Unity. A miraculous sort of unity, really. Imagine a world made up of one people – one nation. One language for the whole earth. Not only were they one people linguistically, culturally, and geographically, but they were one in purpose. Together, they decided to embark on a massive project. As God looked upon this people, He recognized: “They are one people…” Think of what great power such a unified people would possess. Once again, even God Himself recognizes this. He says, “Nothing that they purpose to do will now be impossible for them.” If only we lived in such a unified world. Imagine the good that we would get done!

Unfortunately, we think much too highly of ourselves if we believe that to be true. Unity is not the central problem with mankind – Sin is. I often hear things like “Can’t we all just get along?” or see bumper stickers pleading for us to “Coexist”. Even amongst Christian circles much is made of peace and unity. Sometimes, we might think it’s better to remain silent for the sake of unity. Why speak out against the small falsities? It’s not worth driving a wedge between people.

There’s a lot to be said about unity. Scripture itself speaks much of unity within the church. The Psalmist dwells on the beauty of unity is Psalm 133, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” Peter too pleads for his readers to “have unity of mind”.

A church that is together is a church that will thrive. God longs for His people to love one another and live together in peace. It’s true that evil can most easily seep in through the divisions and cracks between us. Together, with Christ as the head, the Church will stand against the fiery gates of Hell (Matt. 16:18).

Unity is important. Vital for any healthy organization. Disunity, though, is not the sin behind all sins. Despite what American propaganda may say, a unified nation does not necessarily make for a great nation. That powerful group of people I mentioned at the beginning, they certainly did go down in history as something ‘great’. Just not in a good way. These people, were the people of Babel. And as God watched them come together in pride, He realized that their only hope was to be torn apart. It was here that God decided to confuse the language of man, forever forcing them into a conglomeration of cultures, ideas, and countries.

Unity is not the saving grace of man, but disunity is one of the most destructive effects of sin. We have a sin problem, not a unity problem. What good does it do man to come together, if we have come together for the wrong purpose? Hitler did a great job getting his people to come together. If there was any group of people to demonstrate what it looks like to be unified in the last 100 years, it would be the Nazis. They came together in a powerful way for one purpose. Unfortunately, it was a destructive, evil, deplorable purpose. Unity is a blessing, but only if we’re unified under the cross of Jesus Christ. Consider the rest of Peter’s plea to “have unity of mind.” He asks his readers to also have “sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind….turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it” (3:8, 11). The call for unity is not devoid of these others commands. For unity to be good, it must be combined with these other attributes of love and seeking peace and doing good.

In fact, Scripture never commands unity as a thing to pursue on its own. It’s always unity for something or with something. Paul says, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Phil. 1:27). Paul wants the Philippian church to be of one mind. But they should be of one mind for a specific purpose: the gospel.

A united people can accomplish miraculous things. God even recognizes this fact, as He did with the people of Babel. A people united for one purpose are nearly unstoppable. But in this sinful, broken world we must remember that striving for unity apart from the gospel is futile. Despite the messages of our “United” States government, peace and unity will not fix this nation. Only the gospel can.

So Church, let us be united. But let us not just seek unity for unity’s sake. Instead, let us seek unity in the gospel. Let us seek unity in love for those who have been forsaken by the world. Let us strive for unity in fighting abortion, hunger, racism, and homelessness. Let us long to find unity as we stand up for God’s Kingdom. Let unity and peace reign our lives, but let it be basked in love, charity, selflessness, joy, righteousness, humility, truth,  and faithfulness. Let our unity soak in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because that is the only kind of unity that matters.