In matters of politics, it’s my personal conviction that as a whole neither the left nor the right has the moral compass to govern themselves, to call out their own, to hold themselves accountable, to admit to their own faults, to (in the words of Jesus) “take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5).

Collectively they embody what is true of all individually: we are quick to see the wrong in others, but not the wrong in us. The opposite is also true: we are slow to see the good in others, but not the supposed good in us.

We race to call out the other side for what they do and to excuse ourselves for what we do. We dislike them because of their differences and in quick order reduce them to those differences. We end up dehumanizing, demonizing them. “They” are always that way and we seek to divide them from us and to drive them away.

“And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (Mark 9:25) It’s easy to blame the other side. And maybe they deserve it. But the call for any of us who seek the good of the WHOLE house is to begin with our side.

Unity, and the pursuit of it, must begin with ourselves, not with our enemies. Whether in society, in a family, or in a church, the fight for unity begins within, with me. Only from that position of honesty, integrity, and humility am I in a position to engage with my “neighbor”. 

And who is my neighbor? The one you like the least and disagree with the most. We must (again, in the words of Jesus) “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31).

The command to love your neighbor was not original to Jesus. It was first given to Israel upon God’s deliverance of them from Egypt (Leviticus 19:18). God’s intent was to form a people after His own heart both in attitude and action. But before the command to “love your neighbor as yourself,” God gave the command to “not hate your brother in your heart” (Leviticus 19:17). 

To “hate” your neighbor is not only to view but to feel and to act towards them as your “enemy”. You seek their destruction, if not in reality, then in your imagination. And all this happens “in your heart” (Leviticus 19:17). In other words, the battleground is the heart. 

To “love your neighbor,” then, involves first a change of your heart towards your “enemy”. Love involves, first, a reordering of your deepest desires for and towards anyone you hate. 

When the position and posture of supposed enemies becomes one of love, then unity becomes possible. We become neighbors. As neighbors we will still fight with each other and often against each other, but we can do so for each other’s sake and for the sake of the whole house. In fact, there are issues and ideas we must fight about. But the goal is always to learn to “dwell together,” (Psalm 133) not to win or be right, not to tear down or apart. 

Honest conflict and disagreement are a sign of health, whether in a home, marriage, relationship, church, organization, or society. Rather than hating each other in the secret of our hearts and allowing that to fester, we openly converse, disagree, debate. We communicate with empathy and seek to persuade. But all along we trust that our intentions towards each other are good.

This kind of unity involves sacrificial love and death to self. Rather than crucify each other, we lay down our lives for each other. We seek to understand and to honor each other. To put the other first. When we do go too far, we are quick to forgive each other. We believe the best and endure through the worst. We seek “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”. (Galatians 5:22-23) Because where these abound all that opposes them can be overcome.

If we’re going to recover any meaningful sense of unity anywhere, and if we as Elim Grace are going to be a “united people, uniting people,” it must begin with us, not with our enemies. We must learn to search our own hearts first and to ask if there’s any wicked way in us. In place of any wicked way, as disciples, we must seek and ask for “the fruit of the Spirit” — the attributes, attitudes, and affections of Jesus — to fill our lives (Gal. 5:22-23).

Let’s fight for unity!