How can we keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3)?

It is remarkable that the first of the fruits of the Spirit towards our brethren is "long-suffering." We are sure to suffer from our brethren. So often they do not understand. So often they pain us, and blame us, and perhaps scold us, for things that they do not really comprehend at all. When we remember this, and when we have suffered long from our brethren, we truly understand what this word "long-suffering" means; then how wonderful to find that in Exodus 34:6, God Himself is described as "long-suffering." In Ephesians 4:1-3 the Apostle exhorts the beloved Ephesian Christians to walk worthy of the calling wherewith they were called, "with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." What is the difference between lowliness and meekness? Lowliness does not give offense, and meekness does not take offense. Both are needed if we are not to quarrel with our brethren. And then comes long-suffering, as we have here in Galatians; and fourth "forbearing one another in love." You will notice that all four of these qualities are to enable us to live at peace with our brethren, and provide for suffering on our part from them. Only so can we hope to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Lowliness and meekness are to characterise us: how else can we walk together? We have the same thing in Phil. 2, "lowliness of mind, each esteeming other better than themselves." Fellowship with each other is an impossibility, if self is allowed: heart-burnings and strife must surely follow. But suppose, in displaying lowliness and meekness, we find our brethren otherwise? Then comes the opportunity of exercising longsuffering and forbearance in love; and our earnest endeavour must be to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Paul unfolds the vocation, and then calls on us to walk worthy of it, in the first part of chapter 4. The necessary effect of being brought so close to God as we are is lowliness and meekness; how can it be otherwise? The greatness of the grace makes nothing of self. This is not easy. In Christ's life you see it plainly enough, in Philippians also. Then the effect of lowliness and meekness is to manifest the unity of the Spirit. "With lowliness and meekness," that is what we ought to be: then the effect to others will be longsuffering; others may not be lowly and meek. Practically this brings God in and self is gone. The power of love walking with God brings in longsuffering to others. "Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." As servants of Christ, and self being gone, we are looking at others. "Yea, and if I be offered [poured as a libation] upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all."

People often ask what "endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3) is, and they pass over the first two verses. I will quote them. "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 long-suffering, forbearing one another in love" (Eph. 4:1-2). You cannot get to verse 3 without passing through, and practically learning verse 2. We need all lowliness, meekness, long-suffering, and forbearance in love, in order to keep the unity of the Spirit. "I beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:1), are wondrous words.

The exhortations comprised in the first section of chapter 4 down to verse 16, have evidently in view our calling, not as individuals but rather as members of the body of Christ, the church. In the assemblies of the saints how often friction occurs! A little experience of assembly life will suffice to convince us that this is so. Here then is an immense field for the cultivation of the beautiful graces enumerated in verse 2. The lowly mind thinks nothing of itself. Meekness, the opposite of self-assertiveness, is of course the direct outcome of lowliness. Longsuffering, the opposite of the hasty spirit so critical of others, is the child of lowliness and meekness. When all these three are in operation how simply and happily do we bear with one another in love. Let us connect the love also with what we have just been seeing in chapter 3. Rooted and grounded in love, and knowing at least something of the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, we ourselves are enabled with eyes of love, to look out on all saints, even those amongst them who according to nature are least lovable.

Amongst men we see the tendency for love to degenerate into a kind of soft amiability, which ends with condoning all kinds of things which are far from right. Thus it is not to be amongst saints, inasmuch as a very definite standard is set before us. We are to aim, not merely at agreement, for we might all be of one mind and in the sweetest agreement in favour of something entirely wrong! We are to give all diligence to keeping the unity of the Spirit — not Paul's unity, not Peter's, not yours nor mine, but rather that unity which the Spirit has produced. We did not make the unity, and we cannot break the unity. The Spirit made it and we are to keep it in a practical way in the uniting bond of peace. That is to be our constant endeavour. Our success in that endeavour will depend upon the measure in which we are marked by the beautiful features mentioned in verse 2.

