Middle-borns are often peacemakers: they tend to mediate, negotiate, and even manipulate in pursuit of common ground. Born a middle child, I have lived all these things. My taste for manipulation vanished early in my faith life, fortunately, and while I still have a proclivity to pursue commonality among the divided, I have more recently come to realize that I alone cannot bring about unity in anything. The restoration of oneness requires a change of heart among all those mired in division, and no one can change another’s heart, except the Holy Spirit of God. Yet Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,”1 so there must be something we can do to foster peace and unity around us. But what?
I think a healthy premise in pursing oneness is to understand that we are already one with each other in Christ through same the Holy Spirit who lives in all believers. Writes Paul, “We, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”2 This is identity, this is foundational; this is us. Then how do we live into this oneness? We choose to. If we can decide to entrust our soul to the person and saving work of Jesus Christ, we can just as well choose to obey His commands. Yet even this is God’s grace, for through Ezekiel He promised, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. . . I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”3 And so, in Christ, He has.
Then ours is to appropriate this grace as the body of Christ, each of us beginning with ourselves. Regarding judgmentalism and accusation — which reduce oneness into splinters — Jesus exhorts each of us to “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye!”4 For when the Holy Spirit lovingly reveals our own shortcomings and gently redirects us away from them, we experience His kindness and savor His grace. Then through the corrective lenses of freedom and joy, we may see each other’s faults — and their struggle against them — differently. Compassion triumphs over condemnation. Blame gives way to balm. Separation fades amid support. Only in the love of God are we free to live the imperatives of peace: “Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”5
Unity among us begins with each of us; unity begins with “U.”
Father, You are the God of restoration. As You have made us one with Yourself through the redemptive work of Your Son, lead us as one through the transformational work of Your Spirit. In Christ we pray. Amen.
1 Matthew 5:9
2 Romans 12:4-5 ESV
3 Ezekiel 36:26-27 ESV
4 Matthew 7:3-5 NASB
5 2 Corinthians 13:11)
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Paul Nordman—Author 