AUGUST 3: Church Unity, a guarantee of God’s Presence

Unity of the church refers “To the union of the people of God in all their various distinctions and expressions, bound to God and to one another by the gospel.” The unity of the church is to be a reflection of the unity of the One God upon which the church is built. The prayer of Jesus Christ in today’s devotional text is a perfect example of the unity that should exists between God and His church, thus, “That they all may be one; as thou, father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me (Verse 21). This unity between God and His church guarantees the presence of God in His church.

Church unity is a function of the God whom the church is called to worship. There is One God in the Trinity; therefore, the people of God must be one indivisible body. The covenant relationship between God and His people is what gives rise to the claim that the church is to be one. The unity of the church is not a function of its cultural location, the native language it speaks, the kind of music it enjoys during worship. Rather, the unity of the church consists in the monogamous relationship it bears to the one true living God.

In the New Testament, there are three enduring claims relative to the identity of the church: first, the church is founded on Jesus Christ. Second, the church comes into being by the Holy Spirit, and third, the church is to go beyond the fundamental divides of culture, language, nation, tribe and race. Therefore, when the church is united in spirit, purpose and mission, God’s presence is guaranteed.

PRAYER: pray that the church will be in perfect unity with God.