“…being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” ~ Eph. 4:3
Paul’s letters often reflect a similar flow of thought.
He spends a lengthy part of the beginning of each letter describing the theological points he wants to communicate to the recipients. He then applies that theological grid to practical situations, calling for a change of life in response to the truths he has shared.
The most clear example of this type of literary structure is in Ephesians. Paul there spends three chapters explaining truth (the ‘indicatives’ of chapters 1-3), and three chapters applying truth (the ‘imperatives’ of charts 4-6).
This structure is important because it puts a spotlight on the truths that Paul saw as most important. In Ephesians, that truth is the unity of the body of Christ through the Holy Spirit.
In Eph 4:2, Paul tells the church about the heart attitudes that should flow from the blessings of life with Christ. These are humility, gentleness, patience, and love.
But these heart attitudes should produce a diligence in maintaining the unity of the body of Christ! The first fruit of a heart that is changed by Christ is a life that seeks to maintain unity.
Unity is hard, but central
The reason Paul says to be ‘diligent’ should be painfully obvious. Unity requires labor because we are prone to polarization and division.
There are a host of things to divide over. We can disagree over politics, church practice, individual decisions, conscience choices, and much much more. Many a church has split over the color of the carpet in the new sanctuary.
However, no matter how hard, unity is the first and critical component for all true believers. This is why Christ taught the disciples to have love for one another as the first fruit of the upper room discourse (John 13:34-35). This is why the Apostle John repeated this truth as the central command of his letter (1 John 3:11), and Peter did as well (1 Peter 1:22). This is why Paul’s letters always mention unity and love as central realities (Gal 5:4, 1 Thess 4:9, others).
The writers of the New Testament had learned from Christ Himself that unity and love for the brothers was hard. But they saw it as the central component in our Gospel witness.
We live in an age of polarization. Opinions on a massive variety of topics vary greatly within even small local congregations. However, we need to be careful with our pet doctrines, tribalism, or personal beliefs.
The Gospel, embraced by true faith, must produce a genuine love and care for those who also trust the Gospel. If it doesn’t, the witness of church will collapse, even as we seek to support it through our personal theological perspectives.
