Three distinct relationships enable true harmony.
Christian unity is a dynamic condition that brings tremendous blessing. It must be pursued with all diligence and, once found, guarded and preserved. Although fragile at times, it is the source of peace and a wonderful prize for the meek and lowly of heart. Without unity, the door to our life, home and assembly fellowship is opened to discouragement, discord, and the attack of the devil.
It is the “unity of the Spirit” that we speak of here. Our fallen flesh cares not for unity but for self. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that the selfish flesh can be defeated and the paths of unity be pursued. Notice the key words found in the preceding verses of Ephesians 4:2-3: lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing, love and peace. It takes the attitudes or fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) to foster a relationship that desires and delights in such a spiritual unity.
Therefore, the means of unity is by submission and yieldedness to the indwelling Holy Spirit. Unlike secular unity that has its roots in compromise or consensus, the believer’s call to unity is built upon a solid foundation of truth. This is the work of the Holy Spirit: to guide us into all truth (Jn. 16:13). Hence, our unity is not built upon that which we can all support and agree upon. Our unity is the product of being in the Spirit of Truth, and thus enabled by the Spirit to embrace the truth of God together as one.
The process of the Holy Spirit bringing unity to the saints can be understood within three distinct relationships or directions: unity with God, unity with Christ, and unity with one another as children of God. I would suggest that these three relationships are progressive in nature. Our unity with one another flows from our unity with Christ, and our unity with Christ flows from our unity with God. The one Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God, is the conduit that connects these relationships and makes that precious unity possible
Unity with God
God is a Spirit being (Jn. 4:24). He is not confined to or defined by space, matter, or time. He is invisible. He is separated from our material and physical world, yet can be known and approached by His creatures. How can this be? God has equipped man for this relationship. He has given man a spirit that sets him apart from the rest of creation. Our spiritual connection to God is established “by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). God invites the believer to worship Him in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23). It is the Holy Spirit that “beareth witness with our spirit” (Rom. 8:16) that we are the children of God. It is the Holy Spirit that “maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:27). These and many other verses of Scripture make it clear that we can have unity with God only by His Spirit.
Unity with Christ
The Holy Spirit is the key to our relationship to Christ. It is the Holy Spirit that teaches us of the person of Christ, glorifies Christ through us, and is the conduit of communication between Christ and the inner man of the believer (Jn. 16:13-15). It is the life of the Holy Spirit within us that executes the power of our new life in Christ and frees us from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2). The fruit of the Spirit is the very character and attitude of Christ revealed in us. It is the indwelling Spirit of Christ that is the proof that we belong to Christ (Rom. 8:9). If, at the time of the rapture our mortal bodies are in the grave, it becomes the work of the one Spirit to quicken and unite in perfect unity, for the first time, our body, soul, and spirit (Rom. 8:11). You might say, that from the cradle of our new life in Christ to the resurrection of our body from the grave, the Holy Spirit is at work assuring our unity to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Unity within the body of Christ
Our unity within the body of Christ is fully dependent upon the indwelling work of the one Spirit. To begin with, our very entrance into that spiritual body occurred at the time of salvation when “by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:13). Then it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to understand the spiritual nature and truths of the one body (1 Cor. 2:12-16). As we are yielded to the control of the Holy Spirit, we are able to exercise spiritual gifts for the edification of the body. The Holy Spirit enables believers to “be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another…” (Eph. 4:30-32).
The one Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, is the invisible force within the dynamics of the Christian life. He is the cohesiveness that brings balance and unity to the four pillars of the church seen in Acts 2:42: the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. He is the divine resident indwelling us and uniting us to God the Father, God the Son, and the sons of God. By Him alone is it possible for us to attain to the desire of the apostle Paul: “Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Php. 2:2).
This unity with the Godhead, by the one Spirit is the ultimate anticipation of the Lord for His saints. A review of His prayer in John 17, particularly verses 20 to 26, will make this desire of the Lord’s heart evident. This oneness with the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father includes a sharing of, and our joining with, their presence, their glory, and their love. Such oneness is too wonderful to take in fully. It is by the one Spirit that all this is ours for an eternity to come. Listen to our oneness with the Spirit expressed in the closing verses of God’s precious Word: “The Spirit and the bride say, Come” (Rev. 22:17).