| The Christian Life | December 1941 |
The Unity of the Spirit
“With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”—Ephesians 4:2,3
IN OUR text the apostle makes it plain that “unity of the spirit” is possible only where there exists among Christians an attitude of lowliness and meekness, mingled with a longsuffering which enables us to bear with the imperfections of each other because we love them as fellow-Christians in the body of Christ. Where these elements of Christian character are lacking, there will be no unity of the Spirit. On the other hand, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering and love, could not, apart from other considerations, produce the “unity of the Spirit” of which the apostle here is speaking.
In addition to possessing these fundamentally necessary elements of Christian character, they must be practiced upon the basis of, and in harmony with, our knowledge of the fact that “there is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Verses 4-6) This would indicate that the “unity of the Spirit” of which Paul is speaking, is based upon a large degree of unity of knowledge. It isn’t difficult to realize why this is so. A group of individuals whose aims and efforts are akin, will find themselves drawn together in a common interest. This is true in every line of endeavor, and in the circles of Christian endeavor, the same principle holds true.
We should all give heed to Paul’s admonition to keep the “unity of the Spirit.” The church at Ephesus had special need for it, as the epistle shows. It was in the fact that some in the group—and this was more or less true among all the early Christians—had formerly been Jews, and some had come into Christ from among the Gentiles. This is clearly shown in chapters two and three; and in these chapters the apostle explains that in Christ they had been raised up “together,” that the Gentiles who had been “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise,” were now made nigh by the blood of Christ. Peace had been preached, the apostle says, to them “which were afar off [the Gentiles], and to them that were nigh [the Jews].” Because of this, he explains, both Jews and Gentiles now have “access by one Spirit unto the Father.”—Ch. 2, vs. 17,18
GREAT FORBEARANCE NECESSARY
It can readily be understood why a congregation made up of converted Jews and Gentiles would find it necessary to forbear one another in love. Their former viewpoints and stations in life had been entirely different. The background of the Jews had been that they were God’s favored people. Had not God said to them through one of His prophets, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth”? (Amos 3:2) Were they not the “chosen people” of the Lord? Were not the Gentiles mere “dogs” in the eyes of the Jews?
The Gentile converts, on the other hand, would view matters differently. Accustomed to being treated as “dogs” by the Jews, it would now be difficult for them to feel kindly toward those who had thus so disdainfully regarded them. While they had become followers of the Jewish Messiah, old prejudices would not be easily forgotten. In coming into Christ, they would naturally exercise a greater degree of liberty with respect to their food, and other living habits, than would the Jewish converts, because the Gentiles would not have in mind the restraining ordinances of the Law, hence they would be inclined to do things that, to the Jewish converts, would seem very wrong. In other ways, these two groups of Christians would find obstacles in the way of their viewpoints and activities being blended in a whole-hearted unity of the Spirit.
Under these circumstances only a unity produced by the Spirit could make harmony in the church at Ephesus, and only such an operation of the Spirit can overcome the carnal spirit of division wherever it is found. Such a unity is much more than merely a kindly feeling brethren may have towards each other. Many times such a unity, while admirable, is based on friendship alone, and friendship is usually based on a certain degree of similarity in temperament, habits, station in life, etc. The unity of the Spirit, on the other hand, produces harmony among brethren in Christ in spite of natural obstacles that might stand in the way, such as differences in background of training, education, nationality, etc.
What, then, is the unity of the Spirit? Briefly, it is a unity that is commanded by God through His Word. It is a unity of the Spirit because the Holy Spirit of God was the medium by which His written Word—the Spirit of the truth—reaches us. The Spirit, speaking through the prophets and apostles, and also through Jesus, had made it very plain that Gentiles and Jews were to become “fellow heirs” in Christ. (Eph, 3:6) This, to be true, was contrary to the experiences of the Jews throughout all the centuries of their national existence, but it was now God’s will, made abundantly plain by the Holy Spirit.
In the conference at Jerusalem, Peter explained that the Holy Spirit had come upon the Gentiles, even as it did upon the Jews, that for this reason there was to be “no difference” between them. Later the findings of that conference were sent out to the Gentile converts, with the expression that they “seemed good to the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 15:8,28) In the 11th chapter of Romans, Paul explains that the Gentile converts were looked upon by God as taking the place of the “natural branches” [the Jews] who were broken off because of unbelief.
