Tag: Unity of the Spirit

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How To Maintain The Seven-fold Unity of the Spirit

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The Seven-fold Unity of the Spirit

© 2014 C. O. Bishop THCF 1/26/2014

Ephesians 4:3-6 (Read it)

Introduction:

I don’t know what your inward thoughts may be, but, in my flesh,I know I feel perfectly free to mentally dismiss another person, just because I disapprove of something in their life. We used to say, “I don’t like the way he parts his hair,” when we really meant, “I have taken an unreasoning dislike to that person.”

Many of us think we have “personal freedom” to like or dislike people on a whim. We may exclude someone from our personal sphere of fellowship because of some small difference of opinion. The problem with this behavior is that God says we do not have that right!

Last time we spoke, we saw that Ephesians 4:3 says , “endeavor to maintain the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” It is a command: Though it is stated as a plea, that is a command. In order to obey a command, one must at least understand what it says. So; what in the world is the “Unity of the Spirit?” And how do we “endeavor to maintain” it?

The Seven-Fold Unity of the Spirit

God centers our real, God-established unity around seven things:

  1. One Body
  2. One Spirit
  3. One Hope of our Calling
  4. One Lord
  5. One Faith
  6. One Baptism
  7. One God and Father

If all of those unities are in place, we are not to break fellowship. If someone is deliberately teaching contrary to those, then they are heretical, that is, “causing division,” and must be avoided.

Not “Human-Sourced”

None of those seven are “humanly established”—they are simply facts, established by God. Based on those seven unities, which, together, comprise the Unity of the Spirit, we are to function in unity as well. We are not to have discord among us. Proverbs 6:16-19 gives us a pretty good idea about how God feels about disunity: “These six things doth the LORD hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him…” Sowing discord among brethren is one of ‘em, folks. So let’s take a closer look at the Unity of the Spirit, with a view as to how we are to maintain it.

Why “Seven?”

First, it seems appropriate to point out what may be obvious to many…the unity is Seven-fold. Many times, in scripture, God uses the number “seven,” to convey a sense of “completeness.” For instance, the judgments in the book of The Revelation include seven “seals,” within the seventh of which are seven blasts of angelic trumpets—the seventh of which is commonly referred to as the “Last Trumpet,” or the “Trumpet of Doom.” Within that seventh trumpet are seven bowls or vials. This is the completion of Man’s reign on earth. “Three” is often seen as the number of humanity…and “seven,” the number of completion. Hence three sevens, nested within one another. 

Jesus lists seven churches in Revelation chapters 2-3, summing up either the possible attributes of all local churches, or spanning the complete history of the Church age…or both, depending on how one sees it.

But here we have the Unity of the Spirit, given by God as a completed entity; “no assembly required, no batteries needed.” All we are told to do is maintain it. So…how do we do that? By not breaking it unnecessarily. Church splits and fractured unity are so common, today, that the world sees us as a laughingstock.

They talk about “believing Baptists”…meaning, “if we don’t fully agree, we’ll ‘be leaving!’” Believers hop from church to church, finding something in every assembly to justify their leaving, frequently in a self-righteous huff.

But, God says “maintain the Unity of the Spirit”…endeavor to do so—work at it! That is what “endeavor” means…it isn’t simply that we should half-heartedly “try.” (“Well, we did our best, but you can’t be friends with everybody…”) God says, “Work at it. Endeavor to keep it.”

There is Only One Body of Christ.

We talk of the various denominations as being different churches, and, in a sense, they are. But the only acceptable division is to be geographical, and demographic, in the sense of language, culture, etc.  It is never to be a division regarding some obscure doctrine, or “which teacher a particular assembly likes to follow.” Look at 1st Corinthians 1:11-13: Paul notes that specific reason for divisions and he utterly condemns it. He points out that neither he nor Apollos were anything important…and, more importantly, that Christ is not divided. Nor is the Body of Christ to be divided.

There were numerous house-churches in larger cities, but, in general, it seems, there were only geographical differences; the church at Ephesus—the Churches of Galatia, etc. It was not the “First Baptist Church of West New Orleans” or some such thing. At most, it might be the “Church that meets at Chloe’s house.” Again, geography was the only barrier.

