Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
OHIO STATE, OHIO STATE, OHIO STATE!!! Or MARYLND, MARYLAND, MARYLAND!!! Penn State football coach James Franklin posts the name of PSU’s opponent the week before every game on social media. Whether the upcoming game is a big one or small, he repeats the opponent’s name several times, all caps, with excitement-eliciting exclamation points. He wants the players and fans to focus on the present challenge, not last week’s outcome, not the following week’s match-up.
I thought of Franklin’s ritual as I read Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, particularly chapters three and four. Those chapters seem to be calling out….ONE BODY, ONE BODY, ONE BODY! It seems we believers can easily become distracted from the importance God places on the unity of his body.
All true believers share one indisputable fact: we worship the same God. That should be enough to keep us from “biting and devouring one another” (Gal. 5:15). But sadly, we all too often take Satan’s bait and focus on differences rather than our common bond.
Actually, differences are good. Paul says that although we are one, we each have varied gifts. Our challenge rests in learning how to appreciate the differences rather than being threatened by them. But unity in the Body of Christ doesn’t mean we look for a blind kumbaya non-reality. True respect for others means we commit ourselves to speaking the truth in love (Eph. 5:15). It requires patience, humility and forgiveness.
We live in a world increasingly characterized by divisiveness, misunderstanding and polarization. As the church, we bear a heavy responsibility in keeping such division from our shores. We need to resist the pull toward focusing on political, ethnic, or cultural differences and instead concentrate on our common Lordship. As we do this, we display to the world the beauty and power of a people who know grace, who practice selflessness, who experience victories.
So I pray if you are harboring even a tinge of resentment toward fellow believers, you remember the high value God places on unity. May he find us worthy of the call. ONE BODY, ONE BODY, ONE BODY!