“For those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are in accord with the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Romans 8:5-10

Here is the key to Christian unity – to be in accord with the Spirit of Christ, and to have the mind set on Him and not on self or other lesser things. This is what is meant by Paul’s word to us in Hebrews 11:2 to run the race with endurance with our eyes fixed on Christ. Unity does not come from the alignment of our human thinking. It does not come when we tamp down our differences so as to only publicly acknowledge our agreement regarding a few common doctrines and beliefs.

Unity flows freely between those who live a life surrendered to Christ, a life lived by the Spirit of Christ and directed by the mind of Christ. A life for which the Spirit and person of Christ are absolute fixations.

Romans 12:16-18 “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never repay evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people.”

Romans 15:5-6 “Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that with one purpose and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Author’s emphasis on both passages.

Paul is clear on this – the same-mindedness with one another is “according to Christ Jesus.” It is from Him, not from our own understandings or efforts. Unity comes only when we abandon our positions, our opinions, our thought processes to our God. We must surrender as well our motives, ideals, and understanding so that we might have only those of Christ at work in us. It is His mind at work, not simply His ideas and teachings influencing my thinking. In human thinking dwells no good thing. It has always been the counsel of our God to give up on our own understanding so as to gain His mind. Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.”

The mind of Christ in me will not have disunity or disagreement with the mind of Christ in you. This is the basis of true brotherhood and true unity of heart, mind, and spirit. It comes only by the Spirit of Christ living His life, His thoughts, and His purposes in place of my own.

Galatians 2:20 gives us the very foundation for all Christian living, including the foundation for being united in Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

The problem of disunity among those who profess to be Christian is a problem of making positions, choices, opinions, and judgments with our own minds and not the mind of Christ alone. It is always a problem of leaning on our own understandings, traditions, training, acumen, efforts, will, and schemes.

Paul stated that in our flesh dwells no good thing. The human mind operating on its own cannot please God. We can go to the scriptures in our own mind, and will wind up using those scriptures to divide. Even if we mean to do well or to promote good, if we are doing it of our initiative and effort by our own understandings, it is of death. See Romans 8:12-14.

Galatians 5:13-15 “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.“

The way to unity is not greater efforts at being unified. That is of the flesh. The answer is in greater surrender of all of our living, all of our thinking, all of our opinions, all of our ideas and understanding to Christ. Every day. We must be functioning in the mind of Christ or we will never grasp the life and will of our God.

“The purposes of God point to one simple end-that we should be as he is, think the same thoughts, mean the same things, possess the same blessedness.” – George MacDonald