I have heard much about unity over the past few years at my church. It started when we where trying to call a new pastor. We had been without one for almost three years and things where getting desparate - or so it seemed - but God had everything in control. Our congregation was unable to decide on a pastor to call, and there was a great deal of wrangling, causing our district president to come down and give a talk on unity.
But is unity really a worthy goal of the church? Of course it is - if it is unity in the Word. As Ephesians 4:13-16 says: until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God - I would pose that this is the only way true unity can be found, that unity discovered in the true faith and knowledge of God. Otherwise we are indeed tossed about by the world, our church is invaded by it, and the world smothers the ability to proclaim the gospel, because we are focused inwards. If we are focused inwards, we are not reaching out to those perishing. If we are not reaching out to the lost, we are not doing the very wonderful thing that Christ commanded us to do.
Unity that is only brought about by the compromise of God's Word spells disaster. The winds of unity, wrought by human cunning, and apart from God's Word serves the wrong master.
So unity for unity's sake is no unity at all. But unity in the Word puts your foundation on the Rock. And the world has no weapon that can weaken that.
