Key Idea: Since the church’s eternal unity includes her present unity, and since her present unity particularizes her eternal unity, the church must keep choosing unity as her official stance and chosen action through practicing sorrowful disclosure of the malformation of disunity and wise recognition inherent connectedness with God and among Siblings.
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The church’s eternal unity includes her present unity, for that which is eternal extends purposefully in all directions, enlarging its scope. This extension of unity into time increases its bounds, infusing all of creation with reflections of the unity of Father, Son, and Spirit. The church is the hallmark of this reflection.
The church’s present unity particularizes her eternal unity, influencing its expression and giving it a particular form. Present unity’s shaping of the eternal does not recreate it but modifies how believers experience eternal unity. While this experience of unity continues for eternity, it begins right now and ought to be lived out.
Therefore, the church must keep choosing unity as her official stance and chosen action. She ought to declare this choice officially and emphatically. Her unity must be clearly seen in her actions and those of her members, for unity is not something the church simply lands upon. Unity is something the church chooses and keeps doing.
Confession, recognition, and mutual submission enable the church to stand united and live out that unity. The first step is practicing sorrowful disclosure of any malformation of disunity. Confession discloses sin in sorrowful disclosure. Next is wise recognition of believers’ inherent connection with God and one another, connections in which we submit to God and one another. Believers place themselves in one another’s care and accept one another’s authority. This submission does not make us doormats, for submission is wise recognition of another’s worth and a willingness to put ourselves second.
Launching Pad: Springer, L. K. (2008). An articulation and evaluation of an emerging church ecclesiology. (Th.M.). Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, La Mirada, CA
