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The importance of Christian unity for the ecumenical pilgrimage towards 2033
In 2033 Christians will celebrate 2000 years since the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I am really pleased that we plan to celebrate this and give it the due significance it must deserve. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:14: “And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.” While Christians celebrate with joy the birth, death, resurrection, ascension and second coming of Christ, it is the resurrection of Jesus that has changed the course of history, inspired our faith and generated our hope in God in a life that is often riddled with suffering, pain and injustices. Resurrection hope is what gives us courage, strength and joy.
As we move towards JC2033, it is imperative that we work for Christian unity on the way. The Risen Christ brings all things together, this should include Christians. Yet, the divisions between and among Christians do not tell a good story nor does it help our witness to Jesus Christ in the world.
Sometime back, when there were conflicts among Roman Catholics and Protestants in Ireland a Protestant Chaplin went to a hospital to visit some of the injured parishioners. The nurse said to the Chaplin to please wait a little, while she attended to patients and then she will introduce him to the Protestant patients. Seeing that she was taking too long, the Chaplin went on his own. As he was leaving, the nurse returned and offered to take him through but he responded that he had already done his visits. To which the nurse asked, “And how did you know who was Protestant and who was Roman Catholic?” The Chaplin said, “Well, that was easy, when I went to a bed, where it said P I stopped, spoke and prayed with the patient and where it said RC I nodded and passed by.” The nurse smiled and replied, “But Reverend, P means porridge and RC stands for Rice Crispies.”
This simple and yet true story puts into question the emphasis and differences we make about denominational and confessional identities. While these may be important to some, and we shouldn’t be dismissive of that, yet we must ask if it is the core of our Christian calling. The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4 seems to indicate that Christ is the foundation of the Christian faith and not the distinctive elements of differences we have created. Our identity is in Christ and not in our confessional identities in as much as that may be valuable to us. I wonder if Paul meant that as the “prisoner of the Lord” he was making it clear that he was not a prisoner of the church.
The Apostle Paul speaks very strongly about Christian unity in Ephesians 4: 1-6. He implores us to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” He then proceeds to remind us that “There is one body and one Spirit –just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
The Apostle in these verses reminds us that we are called to unity. Unity is God`s gift to us. Unity is not uniformity but oneness and togetherness as we proclaim Jesus Christ to the world. A broken and divided church does not have a message to an already broken and divided world, especially if it does not exemplify and practice what it preaches.
Admittedly, every family has its challenges with disagreements, likes, views, preferences and desires but they are still a family. The church is no different. Therefore, at all costs we must make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, says the Apostle Paul. Unity in the body of Christ matters!
In verse 4, note Paul says, “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Reference to the Spirit here reinforces the idea that we cannot keep unity by ourselves. We need the Spirit`s presence. The self is always desirous of conflict and disunity, but the Spirit gives us the fruit of humility, gentleness, patience, and love to bear with one another. Peace is not the absence of conflict and disagreements but the desire to walk in the spirit of unity.
Now while the Apostle made a reference to what makes unity, namely the fruit of the Spirit in verses 2-3. In verses 25-32, he makes a really long list of what causes disunity, and he instructs Christians to get rid of these in their lives and living. He says put off falsehood, speak truthfully, do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, do not give the devil a foothold, do not steal, do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice. Seems like a tall order indeed, and impossible to keep but it is because the Holy Spirit helps us to live the Christian life.
Paul’s final words in chapter 4 brings it all together when he says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, (and here`s the punch line) forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Be imitators of God (5: 1). Thus, unity is possible and practical if we choose to follow Christ and live in the Spirit.
Jesus prayed for the unity of believers in John 17. I know that while many people continue to yearn, pray and work for visible Christian unity some have become disenchanted and despondent on the journey, believing that such is a far-fetched dream and further from reality as we encounter many challenges.
Too many churches today are giving into splits and fragmentation on grounds of doctrine, theology, socio-ethical issues, money and personalities. Some say, “We can never have unity or be in the same church anymore because we have such great differences, especially these days on the issue of human sexuality. This, of course, is a huge issue for the WCC with our 352 member churches, you can imagine how polarized we can be on this issue. In June 2023, at the WCC central committee the issue of human sexuality caused immense debate on the subject so much so that the Council`s unity stood in question. Then a miracle happened when we adjourned and asked some people with opposing views to come up with a solution. By God`s grace and wisdom, they did. All things are possible with God.
Personally, I believe that we must never stop praying and walking and working together for Christian unity. We need to affirm and deepen the desire for Christian unity knowing that this is what Jesus prayed for in John 17:21. Unity is a gift already given to us to appropriate in Christ, a broken and suffering world needs Christians working together towards reconciliation, justice and peace.
Our inability to live up to the calling of visible Christian unity should not diminish or blur the ultimate vision. Let us continue to pray and work together so that the world may believe! Whatever the challenges we may face in preserving the unity of fellowship as Christians we must not fixate on what separates us but on the Risen Christ who unites us and calls us to have unity in our witness to the world. Christian unity matters!
Whether we understand unity as spiritual, relational, organic or common purpose or mission, what matters most is that we are called to pray, walk and witness together so that the world may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God and in believing in Him they may have eternal life.
