Unity, Truth and the Church

Genesis 11:1 - Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.

That's what I call unity. God created the earth and all things in it and had no reason to not have one language back then. It was sort of like "one nation, under God, indivisible..." At that time there was no confusion.

But what happens when someone, some nation, some church chooses to allow their pride and their own wisdom to take control? What happens when God's truth is no longer part of the grand scheme of things and He is no longer the center? Noah the ark builder's family succumbed to this. We see this even today.

Noah's son's family was "divided on the earth after the flood" (Genesis 10:32) Upon entering one land they decided to build a city and within the city, the well known tower of Babel. Babel, babble, language, speech...hmmm. They chose to build it to become closer to God than others. They claimed it would be a tower whose top is in the heavens. They said, "Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:4).

God saw what they were up to, was disappointed and said, "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language."  Us in this case would be Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Because of this confused language they could no longer work together because they could not be understood...so they were scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. Babel means confused the language. We see it today...the confusion of languages, beliefs.

Unity. This is what God has always desired. I don't think it will be seen worldwide until Christ returns, however. It won't be seen except in a perfect body of Christ, a perfect, unified Church with the same beliefs. And that's not happening either with all the different denominations...which God did not create. They have been man made. Exactly what those beliefs are will only be fully realized at the time of Christ's return.

There's no telling if my church's beliefs are absolute truth any more than the next denomination. No one Church is absolutely perfect. The important thing comes through a relationship with Christ, where we find Truth. It is sitting at His feet and learning what He says. His words are Truth. If He calls Himself the Word and the Word is the Bible then we should be putting emphasis on what He is saying. The Word is Truth. That's where we find unity. Of course, the first thing is believing this is true!

I believe unity and truth go hand in hand. When we become one, unified, in Christ, we know the Truth. The Truth resides within us, the Truth teaches us and makes us unified with others who live in the Truth. Christ is our Truth.

Let me share a meeting I had with Jeannie, a sister in Christ, a few years ago. My husband and I were at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando. She was born of Asian/Jewish parents, turned believer in Christ. Consider the variety of religions. When I saw her mingling with the crowd that day I felt as though I knew her. Later I found an opportunity to stop and ask her where she was from. After realizing I'd never met her it became evident there was only one common thread...the red thread of the blood of Jesus Christ. With that one thing in common our short conversation was filled with the most important discussion...our belief in Jesus. There was instant unification, in and through Christ. That's why she seemed so familiar. That's what I experience with other believers. It's like a thread that binds our hearts together. That is the most amazing feeling.

Noah's family so long ago chose to confuse the reality of who their God was with their own views of who they thought they were and who they would bow down to. He chose to scatter and confuse them because of their arrogance. It's like that with denominations. Each one thinks it's THE answer. But it's not about a church or denomination; it's about Jesus Christ and only Him. Listening to what He has to say in the Word takes away the confusion. If we have chosen the Way we stand unified in Christ...one body, one life in Christ. We hear the statement that claims there is more than one way to God. This too is man's desire and to whom they choose to bow down. Jesus Himself said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).

The tower of Babel may have been the turning point so long ago bringing confusion in the world but God brought about the certainty and truth of Jesus Christ and with that unity. Jesus prayed for this unity:

John 17:20-23 - "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their [believers] 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."