Hattie’s Hangout: Finding Bibical Unity In A Secular World

During the reign of COVID-19, many clung to the mantra “we are all in this together” as a unifying hope. This bleak moment proves people crave unity and connection, but the secular world provides no satisfactory solution to this desire. 

Unity is a message the secular world strives for but ultimately will always fall short – for any leader or ideology void of Christ will never see true unification, rather this false unity will lead to further destruction. The clearest path to shattering unity is the way of pridefulness.    

Pride will always stand in the way of unity. 

C.S. Lewis reiterates this in his “Mere Christianity” saying, “pride is a spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, contentment, or even common sense.”

Bible-believing Christians know the only anecdote to this sinful depravation is Christ.

But are Christians doing a good job at living on the foundation of biblical unity, or is the sin of pride and selfish ambition still getting in the way from this pursuit?

When Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, he addressed the need to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,” for self-centric longing blinds us to our need of Christ and the true key to unification with others. If Christians are not called out of their worship of selfish desires, battleground is lost in the war on culture. 

As the culture war rages on, Christians who are not unified under the same Gospel-centered foundation will never efficiently propel the truth. Under a disunified group of “church goers”, cultural ground will cede under the secular religion. In this past year, we saw this through messages and rally cries drenched in Critical Race Theory and progressive Christianity, taking the culture by storm. But these attempts to unify humanity left people focused on self-centered hatred and hopelessness. 

The promotion of fake gospels must stir up Christ-centered Gospel soldiers to stand side-by-side on the foundation of the word of God without wavering.

Biblically grounded unity is the desire of Christ for his flock. In Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17, he prays to the Lord that his flock be “sanctified in the truth,” knowing his word. This has to be our ultimate desire, knowing who Christ is and walking in union with him.

We will never know how to unify with each other without being in unity with Christ. 

Thankfully the Bible lays out for Christians the foundations for unity, telling us in Philippians 2:1 “if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy” be of one-mind, unifying under these securities of Christ. 

Christ-centered unity requires Christ-like humility. Christ is the greatest example of living in complete humility who “though was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,” according to Philippians 2:6. Jesus was a humble servant whose sustaining “food is to do the will of the one who sent me” (John 4:34). 

This is the example we should strive to imitate. 

If we let personal pride stand in the way of unifying under the Gospel, we have negated the commands of scripture and failed in our obedience to Christ. I must remind myself of this daily, seeking the Lord for repentance when I fail. 

A community of believers standing unified on biblical convictions is far more powerful than anything the secular culture could muster up against it – for the good news of Christ means taking heart in the one who has overcome the world. 

There will never be enough “wokeness” surrounding any earthly issue that can successfully unify a group of people and result in beneficial change. 

Manufactured unity void of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is useless and hopeless.

Hattie Troutman is the Editor-In-Chief. Follow her on Twitter at @hattrout.