I Believe the Holy Spirit Unifies

You may have heard the church called the “body of Christ.” First Corinthians 12:12–13 says, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink” (NIV). People from different walks of life, different parts of the world, different ethnic groups and economic classes, are all brought together and formed as one body in Christ. It is breathtaking to consider the bond we have in the Holy Spirit as we are joined together. Absolutely nothing else can unite people like the Spirit of the Living God.

One such example of the unifying work of the Holy Spirit is the very creed we are studying right now.

We know unity is important to the heart of God. But there is much that causes division within our world. Even within the church, we can be quick to identify ourselves by what separates us, by our differences and particularities, by our particular denomination or branch of Christianity. But the Nicene Creed shows us that what unites us as followers of Christ is stronger and more important than anything else. That is the beauty of the Nicene Creed, this statement of faith that draws us together, across denominational lines, around our shared faith. With one voice, we proclaim our faith and give witness to our God. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t just bring unity to the body of Christ; the Holy Spirit also brings us into fellowship with other believers.

The Holy Spirit is also at work as we gather in fellowship, drawing us deeper into relationship with one another. The Holy Spirit leads us into community. These days, we live in a highly individualistic culture. It can be hard at times to see how much we have been shaped by individualism. But Scripture keeps calling us back to the life lived in community, alongside brothers and sisters in Christ. Second Corinthians 13:14 reads, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (NIV).
The fellowship of the Holy Spirit. What an incredible gift!

Picturing God’s people as a building being built, Paul said, “In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:21–22 NIV). We are all joined together, and in the center of it all is the very Spirit of God.