Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:3

Why does Paul associate the unity of the Spirit with the bond of peace?  Perhaps one way to consider this is by a discussion of the body.  When our human body has unity, that is, all of the various parts are working together as they should, a bond of peace prevails among those parts.  We are in a healthy state.  When one part, or perhaps more than one part, begins to behave in a manner which disrupts the unity of the body, peace comes to an end.  An unhealthy body is not bound together in peace.  It is the head that communicates to the body where the problem lies.  Our head interprets the message which the body sends it and we say, ‘I am nauseated,’ or ‘I have a headache.’  So for believers, as the Body of Christ, when we keep the unity of the Spirit, we do so in the bond of peace and that makes for spiritual health.  It is our connection with Christ, Our Head, that enables us to understand what is going on in the Body.  It is only our connection with Christ, which enables us to keep this unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

Our God and our Father,
we rejoice that You have brought us together
as the Body of Christ.
We praise You that as we look Christ,
we may continue in unity and in the bond of peace.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:3

Why is keeping unity so difficult?  Why do we have to exercise such diligent effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?  Perhaps one of the key reasons is the complexity of the believer.  We know that God has saved us.  He has done a work of grace in our hearts.  Although we are new creatures in Christ Jesus, we still have a powerful connection to what Paul refers to as ‘this body of death.’  Because the work of sanctification is just that, an ongoing work, it is not complete.  Therefore, we are going to experience the struggle which Paul describes in Romans 7.  When we would do good, evil is present with us.  The good we want to do, we do not do.  The evil that we do not want to do, we do.  This conflict affects our ability to keep the unity of the Spirit in multiple ways.  The only answer to this is to look to Christ.  Because He is the unifying element in the life of all of us who rest by faith in Him, it is only by gathering together around Him that we will be able to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  This is what will overcome all our natural inclinations to disunity.

Our Good and Gracious God,
we rejoice that the power of Christ
overcomes all our shortcomings.
We praise You that daily, as we look to Him,
He draws us together
to function as one body.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:3

What is the unity of the Spirit and who can have it?  Before we discuss what it is, we should identify what it is not.  The unity of the Spirit is not uniformity.  A graveyard may be uniform, yet there is no life within it.  Also, external unity is not equivalent to internal unity.  We may, as parents, present a unified front to the children, yet not have unity as spouses.  Unity is not the banding together of desperate groups to support a common cause.  We find this often in politics, when what passes for unity is really very much a matter of, ‘we hate each other, but we hate them more, so we will work together.’  True unity is the solid, common ground upon which we stand when we agree on certain things.  In the case of those who are Christ’s, these are the core beliefs which have historically distinguished the people of God.  According to Revelation 7, they are: 1) Salvation is of God; 2) God rules upon His Throne, 3) Christ is the Lamb of God, 4) God is worthy of our praise and worship.  Regardless of any other conclusion, we may reach about various other subjects, this unity is that which only those who have the Spirit of God in them have.  It is a unity which centers in God and His Christ. 

Our Great and Gracious God,
we rejoice that You have unified us by Your Spirit,
around the Person and work of Christ.
We praise You that day-by-day
You teach us to look to Him,
and to stand united with those who are His.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Ephesians 4:2

What does it mean to bear with one another in love?  It means that we are willing to put up with each other’s idiosyncrasies out of love for one another.  This is a Christlike quality.  Christ was willing to bear with the glitches and twitches of a great number of people.  The disciples come to mind.  One of them was a political radical.  Another was a foul-mouthed fisherman.  Two of them were hot-heads.  Christ bore with these and others.  What was wonderful was that Christ could see the end from the beginning. He could bear with the idiosyncrasies of the disciples knowing what they would become in due course of time as He sanctified them.  What we know of bearing with one another we will learn from Christ.  No one else has loved as He has loved.  No one else could have less reason to put up with our twitches and yet show more forbearance.  If we are going to learn, we must look to Christ to teach us how to bear with one another in love as He sanctifies us all.  He has done all things well.  As we daily look to Christ, as the Great Example of forbearance, we can discern how to bear with one another in love. 

Our Good and Gracious God,
we rejoice that You set Christ before us.
We praise You that as we look to Him,
we learn to imitate Him
and bear with one another in love.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning