Seeking the Unity of the Church (3)

"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3).

We have discussed this passage in the last two issue.  A bit of review would not be out-of-place.

We have noted the following ideas expressed in this text: 1) In various ways, the Holy Spirit has made this admonition an extremely urgent one, one, therefore, to which we ought to give our careful attention.  2) The unity of the church is not in the foreground here.  That is, the unity of the church as it is manifested in the world in the local congregation and denomination.  3) This unity is not the false unity of modern ecumenism which seeks a unity on the lowest doctrinal level; it is a unity in  Christ the Head of the church, and is, therefore, a unity of the mind of Christ and the will of Christ.  4) We do not create that unity; it is created by the Holy Spirit of Christ who works in the hearts of all the elect and who makes the church one in Christ as He leads into all truth and enables the saints to perform the will of Christ.  Unity is therefore a gift that is given to us, a gift more precious than silver and gold.  Our calling is to “keep the unity of the Spirit.”

Our readers are urged to read the last two articles to refresh their minds on what we have previously written.

In this issue we call attention to another aspect of the text, the further definition of unity which is given in two expressions: “forbearing one another in love and keeping “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  In other words, the unity that we are called to maintain and keep is a unity of love and peace.

Just a word or two about these two expressions is necessary.

The “love” which ought to characterize the saints who strive for the unity of the church is not the sentimental and emotional “love” which tolerates evil, refuses to condemn sin and overlooks or is indifferent to error and heresy.

All the love of the people of God is always, first of all, love for God and for His Christ.  That means that genuine love is a profound desire to promote the glory of God, the honor of His name and the truth of His Word.  It is a love that exalts Christ and His work above all else.  This is not difficult to understand.  If I should overhear some people speaking evil of my wife and would, in the name of love, tolerate such slander, one could justly conclude that I do not love my wife at all, simply because I do not care about how her honor and integrity is impugned.  How much more is this not true of God’s glorious name!  If we care not a whit how men speak evil of God by denying His truth and robbing Him of His glory, we cannot be said to love Him at all.

All our love for one another flows out of love for God.  That is the basic principle of the ten commandments.  We love one another, therefore, when, for God’s sake, we seek the spiritual welfare of our fellow saints, rebuking them for sin, urging them to confess their iniquities at the foot of the cross and encouraging and helping them in the difficult pathway of this life.  We love one another when we bear one another’s burdens and help them on their way to heaven, for this is the fulfillment of the law of Christ (Gal. 5:14-15; 6:1-2).

Peace is a most blessed characteristic of the church.  Think of the opposite.  What can be worse than a church torn by discord, jealousy, disagreement and strife?  It is a church that cannot go about its work and calling; a church that becomes a spectacle in the eyes of the world; a church that makes a mockery of the confession: “I believe in one holy, catholic church.

So crucial is the calling to seek the peace of the church that Ps.122 makes this peace a condition for our joy in worshipping in the house of the Lord: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.  Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.  For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek they good” (6-9).

Peace is harmony among the saints who are joined together in one confession of the truth, one calling, one hope, one fellowship.  It is the blessed assurance of Christ’s favor in harmony with His truth and will.

A unity of love and peace!  How greatly that is to be desired in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ! That unity we are called to keep.

I want, at this point, to emphasize admonition itself and what precisely this calling is which comes to us.

The text itself gives us help in this matter.  It speaks of keeping that unity of the Spirit “with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another.”

There is much here to discuss.  We shall look at these different expressions in the next issue or two.