Why we need to keep rehearsing the story of redemption in order to pursue unity in the Church?

Why do we need to keep rehearsing the story of redemption in order to pursue unity?

by Jason Cook

The disunity in the world is contagious. If we don’t keep reminding ourselves what God is up to, we’ll think it’s normal for Christians with different cultural preferences to live in the same city and worship in different churches. In other words, we’ll think it’s normal for the church to be as divided as the world. But Paul is reminding us that we serve a God who governs all creation with a single purpose. This is what Ephesians 4:4-6 teaches.

"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."

There is one Spirit, one Lord, and one Father. And our God is not divided. The people of this nation are divided: by politics, ethnicity, economic status—And all of these things motivate us to chase our own agendas as if our own priorities are most important. Butour God is not divided.

He has a singular purpose. Back in Ephesians 1:9-10 Paul tells us what that purpose is. He says that God is making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

God’s purpose is to unite all of creation under the authority of Christ. That’s what Paul is talking about  in chapter 4 when he says believers are called to one hope. Our one hope is that everything will be reconciled to the kingship of Christ, either by grace or by judgment.Before the foundation of the world God planned to take a broken, sinful humanity, and reconcile us to himself. He would do this through the death and resurrection of Christ. And he would send his Spirit to transform us into one family.

God didn’t save you just so you could worship him with people who are just like you. God didn’t build his one church to bear the image of a divided world. He has called us bear his own image. And he called us to show this divided world that only the gospel has the power to reconcile us to God and to one another.

We need to keep telling each other the story of redemption because unity in the body of Christ is contagious. When the body of Christ in this city reflects the diversity of this city, because we know that we’re all one family in Christ, people will be drawn to the power of the gospel. That’s our hope. That’s our calling.