THE BREAD OF UNITY IS FOUND ONLY IN HIS CHURCH
The CHRIST Culture Blog | October 14th, 2025 | Rev. Dr. Carole Hulslander
Augustine of Hippo was a theologian and philosopher of mixed Roman and Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa.
He wrote the following about the bread of unity.
“In this loaf of Bread you are given clearly to understand how much you should love unity. I mean, was that loaf made from one grain? Weren’t there many grains of wheat? But before they came into the loaf they were all separate; they were joined together by means of water after a certain amount of pounding and crushing. Unless wheat is ground, after all, and moistened with water, it can’t possibly get into this shape which is called bread. Then came baptism, and you were, in a manner of speaking, moistened with water in order to be shaped into bread. But it’s not yet bread without fire to bake it…So the HOLY SPIRIT comes, the fire after the water, and you are baked into bread which is the body of CHRIST. And that is how unity is signified.
In order not to be scattered and separated, eat what binds you together; in order not to seem cheap in your own estimations, drink the price that was paid for you. Just as this turns into you when you eat and drink it, so you for your part turn into the body of CHRIST when you live devout and obedient lives…So you are beginning to receive what you have also begun to be.”
The local and national news have overlooked the mass murders of Christians in Nigeria: “Officials in Nigeria are ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists,” U.S Senator Ted Cruz alleged. This issue has been ongoing since the early 2000s but has recently escalated at an alarming rate. Did you see this news in the media? Were you aware that people of the Christian faith are among the most endangered groups on earth? If not, it’s partly because the church is not united as Scripture prescribes. Nowadays, simply attending church is often viewed as a goal. However, the church is meant to be united in the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT, as CHRIST prayed in John 17. So, how are we to achieve such unity that we are one? This is where things began to go wrong, as the enemy brought confusion regarding the fundamental prayer of CHRIST for unity. This unity was to be as instructed in Matthew 28:18-20; 18 And YESHUA came up to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to ME. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, immersing them in the name of the FATHER and the SON and the RUACH HA-KODESH, 20 teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. And remember! I AM with you always, even to the end of the age.”(Tree of Life Version) However, we neglected to include the part about “teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. And remember! I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” To keep the church filled, we have permitted the teachings of CHRIST to be
ignored and forgotten. We allow human cultures to dictate the direction of the church, while forgetting the promise: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Augustine reminds us that the sacraments of the church are much more than church rituals. “In order not to be scattered and separated, eat what binds you together; in order not to seem cheap in your own estimations, drink the price that was paid for you. Just as this turns into you when you eat and drink it, so you for your part turn into the body of CHRIST when you live devout and obedient lives…So you are beginning to receive what you have also begun to be.”
May the churches in the West and all over the world pick up the words of CHRIST and begin to teach all HE has commanded, and may we pray as CHRIST did in John 17 for all believers to become one and love each other as ourselves. Let’s work together to stop the killing of our brothers and sisters and give to “Global Christian Relief. Org.” and support efforts in our country to hold those responsible for the torture and death of Christians wherever it is found.
