Envisioning & Equipping the Church (2)

Make every effort! - “keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Last time we looked at the need to grow up! To “live up to the life to which God called you.”

We noted that the Church is a school in which Christians learn to grow “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”(2 Peter 3:18).

This growth happens when we are together. When we join the Church, we will like any other club or organisation we join, we want to be accepted and belong and so we will usually accept the terms and conditions of belonging.

Too often as Christians we are content to have the spiritual security, blessings, and promises of the gospel but have too little sense of responsibility in conforming to its standards and obeying its commands.

And so we looked at what the Christian character ought to be like - “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:2–3).

We only breifly touched on the injunction to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

This injuction acts as a bridge betwen how we ought to behave as Christians seeking to “live up to the life to which God called you.” and the things we ought to beleive, in order to inform that lifestyle

We can only be truly united in the Spirit as we behave and believe these things!

Humility gives birth to gentleness, gentleness gives birth to patience, patience gives birth to forbearing love, and all four of those characteristics preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

This unity of the Spirit is a gift of God.

It is made possible by the cross of Christ (Eph 2:14ff.), and is made effective by the working of the Spirit of God.

It is already created by the Holy Spirit. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.… There are many members, but one body” (1 Cor. 12:13, 20; cf. Rom. 8:9).

Human beings cannot create it; rather it is given to them, to keep it, to guard it and to sustain it in the face of many attempts from within and without the church to take it away.

This is not an organizational unity, but an inner and universal unity of every true believer, bound to every other true believer by the Spirit of God.

As it works itself out in the fellowship of believers, it manifests through the inner qualities of humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearing love.

We are to put great effort into this!

The Greek word spoudazō basically means to make haste, and from that come the meanings of zeal and diligence.

We are to maintain unity until we attain the unity that is desired because this unity grows over time and involves teaching that brings us into maturity - Eph 4:11-16

Paul used the word in telling Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15; cf. Titus 3:12–13).

Preservation of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace should be the diligent and constant concern of every believer.

Jesus wants this unity for us!

He prayed for this unity of the Spirit in the Upper Room: “I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one...My prayer is not for them alone. 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. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."(John 17:11, 20–23).

So, the church’s responsibility, through the lives of individual believers, is:

1. To preserve the unity by faithfully walking in a manner worthy of God’s calling (v. 1):

Christians are exhibiting the characteristics of the the worthy life and thereby revealing the world by oneness in Him (cf. Rom. 15:1–6; 1 Cor. 1:10–13; 1 Cor 3:1–3; Phil. 1:27).

The bond that preserves unity is peace. The word “bond” is an interesting word, a compound Greek noun, sundesmos, meaning "that which brings various entities into a unified relationship, uniting bond.” Desmos is the Greek word for "a band or ligament (of the body) or shackle (of a prisoner). Sun means “with”.

Paul speaks of this “bond” in Philippians as “being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose” (2:2). Also in Colossians 3:14 calls “the perfect bond of unity.”

Let us strive to do the same by cultivating these virtues of the Spirit in our lives; walking worthily of our Lord.

2. To preserve the unity by faithfully holding and defending our belief systems (v3):

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Everything that relates to salvation, the church, and the kingdom of God is based on the concept of unity, as reflected in Paul’s use of seven one’s in these three verses.

Practical oneness is based on spiritual oneness. Paul recites the features of oneness that are germane to our doctrine and life. Paul lists them as one - body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, and God and Father.

In Ephesians 4:4–6, the word one is listed seven times. In these same verses, each member of the Godhead is mentioned. And thus the unity of God is expressed in these core elements of the gospel. The 7 key truths identifed here are:

(i). Unity in the “one body":

There is only one body of Christ - only one true body of believers which is called “the church of Jesus Christ”, which is composed of every saint who has trusted or will trust in Christ as Savior and Lord

This church has expression in denominational, geographical, ethnic and racial distinctives but this is a visble representation of the incisible body of Christ, and whereas the visible expression is laways a mixed affiar, made up of true believers and those who are not; the true body of Christ is invisble and made up only of those who truly believe in Christ. body. There is no Gentile, Jewish, male, female, slave, or freeman body. There is only Christ’s body, and the unity of that body is the heart of the book of Ephesians - - “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”(Gal 3:26-28).

“The apostle is aware of the endless variety of temperaments amongst his readers and the diverse racial and social backgrounds from which they have come into the Christian church; but he would have them even more aware of the spiritual realities that now unite them and that should completely transcend differences of background. Already, in 1:13–14, he has spoken of the spiritual blessings that are now shared between Jews and Gentiles, and in 2:11–22 of the barriers between them that have been broken down in Christ.” (Francis Foulkes).

But this has practical implications for Paul - “The apostle who was so concerned with the practical unity of Jews and Gentiles in the church, and with the working together of all Christians, would surely have abhorred many of the divisions that we accept. Where differences in essential doctrine and contradictions in ethical teaching make such divisions, he would strive to know and uphold the way of Christ in each detail. Where differences are caused merely by superficial things or by the selfish individualism of members, he would toil and fight for the breaking down of barriers and the working out of genuine fellowship.”(Francis Foulkes).

(ii). Unity in the “one Spirit”

There is but one Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God, who inhabits every believer and who is therefore the inner unifying force in the body. “This fact prevents any view of the church as a mere organization; for the presence of the Spirit constitutes the church, and is the basis of its unity.”(Foulkes)

Believers are individual temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16–17) that are collectively “being fitted together [and are] growing into a holy temple in the Lord, … being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:21–22).

The Spirit “is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:14). The divine engagement ring who acts as a pledge, to guarantee that every believer will be at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9).

