What Paul Did for the Unity of the Church

What Paul Did for the Unity of the Church WHAT PAUL DID FOR THE UNITY
OF THE CHURCH
By Wesley Mickey In discussing “What Paul Did for the Unity of the Church,” I shall call special attention to what he did to unite the Jewish and Gentile Christians. The differences between the Jews and Gentiles of Paul’s day seemed to be among the chief causes of strife and division, so Paul, born a Jew but called to be an apostle to the Gentiles, felt it his duty to do all he could to overcome thes.e differences. He realized that he was “debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise and the unwise” (Romans 1:14). Thus Paul became a martyr to the cause of Christian unity.

Exhortations to Unity in Paul’s Epistles In Paul’s letters we find many exhortations to unity and quite often we find these exhortations dealing directly with this question of division between Jew and Gentile. To the church at Ephesus he wTrote, “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his, flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might, reconcile both unto God in one body by the. cross, having slam the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:11-18). After Paul had shown clearly that Christ had “broken down the middle wall of partition,” he pleads for them to endeavor to maintain that unity in love; “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Php_4:1-3). lie taught the Christians at Colosse that when a man becomes a new creature he is “renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:11). And to the. Galatian Christians he wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is, neither bond nor free, there is neither male, nor female: for all are one in Chust Jesus”(Galatians 3:28). It seems that Paul’s primary purnose in writing Galatians was to present a contrast between the law and the gospel so the Jews might understand that they were on an equal plane with the Gentiles,. The superiority of the gospel over the law is also clearly set forth in the Roman letter and Paul there discusses the difference between the Jews and the Gentiles. In writing about the condemnation of sinners he said, “What then? Are we (Jews) better than they (Gentiles)? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews, and Gentiles, that they are all under sin” (Romans 3:9). They were both in need of the gospel of Christ and only that could bring them together.

Paul Preached Christ
The greatest thing that Paul ever did to help people overcome their differences and be united was the same thing that w'ill accomplish the most good in bringing about unity today. Paul preached Christ. He said to the church at Corinth which was torn by strife, “I am determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). By exalting the Savior to his proper place, Paul hoped to be able to settle all strife. He kept so busy telling lost souls of Christ who died for their salvation that he could not afford to become a part of their sinful divisions. He believed in putting the most im-portant things, first in his own life and tried to influence others to do the same. He knew that if he could lead people to love the same Saviour and to serve him obediently he could bring them into Christian fellowship. Even so, the best way to overcome strife and division in the church today is to “preach Jesus” and strive to get all disciples, actively engaged in the same noble work. The Council At Jerusalem
After Paul’s first missionary journey, there were certain prejudiced Jews in Antioch who demanded that the Gentiles be circumcised as a part of their Christian duty. It was Paul who, along with Barnabas, was sent up to Jerusalem to present this question to the apostles and elders. At that meeting Paul and Barnabas were called upon to relate “what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them” (Acts 15:12). These same men, along with messengers from the Jerusalem church, returned to Antioch with the answer that was calculated to quiet the men who were causing strife and to bring the Jews and Gentiles into closer harmony as Christians.

Paul Rebukes Peter
Upon one occasion, Paul felt that it was necessary to oppose Peter and “withstood him to the face” (Galatians 2:2), because he refused to eat with the Gentiles when Jews were present. Paul realized that this action on the part of Peter would widen the breach between the two nationalities and he was unwilling for such conduct to go on unrebuked. If the unity of the church is, to be maintained today, there must be no distinctions made between nationalities and there must be no binding of traditions upon Christians. The Collection for the Poor Saints at Jerusalem
One of the kindest and most tactful moves ever made by Paul to unite Jews and Gentiles was his, collection among the Gentiles of Europe and Asia for the poor Jewish saints at Jerusalem. That collection not only served to teach the Christian’s responsibility toward the poor but did much to break down the Jewish prejudice agains,t the Gentiles and to prompt great generosity on the part of the Gentiles in response to a feeling of brotherly kindness. Paul reminded the Christians of Corinth that they should make their contribution “as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness” (2 Corinthians 9:5). When we Christians of this generation are led to cheerfully contribute in some way to the needs of other peopje, such as those in Africa, Australia, etc., we naturally have a keener interest in them and feel closer to them than we otherwise would. Thus, we are not only made to realize the need of Christian fellowship but we are led to enjoy the blessedness, of it.

Paul knew that it was “more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and he saw in the poverty of Jerusalem an opportunity to make the Jews feel obligated to the Gentiles and to make the Gentiles know the joy of being liberal.

“Let party names no more
The Christian world o’er spread;
Gentile and Jew', and bond and free,
Are one in Christ, their head.
“Among the saints on earth
Let mutual love be found;
Heirs of the same inheritance,
With mutual blessings crowned.
“Thus will the church below
Resemble that above,
Where streams of pleasure ever flow,
And every heart is love.”
—M. C. Kurfees