A House Divided: Part 3

Mathew 12:25 "But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.""

Divisions are the reason we fall. Divisions felled every empire, caused every war, struck down numerous countries, and are currently wounding our homes and our nation. The best way to stand, in fact the only way to stand, is unified. But it is in our nature to contend, to argue, and to fight amongst ourselves. It is only in Christ that we can truly stand in unity. Because of that, I decided to do this series of blog posts focusing on unity with Mathew 12:25 at the heart of my messages. We have come to the end of this series. I have focused on unity as a family, unity as a nation, and now I just want to focus on the object of that unity: Christ. This is the last post in this series on a house divided, and it is on unity in Christ alone.

Now, in my last few posts, I have (of course) talked about unity quite a bit. But the most important part of unity, is what we are united in. What is the object of our unity? If we are only united by blood, our disagreements will probably force us apart after a while. If we are united in political beliefs, we will probably be united until our beliefs change. But if our unity is placed in Someone unchanging then we will not be divided. When I talk about unity, I don't mean that we should agree with everyone for the sake of getting along, or that we have to sacrifice our beliefs in order to be unified. In fact, I think we need to hold tight to what we believe and not be swayed by the people around us. But we still need to love, we still need to have Christ-like behavior at the center of all of our relationships, with friends, family, or strangers. We can do this without sacrificing our opinions. Robert Sirico says, "We must be ruthless with ideas, but gentle with people." Our ideas don't have to change in order for us to have unity. Jesus held on to His beliefs and He responded when His statements were challenged, but He did it in love. That's what we should be doing, not placing our unity in temporary things, but rather in God. 

And we know exactly what that looks like.

The Trinity shows us what it is like to be diverse and unified at once, a perfect example of what Christ wants our families to look like. The Bible shows very clearly that there is only one God, and yet that there are three personal distinctions in His complex nature, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each is distinct from the others but never acts independently. They are one in nature and purpose. An easy way to describe the Trinity is as a three leafed clover. They are all connected, it is one living thing, but has three vital parts, perfectly united. A more modern explanation is the fidget spinner, but fidget spinners are just annoying so I won't go there. 

Our relationships should reflect the Trinity in unity, all the parts making up one unified whole. 

When we do that, the bond is unbreakable. 

Unity is in Christ alone.

Trying to be united in anything else will only work for a little while, it won't last. We aren't supposed to be unified in evil, or bad things, I agree with Ravi Zacharias who says, "Where destruction is the motive, unity is dangerous." Being unified in a bad cause is certainly dangerous, the object of the unity is what matters most. Unity in destruction is terrible. But the body of Christ is supposed to be unified in Him. If your family is divided, have the courage to speak up in order to honor God. When you meet a stranger who you don't agree with, love them for the sake of unity in Christ. If you have a friend who believes something you think is wrong, steer the conversation away from politics and toward Jesus. My message is not that we should be unified in opinions, my belief is not that we should all just get along. My stance is that God should be the center of what we do and how we interact. 

Our families should revolve around God. 

Our nation will never make the statement "In politics we trust" but we should always say "In God we trust."

Our lives should show that we are united in Christ alone. 

We don't all have to agree with each other, we should continue to argue over ideas, and we must continue to defend our faith, But we have to do it in a way that honors God. We should do it the way Jesus did it. The object of our unity makes all the difference, and the only way we can hope to remain united is if we unite in something unchanging. Charles Spurgeon says, “Consider what you owe to His immutability. Though you have changed a thousand times, He has not changed once.” We constantly changing, always trying to become something different. Because of that, it's hard for us to remain united. It is only when we unite around God, who is unchanging, that we can have lasting unity. He will always be the same.

"It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies"---Thomas Paine

"And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken."---Ecclesiastes 4:10-12

"To a true child of God, the invisible bond that unites all believers to Christ is tender, and lasting, and precious; we learn to look on every believer as our brother, in a sense that is infinitely higher than all human relationships. This is the one and only way to bring disciples permanently together. All other plans for promoting the unity of the Church have failed."---A.T. Pierson

Over and over, you will find scriptures and quotes on unity, it is something that everyone understands is necessary. But we can't just keep this knowledge that we need unity. We can't just understand what it is and change nothing. Now that we know what unity is and how badly we need it, it's time to act. Rather than houses dissolving into arguments, have the courage to speak up and seek unity in Christ. Instead of meeting someone new and arguing about the government, talk about God. And next time you feel division coming between you and a friend, make sure you are united in Christ alone, not in something temporary. Our families, our nation, our lives are divided, remaining that way will lead to destruction. But Christ brings peace. In Christ, we can have unity. Go, and find unity in Him.