United in the Same Mind

I am spending a great deal of time in 2 Corinthians these days (more on that later) and while doing some background study, I read 1 Corinthians 1:10.

"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." (ESV)

This is a challenging thought for me, so I started digging. I read it to Suzanne, and she immediately thought of Philippians 2:2-5.

"complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus," (ESV)

In Ephesians 4:1-16, Paul reminds us that this unity is not devoid of diversity, but filled with it...diverse gifts, personalities, and roles. The unifying thing is that the Holy Spirit is the source of all this and all these things serve the same purpose in the Body of Christ..."to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," vs. 12-13 (ESV). So the more we get to know Jesus, the more unified we should become! This is totally contrary to the idea that in order to be united, we must be shallow and never go for the depths of the knowledge of Christ. The unity comes because of the same focus, Jesus. When two people are chasing Christ with all their might, they will have much in common because their passion will be the same.

Now, this is still a very difficult command to obey. I think it is a symptom of being a part of fallen humanity. I will say this, though. This idea of unity is very attractive and it is a great encouragement to know that what God commands, He gives us all we need to obey Him. Hallelujah! So, let's chase Him together and as a result, live (as best as we can) in unity of mind.

If you want to read more about unity, check out the links below.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1988/623_The_Nature_of_the_Unity_We_Seek/

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1988/624_Christian_Unity_and_the_Cross/