1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
1 Peter 3:8-9 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
James 3:13-18 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Ephesians 4:31 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Romans 16:17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions
Psalms 133:1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
What does it mean to have or be in unity? (Harmony, cooperation, agreement, solidarity, peace, cohesion, wholeness) What does it mean to not have or be out of unity? (conflict, strife, friction, disagreement, war, dispute, controversy, quarreling) We have all seen or been in occasion to witness unity and as well, disunity. If you think back to those times it is easy to see that when you were part of unity, what you were part of was fulfilling and gave meaning and purpose. Each day was looked forward to, to be part of. People seemed to be determined to set aside their personal biases, desires, and wants for the greater good of the whole. There was no one stirring up division. There was no one casting doubt. There was no one whining.
We also have been part of a group that did not have harmony. Every day was a chore to face. Friction, discontent, bickering, and controversy at the end of the day led to mental and physical exhaustion. There always seemed to be someone to stir the pot of conflict or someone who would throw gas on a little ember. These people mostly stood in the background and never exposed themselves but rather moved on the fringes and would do their work little by little.
Paul was made aware of the present status of the Corinthian church. It could have been by a delegation sent to inquire about questions they were facing. It could have been by messenger or letter. Paul had to have been broken-hearted to hear or read of what the congregation had come to. We know by this verse that there was disunity and rather than address the issues causing it he addresses the real issue which was the disunity its self.
Unity takes effort, time, patience, love, grace, mercy, and at times allowing yourself to be wronged. We all like to be in unity and cooperation but do we really work at it. We can clearly see what happens when there is no effort given. Sometimes we may think unity and compromise is the other person bending to our way of thinking and us giving no ground. Certainly, in the essentials of the Christian faith, there is no room for compromise. Most issues are not about the essentials they are about the non-essentials. These cause more expressed division and conflict than there should be.
We need to keep our minds clear of the examples we see in government officials, corporations, and many others who act as though they are 2-year-olds throwing temper tantrums. These leaders are not trying to restore unity but rather get people to only think their way, do it their way, speak their way. They give no room for discussion, differing opinions, or debate. We see it so much that it appears this is how people are to act. How is anything ever accomplished when the maturity of 2-year-olds is the guiding principle for creating unity? It won’t happen and neither should this behavior and thinking be allowed in our minds to affect our church and witness to an unsaved world.