Could language be a barrier? Certainly, it could be. It is tough to fellowship freely with someone whose language is completely foreign to you. But remember: all members of the Body of Christ speak Agapé as their native language. I have had good (but limited) fellowship with believers of other languages. The Love and acceptance were there…we just couldn’t talk about it much.

There is Only One Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is God. There is only one of Him, and he indwells every single real believer, individually. He does not need us to tell them how to live. He tells them in His Word, and He tells them by his guidance of their new nature. Does he send believers to correct other believers? Surely He does! But we frequently specialize in “correcting” areas concerning which the Holy Scriptures are utterly silent…and we often ignore things about which it is clear. And when we do attempt to “correct” someone, too often we are not in tune with the Holy Spirit, because the correction is not born of Love, but of condemnation and pride.

The same Spirit indwells us all and makes us one in Christ. Bear that in mind, regarding people with whom you have “personality conflicts.” (God has a shorter word for this: He calls it “Sin.”)

The Holy Spirit never leads contrary to the Written Word of God. Remember this, when someone (maybe you) claims that “The Holy Spirit is leading them to” do such and such. If it is clearly contrary to sound doctrine, then it is not the Holy Spirit doing the leading. There is only One Holy Spirit, and He never creates division, except to demand that believers follow the Word of God…you see, not all of them want to do so. We are to endeavor to maintain His unity.

There is Only One Hope of our Calling.

Did you think there is a different heaven for other churches, maybe? All real believers are headed for the same real place, facing the same real God, standing before the same real Judgment Seat of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:10, 11) Do you want to stand next to someone at that Judgment Seat, and for the first time in forever, see them as your beloved brother or sister, with whom you should have been having pure fellowship, but with whom you only had discord? How will that feel? On what basis do you feel justified in rejecting any believer you have known? Or, having been on the receiving end, by what excuse have they rejected you? (Usually, it is mutual.)

Remember that you will spend eternity with that person. Better to learn to love them now, rather than to go through life having your fellowship with God damaged by your bad relationship with other believers. Do you think that can’t happen? Peter specifically warned husbands to love their wives in a particular way, so that their prayers would not be hindered. (1st Peter 3:7)

There is Only One Lord.

The “One Lord” is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. One might think that this one is a “given.” But many people have taken license to “re-construct Jesus” to their own specifications. One aspect of this “re-construction” is that they generally conclude that Jesus is not God in the Flesh, but rather (pick one):

  • Just a great teacher and prophet
  • An  exalted man
  • A powerful spirit being
  • A lesser god
  • Or some other form of created being, but NOT the Creator.

Sorry…any doctrine that concludes Jesus is other than the Everlasting Father is false . Why do I say this? I mean, really…: He is God the SON, right? (Turn to Isaiah 9:6, 7.)

“His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, THE mighty God, THE everlasting Father.” (There it is!) Do you know what Jesus said about this? He claimed to be the Judge of all the Earth (John 5:22…compare Genesis 18:25). He said that all men were to honor Him “as they honor the Father” and He went on to say that if they do not honor the Son (to that level) then they do not honor the Father who sent Him. (John 5:23)

Make a Choice!

That’s a pretty straight, hard, clean “line in the sand,” if you ask me. You either see Jesus as THE God of the Universe, or you do not truly see him.

Further, his character and doctrine are carefully laid out in the Word of God. He is not some radical philosopher, or social activist, or ascetic monk, or any of the other ways he has been portrayed; he is the Holy God of the Universe, in Human flesh. Fully Man…and fully God.

Deal with it! Embrace it! Accept him as the Bible teaches him to be! And, if the church you are attending does not honor him in that way, then you may prayerfully consider finding a church that does. One thing all the “cults” have in common is that they all claim to honor Jesus, but none (that I am aware of) embrace his deity as spelled out in scripture.

One further point: He is Lord! He is the Master. We are to obey him in all things, and when we do, there will be unity. There can only be disunity when we are not following Him. Dr. McGee points out that, when an orchestral conductor lifts his baton, all the players’ eyes are on him and all their instruments are silent. When the conductor begins the count, the instruments all come in at their proper times, playing their proper melodies, counterpoints, harmonies, etc.! Why?

Because; (a) they have the written music before them, (b) they are in full agreement as to what it says, and (c) they have agreed to allow the Conductor to interpret it for the group. Make no mistake—the Conductor is Christ…not some pastor or teacher. But when we are in tune, and following that Conductor, we will be in harmony here on Earth.

There is Only One Faith.

Throughout history, people have tried to codify this “one faith” in creeds, each claiming to outline the “one true faith.” The word “catholic” has been stolen by a particular group of people claiming to have that “one true faith.” The English word “catholic” used to only mean “universal”…but now it is so completely associated with the Roman Catholic sect, that I never use the word in teaching. I am trying to not cause doctrinal confusion. When that word is used, today, every single hearer automatically thinks of Romanism, not the unity of the body of Christ. So I have abandoned that term to the opposition. The concept is what matters.

We believe the Bible to be literally God’s written Word, and, in the original Manuscripts, without error. Could someone be saved and have some doubts about that? Certainly, they could. Many do, because of bad teaching. But could they miss the fact that Jesus is the only Savior and that His blood was shed as the single payment for the sins of the whole world and still be saved? I would have trouble with that one unless they were a brand-new believer, and completely untaught. At some point, the “One Faith” has to center on the “One Savior.”

There may be various digressions into error that would not separate them from the Person of Christ, but any teaching that turns the heart of the believer away from a personal faith in the living Christ as being their only avenue to God is at least suspect, and probably fatally flawed.

What is the “Apostles’ Doctrine?”

Acts 2:42 refers to “the Apostle’s Doctrine.” I would say that is the same as the “one faith.” If you want to see what it entails, then study the epistles. The epistles comprise the Apostle’s Doctrine. Most churches have a “doctrinal statement,” somewhere, that can be requested and read. I am told that we have one somewhere, but I’m not sure I have seen it.

We simply believe the Bible is the Word of God and that it is completely true: that it is meant to be understood and, where applicable, obeyed. We believe that Jesus truly is who he said he was…God in the Flesh, and the only Savior. We believe that faith alone, in response to His Grace is all that is required for salvation. We believe that one can know now…today…that one has eternal life; and that one’s sins have been completely forgiven. All these are part of that “One Faith.”

There is Only One Baptism:

This is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, wherein He permanently places the believer into the Body of Christ. (1st Corinthians 12:13) This is not water-baptism. There are many different forms of water baptism, and we are not to break fellowship over them. Oddly enough, the main contention over the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is concerning when it occurs.

According to the scriptures, it happens at the moment of salvation. Romans 8:9 states that if you don’t have the Holy Spirit, then you aren’t saved. So it has to happen at the moment of salvation. Jesus stated (John 5:24) that when a person hears the Gospel and believes it, they are saved. They have eternal life at that moment. So, it must happen at the moment one places his or her faith in Jesus as his/her savior.

There is Only One God and Father of all.

Many have interpreted this to mean that God is the Father of all Humans. Jesus showed the falsehood of that teaching. He told the Pharisees that they were of their Father, the Devil (John 8:44). Paul confirmed, in Ephesians 2, that we were (past tense) all the children of wrath, by nature—by birth. In Romans 5:10 he stated that we were all the enemies of God…not his beloved children.

But that One God and Father, who is the Father of all believers, through the new birth, is the One to whom we owe our Love and Worship. Remember that Jesus is called the Everlasting Father. Do I understand the Trinity? No! Absolutely not! But do I preach it? Yes, absolutely! And that One God is above all else; He is through all time and Space, and He is in all true believers. He is preeminent, omnipotent, omnipresent, and indwelling His children forever.

How Do We Maintain Unity?

Based on these seven facts that collectively form the “Unity of the Spirit” we are commanded to maintain Love and fellowship between ourselves and all other believers. It is possible that some differences, while they do NOT destroy unity or fellowship might still be a practical hindrance to working together, say, in Evangelism. Paul admits this. But we are still free to work separately, rejoicing that they, too, are carrying the Gospel to those who have not heard it.

So, rather than bicker, let’s get on with the job, ourselves, and not allow our petty disagreements to defile the message of Christ. We all have work to do, and we are all called to work with Jesus at that task.

God give us Grace to Work together, and to Love one another, in Jesus’ Name. 
Amen!

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How Important is Unity? And Why is it so Important?

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How Important is Unity? And Why is it so Important?

© 2023 C. O. Bishop

1st Corinthians 1:9-17

9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

Introduction:

We already saw the backstory of the church at Corinth, and how it came about that Paul had arrived there with a new determination to preach the straight, unadorned Message of the Cross.

As we saw earlier, virtually all of the teaching in both Corinthian Epistles is corrective in nature. That is at least partly because of the extremely corrupt environment in which the Corinthian believers lived, This next segment, verses 9-17, addresses the first of those corrective teachings.

Disunity

Disunity, division, and heresies (which means to “pull apart”) can come from a variety of sources, but they always stem from the same root. We behave by nature as self-centered sinners. We easily turn our resentment or jealousy or bitterness toward those around us. Any little fault, (whether real or imagined, and whether doctrinal or behavioral) in any other individual, then becomes grounds for our criticism and rejection of the other person.

In John 13:34, 35 Jesus gave the “Prime Directive” regarding our relationships with one another. He commanded us to “love one another.” It amazes me that we do not see this tendency toward rejection, self-serving criticism, and judgmental thoughts or behavior as direct disobedience to that Primary Commandment.

But we seldom see ourselves in the light of God’s Word. We constantly compare ourselves to others. If we think we are superior to others, we will become smug and vain. If we think that we are inferior to others, we may become depressed and bitter. We may even become convinced that “God does not love me as much as He does them.” Do you see how that quickly became an accusation against God?

Disunity can have Different Outward Forms

Doctrine

Paul addresses doctrinal unity first. He wanted the people to stop bickering over minor things, and learn to be at peace. (How do I know it was “minor things?” In Ephesians 4:3-7, Paul gave seven “unities” that are the core issues. That’s one reason: Those “unities” pretty much have to be there. In the second place, the things he mentioned next were very much “peripheral issues.”)

Historically, the church has split over ridiculously minor issues: (the color of the carpet, which side of the room the piano is on…or whether to even allow a piano… etc.) The unbelieving world laughs to see our silly, sinful infighting, and concludes that our message is a lie!

“Personality Preferences”

Paul next addressed the issues of “respect of persons, and favoritism.” He said that a particular group of believers had shared with him that schisms and “cliques” were forming at Corinth, based on “who claimed who as their mentor,” etc.

Paul saw that the “issue” that was currently causing division in Corinth was, “Whose team are YOU on? Who is YOUR mentor and teacher?” They each said things such as “I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.”

People do that today, too, clinging to some specific teacher (or to a denomination, which is already contrary to God’s will.) He warns us right here that the divisions are not good. We can see that whole churches and denominations have split over such “personality cults.”

Some people completely forsake assembling themselves together with other believers. Why? Because they choose to listen to some teacher on the radio or television at that time, instead. (That is not a good excuse: today it is possible to go online and listen to such teachers at any time, day or night. Listening to your “favorite televangelist” does not force you to disobey the command of God. (Hebrews 10:25—“forsake not the assembling of yourselves together.”)

Respect of Persons

Next, apart from that sort of “low-energy” disunity, there is the foundational issue of “Who is our Master?” To whom do I owe loyalty and obedience? It is not primarily to Paul, or Apollos, or any other human leader: it is primarily to the Person of Jesus Christ. Paul asked these rhetorical questions. The implied answer in every case is, “NO!”

  1. Is Christ Divided? (No!)
  2. Was Paul crucified for you? (No!)
  3. Were you baptized in the name of Paul? (No!)

Jesus is not divided. And the “One Body of Christ seen in 1st Corinthians 12:13 is all believers everywhere, as pointed out in verse 2. Therefore, we also should not be divided.

Is there Conflict in Authority?

Does our commitment to the authority of Christ diminish our submission to one another? No! it increases it, as we are commanded in Ephesians 5:21 to “submit yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” This is a little like asking a soldier, “To whom did you swear your oath of allegiance?” He will reply that it was “to the US Constitution!” Does that mean he does not have to obey his immediate supervisor? No! In fact, unless his supervisors clearly abandon obedience to their joint commitment to the Constitution, then he must obey those duly sworn and commissioned officers.

God has set up authorities in all of our lives, all under His supreme authority. In general, we are not free to see ourselves as “Lone Ranger” Christians. Ephesians 3:10 reveals that, God says that His eternal plan is to demonstrate His own righteousness to the Angelic Host in Heaven, through the Church as a whole. His work is always in keeping with His eternal plan. He has chosen to glorify Himself through the behavior of the Church as a whole. And we can fail to cooperate!

So, Who Baptized Who?

It is interesting to read the names of the people Paul listed as the few he baptized. Paul called Crispus and Gaius by name. Crispus would be important to the Corinthian believers because he had been the chief ruler of their Synagogue (before he became a believer and lost that position.) Paul baptized him.

Gaius, however, was not from that town at all—we see him in the next chapter of Acts, serving with Paul at Ephesus, and, in Acts 20, we find out that Gaius was from Derbe. But he was a co-laborer with Paul, and he was known to Paul’s audience. Paul baptized him, too.

In verse 16, (almost as an afterthought,) Paul remembered that he had also baptized the household of Stephanas. But this one verse and again in chapter 16 are the only two places Stephanas was mentioned. 

So, Who was Stephanas?

They knew who he was: 1st Corinthians 16:15-18 says,“15I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) 16That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth. 17I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. 18For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such.

“Submit…acknowledge”…Those are words with which we are not necessarily comfortable. But both require that we set aside self and look at our fellow-servants through God’s eyes.

And … Who Cares?

Paul concluded that, if there were others whom he had baptized, he had simply forgotten them. (That allows us to see the degree of importance Paul attached to water baptism.) But the main point here, is that there was no special value to having been baptized, or led to Christ, or having been trained by “someone special.” (I have known people who knew J. Vernon McGee personally and used to attend his church. That is certainly a privilege, but they did not hold it up as something that set them apart from other believers.)

In 1st Corinthians 3:5-9, Paul will return to this issue, regarding “who is who:”

“5Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers (Servants!) by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: (They are in unity!) and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9For we are labourers together with God: (Remember Philippians 2:13!) ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

Why was Paul “Unconcerned” About Who He May have Baptized?

Many missionaries today keep careful records of “who they baptized” and, especially, “how many.” I have even known missionaries whose primary “claim to fame” was how many church buildings they built. If that truly is what God sent them to do, then they are blessed for doing His Will. But it raises some questions in my mind:

Paul said the reason he was unconcerned about “who and how many,” is that baptism was not his primary assignment! He said, “17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”

Paul even set aside the robes of his “superior education.” He saw it as a potential detriment to the assigned goal of winning souls for Christ.

So, Paul claimed that his primary assignment was to preach the Gospel. The Great Commission teaches that our primary job is to preach the Gospel. All the Epistles underscore our assignment as ambassadors of Christ. So, how likely is it that someone truly has a totally different assignment? What chance is there that God has “changed His mind” about the job He assigned us all to do?

But, What about Unity? Why is it So Important?

Go back to the first “correction” Paul addressed: He begged them to practice Unity, in doctrine and in action. Looking back at the Gospels, we see that Jesus gave three ways by which the World is to Judge the Church:

  1. Agapé Love: In John 13:34, 35. He said, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; As I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love, one to another.”
  2. Unity: In John 17:21 Jesus said, “ That they all may be One; as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be One in us: that the World may believe that thou hast sent me.
  3. Good Works: In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said,  “Ye are the light of the World. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.”

God-Ordained Priorities

God ordained these three things by which the World is to judge the Church. Perhaps we need to especially concern ourselves with those three, as all three affect our testimony as believers in Christ.

How do we get along with other believers? Do we go out of our way to treat them with Agapé Love? Do we seek ways to find common ground, or are we constantly stressing the differences between us and other believers? Remember that the World is watching!

Ephesians 4:3 tells us to “endeavor to maintain the Unity of the Spirit, in the bond of Peace.” God created that unity. We need to find ways to maintain it!

Lord Jesus, please help us to recognize the seeds of disunity and root them out before they can grow to cause broken fellowship. Help us to see opportunities to serve one another with Your Agapé Love. Modify our behavior to consistently reflect your Grace, so that our behavior lights the way for others and brings Glory to You.

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Three Distinctives of the True Church

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Three Distinctives of the True Church

© 2009 C. O. Bishop

Introduction:

Last week I mentioned that people in our church are rightfully concerned about current world events and how they may affect the Church. So, as we think about such events and what our response should be, it is appropriate to ask ourselves what God would have us to do. We find the answers to that question, of course, in God’s Word…He is the one to tell us what He wants of us.

As Christians, it matters how we behave. Our salvation is secure in Christ, but He has given us some assignments as well. For example, He says in Acts 1:8 that we are to be witnesses for him in the world. Paul reiterates this, many years later, in 2nd Corinthians 5:18-20, saying that unto us has been given the ministry of reconciliation, and that we are his ambassadors. So how do we carry out that mission? How do we build credibility? What is it about the believers that should convince unbelievers that our message is true?

Three Distinctives

The Word of God lists three things, all of them behavior-specific, and things we can make a choice about.

  1. Love (John 13:34, 35) Jesus said “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples…”
  2. Unity (John 17:21) Jesus said “That the world may know that Thou [God] did send Me…”
  3. Practical Holiness (Matthew 5:13-15; 2nd Timothy 2:19) Jesus said that if our light shines for others to see, they will glorify the Father. Paul says, “Let every one who names the Name of Christ (calls himself a Christian) depart from iniquity.”

Chronologically speaking, the call to practical holiness (obedience) precedes the command to love one another. But in the economy of God, it can be demonstrated that His Love was extended to us prior to creation, let alone prior to the fall into Sin, or the giving of the Law, etc. The Love and Grace of God were part of the plan, certainly, before the world was created. (Revelation 13:8) But I am personally convinced that God’s Holiness is His primary attribute. (Isaiah 6:1-8) Even His Love is subject to His Holiness.

But, In God’s dealing with the Church He reverses that order, and commands first that Agapé love be the undergirding basis for ALL other principles—why?

Love (John 13:34, 35) (Read this passage)

In the Gospels (Matthew 22:37-40), Jesus revealed to the Jewish lawyer that to “…Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul and strength, and to love thy neighbor as thyself…” encapsulated the whole Law. The Pharisees had specialized in the outward compliance to the Law…but Jesus pointed out that the undergirding principle was Love. Romans 13:8 reiterates this principle in the epistles.

Jesus commanded the disciples (John 13:34, 35), saying, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” Notice that this is a God-given means by which the World is to judge the Church. This is the way that the World can determine whether you are a real believer. God knows for sure—but if the World does not see this evidence, they are not expected to believe you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.

What do we know about this sort of love? We can see it demonstrated in the life of Christ, and see its characteristics in 1st Corinthians 13. Notice, as we read through 1st Corinthians 13:1-8, that every single characteristic of the Agape love is NOT a feeling, but an action. (Read it) None of them has much (if anything) to do with how I feel. They are directives as to how I am to behave. When God said “For God so loved the world…” it was not saying “God loves you SOOOoo much…” It is saying, “in this manner God loved the World:”. In fact, in Spanish, that is exactly how it is translated: “Porque de tal manera amo Dios al mundo…” in this manner God loved the World.

So…we have been commanded to love one another in the same manner as Jesus did. What exactly did he do? Did he go around feeling tender and mushy all the time? Hardly. When Jesus cleared the temple, he certainly was not feeling or acting tender or mushy…but he was acting in love. Were all the things he said sweet and gentle? Hardly. He called the Pharisees “sons of Hell”, and a “brood of vipers”, and hypocrites and all sorts of other not-so-nice things. Was he being unloving? No! Jesus went on serving, teaching, healing, meeting people’s needs, long after he was exhausted. He met each person at the level they approached him. The weak and poor he received very gently. Toward the rich and powerful he seemed rather cool sometimes, though in one case—the rich young ruler—it specifically states that Jesus loved him…yet he gave him a hard choice, and sent him on his way.

What is the Agape love all about, then? The Agape love can be defined as “that act of the will that moves an individual to do what is in the best interest of the recipient of the action, regardless of how it affects the one who is acting.” It means that to act in Agape love, I have to do what is really best for the other person, even if it does NOT make me comfortable. In some cases it may mean giving what I did not feel comfortable giving. Or, conversely, it may mean that in some cases I may not give at all, because the individual in need intends to misuse the gift…or because he/she is in the predicament because of irresponsibility, and there has been no change of heart, so the gift would be an enablement to commit more sin.

It means that I am not free to shoot off my mouth and be rude. It means I cannot be self-centered. It means I am not necessarily going to be on the receiving end of relationships. It means humility when self-will seems the order of the day. It means not paying back evil done to me. It means considering others better than myself (Philippians 2:1-7; Romans 13:10), and seeing their needs as taking priority over my own. It frequently means deliberately taking a “back seat”, so to speak. Jesus taught this principle over and over. This is NOT an easy assignment. In fact, my guess is that is so entirely contrary to human nature that it is only possible via the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Agapé love seems to only be possible when God loves through us. Otherwise it seems too likely to be contaminated by human weakness and sin.

Unity (John 17:21) (read this)

What about unity? What does it mean? Are we all to be in “lockstep” about everything? All believe precisely the same set of dogma—chant our catechism in unison? Memorize our creed, and quote it word for word at every opportunity?

Got a bad secret for you…. The teachers in your church do not all agree about every detail of doctrine. We do have unity in all the essentials and far beyond. We practice forbearance in things not essential to the faith. And Love is the undergirding factor that makes it all possible.

  • Unity is not achieved by abandoning truth. The Ecumenical movement has sought to create “unity” by abandoning doctrine…by saying “Oh, let’s not fight over what the Bible does or doesn’t say! Let’s just love one another and praise God!” That may sound good, but Jesus stated that His Word would never pass away, and that whoever ignored it and taught others to do the same was in deep trouble!
  • Union and unity are not the same. Workers in two companies that have gone through a merger may be unified in their plight, but they are anything but united in spirit or purpose, as all of them individually are primarily concerned whether they will have a job, and be left in peace to do it.

Unity means “no fighting”—it does not mean “carbon copy Christians”. There are some essential unities listed in Ephesians 4:1-6 (read it) … notice that we do not create the unity of the Spirit. We are called upon to maintain it, in the bond of peace. We are told to respond to one another in humility, in longsuffering, in meekness. We are told to forbear one another in love. (Forbearance means “putting up with each other.”)

  1. One Body—one true church—not supposed to be splintered and fighting amongst ourselves. (This is the body of Christ at large…not a denomination.)
  2. One Spirit—the Holy Spirit. Third Member of the Godhead. God.
  3. One Hope of your calling. In this age, we are all called to a single hope…the assurance in faith that by Jesus’ propitiating blood at the Cross, we will be with Him, cleansed, safe, secure, and His forever.
  4. One Lord—The Lord Jesus Christ is not divided. There isn’t one Jesus for one denomination, and one for another.
  5. One Faith—the saving faith in the character, person and work of Christ.
  6. One Baptism—the Baptism by the Holy Spirit into the One Body of Christ (1st Corinthians 12:13). This has nothing to do with water, by the way, and happens at the moment of salvation.
  7. One God and Father—it is interesting that the simple belief that “there is one God” does not produce unity—Jews, Muslims and Christians share this belief, but utterly lack unity. And even among those who claim Jesus as their savior, there is very little unity. Why?

What did Jesus say would occur if the church had unity? He prayed that we would have Divine Unity, so that “the World may know that” Jesus was sent by God. So…when we do not have unity, what should we expect the result to be? I believe the result will be that the world will conclude that Jesus was not who he said he was, and that God did not send him. Is that a serious enough consequence? Do you think it may already have happened?

What is real unity? How do we avoid disunity? Sound teaching in God’s Word helps. We can agree upon those seven truths that Paul laid out as being essential…but usually we go beyond. We want the other guy to agree with us on every last detail of what we believe. From what I see in scripture, that is not called for…and maybe not possible. But forbearance is possible.

