Unity in Faith

Jesus prayed that we might all be one, as He and the Father are one. 

So what is the source of our unity?  It is not our philosophy, nor the ways we express our beliefs--for words mean different things to different people.  Even the same words carry different meanings, depending on the experience we bring to those words.  For most people, the words "peanut butter" convey almost inexpressible delight; for those of us who are allergic to peanut butter, even the words themselves can occasion a slight turning of the stomach.

When we speak of "God," all of us have different experiences of what that word means.  For some, "God" means all that is good, holy, and beneficient.  For others, "God" means the vengeful, punishing ruler of the world.

Jesus said to the woman at the well, "You people (the Samaritans) worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth" (Jn. 4:22-23).

When we truly worship God, not argue about beliefs, nor rely on our thoughts and ways of expressing our thoughts, we enter into unity with God and with one another.  Jesus said the hour is now here when we are able to do that--because He is the One sent to give us access to the Father, to true worship.

When we kneel before the Father of Life, He bends toward us, breathing into us His Spirit.  Our receiving of the Spirit of God is what unifies us in our different ways of seeing and expressing ourselves.  Though we come from different backgrounds and experiences, the Spirit makes all things balance in harmony.

One who has experienced worship in Spirit and in truth is drawn to others who worship in Spirit and in truth, no matter what background or expressions they use to describe their experience.  It has been said that believers can recognize one another, and I believe that is true.  There is something beyond all differences and denominations that unites us.

Paul says in the Book of Ephesians:  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism...if so be that you have heard him, and been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus...(chapter 4).
 
What unites us is not what we think, but we have heard and been taught by Jesus through the Spirit.  And the only way to "hear and be taught" by Jesus is to worship Him.  It is only what we receive that will ultimately unite us as believers; if we learn anything from the Tower of Babel story, it is that when we are all trying our "best" to build what seems good in our own eyes, the project will ultimately fall apart. 

At the Last Supper, when Jesus prayed for unity, He said to the Father:  I have given them Your Name (I have revealed to them Who You Are) and I will [continue to] make it known....I gave them Your Word....

In order to know the truth, we need to receive the Truth.  Those who worship -- ie, kneel, wait, enter into communion with---the Father will receive the Son, Who will send into our hearts the Spirit of Truth, Who can neither deceive nor be deceived.  In that worship, we grow in truth and in the spirit of unity.