Christian unity is a witness to the world. So that the world may believe. A broken and suffering world needs the unity of Christians. The WCC acknowledges this in its Message from the Assembly in Karlsruhe in 2022. The Message reads:
We affirm the vision of the WCC for the visible unity of all Christians, and we invite other Christians to share this vision with us. We also invite all people of faith and goodwill to trust, with us, that a different world, a world respectful of the living earth, a world in which everyone has daily bread and life in abundance, a decolonized world, a more loving, harmonious, just, and peaceful world, is possible. In a world weighed down with so much pain, anguish, and fear, we believe that the love we have seen in Christ brings the liberating possibilities of joy, justice for all, and peace with the earth. Moved by the Holy Spirit, compelled by a vision of unity, we journey on together, resolved to practice Christ’s love, following his steps as his disciples, and carrying a torch for love in the world, trusting in the promise that Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity. – From the Unity Statement of the 11th Assembly.
It is clear from this statement that Christian unity is needed to witness to and transform the world as we address conflicts, divisions, brokenness and pain. Christian disunity is nothing but a feeble, weak and contradictory message to a fragmented world. Christian unity matters in the quest for justice, reconciliation and peace in the world. Christian unity is God`s call to us today to reconcile humanity and all creation.
This year, 2025, is the 1700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. It is important for Christians to seize the opportunity to work together, to show the world that we are together, made one in Jesus our Lord. What a powerful witness that would be in the world. The Nicaea celebrations should be an opportunity to work for Christian unity as we move towards JC 2033.
When we reflect on the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and the formulation of the Nicene Creed, we are not merely engaging with a historical relic or an ancient theological formula. We are reminded of the living faith it represents—a faith that testifies to the truth of Jesus Christ, the resurrected Son of God, who is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Creed, formulated in 325 AD, affirms Christ’s divinity and humanity, and it expresses the unity of the Triune God, inviting us into a shared confession of faith. The Nicene Creed is a reminder and call to oneness in Faith.
It is a faith that prompts us to ask who is Jesus to us today and how does he call us to live in a changing world? It offers us the invitation to live our faith through action. It is a call to witness together. The Nicene Creed is a unifying thread that has bound Christian communities across centuries and continents. Yet, it is not merely a statement to be recited; it is a call to action. In a world filled with suffering, injustice, and division, we are challenged to move from creed to deed. The faith we confess must shape the way we live, the way we respond to the brokenness of the world, and the way we embody the love of Christ in tangible, transformative ways.
This call to action is pressing in contexts where many communities face the daily realities of poverty, migration, religious pluralism, and systemic injustice, oppression, conflicts, wars and climate catastrophes. As people of faith, we are called to explore how does the Nicene faith inspire movements for peace, justice, and reconciliation in such a context. How do we live out the truth that Christ is Lord in a world where many suffer under oppression, inequalities and die from the futility of wars?
The connection between “right belief” and “right action” is essential here. While Nicaea helped us to gain theological consensus on theological divisive issues, yet it reminds us that the faith we proclaim must not remain in the realm of theological discourse alone. It must translate into concrete action that reflects God’s justice and compassion as we address the numerous injustices in the world, such as, economic, gender, climate and digital injustices. In the words of the apostle James, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). Nicaea invites us to consider ways in which our faith comes alive through works of mercy, justice, reconciliation and peace. It invites us to reflect on and respond to injustices in the world.
Nicaea is the invitation to journey together, not as isolated communities, but as a fellowship and people of faith. It reminds what it means to be the body of Christ, that when one part suffers, we all suffer and when one part rejoices, we all rejoice. It ought to place in us the renewed desire to seek unity and fellowship.
Nicaea invites us to offer visible signs of unity—perhaps most powerfully through the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. One of the most enduring symbols of Christian unity is our shared celebration of Easter, the central event of our faith. And yet, here too, we find division, as different Christian traditions celebrate Easter on different dates and some take the exclusive approach to the celebration of the sacrament of the Lord`s Supper.
The quest for a common date for Easter, which played a significant role in the convocation of the Council of Nicaea, remains a powerful symbol of our desire for unity. In this year 2025, this endeavor takes on new significance. As you probably know, all Christians worldwide will celebrate Easter together on 20th April. I believe we are called to use this momentum to imagine the powerful witness it would be if Christians around the world, in every tradition, celebrated the resurrection of Christ on the same day every year. Such a united celebration would not only affirm our shared faith but also serve as a visible sign of the unity we seek.
A united Easter celebration would be a profound testament to the power of Christ's victory over death and a visible witness to the world of the unity of His body, the church. Nicaea invites us to ask: How can we, as a fellowship of churches, work together to offer this visible sign of unity to the world? I encourage you as different churches gathered here today to ask how you may seize this opportunity this year to walk, work and witness together as one body of Christ in the world.
The eschatological dimension of the resurrection event tells us that the future breaks into the present to take us into God`s presence. However, God calls us to serve as God`s instruments in creating a world of justice, peace, hope and righteousness. And this we can do better as we unite as Christians seeking to fulfil God`s mission in the world. As we move towards celebrating the 2000 anniversary of the resurrection of Jesus, let us give greater attention to the need for Christian unity, the Nicaea celebration this year is a good opportunity to give further impulse to this endeavor knowing that Jesus prayed and called for Christians to pray, walk and work together so that the world may believe.
Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay
General Secretary
World Council of Churches
