In the age in which we live, unity has become something of a holy grail of church life. Unity is good, of course. Jesus prayed that his church would experience the same kind of unity that was experienced within the Trinity before the ages began (John 17:20–23). But in too many corners of the contemporary church, unity is promoted at all costs, whereas, biblically, unity has a very specific grounding. The text before us this morning (Ezekiel 37:15–28) speaks to the issue of unity (the word “one” is found at least eight times in the English text of these verses), but it shows us the very specific basis of the unity that is spoken of.
Ever since the time of King Rehoboam, the twelve tribes of Israel had been divided into two distinct nations: Israel to the north, and Judah to the south. The division had taken place because of Rehoboam’s profound lack of wisdom, and the two nations had frequently been at war with one another over the centuries. But part of God’s promise to his people through Ezekiel was that these two divided nations would again become one people. In this way, both recent history and ancient history would be reversed, by God’s grace.
God instructed Ezekiel to take two sticks—one for the nation of Judah and one for the nation of Israel—and join them together as one. This was to symbolise that God would again unite his people into one nation. But the basis of this unity is made clear in the text before us: the provision of a servant leader.
The division between God’s once united people had been the result of lack of servant leadership. King Rehoboam had been presented with the opportunity to serve his people but had instead chosen to exert harsh authority over them. The northern tribes had rebelled and appointed King Jeroboam as their leader. The unity that God promised in Ezekiel 37 would be the results of the rise of a true servant leader. This servant leader is identified as “David” in v. 24. We know him as the true Son of David—the Lord Jesus Christ—who would bring about the unity that God’s people so desperately needed.
We discover in this text that true unity—the holy grail for which every church strives—is rooted only in the servant leader provided by God for his people: the Lord Jesus Christ. Until must be found in him alone.
Too often, churches and Christians approach unity in the wrong way, usually by erring to one of two extremes.
On the one hand, many think that unity can be found with anyone, regardless of shared or divergent beliefs. For them, there is no lowest common denominator—or, if there is, it is an extremely low denominator. The ecumenical movement operates on this premise. So long as we verbally profess belief in Jesus, and possibly submit to Trinitarian baptism, we can ignore every other difference and embrace one another as one big family.
On the other hand, many push for conformity to a long list of secondary issues before unity can be embraced. We can only be unified, they argue, if we are all dispensationalists, or young earth creationists, or King James onlyists. If we cannot find minute agreement, we cannot be agreed at all.
The biblical balance, as always, lies between the two extremes. The fact is, there are certain core doctrines that Christians must agree on for embrace true unity. Cardinal doctrines involving the nature of God (e.g. Trinitarianism), the person and work of Christ (e.g. his bodily resurrection), and salvation by grace alone through faith alone cannot be overlooked in our quest for unity. Unity is rooted in Jesus Christ and his gospel.
At the same time, we dare not push the baseline requirement for unity further than the Bible requires. Unity, if we agree on the core matters, is beautiful amidst diversity, but it can and must only be found in a healthy understanding of the character of God, the person and work of Christ, and the nature of salvation.
As you meditate on Ezekiel 37:15–28 this morning, thank God for the unity that he has created between believers in and through Christ. Pray for the wisdom to guard that unity in a way that is honouring to God and adorns the gospel.
