Unity of the Spirit - Ephesians 4:1-32

Years ago, I read a book by Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancy called In His Image, where I discovered just how truly fearfully and wonderfully our bodies are made. Our bodies are way more complex and amazing than I had ever imagined before reading their book. Brand and Yancy tell how the wondrous complexity of our bodies relates to being created in God’s image. When we talk about being created in God’s image, we’re talking about spiritual things here. All other creatures were also created, just like humans were, and they’re all living breathing creatures; the difference between humanity and the other animals is that God breathed his breath, his spirit into us to give us life, giving us a glimpse of God’s love for us.

Paul uses the body as an image of the church. We’re all interconnected, we’re all are part of the same whole. “There is one body and one Spirit,” Paul says. The call is to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. It’s all connected to Jesus as our one hope. This whole theme of oneness comes through again and again in these verses, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Yet how important is unity and peace in the church to most of us? In a culture, even a church culture that often emphasizes being right over peace and harmony, unity is not always considered important. Just look at how many denominations or independent churches there are to see that unity is often not a high priority for many.

Jesus gives the church the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God. This image Paul gives us goes against how we often do church, where we hire someone to do the work while we focus on what we get out of church. Paul believes that Jesus gives the church the workers we often hire to do the work of the church, to equip and train us to do the work of service. This is how we are built up as a church and reach unity in the faith and knowledge of Jesus as the Son of God. We learn through serving that life is not about me, but about serving God and neighbour.

Jesus gives us leaders to equip us to do works of service. The works of service don’t save us, only Jesus saves us from our sin through his work on the cross for us. We cannot save ourselves from our sin, we need Jesus; but, like the Heidelberg Catechism tells us, we do works of service because it helps us to be more like Jesus, it’s a way of showing our thankfulness to God for his grace, and it helps to win our neighbours over to Jesus. Paul reminds us that works of service makes the church stronger and healthier, helps us to be more united together. It’s part of how we mature as followers of Jesus.

Jesus’ last prayer in the Garden focuses on his followers being one, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message (his disciples), that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” If all the parts of a body don’t work together in unity, it’s hard. My brother Glen had epilepsy; if you have physical struggles, it makes life more difficult and you need to learn new ways of doing everyday things. It doesn’t make you any less a person, but you have things to deal with that others might not have to. It’s also true that those whose bodies might not work the way God created them to work, often learn greater grace and appreciation. I think of people like Joni Tada Eareckson who was paralysed after an accident, or Helen Keller who is blind and deaf, and how their faith grew because their physical bodies were hurt or didn’t develop the ways other bodies do as they focused on Jesus and who he is calling them to be. In many ways, the church is like this, we wrestle with hurts or brokenness, and yet together as the body of Jesus, we support and encourage each other, walking together, sometimes learning new ways of being church together. The Holy Spirit will guide us, if we’re open to the Spirit, guiding us to be one as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one essence even as they’re three persons.

Just like the Holy Spirit gave life to Adam, Jesus’ Spirit gives life to the church. The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was like getting a blood transfusion, bringing new life. Dr. Paul Brand tells of a woman in an accident who had lost most of her blood. She was almost dead and pale white. Once they started a blood transfusion, colour returned to her skin and her life was restored. This is what Paul’s getting at here, “That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” The Spirit works in us as the body of Jesus, pointing us to who Jesus is, and working in us to make us more like Jesus, renewing our minds and making us more righteous and holy.

What does this look like in the church? Partly it’s about holding common beliefs, which is why we have creeds and confessions based on Scripture. This is why educating our youth and new believers is so important because it joins us together. This is why we’ve developed mentoring relationships in our youth ministry. Learning together, mentoring others is part of how we put on the new self so we become mature and aren’t tossed around like ships in a storm without a rudder, helpless and grabbing onto any life-line for safety. As we work towards living in unity together in our faith, we also learn to walk in holiness and righteousness together as Jesus’ body set apart to be a witness to the world to who Jesus is.

Holiness and righteousness are revealed through the relationships found within the church. John puts it this way in his first letter, “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.” In Jesus’ prayer in the garden, he prayed that we would be one in him so that the world may believe that you have sent me. Unity in the church helps the world to believe that Jesus has been sent by God; that Jesus is the Son of God who has come to save the world! We can be different and diverse in our gifts and talents and still be unified in our faith and beliefs, focusing on working together in order to reveal to the world who God is.

But unity is hard. Pride, arrogance, selfishness, anger, and more can break the church and relationships with God and each other because they lead to a lack of faith and forgiveness, showing we haven’t accepted Jesus’ forgiveness. This leads to brokenness. It comes down to how well we listen to and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, allowing the Spirit to flow into and through us. This means taking the time to listen to the Holy Spirit as we pray, to listen to the wisdom of the Spirit as we study God’s Word together, as we do works of service within the church and our community to grow stronger together. There’s something about working together that draws people closer together. Talk to people who serve in various organizations and you will often hear how their closest friends come from among the people they serve with. The key is combining our works of service with Jesus’ humility and love and sharing who Jesus is.

Paul writes, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” How do you speak to or of others? Are you focused on building them up, being an encouraging presence? Or do you enjoy talking about others in negative ways? Paul calls us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Another way of saying this is, “live in love, speak with grace, offer forgiveness easily, because in Jesus we’ve received unmeasurable grace.” This is Spirit-filling shaping ways of living, echoing the fruit of the Spirit encouragement Paul gives the Galatians.

Unity and growing mature together is hard work, but anything precious takes effort and sacrifice to achieve. Anything Jesus prays for is precious. Unity is not something we achieve in our own strength; this is why Paul reminds us of the need for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Will it take sacrifice to focus our lives and rhythms around these things? Yes, but you’ll discover the blessings of the Holy Spirit’s life blood building us into a stronger and blessed body of Jesus who bring glory to God and life to the places where we live.