August 2, 2026
LIVING THE “ONE ANOTHER” LIFE
“Together, you are the body of Christ” 1 Corinthians 12:27
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what it means to be a community of faith. As I’ve mentioned over the past few weeks, our culture often pushes us to think first as individuals. More and more, though, people are beginning to see the limits of that way of life.
The end of Judges describes a time of chaos, violence and revenge: “There was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” That kind of “might is right” thinking is where unchecked individualism can lead. It is also why organisations such as the UN and the International Criminal Court came into being. For all their flaws, they reflect a basic human need for restraint, justice and shared responsibility.
So what does it mean to be the church in a culture that is rarely collective, but more often individualistic? We breathe that air all week. It is easy to think of ourselves first, family and friends next, and church only occasionally. So how do we live out the many “one another” commands of the New Testament — to love, encourage, serve and care for each other? How do we build a shared life that goes deeper than surface-level connection?
The church has wrestled with this throughout its history. At Pentecost, the unity of the Spirit began to reverse the division of Babel. Yet every generation still has to work out what that unity looks like in its own time and place.
One helpful guiding principle is this:
Honour diversity while maintaining unity
A mature community does not need everyone to think alike. Instead, it learns to hold different perspectives with patience. We do not have to resolve every difference immediately. We can look at the same painting or watch the same movie and notice different things, use different words, or draw out different emphases. That can be healthy. The same is true of faith. While not all opinions have equal merit. There is room for all to be welcome.
Of course, that does not mean we give up on truth. But it does remind us that no single neat formula can capture the full beauty and wonder of our King. Jesus said, “I am the Truth,” not merely, “Here is the truth.” Truth is personal before it is a perfectly worded statement. Truth is a person to encounter, more than a theological formula.
Maturity is honouring diversity and that means we can disagree about some methods while staying united around deeper commitments, including:
- Truth — yes, there is such a thing.
- Humility — ‘we see and know in part’ until Jesus returns (1 Cor 13v12).
- The core beliefs of our faith.
- The central commands to love and serve one another.
May we keep learning to belong to one another in Christ, holding truth with humility and living our unity with love.
Julian Holdsworth
BSBC Pastor
