The word Unity means - the state of forming a complete, complex and pleasing whole; From the Latin UNUS which means ONE. We gravitate to one another based on common interests or ideologies, religions, politics or locations. For the most part humans gravitate to being together because we were created for Oneness.
But mostly what we experience is Affinity rather than Unity. There’s a big difference. Affinity comes from the Latin AD FINITUS which means TO BORDER. It suggests a relationship based on similar locations or similar resemblance or characteristics … like being shoulder to shoulder next to someone in common agreement rather than a blood relationship.
Affinity is situational/relational. For Christians our Unity is foundational/relational and rooted in the good news of Jesus sacrificial death and resurrection rather than based on shared perspectives we have on various topics in the Bible.
Having any kind of pleasing whole from the complexities of those perspectives is for the most part FRAGILE UNLESS we choose UNITY over AFFINITY.
We’re going to look at how the Good News (Gospel) of Jesus is the ONLY foundation for unity and how it frees us from the fragile uniformity of Affinity and is a powerful testimony to the healing of OTHERNESS into ONENESS.
