How can the grand and glorious goal of seeing all things summed up in Christ ever be accomplished? Divisiveness, hidden agendas, and garden variety tribalism threaten unity at every turn. Christians are not immune to these things, and so the Lord graciously helps us see how WE have a part in making unity happen under the hand of God.
However, we need to define or describe unity. It is not unanimity, as in everyone thinking the same, nor uniformity, as in everyone being the same. Rather, unity is the purposeful integration of all the parts of something working together in a fully functioning way, as a body.
God’s command is not to create unity, but to preserve the true unity that exists in Christ. How is this done? First, by recognizing that unity, approaching it with humility, and then realizing and actualizing your place in it. If YOU do not do your part, the body, the unity, suffers.
“Diversity” today has become a political buzzword useful to divide us into tribes and competing victimhoods. But the God who created us and whose Creation is marked by purposeful diversity, has a better plan. And that is to gift His Church with the leadership and teaching necessary to avoid divisiveness and promote healthy growth in each part.