is NOT
the basis of true Biblical unity.
True unity is founded in love and other godly attitudes each
individual Christian needs to possess.
iv.
Always
getting YOUR way - The
challenge of TRUE Christian unity is distinguishing between true matters
of faith and matters of liberty and RESPECTING those who differ with us
in matters of liberty.
c.
Biblical
unity is akin to linking together, as in a chain.
Not a weak chain, but a STRONG one that cannot be easily
separated.
Ephesians 4:3 speaks of
the “unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace”.
The Bible has much to say
about the subject of unity.
Let us note a number of passages that allude to our need for unity
a.
Psalm 133:1 – “Behold,
how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments.
It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of
Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.”
b.
Amos 3:3, “Can
two walk together, unless they are agreed?”
c.
Proverbs 6:16-19,
seven things the Lord hates – “One who
sows discord among brethren.”
d.
Matthew 20:24-28, “And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two
brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that
the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great
exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but
whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27
And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give His life a ransom for many.”
e.
John 17:20-21, “I
do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me
through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in
Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may
believe that You sent Me.”
f.
Acts 2:1, “When
the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in
one place.”
g.
Acts 2:44–47, “Now all who believed were together,
and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods,
and divided them among all, as
anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple,
and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with
gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with
all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were
being saved.”
h.
Acts 4:32, “Now
the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul;
neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own,
but they had all things in common.”
i.
Romans 12:10, “Be
kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving
preference to one another”
j.
Romans 12:16,
“Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high
things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own
opinion.”
k.
Romans 14:19,
“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things
by which one may edify another.”
l.
Romans 15:5-6,
“Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded
toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one
mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
m.
1
Corinthians 1:10,
“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among
you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in
the same judgment.”
n.
1
Corinthians 10:16-17,
“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the
blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of
the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body;
for we all partake of that one bread.”
o.
1
Corinthians 12:12-27,
“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of
that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by
one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— whether Jews or Greeks,
whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many. 15 If the foot
should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it
therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am
not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 17
If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole
were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now God has set the
members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. 19 And if
they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now indeed
there are many members, yet one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the
hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have
no need of you.” 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which
seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those members of the body which
we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our
unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts
have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to
that part which lacks it, 25 that there should be no schism in the body,
but that the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And
if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member
is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are the body of
Christ, and members individually.”
p.
1
Corinthians 12:31-13:8a,
“But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more
excellent way. 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging
cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all
mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I
could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I
bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be
burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love suffers long
and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not
puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not
provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices
in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things. 8 Love never fails…”
q.
1
Corinthians 16:20,
“Greet one another with a holy kiss”
r.
2
Corinthians 13:11,
“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of
one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with
you.”
s.
Galatians 3:28,
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there
is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
t.
Galatians 5:13-15,
“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use
liberty as an opportunity for the flesh,
but through love serve one
another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this:
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
15 But if you bite and devour one
another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!”
u.
Ephesians 2:14-18,
while dealing with the law
having been nailed to the cross Paul describes how Christ united all
brethren.
“For He Himself is our peace, who
has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15
having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of
commandments contained in ordinances,
so as to create in Himself one
new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might
reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby
putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you
who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both
have access by one Spirit to the Father.”
v.
Ephesians 2:19–22,
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having
been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
Himself being the chief cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy
temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for
a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
w.
Philippians 1 27, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that
whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs,
that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for
the faith of the gospel”
x.
Philippians 2:1-4,
“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of
love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2
fulfill my joy by being
like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in
lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each
of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the
interests of others.”
y.
Philippians 3:16,
“Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained,
let us walk by the same rule, let
us be of the same mind.”
z.
Colossians 2:2, “that their hearts may be encouraged,
being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full
assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both
of the Father and of Christ,”
aa.
Colossians 3:13-15, 16,
“bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a
complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must
do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of
perfection. 15 And let the peace
of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body;
and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all
wisdom, teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
NOTE: Our worship is to
unite us together.
bb.
Hebrews 10:24-25,
“And let us consider one another
in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day
approaching.”
cc.
1
Peter 3:8-9,
“Finally, all of you be of one
mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be
tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling
for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called
to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
dd.
1
John 3:14,
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the
brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”
III. Ephesians 4:1-16, A call for true unity
a.
The call (1-3) - “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of
the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and
gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Concerning unity: In
these verses Paul notes the importance of a proper disposition in each
of us AND he notes how unity is something we WORK for to achieve AND
maintain.
The word “endeavor” means “to
hasten to do a thing, to exert oneself, endeavor, give diligence.”
(Vine’s)
b.
The extent of unity (4-6)-
“There is one body and one
Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord,
one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all,
and through all, and in you all.”
Concerning unity: We
find here that unity must be based upon agreement of God’s teaching. Not
only must we accept the persons of God, we must also respect His church,
His teachings, His plan of salvation and His vision.
This dispels the concept of “unity in diversity.”
c.
Direction toward unity (11-12)
– “And He Himself gave some to be
apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and
teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ,”
Concerning unity: One
of the tasks leaders are given is to promote unity.
The apostles and prophets revealed God’s will initially.
Pastors, evangelists and teachers instruct brethren in God’s word
so that they CAN be united.
This is one reason the message needs to be plain and whole.
d.
The maturity of unity (13-15)
– “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; 14 that we
should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning
craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love,
may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—“
Concerning unity: When God’s word is accurately handled and
taught it produces a maturity the keeps us from being
deceived and thereby splintering apart.
e.
The results of unity (16)
-
“from
whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint
supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does
its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Concerning unity – One
might ask, how long does this unity need to be emphasized?
The answer is – until it is FULLY REALIZED by all involved.
True unity will NOT be achieved until all come to agreement.
Only then will we see perfected growth in the body.
And thus we can see
the importance of true Biblical unity.
It is something we should all be striving to achieve.
As we notice the last point, we realize that perfected unity is
still a long ways away.
Perhaps in this life, we will never achieve complete Biblical unity, but
each of us needs to be working toward that end and the more we will ALL
work at it, the closer we can come to obtaining it.
What about you? Is unity your goal? What are you willing to do about it?