We are exhorted to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This is a foretaste of the perfect unity we shall have in the millennial age. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesian ecclesia the following message.
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. 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” (Eph. 4:1- 6 NKJV as all quotes).
The apostles were given various gifts on the day of Pentecost for the perfecting of the saints and for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. The objective of the apostolic effort was to enlighten the people, to stimulate faith and unity among believers and to reconcile people to God through Jesus Christ.
“Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head —Christ. From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every-joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:13,15-16).
These verses clearly pertain to the unity of the faith which results from the working of the spirit-word in our lives. The body must edify itself in love. This defines our personal responsibility to one another. We must edify one another through the manifestation of agape love.
Unity in fellowship with one another is essential to edify one another and to give full scope for the working of God’s holy word in our lives.
Spiritual nourishment
The body of Christ is made up of many members and we must mutually supply spiritual nourishment and strength to the body. It is a collective endeavor. If we fail to do this we shall slowly succumb to the pressures of sin and may eventually die spiritually.
Some of us are acquainted with the dangers of living in isolation. No one is near with whom to share our faith or encourage us along the path to salvation. It can be a dismal life; it is difficult to keep the fire of faith lit in our hearts. Such dangers verify the desirability of ecclesial involvement.
Our individual and collective strength grows when the body is edified in love. We must avoid controversy in our midst and likewise alienation from other ecclesias. We may know of problems in other ecclesias, but it is not our God-given duty to run their affairs. The responsibility rests with each ecclesia to solve its own difficulties. Our responsibility is to pray earnestly always for brethren everywhere that they may pursue a course of activities in the Truth in service to our Father. In this way, the entire body of Christ may be strengthened through loving ministry. Any other course may stimulate the evil spirit of schismatic discord.
God is in control of our affairs, He is not on vacation; He has given each of us the duty of stimulating the body in pursuit of agape love. If we fail to edify the whole body in love, our collective spirit will decline.
Consider Paul’s words: “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body” (I Cor. 12:18-20).
The relation of agape love to making this idea a reality is evident in that the apostle interrupts his comments on the functioning of the ecclesia with his famous comments on agape.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal” (I Cor. 13:1). This verse underlines the need for love in our hearts so that the good things we may do have meaning in the eyes of God.
The importance of agape is placed above all other spiritual qualities. “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (I Cor. 13:13).
The attributes of agape love
The attributes of agape are:
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away” (I Cor. 13:4-8).
Love is a spiritual quality that:
- Is slow to lose its patience.
- Always seeks for ways to be constructive when difficulties arise.
- Does not quickly walk away from issues that love might heal.
- Is not jealous.
- Does not foster egotism.
- Does not keep account of evil done against it.
- Does not gloat over the wickedness of other people.
- Is always glad when truth, hope and faith are present.
Charity has no limitations to its endurance; it is eternal, when all else has fallen, charity will still be standing.
There is need always to examine our own ways and measure them in the light of the qualities of love:
- Do we quickly lose our temper?
- Do we make problems worse when they arise?
- Are we anxious to push ourselves into the spotlight to impress others?
- Do we have an inflated ego of our own importance?
All of those adverse characteristics belong to the world. Are we worldly people? We may possess unproductive attributes as individuals which may also become the attributes of an ecclesia. We have previously considered what the apostle Paul wrote about faith and hope being subordinate to love. His point is clear: we may develop faith and hope, but if we fail to develop and practice love toward all, what is the point of having developed faith and hope? Without the practice of love ecclesias decay and we may individually fail to gain eternal life.
Love is of God
Love is a divine quality and to the degree that we practice love in our lives, we are manifesting God.
“Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another; God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us” (I John 4: 79,12).
It is a wonderful concept that God’s love may be perfected in us. God has demonstrated His love for us in providing His Son to establish reconciliation and a way of redemption for us. God’s love toward us is remarkable in view of our sinfulness. We must now demonstrate our love for Him by exercising love toward each other.
The fruit of the spirit
Love is one of the fruits of the spirit, and it fulfills God’s law. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23).
We have always laid stress upon the application of our minds to the word for understanding the will of the Lord in all that we do. It is through knowledge and obedience to the word of God that faith, hope, and love develop. God’s spirit dwells in us to the degree that we adhere to His holy word.
The word sanctifies
The word of God has power to sanctify and cleanses us from sin. Consider Ephesians 5:26-27: “That He might sanctify and cleanse her (the Ecclesia), with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
The word “sanctify” in this verse means “to make Holy”, in other words, to purify the mind. This certifies that the word has power to cleanse our minds so that our bodies may become the temple of God. Without this preparation of our minds we cannot become motivated to walk in love toward others.
There are many kinds of love; fleshly-motivated love is the most common kind. However, divine love can only exist in the spiritually-cleansed mind. It has power to raise us above purely fleshly love because it is founded upon divine principles which are higher than ourselves. If we all sanctify our minds through the spirit word, ecclesial unity cannot fail and love cannot fail.
The power of God’s word
Some men reject the entrance of the word into their minds, because its influence causes a conflict in their conscience when they wish to do evil. The word has power to pierce into our most intimate thoughts. It reveals the thoughts and intents of our heart whether they are good or evil. And it reveals where our affections lie: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
From this verse we learn about the word’s effect upon our conscience. It becomes alive and has power to form in us holy attributes. It reveals the natural state of our minds and the spiritual needs which we must have to overcome sin.
When sin is controlling our thoughts and actions, agape love cannot develop in our inward man, because the attributes that develop love are not present to influence us in that direction; we cannot walk in harmony and love with each other.
Spiritual love is active
Individually or collectively our spirit is seldom quiescent. It is either strengthening in godliness or becoming weaker through apathy and inactivity. The true spirit of agape love is never inanimate; it is intensely eager to fulfill its divine objectives. It desires to promote peaceful fellowship among all believers everywhere.
In the next verses we are informed that the spirit of fleshly motivation is the greatest impediment to the development of agape love and fellowship unity:
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word even in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Gal. 5:14-17).
Summary
The greatest obstacle to love and unity is the spirit of the flesh. For unless we can bring ourselves under the influence and control of the spirit of agape love, we shall have no hope of dwelling in peace among ourselves nor of inheriting the kingdom of God. Let us therefore pray always for truth, love, unity, and peace within our individual ecclesias and in the worldwide brotherhood. The Lord is at hand, let us hold fast until he comes.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One