How Should We View Jesus for Unity’s Sake?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1–4)

Today’s big question: how should we view Jesus for unity’s sake?

The church is united in Christ. Jesus is and has always been the central focus and message of the church, and our unity is based in Christ. It would not be difficult to get a room full of evangelical Christian leaders to agree that all Scripture must find its central point in the pre-eminence and supremacy of Jesus Christ, His person, and works. Most evangelicals would agree that Jesus, above all else, is central and supreme.

Why then does the church have so much trouble staying united? If our focus is on Jesus, shouldn’t the church have perfect unity? Part of the answer is found in how the church actually views Jesus. Jesus is not only the message of God’s Word, but Jesus is also the revealer of God’s Word.

This is a significant statement. Many people have accepted unity in the centrality of Christ, yet they reject the historical truth revealed to us by Christ from the very first verse of the Bible. They accept Jesus as the truth when it comes to salvation, but they don’t accept Jesus as the truth when it comes to history or many other areas the Bible addresses.

Many in the church today, particularly in relation to the history concerning the first 11 chapters of Genesis, deny the historic credibility of the revelation Jesus has given. Yet these same people want to promote unity in the centrality of Jesus. Which Jesus is our unity centered in? The Bible tells us there is only one Jesus. He is the Jesus of John 1—the Word. He is also the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Concerning Himself, Jesus does not give us an option. He is the Savior and the revealer of all truth. He is not one or the other. Without Jesus, there is no revelation of salvation and no history that gives us a foundation for understanding the Gospel message.

Therefore, when talking about unity, we cannot split Christ into two. Unfortunately, many have become a divisive force in the church by placing man’s philosophies in authority over the revealer of all truth. This division has weakened the church in its task of pointing people to the Christ of the Cross.

Today’s big idea: it is inconsistent to accept Jesus as the centrality of the biblical message and not also the revealer of all biblical truth in history—even Genesis.

What to pray: commit to Jesus your acceptance of His full authority.