Unity In The Church

UNITY IN THE CHURCH

July 7, 2024

Ephesians 4:4-6

A Lutheran theologian from the 16th century, named Rupertus Meldenius wrote --- “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.” - Rupertus Meldenius

That’s a great reminder. Yet how do we define what’s essential? Where’s our starting point as a church to uphold unity and to grow unity? Meldenius reminds us it’s in the essentials.

Last week I stated, I believe unity is expected in the church. It’s supposed to be the norm, not the exception. And . . . as followers in Christ, we aren’t responsible for creating unity, which is great news, because we would mess it up.

Not that we’re bad people, but we would all come about seeking unity from different vantage points and that would lead us down a really, really bad rabbit -trail. And more often than not, we’d get swallowed up in it.

So, the great news is that we don’t have to create unity. It’s already been done for us by Jesus. Jesus already established unity through what He did for us. Our job is to maintain and grow that unity. Before I discuss our main scripture, let me remind you what was happening in the early church to see why Paul was writing this.

When you look back at the NT, you see the Jewish and gentile (non-Jewish) believers were clashing. Paul discussed this in other letters as well. In Ephesians 2:14, Paul spoke about the dividing walls of hostility between the people, which we’ll see in a moment.

The Jewish Christians thought the gentile Christians were less than, mainly because they didn’t follow the Jewish laws. So, there was this wall of hostility.

And that’s still true today, and we can follow the same line of thinking. We don’t all agree on style and taste. Some prefer more charasmatic or hymns vs. rocky. Others want more liturgical or expository preaching.

The list could go on and so we can easily get stuck in our differences.

And there easily can be that dividing wall of hostility in today’s church.

So, Paul masterfully encourages us to be unified. He does it by reminding us of what we have in Christ - - - -

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, - Ephesians 1:7

This becomes the basis for our unity. What Jesus did for the gentile, He did for the Jew. There’s no difference. We all have redemption through His blood.

That’s part of what we just did in communion. We have the forgiveness of our sins, all because of His glorious grace. Now Paul shares the hope of bringing the believers together in the next chapter, in Ephesians 2 ---

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For He Himself is our peace, WHO HAS MADE US BOTH ONE and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.

15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself ONE new man in place of the two, so making peace,

16 and might RECONCILE US BOTH to God in ONE body THROUGH THE CROSS, thereby killing the hostility.

17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

18 For through him we both have access in ONE Spirit to the Father.

- - - - HERE IS THE END RESULT - - - -

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, - Ephesians 2:13

The gentiles were separate from the Jewish Christians, but now they’ve been brought into the kingdom because of the blood of Jesus. His death has united the Jew and gentile, who at one time would not talk or eat together.

They are now fellow citizens, sharing in the same glorious inheritance. It’s all equal in terms of salvation. The law abiding Jew and the idol worshiping gentile who have both become Christ followers receive the same victory.

That’s what establishes unity for the church. It’s not anything we do, but it’s the work of Jesus. That’s why we don’t have to create unity.

We need to cultivate it and grow it and make it real and visible to a world - - - desperately in need of Jesus.

So, we look at the essentials of what unity in the church is and we’re starting to see it in the words of Paul.

If we left creating unity up to the church, we’d mess it up, because depending upon whichever branch of Christianity, you’re going to have different essentials, rules, polity, different theology and styles of worship.