A Call to Unity

In a choir, each person sings his or her distinct part and harmonizes to bring out the delightful beauty of the piece. This is how the Church ought to be. It’s what Paul meant when he told the Philippians to have the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind (2:2). The question is, “How do we get there?” After all, it’s easier to sing in harmony than to live in harmony.

We first need to recognize the root of conflict: selfish ambition and vain conceit (2:3). Selfish ambition is our natural tendency to put ourselves first, to consider our concerns more important than everybody else’s, to impress others and rule over them. Conceit is thinking ourselves better than we really are. It's why we are so conscious of other people's faults while excusing our own faults, why we get mad when people dare to disagree with us, and why we find it so difficult to admit we're wrong, much less apologize. Our sinful pride breaks the unity we have in Christ. So what’s the solution? Paul says “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others” (2:3-4).

The solution is in today’s passage: Jesus' humility. Instead of insisting on his rights and privileges as God, he became a human being, a servant. Jesus did this, not because he needed to, but because chose to. He did it out of a love that we do not deserve. He obeyed the Father by going to the cross. Because he loved us so much, Jesus established for us the righteousness that we need, but that we could never achieve, through his crucifixion and resurrection. He became a curse for us that the curse of sin might be lifted. In the eyes of men, Jesus did not die as a hero. He died as a failure, stripped of dignity, a laughing stock. He challenges all our standards, our expectations, and shows us how life ought to be lived — sacrificing our advantages to seek the good of others.

How can we humble ourselves like Jesus? The truth is we cannot do this on our own. It’s not a matter of trying harder. Our sin is so ingrained in the fabric of our being that we can't get it out of our hearts. We can only mask it, the way we sometimes use perfume or deodorant to mask the smell of sweat.

But here is our blessed assurance: Jesus has already provided what we need by dying and rising again for us. By his Spirit, he has given us new hearts and continues to transform us to be more like him. Our eternal future is secured. Jesus makes us right with God. Nothing can separate us from his love.

Unity is the natural result of being united with Jesus by faith; but it’s not automatic. Just as a choir spends hours practicing to harmonize beautifully, the Church has a long way to go. Everyone who believes and trusts in Jesus – even the people you don’t like or agree with – share in the same Spirit.

Humble unity is the outworking of our salvation. The Spirit continuously points us to Jesus’ sacrifice, exposes our sinful pride, and enables us to repent. He assures us that Jesus died for our sin. The more conscious we are of our continuing need for God's grace, the more we are humbled. And the more humble we become, the more we are able to put others’ interests above ours.

Jesus, thank you for dwelling in me through your Spirit. May your love and humility be manifested through my life today as I invite you to live in and through me and trust you to do so. Amen.

Throughout This Day: Remind yourself often that the Spirit is in you, giving you the ability and the desire to love as Jesus loves. Ask him to show you ways you can build unity at home, at work, and in the church as you live for him in his strength.