6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
6 that [in order that] you may with one mind and one mouth
The word “that” indicates purpose. The purpose of unity in the Roman church was to glorify both the Father and the Son.
It is not enough to glorify God with our mind; we should do it with our mouth as well. Verbal expression of unity is as important as our attitude of unity. This is community of attitude and confession.
glorify the God and [even] Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Glorify” is in present tense—readers are to keep on glorifying the Father. This is the ultimate purpose of both the individual and the church. The glory of God is the supreme purpose of believers.
“Glorify” means to magnify God. It is a word of praise. The Greek word for “glory” is doxa, which means opinion. We find the Greek word in three English words. When we are “orthodox” we hold a straight opinion; when we are “heterodox” we hold a crooked opinion. If two opinions both appear right, then we have a “paradox.” When we come to conviction about an opinion, then we glorify the object of that opinion. In this case we glorify God by having an attitude of oneness with fellow believers.
The clearer that our ultimate purpose is to glorify God, the more serious and dangerous divisions become among the saints.
PRINCIPLE:
Unity among Christians is not for their own sake but for God Himself.
APPLICATION:
Unity of attitude is necessary in order to glorify God properly. God receives the glory when believers in union praise Him.
There is no need to divide over non-essential doctrinal issues. If the issue is racial, ethnic, or cultural, there is no proper biblical cause for division. Christians do not have to agree on the mode of baptism or other such doctrines. Unity does mean that we agree on the deity of Christ, salvation by grace through faith alone, and other foundational doctrines.
True harmony among Christians does not demand that we divorce ourselves from different views of doubtful things in Scripture. Both mature and immature believers have a responsibility in this.
When Christians live in harmony with each other, we raise the level of how others see God. This happens when we become like the Lord Jesus Christ in life and service. We welcome our brothers not as a matter of law but as an issue of being in the same mind with Christ.