There could be no doubt, therefore, that the Spirit had decreed the full unity of Jewish and Christian converts. For anyone, at that time, or since, to misinterpret the Scriptures in a manner to justify a separation between these two groups, claiming that God deals with them as separate classes, would not be maintaining the unity of the Spirit enjoined by the apostle. Paul wanted the Ephesians to realize what a glorious unity this really was, how all comprehensive it was, that it involved every phase of their faith and devotion.
Before becoming Christians, the Jews had one God, and the Gentiles had other gods, sometimes many of them. But now they all had but the one God, who was the Father of them all. They were all members of the one body of Christ. There was not to be one body of Jews and another of Gentiles. There was but the one faith for all. Followers of the Master, whether Jews or Gentiles, were all called in the “one hope” of their calling—there wasn’t one call for the Jews, and another for the Gentiles. There was but the one true baptism for all, and that was the baptism into Christ—being planted together in the likeness of His death. For a mixed group of Jewish and Gentile converts to order their lives in keeping with a program of this kind, required the indwelling of a large measure of the Holy Spirit.
For God’s Spirit to dwell in the heart and control the life, means the subjugation of the selfish, human will and desires. God’s Spirit is an enlightening influence in the lives of Christians, and its power to change one’s life is partly in the fact that it reveals the need of change, and outlines a new program to be followed. It was this phase of the Spirit’s influence in the lives of the church at Ephesus that called for the “endeavoring” mentioned in our text, in order that they might “keep the unity”—that is, all work in harmony with the divine plan of the Gospel as it had been brought to them.
This new program revealed to them by the Holy Spirit through the divinely appointed channels of our Lord, the prophets and apostles, was different from what any of them had previously followed. This meant that all of them had to give up their former viewpoints and habits, and endeavor by God’s grace to conform to God’s plan as it had been revealed to them through the Spirit. The one God, the one faith, the one baptism (burial) of their wills, was to take the place of their former many gods, many faiths, and many kinds of devotion.
Obviously, in order to be successful in such an undertaking, true lowliness of mind, a large degree of meekness, a great deal of forbearance, and true Christian love would all be prerequisites. Lowliness of mind, humility, would help to keep one from thinking more highly of himself, or of his opinions, than he ought to think. With true lowliness of mind one would not be liable to exalt his own opinions and ways “above the knowledge of Christ.” He would realize that the knowledge of Christ was to be the order of his life, even as it should be the guide in the lives of all the brethren.
But humility needs to be practiced, not merely thought of and talked about. One might have a true appraisal of his own lack of wisdom and ability, yet not manifest it in his association with the brethren. This would lead to resentment when others were advanced in the service of the Lord. It might also lead to unwarranted controversy over details of the truth. When one is humble, truly lowly of mind, he will not be a trouble maker among the brethren. Such would rather withdraw from a scene of controversy, than permit himself to become a storm center.
Meekness is also a necessary qualification for those who are successfully “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit.” Meekness is teachableness, and unless we are willing to be taught by the Spirit we can never be in harmony with those who are. The wisdom of the world and of the carnal mind is foolishness with God. Both the Jews and the Gentiles in the church at Ephesus had many foolish ideas before they became followers of the Master. Most, if not all, of us in the past have had foolish ideas. Just as there could have been no unity in the early church had those various ones brought their ideas along with them, and insisted upon promoting them among the brethren; even so, we must give up our theories, our hobbies, and all be taught the “one faith.”
Meekness, however, is not weakness. God wants us to be teachable in that we will accept the instructions of His Word without reservations or doubts, but He does not want us to open our minds to teachings that do not come from His Word and are not in harmony with its spirit—the spirit of truth. Not only should we lay aside our own ideas, but we should resist the wrong ideas of others. As each consecrated follower of the Master endeavors to bring his mind and heart into closer harmony with the Lord, through His Word, he will, at the same time, find himself in closer unity with all others who are doing the same. Thus, a willingness to be taught of the Lord is a very important prerequisite if we are to be successful in our endeavors toward unity of the Spirit.
