Unity in the Body (3)

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”  Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIV)



• My Attitudes do not Create Unity
Paul Says... keep the unity...

Paul makes it very clear that we, as followers of Jesus Christ, are not responsible for creating unity in the body. It is quite apparent from what Paul has already written that Jesus Himself has already established that unity through what He has done for us:

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace” Ephesians 2:14, 15 (NIV)

So our responsibility, as His followers, is merely to maintain or preserve what Jesus has already established in his body, the church. And it seems to me, based on the context of Paul’s letter, that concept applies to both the universal church as well as our local body. Think of it this way. You as a parent have established rules for your children to live by. Within those rules are everything your children need to be successful. If they follow them they reap the rewards; if they don't there's a penalty. When Jesus came and brought forth God's new plan he fulfilled all the rules for us so that all we had to do was live in them. If we live in them we have success, or we pay the penalty if we don't. So in essence Christ established this unity for the church through His actions here on this earth. You may ask is it really that easy? Yes and no. Our attitudes and actions do have consequences.

• My Attitudes either Preserve or Destroy Unity

Although we can’t create unity, our actions either work to preserve that unity or they lead to the destruction of that unity. In his letter to the Roman Christians, Paul emphasized the need for us to do everything in our power to live at peace with our Christian brothers and sisters:

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18 (NIV)

So how do we do that? Tomorrow we will look at what Paul describes as the four fundamentals...be blessed today...you are loved!