Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3 KJV)
The unity of the Spirit is what keeps the Church intact as one
Living in peace amongst other believers is the bond that holds the unity of the Spirit together. That means strife and contention amongst brethren will break unity. There are few things more spiritually disgusting than watching two Christians fight with each other. Unity amongst the brethren is so precious in the sight of the Lord, that He would rather have us endure mistreatment from a brother to maintain peace, than to cause havoc and confusion in the church while proving your point (1 Cor. 6:7).
There are some circumstances you should avoid, no matter what the self-sacrifice. Do not sow discord, division, or strife amongst believers, even if you are right. You can be doubly sure that you will never be justified in God’s eyes if you’ve created division within believers. Every believer is a member of the body of Christ, therefore, every battle, hatred, or strife brought against another believer, is contempt against Christ Himself. I have seen believers arguing with each other, or their minister, never realizing that the believer they are fighting with is actually Christ Himself.
When Paul encountered Jesus on his journey to persecute believers, Jesus asked him “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Acts 9:4 KJV). The Lord did not ask “why are you persecuting Christians” or “My people”. Jesus called the believers “Me”. We must recognize who we are in Christ, fear the Lord, and have respect for His body of believers.
MEDITATE
Does living in unity require that we all be the same? Which scriptural commands help us live in peace, even with differences amongst Christians? (See Rom 15:1 for an example).
APPLY THE WORD
We have to resist the temptation of despising, fighting, or causing division amongst God’s people- at all cost. Whenever this urge comes, fear the Lord and respect His body.
PRAY
Ask the Lord for the grace to help us bear all of the differences in the body.
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