The Importance of Unity
What does unity mean to you? In a chaotic and divided world, sometimes the word “unity” can sound like something irrelevant, something that just can’t work in the broken world we live in. Division is nothing new. In fact, it was a challenge very early in church history and something the apostle Paul addressed head-on.
In 1 Corinthians 1, we see that Paul had received reports that believers in Corinth were segmenting themselves based on who shared the gospel with them. They said things like, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or, “I am of Christ.” Rather than being united as one body of Christ, they were dividing themselves into smaller groups and factions.
Paul was very moved by this. In 1 Corinthians 1:13 he asks them these simple questions: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Paul didn’t want the believers of Corinth to get lost in comparisons and separations. He wanted them united under Christ: one King, one Gospel.
Paul brought them back to the only thing that matters: salvation is from Christ alone. Without Christ, there is no unity. But under Christ, we can be united in a way that the world has never seen or understood.
In a world of fighting and division, the body of Christ gets to show the power of the Gospel. We are united, focused on Christ and only Christ.
Your Battle is Won
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your circumstances or wondered why you keep fighting the same struggle?
Jesus taught us that life as a Christ-follower will be difficult. Our world is filled with broken people—ourselves included—who do broken things. There will be trials and challenges.
When Adam and Eve decided to pursue something “good” apart from God, their decision allowed evil to enter the world. This means there is a spiritual battle that we cannot see, and it impacts our everyday lives.
When we give our lives to Jesus, we join His team—but this also means we become a target of the devil, our enemy. Every bad thing that happens to us is not necessarily a direct attack from Satan—sometimes it’s just a result of living in a fallen, broken world. But there is a spiritual element to every situation because the devil is always trying to draw the world away from God, and he is looking for people to destroy.
When struggles happen, the devil will try to get you to ...