Bonded for Peace?
By David Andrew
“…I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.” (1 Corinthians 11:18-19) “…maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3)
Modern society is awash with ‘influencers’, ‘opinion-shapers’, ‘movers and shakers’ and the most powerful-ever global media to spread their ideas, provoke reactions and even control entire nations. How are we subjects of the King of Kings to represent Him when it is all too obvious that the local church is not immune to this fragmentation? The following thoughts are not intended to be dogmatic or definitive – simply invitational. Let’s consider how to love across our many divisions…
1. Unity is a ‘Vine’ issue. If we are at odds with the Lord we are never going to enjoy (not achieve!) unity with each other. The unity of the branches is contingent upon their respective degrees of unity with the True Vine. “Thy will, not mine be done” was the costly expression of the Son’s unity with the Father. There were potentially two wills at work in that agonising moment – the Father’s and the Son’s. Blood mixed with sweat testified to the grim battle Our Saviour had to wage as His authentic human flesh crawled at the thought of the torture ahead. But through the battle, His will and the Father’s predeterminate counsel became one – until there was only one will. Charles Spurgeon said: “When your will is God’s will, you will have your will.”
2. However, if this vertical unity is secure, it might have the effect of revealing disunity among the saints. It will not be the CAUSE of our disunity, but it will have the effect of showing where (either) I have mistaken what I believe is God’s will and others are more in step with the Spirit (or) the reverse! Notwithstanding political and commercial agendas, I’m assuming the sovereign hand of God at work in the Brexit and Covid crises. I have no shortage of opinions about the handling of both. I’m hugely interested in what’s happening. Heaven is interested in WHY it’s happening – and needs to happen. Like why Daniel needed to be in Babylon, Mary in Bethlehem and Peter in Joppa! Thankfully, all three of these saints kept in the flow of God’s will – the rest is salvation history!
3. The question is – given that we will each bring measures of unity / disunity to the Body, how do we “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”? One flash of clarity that impressed me recently came from the extract of an address by John Piper. One of his comments is my fourth point…
4. “Let’s look for, and assume, the best motive in the other’s viewpoint, especially when we disagree. When Paul deals with disagreement in Romans 14, one of the things he appeals to is that those with opposite practical convictions have identical heart-motives. [Emphasis mine] “The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God” (Romans 14:6). Christ-honoring passions, Paul says, can unite us in spite of differences of application.” The full article address is in the footnote below.[1]
5. It has to be significant that it’s the unity “of the Spirit”. Since the Holy Spirit knows and agrees with the mind of God it becomes imperative that we “keep in step with the Spirit”. It’s good to assume that our prayers need to submit to the throne room perspective. “Thy will be done” can just be an escape clause appended to prayers when we’re too lazy or too unbelieving to really seek to know Father’s will – but it can also be an expression of our genuine surrender to His will and superior wisdom. It seems to me that, if we are in the habit of surrendering to Father’s will, we shall be more likely to “submit to each other out of reverence for Christ”. (Ephesians 5:21)
6. It’s critical to remember that Christ has grown and placed His church in a context of relentless warfare. Since the house divided cannot stand, the enemy of souls will seek relentlessly to foment division in our ranks. It matters less that he succeeds than that we use every dividing issue to “speak the truth in love” and practise mutual interaction that is “full of grace, seasoned with salt” (i.e. respectful, but not bland! Cf. Ephesians 4:15, 32) Thus we answer with “weapons of righteousness” and “overcome evil with good” (2 Cor 6:7; Rom 12:21)