The spirit of longsuffering and forbearance is also necessary. One might be lowly of mind and meek, yet be unable to bear patiently with the imperfections of others. There was great need of forbearance among the various groups in the early church, and there is still great need for it. We are all so very imperfect that forbearance with one another as we worship and serve together is most necessary, in order that our viewpoints and our activities be blended into that one harmonious program outlined for us by the Holy Spirit.
And love—that divine principle of unselfishness—must be the motive back of this whole endeavor. Only an unselfish desire to glorify God, and to serve others, will make possible the exercise of true Christian forbearance and humility in our association with the brethren. To the extent that self-interest enters into our fellowship, true humility and forbearance will be lacking. In the business world a veneer of forbearance and courtesy is displayed, but for selfish reasons. It might be possible, for a time, to get along with the brethren while having only a veneer of humility and forbearance. This veneer might be displayed for selfish reasons. One might be seeking position, or popularity, or business advantage, and deem it good policy to be courteous to the brethren. But this sort of thing doesn’t last, and will not promote the unity of the Spirit.
THE DIVINE PROVISION FOR UNITY
Unity of the Spirit, like all other Christian attainments, is possible only through the grace of God—that “grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 3:16) This was true in the early church where the brethren had the extreme viewpoints of the Jewish and Gentile converts to overcome; and it is still true today, when other carnal obstacles stand in the way of this unity. While, in this epistle, Paul urges this spirit of unity in the early church, it is just as applicable to us today. No matter what the influences and viewpoints may be that tend to keep the Lord’s people from enjoying unity, this apostolic formula for “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” is a workable one. In fact, it presents the only basis upon which true Christian unity can exist. A unity resulting from any other course would not be Christian unity.
And how much the brethren today need God’s grace to help in order to maintain the unity of the Spirit! This is specially true in view of the severe “storms,” doctrinal and otherwise, through which we have all passed during the last few years. Now many of the Lord’s dear people, separated by carnal influences, are finding their way back to unity of spirit, purpose and endeavor again. Through the years of separation, their outlooks and experiences have been different. These varying environments have left their mark, so that, at times, it would almost appear as though we spoke a different religious language. In view of this, how necessary today that we all keep humble before the Lord and before each other; that we bear with the imperfections of each other; and that we do this in the true spirit of unselfishness and helpfulness; that the Lord’s name, and. not our own may be glorified; and that His cause, not our Own hobbies, may be forwarded.
But only by God’s grace can this be done. What is the manner in which God’s “grace to help” operates to promote the unity of the Spirit? Paul answers this question in the succeeding portion of the chapter. In the very next verse he says, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” Here the apostle says that God’s grace toward us through Christ, is measured by His “gift.” From this we get the thought that the unity of the Spirit which He helps us to attain is one that is prescribed with certain limitations, limitations that are defined by the “gift of God.”
As we study the succeeding verses of the lesson we learn that the “gift” of God’s Christ here referred to is that of apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists, all of whom the Lord has provided for the express purpose of the “perfecting of the saints,” and the “edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come into [margin] the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”—Eph. 4:12,13
UNITY OF THE SPIRIT AND OF FAITH
It is apparent from the sequence of Paul’s argument that he wants us to understand that the unity of the Spirit includes the unity of the faith, as it also includes oneness in baptism. The testimony of the Spirit is that there is “one faith,” and the Lord, in helping us in our endeavor to attain unity in our understanding of that one faith, has through the Spirit, given us the apostles, prophets, pastors, etc. It is through these various servants in the church that the Spirit of God finds expression; and, as we scrutinize their teachings, we are given knowledge concerning the “one faith” which constitutes the basis of our oneness in Christ.
Due to endless doctrinal controversies among nominal church groups, many of their leaders have adopted an interpretation of this chapter which makes the unity of the Spirit mean simply a kindly attitude which all professed Christians should be able to manifest toward each other, while the unity of the faith, although desirable, is not in this view fundamentally important. In these circles unity of the faith is usually looked upon as a good ideal for Christians to keep before them, but an ideal, nevertheless, which will probably never be reached.
This “liberalizing” of the apostle’s lesson on unity, is manifestly not in keeping with what he would have us understand. It seems clear that the “Spirit” which is the means of Christian unity is not our spirit, or disposition, but the Spirit of God. It follows, therefore, that to the extent a unity is attained, it means also a unity of the faith, or leads thereto. This one faith is the “most holy faith” taught by all of God’s inspired spokesmen. It was God’s Spirit of truth that inspired these spokesmen in their outlining of the divine plan. The teachings of these inspired servants constitute the “measure” of the faith within which the followers of the Master are to find unity.
