The Goal is Whole: One Together, Part 2 One Glorious Church, O2.2: Unity Expressed

FULL STUDY:

One of the strongest themes we see in the passion of Jesus, is that His people may all be one:

“That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:21)

Our unity is the basis of our witness.

Unity is also the basis of community (i.e. “common unity”), and the manifested power of God:

“At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico. 13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. 14 And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, 15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. 16 Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.” (Acts 5:12-16)

Unity is not something we can create. Rather, it is something that exists in the new creation and must be embraced, and outworked. In a sense, this can be seen as the answer to Jesus’ prayer we quoted above (John 17:21). Jesus prayed it, and it is fulfilled in the new creation. This comes through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who immerses all into one body together:

“For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

Unity exists in the Holy Spirit. Our challenge is to “preserve” that unity:

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6)

Unity is not something we create, but something we are called to preserve, in the bond of peace. Every person who enters the new creation by spiritual birth enters into the unity that already exists there, in the one body.

We are not to get into the trap of trying to create agreements and unity in the sense realm, or the flesh. That is to deny the new creation all together. New creation unity starts with an established reality, taps into it, and lets it manifest. This takes a definite decision and discipline, such that Paul urges us to be diligent in this. Passivity will not get us there. Unity needs to be championed as a primary goal, and as we all yield to the one Spirit together, so we find unity is there. This includes mutual respect, honoring and including each other, placing high value on each other.

There is a lot in that passage that we need to consider.

First, we are called to walk in a manner worthy of our identity. Community life needs work! Not work to achieve, but rather an out-working from the new creation nature within. Letting the reality of who we are in Jesus flood out of us together! This happens as we deny the old nature, and live in the new, choice by choice, and step by step. As we studied in unit 3, this is valid for our own walk of purity and holiness, but now here we have an even bigger goal. We are engaging because of the body, because of the community, which becomes of primary importance.

Second, the new creation lifestyle is so contrary to the world, and the fallen race. Look at verse 2: “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love.” What a manifesto clause that is! A community centered on this kind of attitude will be a powerful statement to the world. How is this possible? That’s an easy answer. It’s Jesus! This is the fruit of the spirit, this is the outworking of the true holiness we studied earlier. This is the glory of His presence manifested in us, through us, between us, but now it is on display in community, together. This is life together in the Spirit – the one glorious church!

Walking this out requires a determined approach to community life. The passive life defaults back to the old nature. It takes offense, makes selfish choices, and thrives on pity and impatience. That doesn’t work here. We need to engage the spirit, on purpose, for the sake of community and unity. To become a manifestation of His glorious bride!

Third, the latter part of the passage reinforces again that this is one body, and it comes about through one Spirit. This is “One Glorious Church”: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

There is no way we could get close to this unity in the old nature. The fallen race is inherently selfish, and disconnected. But in Him, we have unity. We are joined in one Spirit. We belong. We are one in Him! This is completely new – it’s the new creation!

Unity can so easily be broken on a surface level, and in our daily experience, but it is actually never broken in the Spirit. Unity is always available for us if we will come back and engage again. Making purposeful “one another” choices help to preserve the unity we have, allowing it to manifest. As the unity manifests, so does Jesus! In the Acts 5 passage above the central statement was that they were “all in one accord”, and it led to power, miracles, healing, deliverance and rapid growth. Jesus manifested!

For the rest of this study today, we will just post numerous New Testament passages that include the term, “one another”. Each one reveals an aspect of the community life that preserves the unity we have together in the new creation. Let the Holy Spirit bring any freedom needed in your attitudes or relationships. It’s so much better to walk in the new creation and enjoy rich fellowship with Christ, and His people!

Quite a number of these “one another’s” can be grouped under similar themes. Those are listed first. (Credit Jeffrey Kranz post on overviewbible.com)

1. Unity

One third of the one-another’s are promoting the unity of the church:

1. Be at peace with one another (Mk 9:50)
2. Don’t grumble among one another (Jn 6:43)
3. Be of the same mind with one another (Ro 12:16, 15:5)
4. Accept one another (Ro 15:7)
5. Wait for one another before beginning communion (1 Co 11:33)
6. Don’t bite, devour, and consume one another (Ga 5:15)
7. Don’t boastfully challenge or envy one another (Ga 5:26).
8. Gently, patiently tolerate one another (Ep 4:2)
9. Be kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving to one another (Ep 4:32)
10. Bear with and forgive one another (Co 3:13)
11. Seek good for one another, and don’t repay evil for evil (1 Th 5:15)
12. Don’t complain against one another (Jas 4:11, 5:9)
13. Confess sins to one another (Jas 5:16)

2. Love

One third of the “one-another’s” promote loving one another:

1. Love one another (Jn 13:34, 15:12, 17; Ro 13:8; 1 Th 3:12, 4:9; 1 Pe 1:22; 1 Jn 3:11, 4:7, 11; 2 Jn 5)
2. Through love, serve one another (Ga 5:13)
3. Tolerate one another in love (Ep 4:2)
4. Greet one another with a kiss of love (1 Pe 5:14)
5. Be devoted to one another in love (Ro 12:10)

3. Humility

About 15% of the “one-another’s” stress an attitude of humility and deference among believers:

1. Give preference to one another in honor (Ro 12:10)
2. Regard one another as more important than yourselves (Php 2:3)
3. Serve one another (Ga 5:13)
4. Wash one another’s feet (Jn 13:14)
5. Don’t be haughty: be of the same mind (Ro 12:16)
6. Be subject to one another (Ep 5:21)
7. Clothe yourselves in humility toward one another (1 Pe 5:5)

4. Others

Here are the others:

1. Do not judge one another, and don’t put a stumbling block in a brother’s way (Ro 14:13)
2. Greet one another with a kiss (Ro 16:16; 1 Co 16:20; 2 Co 13:12)
3. Husbands and wives: don’t deprive one another of physical intimacy (1 Co 7:5)
4. Bear one another’s burdens (Ga 6:2)
5. Speak truth to one another (Ep 4:25)
6. Don’t lie to one another (Co 3:9)
7. Comfort one another concerning the resurrection (1 Th 4:18)
8. Encourage and build up one another (1 Th 5:11)
9. Stimulate one another to love and good deeds (He 10:24)
10. Pray for one another (Jas 5:16)
11. Be hospitable to one another (1 Pe 4:9)