If all Christians were walking in obedience to and in the power of the Holy Spirit, first our doctrine and then our relationships would be purified and unified. The spiritual unity that already exists would be practically manifested in complete harmony among the people of God.

(iii). Unity in “one hope of your calling”

Our calling to salvation is ultimately a calling to Christlike eternal perfection and glory.

In Christ we have different gifts, different ministries, different places of service, but only one … calling, the calling to “be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph. 1:4) and “to become conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29), which will occur when we see the glorified Christ (1 John 3:2).

It is the Spirit who has placed us in the one Body and who guarantees our future glory.

(iv). Unity in Jesus our “one Lord”

There is but one Lord, Jesus Christ our Saviour. This, is a foundational Christian confession - “no one can say…Jesus is Lord, except by the Spirit of God”(1 Corinthians 12:3 see on 1 Cor. 8:6; Phil. 2:11). It speaks of a common allegiance to one transcendent Lord that should bind people together more than anything else.

This also has a practical implication for our unity for where there is ‘the same Lord’ (Rom. 10:12), Jews and Gentiles, black and white, rich and poor, great and small, are yoked together. Neither personal ambition, nor party spirit, nor disputes about non-essentials will be allowed to break such unity, if Christ is served and honoured as Lord.

And Paul makes clear that “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Indeed, Paul told the Galatians, “Even though we or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8).

(v). Unity in our “one faith”

As there is only “one Lord” there can consequently only be one faith.

Paul is not limiting this an act of faith by which a person is saved or the preaching of the faith that is carried out but also the didactic faith that can be set forth and is useful to produce right living as teach “sound doctrine” as revealed in the New Testament, “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” and for which we are to contend (Jude 3). see on 1 Tim. 3:9; 4:1, 6; Titus 1:4; Galatians 1:23; Philippians 1:25 and Colossians 2:7).

Our one faith is the content of the revealed Word of God to which we are to be faithful. “God’s Word contains many truths, but its individual truths are but harmonious facets of His one truth, which is our one faith.”(MacArthur).

(vi). Unity in our “one baptism”:

It is difficult to be precise as to which baptism, Paul is referring to here. Many think it refers to water baptism which is the outward sign of the faith, the ‘visible word’ expressing the work of Christ. This is the most obvious way to take it

Water baptism is the common New Testament means of a believer’s publicly confessing Jesus as Savior and Lord, not as a means of salvation but as a testimony of identity with and unity in Jesus Christ. Believers were baptized in the name of Christ (see 1 Cor. 1:13–17). Those who by one Lord are in one faith testify to that unity in one baptism.

However baptism is also an expression of our spiritual unity, the Spirit baptism, unites us to Christ and ingrafts us into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit.

(vii). Unity in our “one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all”:

The essential truth of Judaism as expressed by the Shema is that, “the Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Deut. 6:4; see also Deut 4:35; Deut 32:39; Isa. 45:14; Isa 46:9), and this belief inthe oneness of God is equally foundational to Christianity (see 1 Cor. 8:4–6; Eph. 4:3–6; James 2:19).

Yet the New Testament reveals explicitly that this one God exists in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; John 6:27; 20:28; Acts 5:3–4).

God the Father is referred to here to describe His unique role in relation to the Son and the Spirit and also in relation to the church— Our one God and Father, along with the Son and the Holy Spirit, is over all and through all and in all.

That comprehensive statement points to the glorious, divine, eternal unity that the Father gives believers by His Spirit and through the Son. We are created by God, loved by God, saved by God, Fathered by God, controlled, sustained and filled by God - “Christians believe that they ‘live in a God-created, God-controlled, God-sustained, God-filled world’ (Barclay),

We are then greatly privileged and greatly loved. There is no greater unity than this for believers to experience and enjoy. Any division in this unity, weakens the church’s witness in the world and divides what Christ prayed would be kept together.

If we elevate these central truths we will be strong; if we elevate, lesser more peripehral truths we will struggle.

So linking our two studies together. When the church is unified in gospel truth and humble love, it will display to unbelievers what the gospel does.

The gospel is a message of grace, news that is heard and seen in the community of faith, which covenants to love one another, making the audible, visible—and the power, wisdom, and goodness of God is seen.

So, we want to grow up as Christian believers into maturity and make every effort to ensure we are united and when this happens it strengthens believers and draws unbelievers to God’s power, love, and wisdom.

Therefore, let us continue to understand what church unity is and isn’t and to seek it with the power of God’s Spirit.

Listen to Jesus' great high priestly prayer and realize that he was praying for you and me:

"My prayer is not for them alone. 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. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20-23)

Questions:

If we are to maintain the unity of the Spirit what does that suggest our attitude ought to be with respect to division and disunity?

Is it ever right to separate yourself from a true believer? If so, in what circumstances? see 2 Corinthians 6:17 - 7:1; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 2:5-11; Matthew 18:15-17

What will a united fellowship look like? Feel like? Be like?

How ought we as Christians handle disputable matters? - see Romans 14;Rom 15:7. - "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand." (Romans 14:4)

How ought we as Christians to deal with those who deliberately sow discord and disunity? - Romans 16:17-18; 2 Corinthians 11:13; Galatians 1:6-8; Ephesians 4:14; Philippians 3:2; Colossians 2:18-19; 1 Timothy 1:3, 19; 4:1-3; 6:3; 2 Timothy 2:16-18; 4:3; Titus 1:10-14; 3:10-11; cf. 2 Peter 2:1ff; 1 John 2:26; 4:1-3; 2 John 7, 10-11; Revelation 2:1, 14-15, 20-23

What act of Christian unity could you practice over the next two weeks that would help you live out this truth in your life?