The most common definition of unity is a state of being undivided or oneness.

“Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord,” Deuteronomy 6:4.

Because God is one, one set of laws was to apply to both Israel and foreigners, (Numbers 15:16).

Human history is a story of sin’s disruption of God’s ordained unity.

God’s idea of marriage is for one husband and one wife to experience unity of life; one flesh, (Genesis 2:24).

Sin in the garden bred mistrust and accusation.

Stubbornness of will and hardness of heart continues to disrupt God’s desired unity in marriages, the home and in the church.

In the New Testament, Jesus prayed that his disciples would experience unity modeled on the unity of Jesus’ experience with the Father, (John 17:11, 21:23). Such unity verifies Jesus, God’s sent mission and the Father’s love for the world. Jesus prayer for unity was realized in the life of the early church.

The first believers were together in one place. They shared their possessions and were of one heart and soul, (Act 2:44, 4:32).

As in the Old Testament, sin threatened the God ordained unity. Because everyone was not on one accord and was not in unity with God, just as some of us are not today, we fail to follow God’s directions. This could cause hurt to the body of Christ.

We are one body, but many members. The more God blesses some of us, the more proud, and unthankful and less sharing we are.

For example, Ananias and Sapphire in the Book of Acts, Chapter 5, who sold a possession and kept back part of the price. After being questioned by the Apostle Peter, they both lied to the Holy Spirit and died. They were carried out feet first.

The Holy Spirit led the church in working out creative solutions that challenged the church to go beyond dissension to ministry, (Acts 6:2-7, 16:35). Paul spoke repeatedly of believers as “one body in Christ.” In the 133rd Book of Psalms, it tells us in the first verse, “behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”

If we would take all of these teachings in and walk in them our churches, communities, jobs, schools, even our homes would be a better place. We as a people need to come together. We need to unite in Christian love. We should be able to disagree and still have that unity in Christ. Love conquers all things.

As the Spirit of God indwells us, we are to be united for a common cause as Christians. It all should be centered on pleasing our Father in heaven. Using our different gifts of the Spirit, we should be able to function effectively as the body of Christ.

The Bible instructs us to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. For there is one body, and one Spirit even as we are called in one hope of our calling.

One Lord, one Faith and one Baptism. One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in us all, (Ephesians 4:3-6).

As we use our different ministries to serve, we are being perfected for the work of the ministry for edifying the body of Christ.

Jesus is on his way back, and we are to expect his return. That is why the Bible tells us to work while it is day because night will come and no man will be able to work. That is doing the will of the Lord without murmuring and complaining. We will be judged according to our works.

We are to pray, study the word of God and approach the Lord with reference, love and a heart of repentance. That will teach us how to deal with one another with love and unity, which will produce strength. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

The Lord is coming back for the church without spot or wrinkle. His born-again believers are the church. He is not coming back for the buildings or the sanctuaries.

We should remember this hymn we sing in our churches: “Bless be the ties that bind, our hearts in Christian love, the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.”