The Only Way Two Can Walk Together

“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” — 1 John 4:20-21

Have you ever known a family, maybe yours, where the brothers and sisters did not get along? Some unresolved hurt or perhaps disagreement over some issue.  I have been told of brothers who have not talked for years. With respect to our spiritual family – there has been much division. For one reason or another – there has been division and strife in the family. It is not directed at everyone – just some. When it comes to the Church, there is an undeniable racial – ethnic – cultural divide in the Body of Christ. It is like the “elephant in the room”. People just don’t want to think about it and are offended when the issue is raised. As someone once said “de-nial” is not a river in Egypt!

We find it so very easy to show grace and peace and love to people we like or who are like us. But for those that our culture has rejected – siding with our culture and embracing the carnality of that – we reject those in our spiritual family feeling justified in doing so.  It is a great lie that has been perpetrated by Satan and embraced by Christians – red, yellow, brown, black and white (all precious in His sight) as truth and reasonable. All the while chiming in to sing “Oh how I love Jesus!”

For reconciliation to happen – for the Body of Christ to be the light and salt that God intends, there must be repentance – before that can happen there must be confession – acknowledgment of sin before God. I have seen that one group expects another group to do that corporately -  as a whole. But the sin I am talking about is individual – hearts rended and broken before God – one heart at a time. You and I cannot use the sins of others to justify our own sin. “Why did you hit your brother?” the mother asks. “He hit me first” is the reply. The thinking being, “after all I had to defend myself and my anger toward my brother is justified.” My reply to that argument is read the Bible again.

What the Body of Christ lacks is a spiritual response to division in the Body of Christ.  On the other hand right hearts must be on both sides of the relationship,

“How can two walk together unless they be agreed?” – Amos 3:3

We must both be first reconciled in our hearts toward God and second toward one another.  There can be no unity if there is no reconciliation of the hearts of those seeking unity. The two greatest commandments – the ten commandments summarized – Love God and Love One Another (Your Neighbor). 

“A new commandment I [Jesus] give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34-35

If our hearts are right, we will not make distinctions between Christians based upon nationality, race, ethnic origin (if you believe the Bible is true, at the root of all humanity’s natural DNA is Adam), cultural practices, economics, or geography. It must be based solely on our faith. We must not only identify with Christ, but with each other. We are to be “one” that the “world may believe the You [the Father] sent Me [the Son]”. Do you see the gravity of division in the Body? Division caused by our flesh – it is no-wise spiritual. Do you understand that anything less than unity in the Body is sin. 

“‘I [Jesus] do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” – John 17:20-23

Think about it – Pray about it - Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone