“with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” – Ephesians 4:2-4

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For me, Instagram is a very dangerous thing. It can consume my time and attention with funny and foolish videos. But, before I know it, I’ve wasted hours on no real productive endeavor.

As I limit my time on social media/Instagram, I’ve also been narrowing what I look at. There is a lot of good Christian content, and I have been blessed by some great insights and commentary. However, you also see the full spectrum of diverse opinions along with some ugly backbiting. Some Christian ministries are compelled as their mission to tear down other Christian ministries that they disagree with. They have decided other ministries are not “authentic” or are actually “unbiblical” or even “demonic.”

As the world around us grows ever darker and desperate for the Gospel, many in the Christian world spend their time judging one another.

Can we find some Godly wisdom on what unites us – what makes us as one?

I’m a bit of a theological simpleton, but I’ll grab hold of what Paul wrote to the Ephesians as a guide. The purpose of the letter to the Ephesians was to encourage unity in the early church. Paul counsels the people of Ephesus not to be divided by their former statuses as Gentiles or Jews. What unites the church, Paul argues, is God’s Holy Spirit establishing their shared commitment to the cause of Christ and their agreement on His divinity.

We find that the Unity of the Spirit has 7 key elements that make us one church.

In Ephesians 4:2-6 Paul writes, “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Verse 5&6 says that there is One . . .

1. Body – Church
2. Spirit – Holy Spirit
3. Hope – The Glory of God realized
4. Lord – Jesus
5. Faith – the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen
6. Baptism – confirming the new man
7. Father – God the Father

That is it! The true church is united in agreement on these primary seven absolutes. First is the agreement that there is, in fact, one church bound together by the following elements. The church body goes beyond our local church body and even Christian denominations to all those who agree in a triune God made up of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Beyond that, we are . . .

Bound Together with a Common Hope:

Christian hope is when God promises that something will happen, and you put your trust in that promise. It is a confidence that something will come to pass because God has promised it will— the realization of the full gospel through the saving work of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13—“Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Bound Together with a Common Faith:

Completely trusting in the God of three persons is the tangible evidence of our reliance on the above hope that is unseen. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Bound Together By a Common Baptism:

While water baptism is not necessary as a means of obtaining eternal life, it was clearly Jesus’ teaching that we should be baptized. For the sake of the church, it is a symbol of Christians united in their faith and hope. We honor Christ by this step of faith. Through it, each believer demonstrates an outward expression of an inward experience – our old person is gone, and the new has come. Beyond symbolism, who is to say what the spiritual impact of God’s regenerative work is at baptism?  “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

That is it. Everything else is based on a contrite heart seeking God’s wisdom to form our opinions. Can we disagree and critique when we believe certain practices are unscriptural or unhealthy? Yes. But, it should be in the context of the rest of Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 4 that disagreements over all the “other stuff” are conducted, “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Do we leave room for God to lead others in scripturally defensible ways beyond how we are led?

Do Not Think So Highly of Your Own Thoughts

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” – Romans 12:3

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.” – Romans 12:15-17

Humble Yourself

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.” – James 4:10-11

Love One Another

There are many places where Jesus is described as commanding others in one way or another. After studying this form of speech, I’ve concluded that there is actually only one “commandment” that Jesus added to the original 10. It’s found in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

So let’s turn down the self-righteous critiquing rhetoric towards fellow Christ Followers and adopt the one commandment Jesus gave to His disciples – to love one another. Does loving mean we can’t question or challenge one another? No! Paul did it all the time. In 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Paul recommends we “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” But in the form of love, it will be a humble, gentle, and patient spirit striving to grow together in the knowledge of God as a demonstration of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There may not be any greater evidence to the world of the power of the Gospel than the Body of Christ united by their love for one another. We are a unique group of people, willing to set aside racial, ethnic, economic, political, and even theological opinion differences to love one another for the love of our Savior.

So, brothers and sisters, for our God’s sake, let’s make the effort (endeavor) to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.