Unity is not uniformity

Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The church, the body of Christ as a whole and members of a local church in particular suffer from the consequences of worldly features like division, rejection, fragmentation, hostility, separation, loneliness and alienation. The main reason behind the infiltration of these worldly features into the church is the lack of understanding of unity in diversity. To most people, unity is uniformity. Others must be like me or like us. If they are not like me or us, then they are wrong or bad. No, we can have unity in diversity and practice. We must accept our differences as God-given.

When we grasp the truth that we are different for the enrichment of each one, we will not see differences as something that is bound to lead to problems, upsets and division. Rather, we will see our broad mix in the church as a sign of God’s grace towards us in giving us an opportunity to grow together towards maturity.

Frankly speaking, there are people in the church so different from us and whom we struggle to cope with. Sometimes we wonder if they are not a problem put in the church by the devil to be our thorn in the flesh. I am not referring to members of a different church or denomination or even different assembly. I mean members in the same local church assembly whom we would rather avoid or separate from. Their character and conduct seem to be so divergent from ours that we think they are not really saved or their Satanists. In fact, there are believers who had to change churches or assemblies because so and so was difficult to fellowship with.

But, what you need to realise is that we are guilty of the same sins or offences that we accuse others of. No matter how we see ourselves, our own conduct and character are questionable to other believers as well. We may be perfect in our own eyes, but in the eyes of others we fall short of glory. Now if we all have differences the solution is not in running away from each other but in uniting in diversity and practice. God has given us diverse gifts and abilities not to divide us but to make us whole and complete.

Unity is God’s desire for us both in the local church and across denominations regardless of our differences. We must begin to see those members we struggle with not as devil-sent but as gifts from God to enrich us with their distinctive approach. Can you see that believer who seems to delight in being awkward as a gift from God to help us grow in patience and grace and understanding and love.

Unity in diversity is achieved by putting into practice passive virtues like humility, gentleness, patience, forgiving and bearing with another in love. If we recognise that we are all different and that God is a God of variety, we will start to appreciate and emulate one another. After all, God works through His plan of salvation to bring everything and everyone in unity under the headship of His son Jesus Christ.

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