Truth About Unity You Should Not Ignore

By Joseph Akinrinola

Every successful family, church, community, organization, and nation thrive on unity. Even nature gives us the best because all the elements work in unity. You understand what it means when we experience the eclipse of the sun. This is when nature obstructs its unity. Without mincing words, the Holy Trinity also operates by the law of unity. This was demonstrated in the baptism of Jesus, and the process of our salvation. (Matthew 3:13- 17, 28:19) To say the least, we are healthy only when our body parts work in unity.

So, what is unity?

Conflict arises when we can’t properly define what unity is. At times, our wrong understanding of this concept will lead to violating each other’s rights. It could also mean we will lose our right or privilege for the sake of unity. To Christians, there are times we compromise our faith, and by implication our eternity because we want to be at peace with others.

Unity is the coming together of people from different backgrounds and opinions to achieve a common goal. (Amos 3:3) Let me run through some facts about unity, so you can enjoy your relationship anywhere you find yourself.

Unity is everybody’s responsibility. (Matthew 18:19) No one achieves anything meaningful in isolation. Unity will be elusive if we expect only the leader or leaders to do it. Right, leaders must lead by example, yet no leader makes headway without the support of the followers, no matter how laudable his idea or dream may be. Jesus, God in man when he was on earth, could not be in more than one place at a time. This was why he recruited the disciples. The appointment of the disciples increased his outreach. In other words, unity divides the work but multiplies the output. So, name-calling or blame-shifting will never promote unity. To enjoy the dividend of unity, everyone must play his or her role.

Unity does not eliminate conflict. It is wrong to assume that because we preach or live in unity, conflict will not arise. In fact, the more diverse we are, the more likely we are to have conflict. If we understand human beings, we know we can’t avoid conflict. In a genuine sense, conflict is healthy if we handle our misunderstanding rightly. To the best of my knowledge, conflict reveals both the strong and the weak areas of our relationship. The more we come to terms with one another’s differences, the more we are likely to relate better. It is clear from Matthew 18:18 and Luke 17:1 that conflict is inevitable. So, get prepared for it as you seek for unity.

Sometimes you should oppose unity. Sometimes conflict or disunity is healthy. Some prices are too heavy to pay for peace and unity. I believe it is wrong to unite or cooperate with people of questionable character. It is morally and spiritually correct to back out from any alliance that will dent your image. For instance, if Adam had stood his ground when Eve offered him the forbidden fruit; the narratives of humanity may be different today. (Genesis 3) The unity of Noah’s generation led to the language barrier we have today. (Genesis 11:1-9) The case of Ananias and his wife is another example of when unity is not good. Both conspired to lie to the Holy Spirit. (Acts 5:1-11) Look at the lives of Jesus and the disciples; they were at odds with the religious leaders because they knew where and when the leaders erred on the scriptures. Therefore, never compromise with anyone or anything that will truncate your visa to eternity because you seek unity.

Unity does not erode your personality. The best form of togetherness is unity in diversity. God created us differently, and that makes life beautiful and interesting. (Psalms 139:14) At best, cultivate a certain habit to suit your community. While it is okay to compromise in some areas to promote unity, it is dangerous to be a puppet and be unhappy with yourself. But another problem arises when you insist everybody should be like you. Check the operation of the trinity, and you will see unity in diversity. For instance, the Son was being baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on Him for support, and the father spoke to confirm the messiahship of the Son. (Matthew 3:13-17) The problem comes when the nose takes up the work of the mouth. Close your mouth or nose for about ten minutes, breathing using just one or the other. You will discover a big difference compared to when both are functioning together.

Togetherness is a matter of understanding. Accepting the uniqueness of the other person will build our unity. To also see the good side of other people’s opinions and personality is germane to building a unified and robust relationship. Moreover, a relationship that is without any form of conflict is surely built on pretense and deceit. Equally, playing the sitting back role will make unity elusive. Remember, anybody’s job is nobody’s job.

I am Joseph, an author, blogger, and content writer from Nigeria. In the field of writing, I deliver unique, grammatically correct, and plagiarism-free content. Currently, I work with three online firms specializing in motivation, human capacity development, lifestyle, relationship, and spiritual writings.

Joseph Akinrinola