Unity in Diversity- I find this little phrase to be marvelously beautiful and paramount to the various issues and concerns raised below. It's an incredible three words, something that seems so impossible in the context of a fallen world marred by both Division in Diversity and Division in Similarity. And even though there is a lot of talk about UNITY, it is often simply a lofty concept devoid of any genuine meaning or foundation. Yet I see this is absolutely foundational for the discussion taking place here.
How incredible that God has revealed Himself as ONE God, yet revealed in THREE persons. The Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Holy Spirit, yet they are perfectly (and uncomprehendingly) ONE. Their diversity is seen most clearly in the way they relate to the world- or in their economies as Wayne Grudem describes in his Systematic Theology. In John 14 and 17 Jesus describes Himself as "in" the Father and the Father as "in" Him, and in John 17 He states that He shared the Father's glory before the world ever existed (vs. 5). This is an incredible Unity in Diversity.
Because of God's own Unity in Diversity, it should not be surprising that God's creation (the unveiling of His Glory) reveals an incredible unity in the context of extreme diversity, with so much of life here on earth dependent on the entire ecosystem.
The Word of God, the Scriptures, reveal an amazing unity in diversity, from the multiplicity of authors, cultures and history, to the various purposes which brought each book about, yet throughout the story of Scripture, there is amazing consistency and unity weaved throughout in such a way that only God Himself could accomplish such a feat. The ESV Study Bible does a wonderful job drawing this out in the context of salvation history.
The Church, the Body of Christ, follows the same pattern, revealed in Jesus' prayer in John 17, "I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me (vs. 23)." This "perfect" oneness is ONLY possible through what Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection, the unveiling of the Gospel that alone can unite peoples, economic levels, tribes, languages, and nations into ONE incredible worshiping Body of believers, willing to lay down preferences, history and sin in order to love and serve one another, delighting in the unity in diversity reflected in His body.
Marriage also reflects the possibility of amazing unity in diversity, as the two become one (what a mystery!), pointing to the greater reality of the unity and diversity of Jesus and His Church (Eph. 5). Again, this true intimacy and oneness is found through the work of Christ, declared in the Gospel, as two redeemed people come to Him in desperate NEED for grace to love and forgive, both dying to self in order for Him to be glorified.
And finally, family reflects unity in diversity, when the Gospel turns the hearts of the fathers toward their children and the children toward their father (and mother) (Lk. 1:17) and God's own character is seen in the unity possible through individuals diverse in character, personality and giftings.
It is in the context of all of this that the doctrine of adoption should come as no surprise at all, that through the death of Jesus, God not only justifies sinners but also adopts them back into His very own family, where the true Father is unveiled (Jn. 14) and our King Jesus becomes our brother (Heb. 2:11-12) through the incredible work of the Holy Spirit.
We can not escape it. We are called to pursue unity in diversity, intentional multi-ethnicity, at all costs, as it is the call of the Gospel and the purchase of God through the blood of His own Son. We are also called to live out this adoptive relationship of diverse unified family through adopting fatherless children of all cultures into our homes and therefore churches. We are also called to celebrate the diversity of the Body, rather than force ONE ALL CONSUMING CONFORMITY that robs the beauty of unity in diversity, which is a celebration of the Gospel itself. Old and young, Spanish speaking and Luganda speaking, light and dark skin, "family" made up of many cultures, all coming together in worship of the Lamb who was slain to purchase a bride on the earth. What an incredible vision our Father has set before us!
May we each truly seek first this incredible kingdom of God, and truly the world will know that God did indeed send Jesus. He is, indeed, building His church. May we pursue unity in diversity at all costs. To the praise of His glorious grace.
3 comments:
Greetings Keith
As God indeed revealed Himself as ONE God, yet revealed in THREE persons?
In answer to that question,
I recommend this video:
The Human Jesus
Take a couple of hours to watch it; and prayerfully it will aid you in your quest for truth.
Yours In Messiah
Adam Pastor
Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately I live in the bush of Uganda and our internet connection is SLOW. I was able to watch the first 10 minutes of the video you suggested and the agenda of the video was obvious in that amount of time. I found it already filled with assumptive language (i.e. "Jesus WOULD HAVE thought..." or "Jesus NEVER WOULD HAVE..."). Sadly, the agenda to de-deify Jesus is one that has lead historically and still does in our modern day to CULT status.
I would rather side with what the Scriptures clearly reveal and that thousands of years of church history have affirmed- JESUS WAS and IS God, the second person of the Trinity.
I do sympathize with the desire to be able to "dialogue" with Islam and Judaism and I recognize that the divinity of Jesus is a stumbling block in the midst of attempts to bring "unity" to the world religions or a bridge for the Gospel, but it is the very stumbling block of the Gospel itself.
Like Thomas I choose to worship, "My Lord and my God" and one who in Revelation clearly declared Himself to be the Alpha and Omega, the one who is perfectly ONE with the Father, the one who in Isaiah's prophecy is now called "Mighty God". Thanks for your input Adam, but you need to be careful on the ground that you are treading as you follow Messiah, especially as you are leading others in their journey.
Adam,
I have checked out your blog and I now see where you are coming from and what you would say about the verses I quoted below. Unfortunately, you did not deal with MANY other texts and it is obvious that you are coming to the texts with your presups already established (I know you would argue the same for me). A blog isn't the place to hash these things out, but I want you to be clear that when I take the texts as a whole together, I see what the early church saw, what the disciples of the Apostles saw, what the African brothers laid their lives on the line for, what the collective church leaders affirmed, and that is the MYSTERY of the divinity of Jesus. I don't see it fitting in a nice little box (as your view and others seeks to do). I see the mystery of God unveiled and I am drawn to WORSHIP JESUS not as a man, but as GOD. Bless you brother as you walk with Him and seek to know Him. Ultimately, Jesus Himself will defend His personhood : )
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