15 Important Stories About Unity in the Bible

The power of unity is an important topic in the Bible. Jesus Christ did not just come to bring eternal life, but He also came to bring the good news of unity of people. Following Jesus’ death and resurrection, we see so many other great things that God wants us to live with, including unity. There are so many stories about unity in the Bible. They give us examples of Christian unity and help us on our path of spiritual growth. 

We need to reflect on the stories about unity in the Bible because they encourage us to live out unity in our lives. They also help us to recognize what living in unity might look like in our own lives, and they show us the power of unity in the Bible. 

In this article, we will be looking at examples of unity both from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. The Bible itself is a unifying book because the themes are consistent throughout its entirety. Specifically, unity and collaboration are major topics explored by both the Old and New Testaments. There are tons of Bible verses in both that show us the power of unity. 

Unity in the Old Testament 

When it comes to unity in the Old Testament, most of the moments of unity come from stories. The Old Testament describes the events that happened from the beginning of time until just before the coming of Christ. In many of these stories, God’s people, the Israelites, are discovering how God relates to himself and how they relate to other people. 

These stories demonstrate that since the beginning of time, God has had a plan of unity for everything, including His people. 

The Story of God & The Trinity 

In Genesis 1, the first chapter of the Bible, unity is revealed as a characteristic of God. In the creation story, God created everything, then He created man. Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,”

You might wonder why God is using plural language to describe Himself. The answer is that God is a triune God, which means that He exists in 3 separate entities. Those three entities are The Heavenly Father, The Son of God, and The Holy Spirit. 

All three of these entities are one God. They are a unified God. The Holy Father is only one aspect of God, and the two others are equally important to God. 

In this story, God is showing the importance of unity and balance. Although they are separate, they are unified into one God. 

The Tower of Babel

The next story in the Bible about unity is the story of the tower of Babel. In this story, God’s people build a city, and they want to build a tower to reach Heaven. God looks down on them and declares that if they work together, there is nothing that they won’t be able to accomplish. God’s confusion made them speak many different languages, so they could not work together and build the tower. 

Although they were doing something against God’s will, the law of unity was still at work. People can use unity to do great things, but they can also use it for evil. Whenever we become unified with the wrong people, our trajectory goes in the wrong direction, and it might even lead to us receiving correction from God. 

Joseph’s Story of Unity 

Another story in the Bible about unity is the story of Joseph and his family. Joseph was his father’s favorite son, and his brothers resented him for it. He had dreams that his brothers would bow down to him, and he told his brothers this. In response, Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt. 

While in Egypt, Joseph rose to power and became second in charge. Whenever a great famine came, everyone went to Egypt to get food. Joseph’s brothers also went to Egypt to get food, and he forgave them and kept them safe from the famine. 

Joseph chose unity, even though his brothers betrayed him. As human beings, we are going to experience betrayal, pain, and heartbreak, but Joseph’s example shows us that we should pursue unity above any heartbreak we might experience. 

Moses, Aaron, and Hur 

In the next book of the Bible, Exodus, there is another great story of unity. The people of God are about to go to battle against another military group. God gave Moses, the leader of the Israelites, a description of how to win the battle they were going into. He told Moses to go onto a mountain and raise his staff in the air. As long as the staff was raised, God’s people would win. 

Moses took two other men up on the mountain with him, Aaron and Hur. While on the mountain, what God said was happening. The Israelites were winning, but Moses was getting tired. During this, Aaron and Hur held Moses’ arms up and gave him a rock to sit on. Moses kept his arms up, and the people of God won their battle. 

This story is another great lesson in unity. Without Aaron and Hur helping Moses, God’s people would have lost. Similar to the tower of Babel, when the people worked together, nothing was impossible.  

The Israelites and the Battle of Jericho

The next story comes after Moses passed away and Joshua became the leader of the Israelites. God’s people passed into a land that God had promised to them, but they still had to conquer the land. In Joshua 6, the people approach the city of Jericho. 

God told Joshua to have the people march around the city one time each day for six days, then on the seventh day, they were supposed to march around the city seven times. At the end of the seventh march, they were supposed to blow their trumpets and yell as loud as they could. They executed all of these things, and they did it together. 

With God’s help and their obedience, they were able to take the city of Jericho and move closer to God’s promise for them.

Nehemiah & Israel Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem

In Nehemiah 3 there is a story of unity too! The city of Jerusalem was not in good shape, and the walls of Jerusalem were destroyed, but Nehemiah had the vision of restoring it. He gathered the people, equipped them, and instructed them to rebuild the wall. What seemed like a task that was going to take a long time was done rapidly.

