God's purpose is to bring together and reconcile to himself the whole of creation. This desire for unity is a reflection of the unity within the Godhead; it is expressed in marriage, and demonstrated in the fellowship of the church.
Unity is a reflection of God's person
Deuteronomy 6:4; John 17:22 See also Mark 12:29, Mark 12:32; John 1:1, John 17:11; Galatians 3:20; 1 John 5:7
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.
I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one —
Alienation is a result of sin
Alienation from God
Genesis 3:8, Genesis 3:23–24; Isaiah 59:2; Ezekiel 28:16; James 4:4
Alienation from one another
Genesis 4:7–9, Genesis 4:23–24, Genesis 6:11; James 4:1–2; Jude 1:19
God's purpose in unity
To bring together all peoples
A song of ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!
And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ.
To unite all peoples under his rule
Zechariah 14:9 See also Genesis 49:10; Psalm 72:8–11; Isaiah 2:2–4 parallel Micah 4:1–3; John 10:16; Philippians 2:9–11; Revelation 11:15
On that day the LORD will become King over all the earth— the LORD alone, and His name alone.
To unite all peoples in worship
Isaiah 19:23–25 See also Psalm 86:9; Isaiah 56:6–8; Zechariah 8:20–23, Zechariah 14:16; Mark 11:17; Revelation 15:4
In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria— a blessing upon the earth. The LORD of Hosts will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.”
To bring reconciliation between Jew and Gentile
Ephesians 2:11–19 See also Isaiah 14:1; Romans 10:12; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11
To bring reconciliation among his people
Jeremiah 50:4 See also Isaiah 11:10–13; Ezekiel 37:21–24; Micah 2:12; Matthew 5:24; Philippians 4:2
“In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, the children of Israel and the children of Judah will come together, weeping as they come, and will seek the LORD their God.
To reconcile humanity to himself
Colossians 1:19–22 See also Romans 5:10–11; 2 Corinthians 5:18–19; Hebrews 10:19–20
For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross. Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence —
Expressions of unity brought by God
Unity between husband and wife
Genesis 2:24 See also Malachi 2:15; Matthew 19:5–6 parallel Mark 10:7–8; 1 Corinthians 6:16, 1 Corinthians 7:4, 1 Corinthians 7:10–11
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Marriage as an expression of unity between God and his people
Jeremiah 2:2; Ephesians 5:31–32 See also Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 31:32; Hosea 2:16; John 3:29; Revelation 19:7, Revelation 21:2, Revelation 21:9
“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: ‘I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church.
Unity within the church
John 17:21 See also Acts 2:1, Acts 4:32; 1 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Corinthians 10:17, 1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:13
that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.