Day 8/21 – Unity and Union

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
Unity and Union
Day Two Hundred Thirty-three

“I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissension among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” 1 Corinthians 1:10

Unity and union are not the same. You can unite in marriage, and thus be in union with one another, and not have unity. Union is the enemy of unity, as easily seen in marriage. A man and woman meet, fall in love with one another, and talk of the possibility of marriage. During their courtship each seeks to please the other, delighting in each other’s idiosyncrasies. Once the marriage is consummated, things change. They now have a vested interest in how their spouse behaves. So in subtle ways they seek to change one another in hopes of making their spouse better, all at the expense of unity.

In His High Priestly prayer, our Lord prayed for unity, ”that they may be one, even as we are one.”307 There may be logical, compelling reasons to form a union, but Christ wants unity. People are attracted to union for the purpose of control and so that they have something to join. God demands unity for the purpose of harmony and as a witness to a watching world. Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians, in this section of his epistles, sought to dispel any impression that he was building his own organization or recruiting people to himself.

You are free to create an organization, for the Bible does not prohibit them. But remember: You are part of the Body of Jesus Christ and He cannot be divided. To not be in unity with your fellow believers is to do violence to His Person and thus provoke His anger.

307 John 17:11

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Psalm 107-109 1 Corinthians 4 (New King James Version)

Psalms 107–150
Thanksgiving to the Lord for His Great Works of Deliverance
107
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His [a]mercy endures forever.
2
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
3
And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.
4
They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
5
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
6
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
7
And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
8
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
9
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
10
Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound[b] in affliction and irons—
11
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And [c]despised the counsel of the Most High,
12
Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
13
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
14
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
15
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
16
For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.
17
Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18
Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
19
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
20
He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
21
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
22
Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with [d]rejoicing.
23
Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
24
They see the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
25
For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
26
They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
27
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And [e]are at their wits’ end.
28
Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
29
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
30
Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
31
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
32
Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.
33
He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
34
A fruitful land into [f]barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35
He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
36
There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
37
And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
38
He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle decrease.
39
When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,
40
He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
41
Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
42
The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.
43
Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.
Assurance of God’s Victory over Enemies
A Song. A Psalm of David.
108
O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
2
Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.
3
I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples,
And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
4
For Your mercy is great above the [g]heavens,
And Your truth reaches to the clouds.
5
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
And Your glory above all the earth;
6
That Your beloved may be delivered,
Save with Your right hand, and [h]hear me.
7
God has spoken in His holiness:
“I will rejoice;
I will divide Shechem
And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
8
Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the [i]helmet for My head;
Judah is My lawgiver.
9
Moab is My washpot;
Over Edom I will cast My shoe;
Over Philistia I will triumph.”
10
Who will bring me into the strong city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11
Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?
And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?
12
Give us help from trouble,
For the help of man is useless.
13
Through God we will do valiantly,
For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
Plea for Judgment of False Accusers
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
109
Do not keep silent,
O God of my praise!
2
For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful
Have opened against me;
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3
They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.
4
In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer.
5
Thus they have rewarded me evil for good,
And hatred for my love.
6
Set a wicked man over him,
And let an [j]accuser stand at his right hand.
7
When he is judged, let him be found guilty,
And let his prayer become sin.
8
Let his days be few,
And let another take his office.
9
Let his children be fatherless,
And his wife a widow.
10
Let his children [k]continually be vagabonds, and beg;
Let them [l]seek their bread also from their desolate places.
11
Let the creditor seize all that he has,
And let strangers plunder his labor.
12
Let there be none to extend mercy to him,
Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children.
13
Let his [m]posterity be cut off,
And in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14
Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15
Let them be continually before the Lord,
That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth;
16
Because he did not remember to show mercy,
But persecuted the poor and needy man,
That he might even slay the broken in heart.
17
As he loved cursing, so let it come to him;
As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.
18
As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
So let it enter his body like water,
And like oil into his bones.
19
Let it be to him like the garment which covers him,
And for a belt with which he girds himself continually.
20
Let this be the Lord’s reward to my accusers,
And to those who speak evil against my person.
21
But You, O God the Lord,
Deal with me for Your name’s sake;
Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.
22
For I am poor and needy,
And my heart is wounded within me.
23
I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24
My knees are weak through fasting,
And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.
25
I also have become a reproach to them;
When they look at me, they shake their heads.
26
Help me, O Lord my God!
Oh, save me according to Your mercy,
27
That they may know that this is Your hand—
That You, Lord, have done it!
28
Let them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, let them be ashamed,
But let Your servant rejoice.
29
Let my accusers be clothed with shame,
And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle.
30
I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth;
Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.
31
For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor,
To save him from those [n]who condemn him.
Footnotes:
• Psalm 107:1 Heb. same as goodness, vv. 8, 15, 21, 31, and lovingkindness, v. 43
• Psalm 107:10 Prisoners
• Psalm 107:11 scorned
• Psalm 107:22 joyful singing
• Psalm 107:27 Lit. all their wisdom is swallowed up
• Psalm 107:34 Lit. a salty waste
• Psalm 108:4 skies
• Psalm 108:6 Lit. answer
• Psalm 108:8 Lit. protection
• Psalm 109:6 Heb. satan
• Psalm 109:10 wander continuously
• Psalm 109:10 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. be cast out
• Psalm 109:13 descendants be destroyed
• Psalm 109:31 Lit. judging his soul

1 Corinthians 4
Stewards of the Mysteries of God
4 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human [a]court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the [b]counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
Fools for Christ’s Sake
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be [c]puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who [d]makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! 9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle [e]to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we [f]entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
Paul’s Paternal Care
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.
18 Now some are [g]puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. 21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
Footnotes:
• 1 Corinthians 4:3 Lit. day
• 1 Corinthians 4:5 motives
• 1 Corinthians 4:6 arrogant
• 1 Corinthians 4:7 distinguishes you
• 1 Corinthians 4:9 Lit. theater
• 1 Corinthians 4:13 exhort, encourage
• 1 Corinthians 4:18 arrogant