“I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3
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More like Jesus It’s interesting to see in this text how Paul weaves together various of the fruit of the Spirit – gentleness, patience, meekness, and love – in a focus on the unity that believers have in the Spirit of God.
That unity consists of our flourishing together in the fruit of the Spirit, in relationships of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. The more the Spirit works within us according to the Word of God, forming us into the image of Jesus, so that we live as His witnesses and servants, the more the fruit of the Spirit will characterize our lives, individually and as communities.
Hard work Yet while this is God’s design, maintaining the unity we have in the Body of Christ, by the indwelling presence and work of the Spirit, is not an easy task. What Paul actually says here is that we have to “work hard” to maintain that unity. Jesus prayed fervently that we might do so, since our effectiveness as His witnesses was at stake (Jn. 17:21). The Spirit of God is building all believers together into a holy temple unto the Lord (Eph. 2:20-22). We are the bricks – “living stones”, as Peter has it (1 Pet. 2:1-9) – in this holy temple, and the fruit of the Spirit is the mortar that keeps us together as one. But the sad state of the Church and the competitive and individualistic temper of the times make realizing the unity believers have in Jesus Christ difficult to attain.
Nevertheless, they in whom the Spirit of God dwells and is working will make the unity of Christ’s Body a primary concern, beginning in their own homes and families, then reaching to their friends, their church, and the Body of Christ in their community and the world. This effort to realize more of the unity that Christians have in the Spirit of God begins in prayer, as Jesus showed us in John 17. We work hard to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace when we pray earnestly for God to bring His people together, overcoming obstacles, disagreements, and differences of every kind so that the bond of peace can be observed and experienced in the church.
From prayer this effort works in practical ways to identify and break through any barriers that stand in the way of our fellowship in Christ. This is Paul’s point in Ephesians 2. Christ has broken down every barrier that separates His followers from one another; we must not allow any to be erected which get in the way of realizing our oneness. The Spirit of God strives to bring the Body of Christ together as one. In our churches this requires that we learn to be peacemakers, lend a hand in equipping the saints for ministry, and share of our time and treasure to meet the needs of others.
Striving for unity But I think this striving for unity should also find us working for ways to bring congregations of sincere believers together – for worship, service to the community, outreach to the lost, and so forth. Beyond this, it means sharing the burden of believers elsewhere, who may be suffering persecution or experiencing some hardship or natural disaster. Just as the Spirit is ever striving to realize the oneness of Christ’s Body, so must we. If we do not make this a priority, if we refuse or fail to work hard for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, we quench and grieve the Spirit, denying or frustrating one of the important works He has come to do in and through us. If the Spirit dwells within us, He will move us to work for unity in the Church.
Next steps
Does your church make any effort to unite with other local churches, whether for worship or ministry in your community? See what you can find out. Talk to your pastor or some church leaders. What has the church done in the past? What plans are in the offing? See if there is anything you can do to help your church “work hard” at developing unity in the Spirit with other congregations in your community. Meditate on John 17:21 as you do.
Begin your own ViewPoint study group. Begin with this ViewPoint series, “The Effects of the Spirit.” A free PDF version is available, complete with questions for reflection and discussion which you can use to study the seven lessons in this series with others.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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