What's Killing Our Unity? (And What Paul Says To Do About It)

Remember the dress?

Back in 2015, a mother of the bride posted a photo online asking a simple question — was this dress appropriate to wear to her daughter's wedding? What nobody expected was that people couldn't even agree on what color it was. The daughter saw white and gold. The mother saw blue and black. Within 24 hours, 10 million tweets. BuzzFeed crashed. Taylor Swift weighed in. NASA scientists were asked to explain it.

One dress. Millions of people. Completely certain they were right.

That's exactly how we opened Sunday's sermon — because honestly? The church has a dress problem too.

We look at the same Bible. We worship the same Lord. We've been saved by the same blood. And somehow, we end up in factions, certain we're right, genuinely baffled that anyone sees it differently. Sound familiar? It should. It's been happening since the first century.

Paul's Already Been Here

Romans 15:5-7 finds Paul writing to a church he's never visited — Jewish and Gentile Christians grinding on each other over food laws, feast days, and who's doing it right. Real conflict. Not small stuff to them. And his answer isn't figure out who's correct and make the other side comply. His answer is essentially: don't let what you eat destroy someone Christ died for.

That should stop us cold.

Those we draw lines against. Christ died for them. The person whose worship style drives you crazy, whose opinions you can't stand, whose conclusions on that passage you find baffling. Christ died for them. Paid the same price He paid for you. Had the same purpose in mind.

Three Things Killing Our Unity

Sunday's message dug into three honest diagnoses.

First — we've confused unity with uniformity. Somewhere along the way we decided unity means everyone arrives at the same conclusions, worships the same way, and reads the same books. That's not unity. That's cloning. And it's impossible. Paul wasn't asking Jewish Christians to stop being Jewish or Gentiles to start keeping the Sabbath. He was asking them to receive each other — the way Christ received them.

Second — we've made secondary things primary. The stuff we argue about most fiercely is usually not the stuff that holds us together. One mind about Christ. One voice proclaiming Him. That's the goal. Not identical conclusions on every passage.

Third — we've forgotten what we're for. Romans 15:6 says the goal is to glorify God with one mind and one voice. That means our division isn't just an internal church problem — it's a witness problem. When we're fragmented, the world doesn't see Jesus. They see us. And we don't always give them much to look at. As Jesus prayed in John 17, our unity — or our lack of it — is an evangelistic issue.

The Word That Changes Everything

Verse 7: "Welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed you."

That word — welcome — means to take someone fully into your fellowship. Not tolerate them. Not put up with them until they come around. Receive them. Grant them access to your heart. Take them into friendship. And here's the part that hits: when you genuinely accept someone, you're changed by that act. It costs you something. It transforms you.

How did Christ welcome you? Did He wait until you had it all figured out? Did He check your theology before He went to the cross?

He accepted us when we were still a mess. And He's calling us to do the same.

Oh — and the dress? It was always blue and black. Never actually in question. Scientists confirmed it. Which means millions of people were certain about something they were completely wrong about.

Worth sitting with.

Come Join Us This Month

We're just getting started. The whole month of March we're walking through Unity in the Body — and it's going to be the kind of series that challenges you, encourages you, and maybe steps on your toes a little. In the best way.

If you're looking for a church home in the Centerville area, we'd love to have you at Cornerstone. We gather Sunday mornings at 9:30 for Bible class and 10:30 for worship. Wednesday nights at 7:00 as well.

We're not a perfect church — not even close. But we're a group of people trying to take Romans 15:7 seriously. Come see what that looks like.

Cornerstone Church of Christ 5051 Wilmington Pike | Centerville, OH 45440
937.434.8481 | cornerstone-coc.com

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Those Serving
CALL TO WORSHIP/PRAYER
Eric Renegar
SONG LEADER
Jason Schofield
LEAD LORD'S SUPPER
Justin Spargo
ASSIST LORD’S SUPPER
Jim Rutter
Matthew Ringle
Colby Grushon
SCRIPTURE READING
Dan Dekoski
Romans 15:5-7
PREACHING
Matthew Allen
CLOSING PRAYER
Billy Robbins
CLOSING COMMENTS
George Wacks
WELCOME CENTER
Kathy Downey
USHERS
Nathan Armstrong // Roy Pyle
COMMUNION PREP
Yvonna Robins
CLOSING THE BUILDING
Daniel Spargo