Live in Harmony with One Another

See the introductory post on the "one another" commands.

Romans 12:16 commands, "Live in harmony with one another."

In Romans 15:5, Paul prays that God would grant harmony in order that with one voice the Romans would glorify God.

Some observations:

1. Harmony is both commanded by God and given by God. God commands what He gives.

2. "Harmony" is a pleasing or congruent arrangement of parts. Harmony is the weaving together of two or more different parts which results in a sweeter arrangement than the parts by themselves.

3. God commands and Paul prays that we will so weave our lives together that God is glorified by our unity. Harmony glorifies God.

4. The Christian life is not an individualistic pursuit. We are fundamentally called to join our lives with fellow believers and pursue maturity together. The way to glorify God is not to live in isolation concerned only with your "holiness." The way to glorify God is to lock arms with a group of believers and seek to so love them and care for them that your lives are weaved together in a beautify symphony.

5. Closely related to this command is the command to "agree with one another" (2 Cor. 13:11; Phil. 2:2). This certainly does not mean that we have to agree on every detail of life (we don't all have to have the same favorite color). This means that we have a strong agreement on the essentials and purpose of life. We, with "one voice", have the same aim in our existence.

6. Harmony is only possible because of the gospel. Christ has died for our sins and has reconciled us to the Father. Christ has broken down the walls of hostility that exist between each other in our hearts. Christ has made it possible to actually unite ourselves with other sinners redeemed by His blood.