In these seven elements is found the nature of authentic Christian unity. It is not a union to be manufactured by our effort, but a unity which already exists, created in us, through us, and around us by the Spirit of God. These seven facets of unity are not, therefore, articles of theological agreement. They ought never to be put into a creedal statement as though agreement with these is what endorses someone as a Christian. No, it is the other way around: becoming a Christian ultimately brings agreement on these points. They are areas not just of doctrine, but of mutual experience. They are experiential truths which lay hold of us, not truths which we are to lay hold of. The seven elements of our unity are not debatable. If anyone challenges or disagrees with these, he is simply manifesting the fact that he is not yet a Christian. When he becomes a Christian he will experience and therefore understand these things. He may not be able to articulate them clearly but he will recognize them when they are described, for they are immediately experienced by all who are in Christ. Therefore, the way to create unity is simply to bring men and women to Christ. The unity of the Spirit will be produced in them by the Spirit. It is impossible to achieve any meaningful or significant union apart from this unity which is produced only by the Spirit. Putting it in another way, there are two kinds of unity: an external unity without internal agreement, and an internal unity which manifests occasional external disagreement. We have been calling the first, union. The very nature of those who seek external union rather than true internal unity is to attempt to impose union by control and direction. These are the control freaks or church bosses who have to be at the top of the pyramid, imposing their vision of how their Christian union should function from the top down. Their power is measured by how successful they are in getting the conglomerate to follow them. I remember well the first time I ran into the second kind of unity, the true, Spirit-created, internal kind of unity. As a boy I had two friends who were brothers, only a year apart in age. One day we were out playing (messing around, as kids say today) and these brothers began quarrelling. I thought that one was a bit sarcastic and unfair so I chimed in on behalf of the underdog. To my amazement he didnt welcome my help. In fact, he turned on me! And then his brother joined him and both jumped on me! I discovered I had made a very shallow judgment. I felt the differences they were airing represented a fundamental disagreement between them--but I was wrong! Underneath the disagreement was a fundamental unity: their brotherhood. The moment I attacked one of them, that unity manifested itself and they closed ranks against the outsider--me! This incident illustrates the unity of the church--an internal unity with an occasional external disagreement. Now there are certain practical conclusions which come from a passage like Ephesians 4:4-6. As we apply this great central truth of Christian unity to the outer areas of our lives--especially as we confront the problems of modern existence--there are certain facts that become evident. First, it is clear that Christians are to direct their efforts not at producing an outward union but toward maintaining peace within the body. That is clearly what Paul says: eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians. 4:3). It is absolutely crucial that Christians practice Christlike love and put an end to quarreling, harboring grudges, and struggling against one another. In John 17, Jesus said that our love and unity would be a witness to the world. He prayed that all Christians may be one ... [so] that the world may believe that thou hast sent me (John 17:21). The degree to which division and hostility reign in the church is the degree to which that churchs effectiveness will be hindered in its community. Our witness is neutralized by our unwillingness to maintain the unity which the Spirit has already given us. When we are divided, there is nothing we can say to which the world will pay any attention. by Ray Stedman
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 06:36:26 +0000
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