United Together in Christ

I didn’t grow up in the church, so when I came to know the Lord at the age of 20, all the music was new to me. I found such joy in learning a new hymn, praise chorus, or contemporary worship song. I loved to sing the songs that talked about being a part of the family of God because I had been searching for a sense of belonging for quite some time. Learning that I belonged to the body of Christ and that God called me “daughter” had a tremendous impact on my life. These truths taught me about a portion of my identity in Christ. They also taught me about the importance of working together as the body of Christ to be a light in the world and bring the hope of the Gospel to the world. Maybe you remember some of them, too.

In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul tells us how we can work toward unity in the body of Christ. He wrote:

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. (Ephesians 4:2-4 NLT)

Unity in the world we live in is something that most people, regardless of religion or beliefs, want to see happen. As Christians, we have been set apart as an example for how to live together in unity and how to live for the Lord. God intended for us to be the light of the world, like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden (See Matthew 5:14-16). We are meant to come together under one body, one Spirit, and one God and help lead others to the hope we have found in Jesus Christ. Can you imagine what the Lord could do through a unified body of Christ? Unity within the body of Christ is important.

We have been called to live in unity with one another and we have been given spiritual gifts that help us to function together as the body of Christ. There is no such thing as a perfect Christian. We all have faults, but despite that, we are called to work together and to live together in unity. We are called to love one another as Jesus loves us.

Loving imperfect people isn’t easy, but we are called to humble ourselves and do just that. After all, Jesus humbled Himself and willingly chose to die on the cross as a payment for the debt He did not owe so we could be reconciled to God and be made righteous in His sight. He chose to love us despite our faults. Through His strength, we can choose to love others, too.

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Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.