All of the Israelites were working together to restore the wall, so it happened. In our lives, we might feel like success is far away, but it comes down to the people we have in our lives. When you work in a place with no friends, you won’t last long. If you are in a workplace with a community, there is nothing you can’t accomplish. 

David and Jonathan Standing Together Against King Saul 

There is also a story about King David before he was king when he was unified with someone. David’s best friend was a man named Jonathan. Jonathan was the son of King Saul. The Bible tells us that David and Jonathan were of one spirit. 

Saul tried to kill David, but Jonathan warned David, and David was able to get away. Jonathan was loyal to David even though Saul was his dad. He was a faithful friend who saved David from death.

We should have people in our lives who will protect us fiercely, just like David had Jonathan. 

Shadrack, Meeshack, and Abednego 

The last story from the Old Testament about unity is the story of Shadrach, Meeshack, and Abednego. Three Jews, these men were taken into captivity by a man named King Nebuchadnezzar. This King was prideful, and he created a statue that everyone had to bow down to. If they didn’t bow down, they would be killed. 

At the moment they were supposed to bow down, these men did not. They stood together, and they were thrown into the furnace. However, God was with them in the furnace and kept them from being burned up. 

Unity for the right reason unlocks supernatural power, and it gets God’s attention. Furthermore, the friends were able to keep each other accountable for not bowing down. We should have friends who share similar values and will help us to not kneel to the things of this world. 

Unity in the New Testament

Beyond the Old Testament, there are examples of unity in the New Testament. However, the New Testament is more teaching, than story. Most of the references to unity are direct, unlike the Old Testament. The New Testament’s scriptures clearly state that unity is a standard that Christians should live by. 

Jesus’ Teachings on Unity

Jesus was God’s son, and even He taught on the importance of living in unity so much so that He wanted us to live in unity with our enemies. 

In Matthew 5:44 Christ Jesus said, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Unity is important and not just with the people that we like. God calls all people to live in unity together. The co-workers who drive us nuts, and the crazy family members both are people we are called to live in unity with. 

That doesn’t mean we have to agree with everything a person says, but it does mean we have to fall in love with everyone around us. 

The Story of the Prodigal Son

Another one of Jesus’ teachings was a story about a prodigal son. Jesus said that there was a wealthy man, whose youngest son came to him and wanted his inheritance. The man gave his son what he wanted, and the son left. The son wasted the money and became very poor. 

Eventually, the son declared that he wanted to go work as a servant for his dad, so he would at least have food and a place to stay. As he returned, the father ran towards the boy a the sight of him. He even threw a party for his found son. 

The father pursued unity with his son. The older son was bitter about the younger son returning, but the Father told him that everything He had belonged to the older son too. 

In this story, the Father represents God, so God desires unity with everyone. He doesn’t want us to walk away from Him, but He is glad when we return to live in unity with him. 

The Early Church 

After Jesus ascended to Heaven, the local church became unified. Throughout the book of Acts, there are many moments of unity. Specifically in Acts 1, we discover that Jesus’ followers were all praying in one accord. That means that we were unified. 

They even received the Holy Spirit, which unified them even more. 

There are many divisions in Christianity today. Methodists, Baptists, and Lutherans are all sects of Christianity, however, the early church shows us unity. That we should live in unity with the people around us. 

The Body of Christ

In one of Paul’s letters, he describes the Church as a unified body. 1 Corinthians says this, “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 to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so, the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

The church is called to be unified. Each person has a special function as part of Christ’s body. The members of the body must all work together to move effectively. When the whole body moves in unity it is unstoppable. 

This illustration sets an example for us as Christians. We are supposed to be a body that works together to do what Christ did while he was here. Our actions should collaborate to create a world-changing impact. 

Paul’s Teachings on Unity

The Apostle Paul wrote many different letters and he taught on unity a lot. Here are some of his mentions of Unity. 

• Colossians 3:14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.
• Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
• Ephesians 4:2-3 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

• Ephesians 4:13, “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,”
• Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

The Unity of Heaven 

The final moment of unity in the Bible is directly before the end of the Bible. Essentially, John, a disciple of Jesus had a vision of the end times. In the prophecy he sees different nations and peoples worshiping God. 

He said this in Revelations, “After this, I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,”

The different peoples were unified in honoring God. This is the image of what will happen in the end. We will worship God with every other follower of Jesus. 

Unity exists in the beginning and it exists in the end, but it’s all for God’s glory. 

The Importance of Unity 

As a Christian, unity is an essential part of our lives. People love to be saved from the punishment of sin, but living in unity is not quite as easy. Luckily, we can look at these examples to help us decipher how we can live in unity.

The stories explained in this article should encourage us. They should help us to remember that unity is essential to be an effective church. There is nothing we cannot do with God and unity, so pursue unity and watch the impact of your life grow.