How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! (Psalm 133:1, NLT)
God is a god of unity. Consider heaven. Everything that goes on in heaven is in perfect synchronization with the nature of God. Everyone worships and interacts with each other and their Creator with no thought to their desires. The result is an atmosphere of love and peace—beautiful attributes of the heart of unity.
God also desires unity here on earth (Matthew 6:10). We rarely see this in our culture, so when there’s agreement among anyone, it’s very noticeable. But where it should stand out the most is when the Church comes together as one.
Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude (1 Peter 3:8, NLT).
Fill up and complete my joy by living in harmony and being of the same mind and one in purpose, having the same love, being in full accord and of one harmonious mind and intention (Philippians 2:1-2, AMPC).
Being of “one mind” may not mean we agree with every technique or style. Opinions will differ. But our heart’s motive is to work together for the same purpose—all motivated by a heart of love. If even a hint of selfish division arises, love snuffs it out and pursues only what brings unity. This is so important to the heart of God that Jesus prayed for it (John 17:23). The New Living Translation defines it as “perfect unity” and “perfect harmony.” It’s like a symphony playing the same song together—all in tune, in the same key, at the same time. It’s beautiful and invites others to pause and listen.
“I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me” (John 17:23).
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony (Colossians 3:13-14, NLT).
I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose (1 Corinthians 1:10, NLT).
Could you imagine a symphony playing together without perfect harmony? The “music” would sound like a horrific shriek of instruments challenging each other for attention. Everyone would be playing in a different key without a consistent beat or a specific tune. The result? No one would stay to listen, and eventually, the symphony would have to close its doors.
This is exactly what the devil wants for God’s people.
Devilish Division
The first act of disunity occurred between Satan and God. Though only perfect unity can reside in heaven now, disunity once appeared on the scene. Satan—known then as Lucifer—decided being a beautiful angel made of precious stones and instruments wasn’t enough (Ezekiel 28:1-19; Isaiah 14:12-17). He rebelled against God, disrupted the unity, and took a third of the angels with him when God relieved him of his duties (Revelation 12:7-12). Though he once led heaven in harmonization for God’s glory, he now leads people to glorify himself.
The second incident of disunity was when the devil brought division between God and man. He entered Eden and persuaded Eve to disobey God (Genesis 3). From that moment until Jesus’ Resurrection, there has been a form of division between God and man, all in the form of sin. Since then, he’s never stopped striving to bring division between God and His creation.
Division clearly began with the devil. Like unity is an attribute of God, disunity is an attribute of Satan. It begins and ends with him and the sin he created. It falls into the same category as envy and strife that begins with pride—characteristics that should never be a part of a Christian’s life. Yet, the Apostle Paul had to correct the church in Corinth for behaving like carnal, “mere men” instead of mature Christians. The devil had slipped into the church and caused division. They were responding to the devil’s conducting skills and playing a symphony of discord.
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3, NKJV).
The devil’s purpose in bringing disunity is to cause failure. He wants to divide the church and keep them from fulfilling the Great Commission on the Earth. He knows that any institution not walking in unity cannot stand, so he attacks anything that would fulfill the plan of God—whether it be church, home, or business. When anyone—saved or unsaved—gives in to a lifestyle of disunity, it brings the devil joy. They are acting on the core of his sinful nature.
So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end” (Mark 3:23-26, NKJV).
Godly Unity
God’s unity, on the other hand, exhibits spiritual maturity and brings Him joy. It bears the fruit of love, not strife and envy. God is so intent on making unity a priority in the Body of Christ that he raises up men and women to fulfill the offices of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—all to promote unity in Christ.
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13, NLT).
While division causes a lack of productivity for the kingdom of God, unity causes incredible success for the sake of the Gospel. This productivity does not produce evil, but goodness and holiness from the nature of God.
There are many examples of God’s unity at work in the Bible. For instance, Noah’s family came into obedience to God’s command and built a boat. Israel shouted in unison at the walls of Jericho. Gideon’s army shouted and broke their pots as one when they went to war. Jesus unified Himself with the Father’s plan and chose to go to the Cross. The disciples obediently gathered as one in the upper room. Each story—among others—paved the way for the miraculous. Signs, wonders, and miracles occurred—drawing people to God.
Whether at work or church, may we strive to be united: “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace” (Ephesians 4:3, NLT). May we not be known for our divisive spirit, but for our love for peace and unity. May we strive to divide ourselves only from what is evil, and make “every effort” to remain in the unity that represents the nature of our Heavenly Father. May we honor the sacrifice of Jesus that repaired the division between God and man, and live in such a way that draws people to Him. May we choose, not our agenda, but to work in partnership to see God’s plan fulfilled. Only then can we show to the world that God is our conductor—leading our spiritual music in perfect harmony.
“Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:18-20, KJV).
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Christa Madrid 