The extent to which this unity can be attained is in proportion to the degree of humility and determination with which the “endeavor” is made. We should not expect perfection this side of the veil, and so long as imperfection exists, there will not be complete unity of the Spirit and of the faith. This is not because the Spirit, through the inspired Word, has not made the basis of unity clear, but because of the carnality of the fallen flesh which, more or less, limits the influence of the Holy Spirit to operate in our lives.
If the apostle’s complete formula were followed without reservation, complete unity of the Spirit and of the faith would be attained. But the fallen, imperfect tendencies of the flesh usually assert themselves, thus hindering to some degree the attainment of perfect unity. We may have lowliness of mind, and not be truly meek or teachable. We might not be able to bear with the imperfections of others as we should. A little selfishness of one sort or another may prevent divine love from fully controlling our lives. Any slight degree of failure to control the selfish tendencies of the fallen flesh will affect the result of unity for which we are striving.
Then, too, our vision of the one Lord, one faith and one baptism, may not be as clear as it should be. Perhaps we are permitting other gods to supplant in our affections, to some small degree, our whole-hearted devotion to the one Lord who has been revealed to us by His Spirit. And there are so many of these idols which we are prone to set up in our wayward hearts, permitting them to displace the “one Lord” whose will should be the unifying power among all the consecrated. To whatever extent we permit the idol of pleasure, or of pride, or of ambition, or of vainglory, or of wealth, or of ease, to influence our habits of thought and action, it means that we will not be wholly at one with those whose devotion to the “one Lord” is more complete.
And then, too, it may be that the “one faith” is not as clearly outlined in our hearts and minds as it should be, due to our imperfections. Perhaps we find a measure of selfish satisfaction in mixing the “most holy faith” with some theories of our own. These theories in themselves may not be harmful; but because they are ours we may attach too much importance to them, and by attempting to force them upon the brethren, may be lending our endeavors in the direction of disunity rather than unity. Interpreting the prophecies in an attempt to advise the brethren what will happen next, week, next month, or next year is a fruitful field of this sort of thing. We can enjoy unity of the Spirit and of the faith in our knowledge of what God will do for fallen humanity during the next thousand years, but the Spirit does not seem to enlighten us in advance with the details of immediate world developments. However, by means of these inspired prophecies and the enlightenment afforded by God’s Holy Spirit we can realize where we are on the stream of time and the events that are to follow in the sequence therein and thereby disclosed.
Furthermore, a slight failure to enter wholeheartedly into the “one baptism” with which our wills are immersed into the divine will, will inevitably affect our oneness with the brethren. Obviously the unity of the Spirit is only in proportion as each of the Lord’s consecrated people submit their wills to the instructions and leadings of God’s Spirit. To whatever extent our own spirits, or the spirits of others who may influence us adversely to the divine will, are permitted to govern what we say and do, we will be standing in the way of the attainment of the full unity of the Spirit among the brethren.
Affecting our full surrender to the divine will, there may be the influence of personal friendships. True friendship is a beautiful thing, and because it has such a power in our lives, sometimes Christians may permit it to stand in the way of their full obedience to the divine will. Jesus made plain what the attitude of the fully consecrated should he. He said that if we permitted these friendships, and the close ties of blood, such as brothers or sisters, fathers or mothers, or others near and dear to us according to the flesh, to stand between us and our love for Him, we would not be worthy of Him. Such friendships and loves would certainly militate against full unity of the Spirit.
When the resurrected and glorified Jesus “shed forth” the Holy Spirit upon the apostles at Pentecost, in fulfillment of the promise He made to send the Spirit of truth, it really constituted the giving of the “gifts” mentioned in our lesson; particularly with reference to the “apostles.” Because the apostles previous to this time could not understand the prophetic messages of the Old Testament, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost also made the services of the prophets available to the church by and through the apostles.
