Unity Is Not Comformity

Societal unity has been reduced to an intolerant tolerance which causes division between thought processes ending in discrimination against physiological, cultural, and mental differences. If we observed mutual respect for each other, whether we were right, wrong, or just different; loving each other the way that Christ loves us even if we were His enemies, our relationship with each other as fellow humans would be unified for the good of the world. We may come out at different places, but our mutual respect for each other as fellow citizens either of this country and/or of our heavenly country.

The church is designed for a culturally diverse people who are born of the Spirit of God. Unity is not conformed uniformity, but is when diverse people with diverse mindsets are born of the Spirit of God being then unified in spirit and not in appearance. The answer to the divisive issues, both in the church and in the culture, is made manifest in this "Let each esteem others better than themselves". Badgering others who disagree is indeed belligerent and not the nature of Christ, but if you have love and compassion for them as people created in God's image you will be extending God's hand of love to them. This is what Christians should be known for.

The problem is, we have our preferences and call them “truth” instead of holding up the real truth. We have created idols out of our preferences by allowing them to get in the way of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to get back to the basics of Christianity by humbling ourselves before God and inviting His Spirit to give birth to His life and character within us. We need to remember that all of the Law of God hinges on loving God and our contemporaries. We need to remember that love is the foundation of the gospel compelling us to move with compassion and mercy while always speaking the truth.

What if we got back to the gospel as God designed it? What if our churches functioned the way God designed them? What if we didn’t defend our preferences with a militant spirit and instead cared about each other more than ourselves? How would this change our cultural environment?