Satan has schemes to confuse the importance of unity in the church and Christian groups:
- He undermines the unity of the Bible.
- And creates disunity among Christians.
In the last few years, it has been brilliant to see how different denominations are accepting each other more and the walls of ignorance, hostility and pride are being taken down.
May that continue because the Lord wants to see united Christians.
But let’s explore the topic of the importance of unity and how Satan can weaken it:
Table of Contents:
1. Satan hates unity, but he hates God’s Word more.
Satan tries to sow doubt into our minds about the Bible.
Right from the beginning of creation the serpent, Satan, said to the woman [Eve], “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2
He was sowing doubt by saying, ‘Did God actually say…’
Then Satan twisted God’s words by saying, ‘‘You shall not eat of any tree…’
When in reality, God said, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…’
Did you notice how Satan twisted what the Lord had said?
Eve in answering Satan, then tried to quote what the Lord had said, but unfortunately, she added ‘neither shall you touch it’, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’
Satan now had Eve on the back foot and he said to her, ‘You will not surely die.’3
This was a direct lie because God had said, ‘for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’ 4
Satan will try anything and everything to twist God’s Word or to spread malicious lies about it.
We are told about all the errors in the Bible, but these are sweeping statements which are not based on real scripture, or the Bible is being misrepresented.
Satan casts doubt on the Old Testament.
He tries to tell us that the Old Testament is now redundant, it is all Old Covenant and therefore irrelevant.
But the truth is that we can learn so much about mankind, and a tremendous amount about God.
It is the same God throughout the Bible.
He wasn’t angry and breathing out threats through the Old Testament, then He had a change of heart when Jesus came.
No, it is the same God.
The Old Testament looks towards Jesus the Messiah and his New Testament.
The Old Testament serves as a treasure trove of divine foreshadowing. Throughout its pages, we encounter countless prophecies and symbols that point towards the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of the New Covenant.
‘The Old Testament and New Testament: A Divine Symphony of Foreshadowing and Fulfillment’ O Favored One. 5
One of the most profound foreshadowings is found in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament.
In the book of Leviticus, we are introduced to the rituals of animal sacrifices, particularly the Day of Atonement.
This sacred observance foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who would serve as the Lamb of God, taking away the sins of the world.”
Peter tells us to pay attention to what the prophets in the Old Testament have said:
And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
2 Peter 1:19-21 NIV
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.
For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Paul tells us that our foundation includes the prophets:
…you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone”
Ephesians 2:20 NIV
Jesus Himself repeatedly confirms the authority of the Old Testament by quoting from it:
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John:
Matthew 11:7-10 ESV
‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,
‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ “
When Jesus says here that ‘it is written’, he was referring to the Old Testament prophet Malachi and quotes from Malachi 3:1.
Jesus believed and reinforced what the Scriptures said about the creation of Adam and Eve.
Jesus answered the Pharisees:
Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
Matthew 19:3-5 ESV
So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
When Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaeus he said to them:
O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
Luke 24:25-27 ESV
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
Satan tries to undermine the apostle Paul’s writings.
Satan tries to pour doubt on Paul’s teachings.
Modern theologians may say:-
‘The style seems so different, perhaps God didn’t want Paul’s letters to be in the Bible.’
But Peter confirms that Paul’s writings are Scripture, they are God-breathed, and that they have God’s authority upon them.
Peter wrote:
Paul writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters.
2 Peter 3:16 NIV
His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”
Notice that Peter says ‘as they do the other Scriptures’ confirming that Paul’s letters ARE the Scriptures.
Satan tries to make us doubt the authority of the Bible, so we mustn’t listen to him!
2. Satan sees the importance of unity and hates it.
We may think that the best way of preserving peace is for certain people or groups to live at a distance from each other.
That indeed may prevent enmity and strife, as in Abram’s situation where His herdsmen and Lot were fighting over the amount of water and vegetation (Genesis 13:9).
But good things happen when people dwell together in unity having one heart, one soul, and one interest.
Satan knows this and he will do everything in his power to destroy unity between Christians.
Satan hates unity because it brings the anointing oil of love.
King David tells us how wonderful it is when there is unity:
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
Psalm 133:1-2 ESV
It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!”
Aaron and his sons were not allowed to minister as priests to the Lord until they were anointed with the oil.
