Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:3 . I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 4:3
“Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
In the previous verse, Paul list qualities such as humility, patience, and love which help to keep christians on the same page and living to the high calling God has placed on us.
We might think that these are passive qualities which just bring about Christ-like living by virtue of them being in our lives. But Paul now tells us to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit.
There are people who think that God has to take all of the steps necessary to make us better people. They speak of striving as a bad thing because it takes away from God’s grace. Yet as we read through Paul’s epistles, he has a very even-handed approach. ”God has done this for you,” he says, “ Therefore you need to do this.”
Paul tells us we have to make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit. In other words, we are to strive, work hard, make it our goal to pursue unity in the Spirit.
When Paul talks about unity, he is not meaning uniformity. We can be one in the Spirit without being all the same. There are many gifts but one giver. There are many styles of worship, but one God is worshipped. There are many ways to serve, but just one Saviour.
We must pursue unity in our own congregation. Love has to be practised among the believers in the same faith community. If we have strong disagreements with other believers, we must seek reconciliation. Genuine repentance and true forgiveness are the practices that keep communities together.
We must also show respect and love to believers in other congregations. They may have different worship styles, traditions, and doctrinal emphases than we have, but they are still members of the same body, the Body of Christ.
The phrase unity of the Spirit does not mean that we have to work to keep the Holy Spirit together. When christians fight, it grieves the Holy Spirit, but it does not divide Him. I have the Holy Spirit in me, and you have the Holy Spirit in you, but when we stop talking to each other it does not cut off the Spirit in me from the Spirit in you.
The phrase “the unity of the Holy Spirit” suggests that unity is found in the Holy Spirit, that it comes from the Holy Spirit. This unity is about us being together, not the Holy Spirit being together.
We are to maintain the unity of the Holy Spirit through the bond of peace.
In chemistry, a bond is a force that joins atoms together to form molecules. In water, for example, two atoms of hydrogen are bound to an atom of oxygen to form a molecule of water. These bonds can be very hard to break.
When christians are bound by the bond of peace, it means that the peace that comes from the Holy Spirit joins us together and keeps us together regardless of circumstances. This is not something we are forced into, but it is a natural byproduct of the peace of the lord.
In Psalm 46, there is a strong contrast made between the nations which are in turmoil and the peace of the people of God. The nations are in turmoil because they do not know the peace of the Lord.
Peace is more than just an absence of fighting or of noise. Peace, or shalom in Hebrew, carries a sense of harmony, of things being in the right place doing the right thing and all in cooperation or purposefulness .
We experience God’s shalom in four dimensions. Firstly, harmony with God comes when we are in fellowship with Him. Second, there is harmony within. This is the inner peace that comes from knowing that God loves us. Third, there is harmony with others. We no longer have to put ourselves forward or put others down to know that we are valued. Finally, there is harmony with creation as we realise that we are to steward creation and not pillage it.
So the Holy Spirit gives us this peace which transforms us from the inside out, and which enhances every relationship we have. This peace binds us to other people, and makes it possible to work to maintain the unity of the Holy Spirit.
Key points in this verse:
- We are to be active in maintaining unity in the Body of Christ
- This is not by human effort alone, but a partnership with the Holy Spirit
- Unity does not mean everyone has to be the same
- The bond of peace is the force that helps to keep christians together
- Peace is harmony that comes from everybody knowing that we are loved and accepted by God
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