I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.

1 Corinthians 1:10

As we continue to explore God’s design for doing life well together, I have a confession to make:

1 Corinthians 1:10 is one of those verses that I read and think, “Seriously, God? I mean, I have evenings I can’t get my family to agree on what to have for dinner. How can You expect Your children to always be in agreement with each other?”

I have a feeling that I’m not the only one who struggles to find agreement in community or who wonders how God’s teaching in this verse is possible sometimes.

When I think on these struggles and questions, I am reminded that all of God’s Word is true and good for instruction to help us become mature and fully equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This means that God not only expects us to agree as a community of believers but that He will help us do it.

How does God help us agree with each other?

By uniting us as a spiritual family and teaching us through His Word. Today, let’s look at how God unites us in Spirit.

Let’s start right here with 1 Corinthians 1:10. Notice that Paul starts this verse with an appeal, uniting himself with the church of Corinth by calling them brothers and making his statement in the name of Jesus Christ.

Sweet friends, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, God adopts us into His family, making us joint heirs with Christ and spiritual siblings to each other (Romans 8:17; Galatians 4:7). This is the first step in God’s design for us to do life well together by being united with one another.

Now, we know it’s only the first step because, as any of you with siblings know, being in the same family doesn’t mean you automatically agree all time. If my brother and I each had a dollar for every time we disagreed with the other when we were kids, we could have paid for our college tuition out of pocket and not taken so many loans (that we’re still paying back!).

So, if being reborn into a spiritual family isn’t enough to help us always agree, what’s another way God unites us?

He gives us His Holy Spirit to dwell inside us (1 Corinthians 3:16). With His Holy Spirit inside us, we are able to hear from God directly; Holy Spirit directs us in what God wants us to think and say and do (John 16:13). As a community of believers, we each of us house God’s Holy Spirit. This means that each of us is equipped to hear directly from God what He wants us to think, say, and do in every situation.

You see dear heart, we are made siblings in Christ, adopted into unity as part of God’s family. Then, God also gives us His Holy Spirit so He can be in direct communication with Him as we do life together here on earth. Because we know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Malachi 3:6), that His good purpose will prevail (Isaiah 46:10; Proverbs 19:21), and that He wants us to be in agreement (1 Corinthians 1:10), we can be secure in knowing that what He says to you and what He says to me will help us arrive at an agreement that honors Him, is for our good, and ultimately furthers His Kingdom.

Now, I imagine that you might be having a “Seriously, Andrea? Can it really be that simple?” moment right now. It’s ok. I had that moment when God began to reveal the simplicity of agreement within community to me too.

Let’s pause here today and reflect on the truths presented so far about God’s design for His children to do life well together by living in unity as siblings in Christ and co-hosts of His indwelling Holy Spirit.

Tomorrow, we’ll dig into some more of how God’s Word teaches us to live well in unity as a community.

Father God, thank you for adopting me into Your family, for making me joint heirs with Christ through His sacrifice and for giving me Brothers and Sisters to do life with well. Lord, thank you for never changing, for being the same yesterday, today, and forever, for having a good plan for the lives of Your children and growing us up into that plan. Help me Father to remember who I am and Whose I am and especially who I am as part of Your spiritual family. Help me be a good spiritual sibling to all of Your children and especially to all those You have placed in my direct community. Teach me to listen to You well and to apply what I am learning each day about being a part of the body of Christ, a member of a community of believers. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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