Chapter 3 - You Are Dividing Over What Christ Has Already United
This series imagines what Paul might say to the American church today—written in the tone of a pastoral letter, shaped by the finished work of Christ. It is not Scripture, but a grace-filled reflection using Paul’s voice to address modern challenges.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the called-out ones throughout the American church: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
My beloved brothers and sisters, I give thanks for the faith that dwells in you, yet I grieve over the reports of how quickly you allow earthly divisions to shape what Christ has already joined together. Some of you boast in your political tribe, as though your allegiance to a party were equal to your allegiance to Christ. Others elevate cultural movements above the gospel, treating the kingdoms of men as though they could add to the Kingdom of God.
Have you forgotten what was written?
“There is one body and one Spirit… one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
Why then do you allow the world’s fractures to become your own?
Some say, “I follow this teacher,” and others, “I follow that voice,” but was Christ divided? Was the Cross carved into segments so each tribe could claim its portion? No, beloved—Christ is not fragmented, and neither is His body.
You have been discipled by your news cycles more than by the gospel. You have allowed earthly identities to overshadow your heavenly one. You speak of one another not as fellow heirs of grace but as opponents to be corrected, silenced, or avoided. In doing so, you reveal that you have forgotten who you are.
Hear me clearly: unity is not something you create—it is something Christ has already accomplished.
You do not manufacture peace; you maintain the peace He purchased with His blood.
If you anchor your fellowship in shared opinions, you will fracture as soon as disagreements arise. But if you anchor your fellowship in Christ, you will discover a unity that outlasts every storm, every election, every cultural upheaval.
Some of you fear that unity requires compromise. But unity in Christ is not built by lowering truth; it is built by recognizing that He Himself is the truth, and you are one in Him. Your disagreements need not divide you, for your union does not depend on your sameness—it depends on your Savior.
I say this not to shame you but to call you back to what is already yours.
You are members of one body.
You share one Spirit.
You possess one hope.
Therefore, reject the divisions that the world celebrates. Lay aside the quarrels that do not belong to those who are righteous in Christ. Treat one another as those who have been eternally joined, for that is what you are.
Let your gentleness be known to all people.
Let your speech be seasoned with grace.
Let your identity in Christ outweigh every other identity you carry.
For the world is watching, and when you devour one another, you hide the very Christ you proclaim. But when you walk in unity—anchored in grace, secure in righteousness—you reveal Him with power.
May His unending grace remind you daily of the righteousness you already possess.
