I like diversity. Some people don’t. Some people like uniformity. That’s what makes us diverse, different, unique. We all have opinions based on our own experiences and perspectives. We each have our own beliefs (faith, political, social) that may differ. If there is one thing that is clear when we look at the world around us, even just within ethnicity and race, God is a supporter of uniqueness and diversity.

Not all one race, not all one gender, not one political view, not all of the same opinion or of the same faith (we are going to revisit that last one — faith). God did not make a population of mindless robots without thought, personality or expression who are just blindly obeying His every instruction and direction. He gave us the ability to think and to act freely. It is free will.

The double-edged sword that when executed against God causes and has caused separation from God and when pledged over to God leads to salvation through obedience, submission, acceptance and allegiance. We have the ability to choose. Just like we have the ability to express opinion, belief and thought. The one thing that everybody has in common, regardless of any other differences, is we all have free will to do what we want to do. Obey or disobey; follow or lead; hurt or heal; love or hate.

But God does call for uniformity, for compliance, for agreement in one area. This returns us to being a people of faith. His purpose and plan of salvation through Jesus Christ is well outlined, prophesied about, explained and described through the bible. His plan from the beginning of time to the end of time. Salvation and redemption through Christ, I believe, (and this is me personally), is the one area where God calls all people to be alike; for uniformity.

Jesus said in John 17:20-21, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” A prayer from our savior that we may be one in Him as He is one with the Father and that we may be one with one another.

The Apostle Paul called for the church, the body of Christ’s followers, to be united, not divided: “I appeal to you, brothers, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be unified in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10)

If we are of the same faith in Christ, then in this one area of our lives, if no other, perhaps we need to learn to be less diversified and more unified. To fulfill the prayer of our savior and to be stronger as a faith, a people of faith and body of those who are of the same faith.

REV. BARRY VASSAR is pastor at Fitzgerald Memorial Baptist. He can be reached at fitzgeraldmemorial@gmail.com