God calls individuals to specific places within the body of Christ and weaves them together for unity. Each person must hold the conviction that scriptures about faith, love, and inheritance apply equally to all brethren placed by the Father. Pride must not overwhelm this conviction, or division will result instead of righteous living as outgoing service to the whole body. Absolute trust in the Father produces no schism among the elect. Brethren receive the same blessings and gifts: access to the Father in prayer, wisdom and revealed knowledge, hope of inheritance, power through Jesus Christ, mercy, citizenship in heavenly places, and fitting together as living stones into a holy temple. All are chosen as a royal priesthood and must treat one another with single-minded compassion and tenderhearted courtesy under the watchful eyes of God. Fervent love for one another covers a multitude of sins and requires ministering gifts as good stewards without grumbling. Personal integrity prevents abuse of these gifts. God listens when His people speak to one another in mutual encouragement. Do not grumble against one another, but establish hearts in patience. Confess trespasses to one another and pray for one another that healing may occur. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much. Trust develops as a two-way street under the Father's direction. Each person experiences times of need and times of supplying needs, requiring vulnerability and reliance on direction from the compassionate Lord. Turning a wanderer from error saves a soul from death. God works to produce faithfulness so the body stands unified at the return of Jesus Christ.

The human heart has an ever-present inward pull that is always working against unity. Even with conversion and the power that comes with the receipt of the Holy Spirit, latent self-concern still reaches out and damages relationships, destroying unity. Even when there are the best of intentions, there are still misunderstandings caused by differing levels of conversion, differing viewpoints, differing experiences, differing generations, and differing dictions. While the laws that govern relationships may be followed, because of the human nature that remains, it takes an act of God for true unity to be produced. God holds the key to the problem of disunity. The relationship with God is the key to unity with the brethren, because that relationship exists for the purpose of bringing believers into the same spiritual image as God. When all perfectly resemble Jesus Christ, all will also resemble each other and there will be unity. Just as two stones fit together when there is a uniform, smooth surface between them, so will believers fit together when lives exactly match the same spiritual standard Jesus Christ set. The general cause of disunity among brethren is a breakdown somewhere in the relationship with God. The solution to disunity is not to try to get everybody together, but rather to restore the relationship with God. This can only be done on an individual basis. While a brother may be able to give advice, encouragement, and exhortation, he cannot fix somebody else's relationship. The one thing that can be done is to try to perfect unity with God. Greater unity with others who are likewise pursuing God's spiritual image will be a result, but it can only happen in that order. Pursuing unity among men first while leaving God in the background inevitably leads to compromise. A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle. With God on our side, even offended brethren can eventually be won over, for when a man's ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. The key to unity lies with God. A man who is growing in unity with God is one whom God will be glad to help in overcoming the problems of disunity.

Our Lord and Savior has commanded that spiritual siblings receive priority over physical siblings. Jesus identified His disciples as His mother and brothers. Almighty God instructs called-out believers to prioritize companionship with spiritual siblings over worldly associates. Jesus gave a new commandment to love one another as He has loved His disciples. Greater love has no one than to lay down one's life for friends. This laying down of life applies both to martyrdom and to a lifetime of sacrificial service that includes edifying siblings with spiritual gifts and receiving edification in return. Isolation from other spiritual siblings prevents service to the Body of Christ. Believers must consider one another to stir up love and good works while continuing to assemble together. Fellowship supplies spiritual growth and encouragement, accountability and correction, sharing of burdens, promotion of unity, worship and prayer, establishment of a witness to the world, and preparation for eternity. Small fellowships allow involvement with people who have faced similar trials and emerged victoriously. As iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another through discussion. When anyone strays from the truth another must turn that person back to God to save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Members of God's church are to be loyal friends to one another, following the example of Christ's loyalty to the Father and to His people. Loyalty is faithful, enduring commitment that persists through obstacles, and it rests on truth rather than blind allegiance. It requires humility and outgoing concern, and it grows from appreciation for what others have done and are going through. Just as God's faithfulness obligates His people to freely respond to Him, it also binds husband and wife, and brethren, to one another. Believers should long to be with the brethren every Sabbath, holy day, Feast of Tabernacles, and church activity, even when sickness or distance prevents it, because dwelling together in unity, as Psalm 133:1 says, requires spiritual friendship. Hebrews 10:22-25 calls believers to consider one another, stir up love and good works, and not forsake assembling together, since perseverance is a community effort and mutual encouragement requires being together. Because life is fleeting and Christ's return will come suddenly, they are to comfort, edify, warn the unruly, uphold the weak, and be patient with all (I Thessalonians 5). Integrity shows in loyal treatment of others in word and deed. Jonathan and David illustrate friendship in which each put the other's interests first, and Ruth's devotion to Naomi shows loyalty that holds to the end. The same obedience that marks friendship with Christ, which is active, continuous, and in everything, includes loving one another.

The Tenth Commandment especially emphasizes man's relationship to man, as the repeated phrase "your neighbor's" shows. It protects the interests of others in seven areas: house, wife, manservant, maidservant, ox, donkey, and anything else that belongs to a neighbor. Wanting a spouse, house, or car is not wrong, but coveting what belongs to a neighbor is. A neighbor's possession may be acquired only if he is selling it and the purchase is fair and honest. Covetousness is an insatiable desire for worldly gain and lies at the heart of most sin. Uncontrolled lust for power, land, and wealth drives wars and fights, and can drive men to theft, lying, and even murder to obtain a coveted prize. Covetousness brings sorrow and, if it dominates the mind, death. The opposite of coveting is giving, because God is a Giver of good and perfect things, and His people must emulate that character. A minister is held to a higher standard. He must not be covetous and must set an example for others, and no unqualified man should covet the ministry. Covetousness bars a person from God's Kingdom. Because the commandment governs the heart and mind, God's Spirit is needed to resist the desires that war within us, so that we treat others with the same outgoing character God has.