Note: This is the third installment in a series of articles. Previous articles are always available online at http://www.webbweekly.com.

Unity and Freedom

As we talk about truth, we must keep in mind the priorities Jesus gave to His followers. First, He wants us to live in divine unity, to be one, just as He and His Father are one. See John 17. Second, He wants us to live in glorious freedom. See John 8:32 and II Corinthians 3:17. God is calling us, all of us, to abide in a loving relationship with Him for eternity. To do so, we must be one — and we must be free. True love requires both.

In prioritizing unity and freedom, Jesus handed to us a most perplexing responsibility. Consider the difficulties found in combining these two concepts. Unity can be accomplished through conformity, but conformity is not conducive to freedom. Consider Romans 12:1-2. And by definition, freedom of thought and expression does not lend itself to unity because we see and experience things too differently.
Love and Humility

So how do we do it? How do we live together in divine unity and glorious freedom at the same time? The answer to that question has everything to do with two more priorities Jesus gave to His followers — love and humility. For unity and freedom to coalesce, we must choose to love selflessly and walk humbly. Jesus was the Word become flesh, and if you want to see love and humility incarnate (in the flesh), then you must read the gospels. He perfectly demonstrated for us the miraculous nature of both.

Human history clearly demonstrates that experiencing unity and freedom at the same time is nearly impossible. The great experiment of the United States provides us with the opportunity to see the challenge of making our national motto, e Pluribus Unum — out of the many, one, a reality. My friends, whether we’re talking about the Church of America, living in divine unity and glorious freedom always requires self-sacrificing love and humility. The scarcity of love and humility is the cause of the division and bondage plaguing our country, our churches, and our families.

If we’re going to get love and humility right, then we must understand the nature of truth.
Truth of First Importance

In II Corinthians 15, Paul writes about truth he describes as being of first importance — the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By identifying these truths as being of first importance, Paul is helping us to understand that there are truths that are not of first importance. My friends, all truth is important, but all truth is not of first importance.

Truth of first Importance is pure; it is source truth; it is always true at all times and everywhere; it is absolute and unchanging. As such, it is the solid rock foundation of divine unity.

In Christianity, the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed are widely accepted as our truths of first importance. The Lord’s Prayer, given to us directly by Jesus Christ, is prayer truth of first importance. It is in the sharing of these first importance truths that the Church universal experiences divine unity.

In recognition of the beginning of Lent, I am calling on all Christians of the greater Susquehanna Valley to celebrate the divine unity of the Church through the sharing of these truths of first importance. In these truths, my dear friends, we are one:
The Apostles Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into Hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; The Holy Catholic (Universal) Church, the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting. Amen.
The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through Him, all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary and became man. For our sake, He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day, He rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, He is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic (universal) and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.