Unity & Love - Pastor Mark

Unity and Love

Pastor Mark Krieg

In John 17, Jesus prays one of the most powerful prayers recorded in Scripture. It is not only for His original disciples, but for everyone who would one day believe through their message, including us.

Jesus prays that we would be one, just as He and the Father are one. He ties unity directly to love and to witness. When the Church walks in unity, the world recognizes something divine at work. Unity in the body of Christ becomes a collective testimony that Jesus truly was sent by the Father and that God’s love is real and present.

Love and unity are not optional virtues in the Kingdom of God. They are foundational principles. In fact, we are not merely encouraged to love, we are commanded to do so. God’s commandments exist not to restrict us, but to protect and promote love. Scripture tells us plainly that God Himself is love. The spiritual battle we experience in this world is often an attempt to replace love and unity with division, offense, and hatred.

From the earliest days of the Church, division has been part of the story. After Jesus’ ascension, the Church began with Messianic Jews. As Gentile believers increased, differences in culture, leadership, and theology emerged. Over time, these tensions led to major historical divisions.

The Catholic Church formed as the “universal” church and existed for centuries before the Orthodox split in 1054 A.D., driven by theological disagreements and questions of authority. Later, the Protestant Reformation in 1517 brought further division, largely centered on doctrine and church practice. What began as a call for reform eventually resulted in thousands of denominations.

Today, many believers choose churches based on agreement with statements of belief. While theology matters, this approach has often created cycles of disagreement, offense, and separation. Agreement alone is a fragile foundation for relationship.

Unity Is Not Uniformity

Unity and uniformity are not the same thing. Unity means being joined together into a harmonious whole. It allows room for difference, growth, and dialogue. Uniformity, on the other hand, demands sameness in thought, expression, and practice.

Uniformity can stifle creativity, limit personal growth, and weaken genuine connection. The Kingdom of God was never designed to function like a factory line. Unity thrives on love and relationship, not rigid sameness.

When unity is built solely on agreement, relationships collapse the moment beliefs shift. But when unity is rooted in love, honor, and shared purpose, it can withstand disagreement and mature through it. This kind of unity requires effort, humility, and patience, but it reflects God’s design for His Church.

Jesus calls His followers into relationship, not just alignment. Like a net woven together with many strands, the Church is meant to hold people through connection, not perfection. Love binds us together even when we don’t see everything the same way.

Serving within a local church is not about agreeing on every theological detail. It is about committing to the core truths of faith, embracing the mission God has given that community, and choosing relationship over offense. Love is what keeps us connected when unity is tested.

Scripture tells us that just as iron sharpens iron, people sharpen one another. Growth often comes through friction, conversation, and challenge. Healthy relationships don’t avoid difference; they allow it to refine us.

Community provides space for encouragement, correction, and growth. When love leads the conversation, even disagreement becomes a tool for maturity rather than division.

The apostle Paul urges believers to live worthy of their calling by choosing humility, gentleness, patience, and peace. Unity does not happen accidentally. It requires intentional effort and continual surrender to the Holy Spirit.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13 that without love, spiritual gifts, sacrifice, and even faith lose their power. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love believes, hopes, and endures. Love never fails.

At the end of all things, faith, hope, and love remain. And the greatest of these is love.

Unity in the Church is not about ignoring differences. It is about choosing love over offense, relationship over preference, and humility over pride. When the Church lives this way, it becomes a living witness to the world that Jesus is real and His love is transforming.

The call is clear: love is not optional. Unity is not secondary. They are central to who we are and how the world will know Him.