Better Together for the Sake of the Gospel

The recent Winter Olympics showcased their core value of friendship and unity in sports. For many of us, this is a breath of fresh air in a time filled with division and polarization. The news, social media, and even conversations around the coffee pot at work only seem to amplify the situation. Even within the church, differences can harden into distance. Unity can sometimes feel even impossible.

Yet, into the landscape of division, Easter speaks a better word, a better breath of fresh air. At the cross, we are brought together by our shared need for salvation. Before we are divided by politics, ethnicity, generation, or personal conviction, we are united in this truth: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). On the cross, He took our sin, accepted the judgment, and reconciled us to God. You may have heard this before, but the ground at the foot of the cross is level.

In the resurrection we share a risen King! We are united under His authority and a shared loyalty that is above all others. Our primary allegiance is not to cultural groups or denominational labels, but to the risen Lord who reigns forever. We may disagree on secondary matters, but we confess one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Ephesians 4:5-6). The resurrection anchors our identity as a people in Christ, not in shifting cultural currents.

This unity in the cross and resurrection is powerful. I saw a glimpse of this during a season of my ministry when I served as the director of First Priority in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota area. We had 30 youth pastors and ministry directors representing a wide diversity of Christian traditions: from Pentecostal to Presbyterian, from non-denominational to Catholic. Yet we gathered around one shared mission: proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to middle and high school students throughout our community.

This unity did not erase our differences but put them in proper perspective. What brought us together was far greater than any differences. We believed in the saving grace of Christ's death and the life-changing truth of His resurrection. Our motto, "Better Together Than Apart," was simple but rooted in this belief.

The cross and resurrection declare that being reconciled to God and others is not just wishful thinking. It's already done! Jesus didn't come just to save scattered individuals; He came to make one redeemed people. Easter calls us to embody what Christ has accomplished. In a divided and weary culture, the Church's unity becomes a living proclamation of the Gospel. When we are united, we show Christ's love and invite others to believe - Better together than apart!

Learn more about PBA's School of Ministry at https://www.pba.edu/academics/schools/ministry/.

Dr. Jonathan Grenz is the dean of PBA's School of Ministry. Before his appointment to deanship, he served as director of PBA's Master of Divinity program and assistant director of the Center for Experiential Learning. His 30+ years of ministry experience includes serving as a lead pastor, associate pastor in youth ministry and Christian education, and director of a parachurch ministry. He has been a full-time faculty member at Sioux Falls Seminary and an adjunct professor at Taylor University, College and Seminary in Edmonton, Alberta. He has led numerous short-term mission groups and recently has enjoyed opportunities to teach pastors in Colombia, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Ukraine. He also served as the president of the We Are Life board of directors, a foundation making a major impact in the lives of people in Colombia by providing them with resources for evangelism, ministry, education, enterprise, health care, and social work. From his expertise and experience, he co-authored "Synergistic Collaborations: Pastoral Care and Church Social Work," seeking to extend outreach ministries and new ways to collaborate with community organizations as they serve hurting people.