Someone stated, “Thus the unity of the body includes all believers, while the unity of the spirit is unfortunately often much, much smaller.”
I think what is meant is that this unity is, unfortunately, no longer visible in practice. But this unity has not changed! The unity of the body and the unity of the spirit are the work of God and include every believer. This unity cannot be destroyed.
In his commentary on the New Testament, Arno C. Gaebelein writes (pp. 402-403):
“We are to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). We are not commanded to bring about the unity of the Spirit, but to keep it. What is this unity of the Spirit? It is the unity that God himself has created in his infinite grace. All believers are members of the body of Christ, the church. The Holy Spirit dwells in each individual, and He has added us to this body. The one body and the believers as members of the one body represent the unity of the Spirit. We are to confess it by preserving it in the bond of peace. This unity can never be destroyed because it is the work of God. But it can be denied, and its expression can be completely lost. Unfortunately, this is common among us today.”
Answer
Indeed, the statement that the unity of the spirit is often much smaller than the unity of the body is not a good formulation; some aspects of the great truth of the one body could fall by the wayside as a result. As this topic also has consequences for the practical coexistence of Christians, we would like to briefly reflect on this topic once again.
One body of Christ – the basis for the unity of the Spirit
Ephesians 4:4 shows us the truth of the one body as the basis for the unity of the Spirit; this unity was formed by the Lord at Pentecost (1 Corinthians 12:13) and cannot be destroyed. When the Ephesians are now asked to maintain the unity of the Spirit, Paul wants to help them take this fundamental new unity of the body into account in practice. Perhaps, for example, there was a danger that individual Christians were marginalized because of their social position or were not put out despite a life of sin. In both cases, the unity of the Spirit, which cannot unite with evil, would not have been preserved but disrupted. The same would also apply if a Christian received in one place today could not take part in the breaking of bread in another place: The unity of the Spirit would not have been preserved. For although there are many local assemblies (congregations/churches), there is only one worldwide assembly. It is important to realize that a local assembly is essentially nothing other than the worldwide assembly. In this respect, the unity of the Spirit certainly has a particularly practical significance.
Unity of the Spirit – the work of God and, at the same time, under the responsibility of man
But on the other hand, as you write, it is also the case that this unity of the Spirit was wrought by God, so to speak, at the same time as the formation of the one body. “That which we have to observe and preserve is a unity already made by the Spirit” (W. Kelly). The unity of the Spirit obviously includes both a fundamental aspect and a practical one. “Nor do we need to establish the unity of the Spirit, for it is in the proper sense the work of the Holy Spirit. He brings about in us the awareness that we form one body with all the redeemed and gives us the strength to behave accordingly. This unity, therefore, has a very practical aspect, and that is why its realization can be disturbed”.
Unity of the spirit – practical observance of the one body
It therefore seems right to regard the unity of the Spirit as a more practical unity, without therefore neglecting the effect of the Spirit in education – it is this that provides the necessary foundation for practice.
We cannot preserve the one body of Christ – that would lead to a completely false attempt to bring all Christians “under one roof” (which unfortunately happens in ecumenism). On the other hand, preserving the unity of the Spirit helps and entitles us to keep the balance and to keep away all evil (and thus, unfortunately also believers who tolerate evil in themselves or in others), while at the same time, we may and should joyfully welcome all good (e.g., Christians who are pure in heart). This means that the circle of Christians with whom we are allowed to enjoy worship and fellowship is, unfortunately, smaller than the total number of all the redeemed on earth – yet we always want to keep them all in view and in our hearts.
Fellowship of the Spirit – divine holiness
Incidentally, Paul mentions the fellowship of the Spirit in Philippians 2:1 and 2 Corinthians 13:13, and both passages also indicate a practical agreement between Christians “on the ground” through the Holy Spirit, not a fundamental agreement. The fact that God, the Holy Spirit, does not tolerate association with unholy things in “his” fellowship certainly helps us to recognize our obligation to distance ourselves from evil.
The word “keep” in Ephesians 4:3 is explained as an “expression of watchful care with regard to present possessions.” It is also found in Revelation 3:8.10, among other places. In this explanation, the two sides, namely the fundamental existence and the practical observance are certainly summarised very well.
I hope that these reflections serve to deepen our understanding of biblical truth and spur us on to put it into practice. I hope that these brief lines have contributed to this, and I would be very happy to receive any questions or corrections from you.
Let us gladly help one another, together with all the saints, to better recognize the breadth, length, height, and depth of the divine counsel concerning the assembly (congregation/church) of God with Christ as the center (Eph 3:18).
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