Let’s move on to the third distinctive:

Practical Holiness (Matthew 5:13-15; 2nd Timothy 2:19)

Jesus told his disciples that they should let their lives be a beacon to God…lights in a dark world…that others should see their righteous lives, and glorify the Father. He also said that they were to have a practical usefulness in the world… one was to be a light—shedding the light of the truth of God’s Word in practical ways. The other was to be the Salt of the earth…having the effect of preservation… and purification. He says that if salt has lost its primary function, then it is useless on an earthly basis, and MEN will trample it underfoot. God will never forget who you are, but the world will always think, “What have you done for us lately?” So if we lose the primary value we have in the world of setting a good standard, and taking a stand for morality, etc., then, as far as they are concerned, we are useless.

Paul reiterated this principle, saying “…let every one who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” Any questions about that? Do you have any doubts what constitutes “iniquity?” Then grab your Bible and start reading. God says to flee temptations, but to resist Satan. It is not OK for us to continue in sin. We are told to knock it off; Period.

Now, let’s talk about that for a moment. Quite frankly, I don’t think I can just “knock it off”.  I am a sinner. Yes, I am saved— I have a new nature— but I still have my old sin nature too. The only way I can see from scripture that I can live the Christian life is if God lives it through me. Galatians 5:16 says “if ye walk in the Spirit, ye will not fulfil the lusts of the flesh”…and as far as I know, that is the only way it can be done.

You see, part of the problem is the fact that some sins are inside. God says our thoughts can be an abomination to him. He says we can look good on the outside, but be full of sin inside. Let’s see what he said to the Pharisees: (We just love the Pharisees! They were so bad, they make us feel good about ourselves! In reality, they were the best of the best at the time—and very proud of it.) Jesus said (Matthew 23:25, 26) “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup, and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.” (Really? What does a cupful of extortion look like? Jesus was referring to the people, not their dishes.) In verse 28, he says “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are filled with hypocrisy and iniquity.”

That’s pretty rough talk… harsh judgment! The Pharisees were the “Christian Businessmen” of their day…and the city council, and the church board, and school board, and everything else. They were important guys, and upstanding beyond measure. But Jesus could see what was inside, and knew of the secret dealings. He knew what they were really like. And when he pointed it out, they did not want to repent, and be cleansed—they wanted to kill Jesus.

They obeyed every little command, from a human perspective. Matthew 23:23 says “…you tithe mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law; judgment, and mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not left the other undone.” In other words, the Pharisees had reversed the order of God’s priority, because the outward form of righteousness they thought they could manage on their own (at least well enough to convince themselves and others that they were pretty good.) But the first priority should have been the inward things, so that the outward things would follow as a matter of course.

We can easily fall into the same trap…looking good on the outside, but harboring sin inside. God says the priority is to Love the Lord thy God, and to love they neighbor as thyself…and that was before there was such a thing as a “Christian”. Jesus told his disciples (that includes you and me, by the way) that the greatest commandment was love, and that his NEW commandment was that his disciples were to love one another as He loved them. Laying down their lives for one another, in a practical day-by-day manifestation of God’s love. Setting aside self, in favor of a brother or sister.

If we learn to express that kind of agapé love in our actions, the unity will be easier to maintain, and the outward trappings of righteousness easier to achieve, as well, since usually the roots of disunity and every kind of sin are found in self-will. Agapé love cannot co-exist with self-will.

Conclusion

This message is only a quick look at the three things God has given by which the world is free to judge the Church. On the basis of these three things, how do you think the world ought to feel about the Church, as a whole, today?

What are you personally willing to do to reverse that trend? It all comes down to each Christian asking, “Is it I, Lord?” and going back to 1st John 1:9, confessing our sin, and beginning to walk again.

I want to be the kind of Christian that Jesus wants me to be. I want to love the way he says to love, even when it doesn’t feel good. I want to be one who helps to maintain the real unity created by the Holy Spirit…not looking for ways to break away from fellowship. I want to live in such a way that other humans, believers or unbelievers, can look and see the hand of God in my life, and give glory to Him, not me. My hope is that you want to live this way, too. We’ll discuss these things in more depth in the coming weeks. But for now, let’s meditate on what we have learned regarding our own behavior and choices, and ask the Lord to reveal what needs to change.

Lord Jesus, once again, we ask that you turn our eyes to the mirror of God’s Word and allow us to examine ourselves in the light of what we see there. Bring conviction where it is appropriate, and comfort where it is needed. Re-mold us into your own likeness, and to your glory.

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