Social, economic, religious and political divisions develop when people do not love, respect and accept one another the way they want and deserve to be loved, respected and accepted. More importantly, attitudes and behaviors toward one another are not up to God’s standards for loving your neighbor. This is the root cause of division and the obstacle to unity in all relationships.

Divisions begin as envy, pride, boasting, anger, self-serving, unforgiveness, delighting in evil, dishonoring others, and showing favoritism and partiality in relationships. To see the source of division we only need to look at the attitudes and behaviors that are not equated with love. These unresolved micro-offenses spread like cancer throughout communities, nations and the world. This happens because most people are totally ignorant of what Godly love is or how to practice it – despite their sincere human love for one another. Human love is powerless to overcome evil and division.

God’s solution for division is very clear: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Very simply, this means to do what Godly love does and not do the things that Godly love does not do. More broadly, division is created every time someone breaks one of God’s laws about how to relate to one another.

The verse that says “love covers a multitude of sins” refers to Godly love which effectively covers/conceals all micro-offenses so that they are no longer problems is relationships. Godly love has this power because Godly love always includes forgiveness which is absolutely necessary for healing division. This is how God creates unity out of division.

God’s command to love your neighbor as yourself has always been his prescription for diversity, equity, inclusion and peaceful relationships in families, locally, nationally and internationally. He equates loving others with loving him. In fact, the bible says that people who hate their brother or sister (i.e. neighbor) do not love God. 

Unity will never be realized until people – those who are religious and those who are not – understand God’s definition of love and hate. Hint: they are not the same as cultural definitions of these terms. See Do Not Judge with Favoritism and Partiality for more about unity.