Only by expressing the features of Jesus can we go on together as Christians in this world, and this no doubt accounts for their coming in before the exhortation to use diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit. Viewed essentially, as subsisting in the Spirit, this unity cannot be broken, but looked at practically, where human responsibility exists, it has been broken to pieces. Nevertheless it is still possible for saints, by diligence and by the manifestation of the traits of Jesus, to endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. This unity cannot be kept where man's mind and will control; only where there is liberty for the Spirit to make known the mind and will of God, and where there is the habitual endeavour to carry out the expressed thoughts of God. Such a condition cannot be enforced, it is the fruit of communion, hence the word "in the uniting bond of peace." How very far removed this is from the common desire, even among true believers, of peace at any price. If divine principles are sacrificed for peace, this is not the peace of the unity of the Spirit, which can only be kept where God's word regulates everything.

From the unity of the Spirit the apostle passes to the great circles of unity, existing in relation to the Persons of the Godhead, where believers have their part. The first circle is in relation to the Holy Spirit, and may be looked upon as the true Christian circle, where is the one body which has been formed by the One Spirit. Only true believers in Christ have part here; we are members of the body by the new creative work of God, a body which derives its nutrition and direction from its heavenly Head. There is but ONE body, a truth which is to govern all who would endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit. Again there is but ONE Spirit, who is to guide and to lead all who have part in this living circle of blessing and privilege. In God's dealings with men providentially, the Holy Spirit is spoken of as "The Seven Spirits," but in Christianity He is the One Spirit, the power uniting all that belongs to God in the new creation circle into which He has called and brought us. The hope of our calling is to enter into the glory with Christ, and be with Him before the Father, in the joy of His love, for evermore. This hope belongs to every member of Christ's body; one destiny awaits us all; we have but ONE hope of our calling.

Lowliness expresses the humility of mind that should characterise believers in their thoughts of themselves, in contrast to the vanity and pride that marks the flesh. Meekness is the spirit of gentleness that should mark us in our bearing towards others — the readiness to give place to others in contrast to the self-assertiveness that seeks a place of prominence. Longsuffering suggests the patient spirit that should mark us in relation to the trying circumstances that we may be called to pass through forbearance, the patience with which we should meet all that is trying in others. Further we are warned that love is to be the true motive in showing forbearance. It is possible to show great forbearance in the presence of insults and yet be acting in a spirit of pride that treats the offending brother with silent contempt. Furthermore, the Christian company is to be marked by unity; but this unity is "the unity of the Spirit," which we are to endeavour to keep. The unity of the Spirit is not the unity of a company of people held together by common opinions, or by a unanimous judgment, which may be far from the mind of the Spirit. It is the unity that is the outcome of being members of the body of Christ and is maintained by the saints walking together according to the one mind of the Spirit. Moreover, this unity of the Spirit is to be maintained in the uniting bond of peace. The danger is that if we are not agreed as to the mind of the Spirit we may fall into contention instead of prayerfully searching the word to learn His mind in the spirit of peace.

Moreover, we are to use diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit “in the uniting bond of peace”. The flesh is ever self-assertive and ready to quarrel with others with whom it may not agree. If we cannot agree as to the mind of the Spirit, let us patiently search the Word of God under the guidance of the Spirit in the spirit of peace. If two believers are not of the same mind it is evident that one, or both, have missed the mind of the Spirit, and the danger is that they may fall to quarrelling. How necessary then that the endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit should be carried out in the spirit of peace that binds us together. Another has said, “What comes from the Spirit is always one. Why are we not always agreed? Because our own minds work. If we had only what we learned from Scripture, we should all be the same.” (J.N.D.)

Christ was the peace. He made peace through the blood of His cross, and in that death every national and carnal distinction would of necessity be obliterated. Hence in the next chapter the apostle proceeded to counsel them to "endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." This bond is not a peace which results from ignoring the difficulties of the moment, the difficulties of walk, the difficulties that arise in assembly relationships, but it is that bond of peace which the Lord Himself made. It was the result of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, bringing men and women who believe into one body in a living unity before God by the Holy Spirit. This unity we are to seek to maintain in practice.

This unity is what we have to keep. We are exhorted to "endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"; to endeavour to keep practically that which exists in fact. Not to make a unity, but to keep by the bond of peace that unity which exists by the presence of the Holy Spirit in the One Body.