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Fostering unity has always been a challenge for Christians. For example, Paul challenged the Church at Corinth to embrace unity and reject factions (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). But this might be expected since the believers at Corinth struggled on many fronts. However, Paul also called apparent leaders in the Church at Philippi, a church which seemed to be healthy, to be unified (Philippians 4:2-3).
Of course unity continues to be a challenge for Christians today. Although evangelicals agree on the core tenets of theological orthodoxy, they may nevertheless disagree on peripheral issues. So, how can believers foster unity in the midst of their diversity? While several options are available, a focus on Scripture can foster unity among evangelicals.
As indicated above, both the teachings of Jesus and Paul emphasized various aspects of how the issues of Scripture and unity are tightly bound together. In terms of practical application, three points are helpful as evangelicals seek to foster unity through a focus on Scripture:
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Jesus emphasized the central role of God’s Word when He prayed for unity among His first followers. Christ’s call for unity in John 17:11 is nestled among several references to God’s Word and truth (see verses 6, 8, 14, 17, and 19).
This observation reveals two important issues related to Scripture and unity:
Paul emphasized the central role of Scripture in terms of both salvation and sanctification in 2 Timothy 3:14-17. Every true Believer has embraced the truth of God’s Word by faith (verses 14-15), and as noted previously, this common bond unites them together. Furthermore, all genuine Believers desire to live daily according to God’s truth. Thus, the fully-orbed power of Scripture guides God’s servants to live in ways which honor Him (verses 16-17).
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