Our actions are not acceptable to God without this oil of holy love.
If we do not have this holy oil of love then we are nothing:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ESV
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned but have not love, I gain nothing.”
These are very humbling words.
Satan hates unity because it brings fruitfulness.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!..
Psalm 133:1 & 3 ESV
It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!”
Unity is profitable and fruitful as well as good and pleasing.
It is like the dew which cools the scorching heat of people’s passions, as the evening dew cools the air and refreshes the earth.
Unity can moisten the heart like dew and enable good things to grow.
Satan hates unity because blessings follow it.
This again comes from Psalm 133 which talks about the benefits of unity:
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!…
Psalm 133:1 & 3 ESV
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”
Wherever people dwell in unity with a supernatural love then God will bless them, but more than that, God commands a blessing!
This blessed unity will be like heaven – ‘life forevermore’.
3. Satan likes to put unity above God’s teachings
Where Satan cannot divide people and destroy their unity he will try to encourage as many people as possible to become united by lowering the criteria for that unity.
Why does Satan raise the importance of unity in the above situation if he really despises it?
That may seem like going against his plan.
But by getting the largest amount of people, to agree on the smallest amount of biblical Truth, he can very effectively bring in false teaching.
![Osterich with it's head in the sand. [3] Satan knows the importance of unity.](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5NiA4MCIgd2lkdGg9Ijk2IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjgwIiBkYXRhLXU9Imh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGbm90bWFueXdpc2UudWslMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRmFjY291bnRhYmxlX2FydC1taW4uanBnIiBkYXRhLXc9Ijk2IiBkYXRhLWg9IjgwIiBkYXRhLWJpcD0iIj48L3N2Zz4= "Osterich with it's head in the sand")
By succeeding in putting unity, above God’s teachings, then more people will be allowed to teach in churches, that do not hold to Christ’s teachings.
They say that they are Christians, but they don’t obey the Bible’s teachings.
And they say that the important thing is unity.
People may say:-
‘So and so, doesn’t agree with the virgin birth, nor the effectiveness of Christ’s sacrifice, but he’s a good bloke, he’s entitled to his views!’
In that type of environment, those people are allowed to teach error.
But Paul said:
So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.”
2 Thessalonians 2:15 NIV
Or what about what Jesus said:
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
John 14:15 ESV
The truth is that Jesus only wants us to be united with Christians, who want to submit themselves to the Bible.
He does not want us to be united with those people who say that they are Christians, but who deny Him by their actions.
4. There is tremendous power in unity.
There is great supernatural power in unity.
‘Unity is Godly, Division is Demonic’ Real Faith by Mark Driscol. 6
When people come together for evil, Satan and the demons help them.
In Genesis 11:6 we read, “the Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.’”
God’s point at the Tower of Babel was that evil people unified are virtually unstoppable because of the power of unity.
Conversely, when people come together for good, God and the angels help them.
This is why Satan works so hard to keep Christians divided, unloving, bitter, judgmental, and attacking one another.
This is also why Jesus prays for relational unity among Christians so that together the work of God’s Kingdom can move forward in power as we all pull together for the cause of Christ.”
Jesus in his prayer just before he was captured says that his followers were given by God to him and they had kept his word.
They had received the Truth that God gave to him.
Then Jesus prays:
Holy Father keep them in your name which you have given me that they may be one even as we are one…
John 17:10, 15-18 & 20-21 ESV
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world…
I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.””
Notice that Jesus, in praying for unity, reinforces the importance of God’s Word – the Truth, and he wants his people to be one, united together around this Truth.
See the article on Christian unity and how Jesus saw unity…
We must not be scared of ‘doctrine’ – even companies like Facebook have their ‘doctrine.’
Does Genesis fail scientific study?
But did you know that the Big Bang does not stand up to scientific study?
References and credits – open in new tabs:
Osterich image: thanks to Serif ARTGallery CD
Photo Credit: philip.bitnar Flickr via Compfight cc ↩
Genesis 3:1 ESV ↩
Genesis 3:4 ESV ↩
Genesis 2:15 ESV ↩
‘The Old Testament and New Testament: A Divine Symphony of Foreshadowing and Fulfillment’ O Favored One. 12 November 2023 ↩
‘Unity is Godly, Division is Demonic’ Real Faith by Mark Driscol. ↩