What other scriptures emphasize God's desire for unity among His people? Ezekiel 37:19—The Starting Point “tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the stick of Joseph—which is in the hand of Ephraim—and the tribes of Israel with him, and I will join it to the stick of Judah, making them a single stick. They will become one in My hand.’ ” Old-Covenant Echoes of One Heart • Psalm 133:1 – “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live in harmony!” • Jeremiah 32:39 – “I will give them one heart and one way, so that they will always fear Me…” • Ezekiel 11:19 – “I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them…” • Zephaniah 3:9 – “For then I will restore pure speech to the peoples, so that all may call upon the name of the LORD and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.” Jesus Speaks and Prays for Unity • John 10:16 – “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well… Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.” • John 17:20-23 – “I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You…” The Apostles Call the Church to Oneness • Acts 2:44 – “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” • Romans 12:4-5 – “Just as each of us has one body with many members… so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another.” • 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 – “Just as the body is one and has many parts… so also is Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” • Ephesians 2:14-16 – “For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one… to create in Himself one new man out of the two…” • Ephesians 4:3-6 – “Make every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace: there is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all…” • Colossians 3:14-15 – “And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body.” • Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The Final Vision of a Unified People • Revelation 7:9 – “After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” Key Takeaways • From patriarchs to prophets, from Jesus to the apostles, Scripture consistently presents God forging one people for Himself. • The cross removed every dividing wall, creating “one new man” (Ephesians 2:15). • Unity is both a present calling—“preserve the unity of the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:3)—and a future certainty as the redeemed of every nation worship together (Revelation 7:9). |
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