In other words, being kind to one another, gracious to one another, and forgiving of one another instead of assuming the worst or being quick to be suspicious. Biblical unity is about working through conflicts, avoiding slander and gossip, and being generous in spirit.
Love, embodied by unity is the mark of the Christian. Not just a feeling of love, or an acknowledgment of love, but rather a demonstration of love.
You want to know what should happen?
I should be able to get a few Christians together—one of them a Republican, one a Democrat, and one an Independent—go to a brewery and put a flight of good craft beers in front of them. Then they should be turned loose to talk politics.
You know what else should happen? A group of people near them who are not Christians should be able to overhear that discussion and, at the end, walk over and want to say, “We were listening to you, and we’d really like to hear more about this Jesus because we’ve never heard anything like the love you have for each other in the midst of disagreement.”
That’s the hope of a political Christian marked by love: that the world overhears us and wants to be like us.
And, more importantly, wants to be like Jesus.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
