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Division has done more to hide Christ from the view of men than
all the infidelity that has ever been spoken. - George MacDonald
Jesus on Unity
Updated:
12/29/2020
What does Jesus mean by this word "unity"? See how this question
is answered below.
Here is the case laid out in the Gospels for understanding that unity
on the truth is paramount:
-
Foremost is his prayer in
John 17 where he used his culture's ultimate emphasis technique to say what he
most ardently desired. His will was that his people become unified, as
in, "That they may be one even as we are one." He said this three
times, and turned around and said it a fourth way thusly, "That they
may have perfect unity." This is the prayer that WE should be
answering with our purpose and focus..
-
Secondly, we have the
accounts of the disciples where, after having been empowered to do
miracles, they lost this empowerment, obviously through competing, arguing and
increasing the disunity amongst themselves.
-
Thirdly, we have various
verses in the Gospels: Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are those causing unity,
for they shall be called the children of God." John 11:30 "I
and my father are unified." John 14:11 "Believe me that I am in the
Father, and the Father in me."
-
Mark 3:25 as "And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot
stand".
-
Matthew 12:25 "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every
kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or
house divided against itself shall not stand"
-
Luke 11:17 "But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom
divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against
a house will fall."
Including these in the Gospel of Thomas:
Verse 23. Jesus said, "I shall
select you, one out of a thousand,
and two out of ten thousand, and they shall stand as a single one
<united>."
Verse 30. Jesus said, "Where there are three
gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him."
Verse 48. Jesus said, "If two make peace <unity> with each other in
this one house, they will say to the mountain, 'Move away,' and it
will move away."
Verse 49. Jesus said, "Blessed are the
unified and elect, for you will find the kingship. For you are from
it, and to it you will return."
Verse 61. Jesus said to her, “I am he who exists from the undivided. I was
given some of the things of my father."
Verse 75. Jesus said, "Many are standing at the door, but it is
the unified who will enter the bridal chamber."
Una fides, pondus, mensura sit idem,
Et status illaesus totius orbis erit.
(Let there be one single faith, one measure, one weight,
and the order of the world shall be
free from harm.)
- Guillaume Bude
Salvation through unity
Finally, we have the
promise made in Matthew 18: 20 "If any two of you on earth agree on
everything that matters, whatsoever you ask, it shall be done." The
questions is: But to whom is he referring?
It
is a common attitude in our time that truth is relative. You have your
truth and I have mine. Mine is just as good as yours, ISN'T IT?. As a
dedicated scholar, why shouldn't I just cling to my truth, be "broadminded"
and let you go your way with yours? And then we can both play that popular
game of competing to come up with more irrelevant or insignificant fragments
of knowledge. There isn't any meaningful payoff to striving to come to a
common understanding, is there? After all, truth (religion) is personal.
The Constitution says it is.
Well....If there isn't one truth–a common possible-to-perceive reality,
a set of values that transcends cultural differences–for human beings then
we are truly alien. We may share the same body chemistry and may be
physically classified as the same, but in the ultimately important aspects
we are psychological, intellectual and spiritual aliens. We may be able to
procreate together and share the same species label as Homo Sapiens but the
name is a bad joke.
Do we not see that we truly
need a "throbbing, vital center" and that a correct reconstruction of our
belief–not one based in denial nor ancient mythology–has to be a crucial part to such a unifying
focus. Such a reconstruction is, of course, our mission.
The message of Jesus is of no value if it does not engender effective unity
so that there can be love and respect to the maximum. At the end of the day,
effective unity of purpose, values and paradigm is essential for a close
community and for peace and goodwill to flourish in human affairs and to
engender great societies. And this IS what God is calling for! After
all, there IS one truth, and reasonable men of good will SHOULD be able
to agree on everything that matters! Living happily and
flourishing forever in eternity is impossible without this level of unity.
Corporate versus
individual salvation
From many angles of perspective and consideration, it is the premise of
this site that the focus of the unfallen is to save the earth's human
family, not a disparate group of individuals. That is also the preference of
the site author. However, this is a soteriology that has either not been
elucidated before or has not been fully developed and gotten much if any
exposure. At least in my experience of some 40 years with Christendom I had
never heard this doctrine even suggested.
This understanding raises new questions and new answers, some of which
has been explained on this site. The paramount answer is that lack of doing
this has prevent much of anything good happening since the time of Jesus on
earth. His most ardent prayer has never been answered! The conclusion HAS TO
BE that in one way or another, Man's salvation comes from coming into unity
on the truth; not from any further dramatic involvement by the agency that we call God
outside of this unity.
Ultimate salvation–from both the more
immediate and tangible effects of evil, and even the awareness of its
current role–for the entire universe entails unity on everything that
matters for the welfare of everyone.
Here is what one French philosopher had to say about it:
Una fides, pondus, mensura sit idem,
Et status illaesus totius orbis erit.
(Let there be one single faith, one measure, one weight,
and the order of the world shall be
free from harm.) - Guillaume Bude |