The church is a spectacular creation. It is something God designed, established, and loves dearly. Through the blood of His Son and the Holy Spirit’s revelation of the Holy Spirit, God has unified us. Do you want to know something remarkable? God put you and me in charge of protecting that unity. Ephesians 4:3 implores us to be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Think about that. My actions can preserve the unity God has created, but they also can destroy it. We’re capable of both. Thankfully, Paul shows us what we must do to preserve our unity. He tells us in Ephesians 4:2. To preserve unity in this church...
...I must be humble. This does not mean a Christian ought to live with little to no self-confidence, rather it means that the Christian should genuinely regard others as more important for himself (Philippians 2:3). True humility produces an environment where love can ripen and relationships are strengthened. Humble people do selfless things, things that bind us tighter. Humble people don’t let an offense or an insult wreck a relationship. Humble people don’t let disagreements become ugly conflicts or seeds of bitterness. Humble churches don’t suffer schisms or splits. Humility preserves unity, so be diligent to be humble.
...I must be gentle. To be gentle is to be thoughtful and considerate. It is to handle people softly. And gentleness preserves unity. Do not misunderstand, gentleness is not permissive of wrongdoing. It corrects and rebukes, but it does so tenderly and carefully. Gentleness preserves unity, so be diligent to be gentle.
...I must be patient. Paul defines that himself in verse 2, “showing tolerance for one another in love.” Patience is when you stick around and put up with my bad behavior because you love me. You show patience when you hold me tight even when I let you down or hurt your feelings. You show patience by demonstrating an indefatigable willingness to forgive, to endure all bumps and bruises I inflict upon you, and still be willing to accept me back when I repent. (Even if I do it 490 times or more.) Patience preserves unity, so be diligent to be patient.
May I say one more thing? All of this must be done according to the truth. Unity is not found in ignoring our differences or tolerating false teaching. Unity is generated when we obey the truth and have our sins washed away in baptism. Unity is generated when we come together to believe and practice the truth as revealed by the Holy Spirit. Truth brought us together, and humble, gentle, patient love keeps us together.
