Unity in the Church
Have you ever stopped to consider the promise of hope that we have from God? Our salvation is an incredible reality, but our relationship with God is so much more than we think of it to be. Paul’s letter to the Roman church is focused on explanation of how the body of Christ is to live and what we should believe in light of our salvation. For a short stint of his letter (Romans 8:12-17), Paul pauses to speak about what it means to be an heir with Christ. In this passage Paull emphasizes the sinfulness of humanity (v.12-14), equality of all people (v.14-15), and the unity of the members of the church (v.16-17).
1. The sinfulness of humanity
Paul makes our sinful nature as humans very clear in Romans 8:13 where he says “For if you live according to the flesh you will die” (ESV). Paul is warning the Roman church that if they go back to their former way of living then we have no future hope in Him. This is because life in the flesh results in separation from God and the promise of hope that He offers us when we live led by His Spirit (v.14). Our constant struggle with sin is a serious battle. In fact, we cannot fight our sinful nature on our own. We can only combat our sinfulness if we allow ourselves to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide our lives.
2. Equality of all people
Ultimately the equality of humanity is rooted in two things: (1) all people were created by God (Genesis 1:27) and (2) we are all equally as sinful as one another (Romans 3:23). Paul makes no distinction about who will die if they live according to the flesh. This is because all people will be separated from God if we deny His plan of salvation for our lives. We see that our salvation brings us all into the family of God (8:14-15). Once we receive salvation from God and become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, we are simultaneously welcomed into the family of God. Understanding the equality of humanity is the foundation of the unity Paul calls and encourages us to in Romans 8:17.
3. Unity of the church
The previous two doctrines combine to give us the incredibly important doctrine of the Christian faith known as unity in Christ. The church is unified in Christ and nothing can stand against us as Paul goes on to say later in His letter (Romans 8:31). The unity that we have as the body of believers is founded on the fact that we are all sinful people and we are all equally created by God and for His glory. Romans 8:16-17 tell us that because we are children of God we are also heirs to the incredible gifts that God has promised us right alongside of Jesus. This inheritance is not simply a reference to our eternal existence in Heaven (even though that is an amazing promise we can look forward to), but Paul continues in chapter eight to list specific blessings we receive from God as His children both now and forever (8:18-39).
The promise of our inheritance from God, in Christ, manifested by the Holy Spirit is the foundational bedrock of the unity of the church. We cannot forget that we are all sinful and hopeless people without the work of God in our lives. We must remember that all people – including you and that person you don’t get along with – are created by God and for His glory. And finally, we must remain unified in the gift of salvation and the promise from God that we are heirs with Christ of the goodness of God for all of eternity.
