There can be no doubt about it that it is a sad thing when congregations are in turmoil. It is painful when brothers and sisters in Christ do not have the same mind and are not in full accord. It hampers the ministry of the church when our hearts are not united in God’s purpose.
That being said, should we then hold to unity as our highest goal? Do we tolerate all things in order to be united? Looking at the wider view of scripture, the answer is; no. Paul and Barnabas, after all, went so far as to part ways over a conflict regarding who should come along on one of their missionary journeys.
The key to understanding this is knowing that in Christ – who humbled himself, even to the point of death to save us from sin – all Christians are united. We are baptized in one baptism. We live in one hope. What becomes difficult is how we express that unity, because even within that unity we Christians still look like a rag-tag group of squabbling sinners.
So Paul exhorts us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. This is high and holy stuff we are dealing with. As we live our lives we become very circumspect to make certain that our doctrine is true, that our motives are pure and in alignment with God’s, and that our focus is exactly where it belongs; on Jesus are our savior. At the end of the day it is not us who does the work, but God works in us, “both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
The desire to be in unity flows from God in us. The desire to do God’s will flows from God in us. Our ability to turn from our sins; the strength to share the faith we’ve been given; the power to live for Christ all flow from God at work in us through His Word and Sacraments.
In this life we must hold firmly to the word of life. Over and over again we must return to God’s Word and hear over and over and over again of God’s love for us in Jesus. This message does not just give us comfort, or make us feel good. It gives us what it says. When the Word speaks of love, God is giving us His love. When the Word speaks of forgiveness, God is giving us forgiveness. When the word speaks of peace, God is giving us strength. This happens because the Holy Spirit dwells in these words, and the Word itself is Jesus.
Father in Heaven, you have united your children in the hope of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Unite us in our beliefs and our actions as well. Lead us to the day when there will be no division among us, but we will all believe what You teach in every matter and then conform our lives to your will. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
That being said, should we then hold to unity as our highest goal? Do we tolerate all things in order to be united? Looking at the wider view of scripture, the answer is; no. Paul and Barnabas, after all, went so far as to part ways over a conflict regarding who should come along on one of their missionary journeys.
The key to understanding this is knowing that in Christ – who humbled himself, even to the point of death to save us from sin – all Christians are united. We are baptized in one baptism. We live in one hope. What becomes difficult is how we express that unity, because even within that unity we Christians still look like a rag-tag group of squabbling sinners.
So Paul exhorts us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. This is high and holy stuff we are dealing with. As we live our lives we become very circumspect to make certain that our doctrine is true, that our motives are pure and in alignment with God’s, and that our focus is exactly where it belongs; on Jesus are our savior. At the end of the day it is not us who does the work, but God works in us, “both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
The desire to be in unity flows from God in us. The desire to do God’s will flows from God in us. Our ability to turn from our sins; the strength to share the faith we’ve been given; the power to live for Christ all flow from God at work in us through His Word and Sacraments.
In this life we must hold firmly to the word of life. Over and over again we must return to God’s Word and hear over and over and over again of God’s love for us in Jesus. This message does not just give us comfort, or make us feel good. It gives us what it says. When the Word speaks of love, God is giving us His love. When the Word speaks of forgiveness, God is giving us forgiveness. When the word speaks of peace, God is giving us strength. This happens because the Holy Spirit dwells in these words, and the Word itself is Jesus.
Father in Heaven, you have united your children in the hope of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Unite us in our beliefs and our actions as well. Lead us to the day when there will be no division among us, but we will all believe what You teach in every matter and then conform our lives to your will. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
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