Sermon - Trinity XVII 2022 - Ephesians 4:1-6

Adoration of the Trinity, Vincent Lopez Portana, 1791-1792

Unity in Christ

1. What is Christian unity?

2. Exposing false unity

3. Maintaining true unity

St. Paul urges us “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called… eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Unity is a word which gets used quite frequently. Churches and hospitals have it in their name, our country is known as the United States, and Jesus Himself prayed for unity in His high priestly prayer. But for all of this talk about unity, do we know what it means and entails, do we know what it looks like? Oftentimes the term unity is bandied about, but what we’re united in is seldom identified clearly. 

For the Christian our unity is in Christ. Today let us clearly define and identify Christian unity. This way we might expose false unity, which isn’t Christian or healthy. So that finally we might learn how to maintain true unity amongst ourselves.

So, what is Christian unity? St. Paul says: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” The unity that we have as Christians is located in God. We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. If we are to be united as Christians, this means that we must all have the same substance of faith, namely, we must all believe the same things that God teaches us.

Unity is actually a very concrete and recognizable thing. If we confess and do things in the same sort of way, then we’re united. If we do not confess and do things in the same sort of way, then we’re not united. Broadly speaking, we have unity in something so long as we maintain full agreement on a set of propositions and actions. A simple example of this is seen in franchise stores. They all agree to a certain set of principles and way of doing business, such that when I walk into a McDonalds or a Caseys I know what to expect, regardless of which one I walk into. They can be located in different states, staffed and managed by different people, utilize various sizes of buildings, but ultimately they’re the same store because they’re united in their beliefs.

For Christians what unites us is Jesus, specifically Jesus’ word. The contents of the Bible is what unites us together. We have unity when we share the same Lord, the same faith, the same baptism, the same God and Father. I can’t just assert unity and claim that I am united with another unless we actually have an objective baseline that we can measure ourselves against. For us Christians that baseline is the entirety of God’s Word.

Now to be clear this doesn’t mean that every Christian is identical. Later in Ephesians St. Paul talks about the body of Christ and how we are all members of this body, each with different gifts and abilities. In Corinthians he says that “you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” The body consists of many different members; there are feet, hands, and eyes. We aren’t all mirrored copies of each other, and that’s necessary and good. The hands, feet, and eyes all have different jobs to do, and they’re good at different things. Nevertheless, they’re all united by being part of the same body with the same purpose. If I’m going to catch a football, my body is united and my hands, feet, and eyes are working towards the same goal. The same is true for Christian unity.

Among Christians there is a healthy diversity of gifts and abilities. But we do need to be careful that we don’t confuse that good diversity of gifts with the unhealthy division that exists because of a diversity of beliefs. If we are not united in our beliefs about God, then we do not have unity. Not all who claim to be Christians are united.

Jesus didn’t come to make it just look like everyone was united, rather Jesus came to actually unite people in His Word. Only when people are united in the same faith are they truly united. One of the results of this is that it makes clear the divisions between right and wrong, good and evil. Jesus said: “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Jesus’ word is the sword that pierces the division between what is true and false. “There must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.” This is why there are different denominations, because we aren’t all united even though we all claim the name of Christ. To say that all Christian denominations are united is a false unity and it makes a mockery of God’s Word. To say we’re all united even though we don’t agree on God’s Word, is to say that God’s word matters less than outward peace and appearances. 

For example, the Bible teaches us that women should not be pastors. If we were to claim that we are united with a church that ordains women, then we would be saying that what God teaches us there in the Bible doesn’t matter. To do that would be to elevate myself and my own opinions above God and His Word. This is a false unity, and it’s very dangerous since it’s elevating myself and my relationships with others above God and my relationship to Him.

This is dangerous because a little leaven leavens the whole lump. A little bit of false teaching or accommodation to sin may not seem like a huge deal at first glance, but it is a very serious thing. It turns our eyes away from Christ and toward ourselves and our own appearances. Often we tolerate and accommodate sin because we care more about what others think of us than we care what God thinks of us. Truly God’s heart toward us is the only one which matters in the end. If I have friendship with the world and enmity with God, I am consigned to hell. But if I have friendship with God in spite of the world, then my hope is in God and His forgiveness.

The inherent and eternal dangers of false unity is why we are urged to maintain and guard the true unity of the Spirit. This true unity is maintained with humility, gentleness, and patience. Instead of elevating myself and my opinions above God and His Word, I humble myself beneath God and submit myself to His teachings.

St. Paul told Timothy: “Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.” Those who cause divisions are those who teach a different doctrine which does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness. But those who seek to guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace are those who submit to the Word of God. This is how we are to maintain true unity: we submit ourselves to God’s Word and humble ourselves and our opinions beneath God.

Afterall, we have one Lord who has redeemed us from everlasting death. We have one hope of everlasting life. We have faith in just one to save us. We have been brought into this redemption through the waters of one holy baptism. We have one God, one Father, who created us and loves us. That unity is worth guarding and keeping. That unity is what Christ prays that we might have. That unity in the Spirit is what we wish for one another. We have just one Savior, so let us always strive for unity with Him who redeems us from death to life.