Jesus, the Uniter

By David R. Ferguson       The Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 3:26-29 [Simple English]: “You were all immersed into Christ. So, you were all clothed with Christ. You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Now, in Christ, there is no difference between Jew and non-Jew, between slave and free, between male and female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus. You belong to Christ. Therefore, you are Abraham's descendants. You receive all of God's blessings because of the promise.”     Jesus prayed for unity among His followers when He said in John 17:21 (Simple English), saying, “May all of them be united, just as You are in Me and I am in You. I pray that they will be in Us, so that the people of the world may believe that You sent Me.”     When we become a child of God, we become a joint heir with Christ and His riches (Ephesians 1:5 and 14; Ephesians 3:6; Galatians 4:7). God wants peace to reign in His family. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:9 and Mark 3:25 (Simple English), “People who make peace are happy, because they will be called the sons of God. If a family is divided and fights against itself, that family will not be able to stand.”     Jesus also taught in John 3:16 (Simple English) that all people, regardless of one’s background, were welcome into His Kingdom: "God loved the people of the world so much that He gave up His only Son. Every person who commits himself to Jesus will not be destroyed. Instead, that person will have eternal life." Jesus’ message of salvation is available to all, and He tears down the walls of separation that exist between us. This is why Paul could write to a master regarding his runaway slave, “Perhaps this is why Onesimus was separated for a while. Now you can have him back forever. Onesimus is not really a slave anymore. No, he is more than a slave; he is a dear brother – especially to me. But this is even more true for you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord” (Philemon 1:15-16, [Simple English]).     When we keep our eyes and hearts focused upon Jesus and lift Him up as our Redeemer and personal Savior, our house will truly be in one accord. The Body of Christ, which is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23), will be the example our Father wants us to be! The world will then know that God our Heavenly Father sent Jesus, for they will know us by our love we hold for one another: “You must have love for one another. This is how everyone will know that you are My followers” (John 13:35 [Simple English]).     May we all be one unified body of believers in Christ!

- David R. Ferguson preaches for the Mentor Church of Christ in Mentor, OH.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://mentorchurchofchrist.com/ or davidferguson61@yahoo.com