---Unity of the Spirit or the Spirit of Unity?

--"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are 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."
--(Ephesians 4:1-6) --

~~We face the temptation to discard longsuffering and forbearance. We then seek out those who hold popular views that match our own and claim the spirit of unity and rally around a cause, while isolating ourselves from those who see it a bit differently than we do. This is contrary to what the Holy Spirit desires to effect through us. The spirit of unity encourages us to build walls of contempt in the midst of the church and thus prevent the Spirit from unifying us and working through us.

The unity of the Spirit, on the other hand, describes the result of the Holy Spirit bringing believers from all walks of life together. The Holy Spirit provides an internal resilient bond between Christ and His church. As believers and followers of Christ our vocation is to walk with compassion for those who are in bondage to sin and Satan. We are not called to fulfill our duty through worldly influence nor by force, "for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds" (2 Corinthians 10:4).

We have an awesome opportunity as chosen warriors of our King to employ our weapons of prayer, compassion, forgiveness, and meekness in the warfare that is raging in the world around us. The witness of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the heart of Christians will call others to join us in victory.

Christians can be assured of victory. We have the promise from Christ that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against [His church]" (Matthew 16:18). We are the bride of Christ. He is coming back for us someday! He has given us the responsibility to build His kingdom. We must not let the spirit of unity replace the "unity of the Spirit."

--BSW/SC~
~~~~~~