IMPORTANCE OF FULL OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD
The teachings of these inspired servants must be accepted by the consecrated as final. Any attempt on our part to abridge the meaning of what they have said in order to fit our own notions, would be a disrupting influence in the church. This may not be done willfully. The human heart is deceitful, and unless we are constantly on guard, some carnal desire of the flesh will be helping us to “interpret” the inspired Word in a way to fit our own hobbies. In our endeavor to keep the “unity of the Spirit” we should seek to be more and more in tune with the Spirit’s leadings; yes, we should continually be in that attitude of heart and mind in which we will “tremble at His Word.”
In addition to the inspired servants of the church, the apostles of Jesus Christ, the Lord has also blessed us with the gifts of “pastors,” “teachers” and “evangelists.” These are helpers, provided by the Lord to assist us in attaining a unity of the Spirit and of the faith. They are not inspired in the sense that their words are to be taken as law in the church, but they are a part of the Lord’s provision, hence to ignore them would result in a failure to attain full unity of the faith.
There was Timothy, for example, a valued co-worker with Paul, whose services meant much to the early church. Then there are the “messengers” to the “seven churches,” some of whom are doubtless also apostles—but all have had their place as servants in the church. The last of these explained that we can identify those upon whom the Lord’s favor rests by noting their humility, their zeal, their love for the brethren, and their clearness in the truth. Many of us have identified the Lord’s special messenger for the end of the age by this method, and by reason of the wonderful way in which he was used to serve the household of faith with “meat in due season.”
DECORUM IN THE CHURCH
In the Holy Spirit’s outline of God’s will for His people, we also find the Scriptures teaching a certain decorum for the church, in the way of local ecclesia arrangements in which elders and deacons are appointed by the brethren to represent them in service. We should be lowly enough in mind, and meek enough, to recognize these arrangements, and be subservient to them. To do this will also call for longsuffering in forbearing one another in love. But if we permit our own interests, of whatever sort they may be, to block the influence of these Christian qualities, and decide that we can get along better by ourselves than we can with the brethren, it means just that much failure on our part to keep the unity of the Spirit.
We may justify our failure by claiming that we are standing for principle, but let us all, dear brethren, be on guard lest we interpret our own carnality as being principles of righteousness. There are real principles for which every consecrated Christian should firmly stand, and when these are at stake, the way before us should be clear, and our course uncompromising. However, we should never use “principle” as an excuse for failure to humble ourselves before the Lord and before the brethren. Nor should we resort to it as a justification for failure to be longsuffering in our forbearance of the brethren. Let us remember that the brethren probably find it just as hard to get along with us, as we find it hard to get along with them, So may we all encourage each other to keep our hearts and minds fixed more and more upon the perfect pattern, Jesus, and to have our lives controlled more and more by the truth of the divine plan—the “most holy faith.”
Just as the Jews and the Gentiles in the early church had to largely forget the past in order to come together and meet together upon the basis of the one true faith, so all of us today, should strive to do the same. Great have been the tests, doctrinal and otherwise, which the Lord has permitted to come upon His people in recent years. May we search our hearts carefully to make sure we are learning well the lessons of these tests. Let us humble ourselves more completely before God that He may direct us more fully by His Spirit into that unity of the faith that is so productive of spiritual growth among His people.
CHRIST, THE CENTER OF UNITY
To whatever extent we may have wandered off into by-paths of false doctrine and false practice, let us come back to the main road, back into the narrow way of full submission to the divine will, as that will is revealed in the divine plan. Thus may the Holy Spirit, through the Word, lead us ever nearer to the center of that glorious unity of the faith, where we will be “no more children [acting childishly], tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”—Eph. 4:14,15
While Paul makes special mention of certain servants of the church and shows the value of their aid in helping the brethren attain a unity of the faith, yet he would not have us understand that the servants he particularly mentions are the only ones who help to bring about this true oneness in Christ. The fact is that we all have some part to play in helping to bring about this unity. And no matter what that part may be, we should be faithful in performing it. We should all be promoters of unity among the brethren.
The basis of that unity, however, must be the truth. We cannot promote true Christian unity by compromising the doctrines of the truth. But we can promote unity by “speaking the truth in love,” by forbearing one another, and by lowliness of mind and meekness. Thus, when our endeavors are in line with the truth, and the Spirit of the truth, we will have God’s blessing, because we will be working in line with His will. Paul expresses the same thought, saying, “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”—Eph. 4:16