In part 1, of what will be several articles on unity, we first began a look at the grace of unity by considering its meaning and motive. We now consider its maintenance, that is, how we each go about preserving the unity that God has created in Christ.

III. The Maintenance of Unity (vs.2-3a, c)

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We cannot over-emphasize these two verses. The unity of Christians has been a perennial problem since the early days of Christianity. In fact, as early as Acts 6 unity was threatened. Additionally, in almost every one of Paul’s Epistles there is something about unity. The most vivid picture is the analogy of the human body, which is not only mentioned here but elaborated in I Corinthians 12, where we see three principles: (1) there is one body but many members; (2) each member has a different function but still edifies the whole, (3) one member out of sorts effects the whole.

Tragically, there is little true unity in the Church, that is, the Body of Christ, today. There are preachers who break fellowship over minor points of doctrine and those who practice “secondary separation,” which means that they won’t fellowship with one group because that group fellowships with another group. To illustrate tongue-in-cheek, I’ve seen this go even further to “thirdary” and “fourthdary” separation; one group won’t fellowship with another group because they fellowship with another group that fellowships with another group that fellowships with another group. There is also disunity in many Local Churches, which is caused by petty squabbles over nothing, which in turn comes from spiritual immaturity. It is said that it was Spurgeon who first said this little jingle, and how true it is:

To dwell above with saints we love,
O that will be glory!

But to dwell below with saints we know,

Well, that’s another story!

As we saw in part 1, then, we are to “[endeavor] to keep the unity” (v. 3). It is the responsibility of every believer to diligently, zealously, absorbingly “guard as with a fortress” the unity that Christ has provided. But now the question arises: how can we maintain (“keep”) the unity that God has produced in Christ? The answer lies in our text, where we see the “Fruit of the Spirit” of Galatians 5:22-23 in action. Let us first briefly examine that text and then see it applied here in Ephesians.

The “Fruit of the Spirit”

At the very core of the Christian life is the “Fruit of the Spirit,” as Paul wrote to the Galatian believers:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Gal. 5:22-23).

Here is the very essence of Christian living because it is the very essence of Christ’s own character. In his classic reference Bible, C. I. Scofield writes:

Christian character is not mere moral or legal correctness, but the possession and manifestation of the graces of vv. 22-23. Taken together they present a moral portrait of Christ, and may be understood as the apostle’s explanation of 2:20, “Not I, but Christ,” and as a definition of “fruit” in John 15:1-8. This character is possible because of the believer’s vital union with Christ (John 15:5; 1 Cor 12:12 -13), and is wholly the fruit of the Spirit. “Fruit” (singular), in contrast with “works” (plural, v. 19), suggests that the Christian’s life in the Spirit is unified in purpose and direction in contrast with the life in the flesh, with its inner conflicts and frustrations.

Particularly important is that last statement, that “fruit” is singular to show the unified Christian life. These are not the fruits of the spirit, rather the fruit of the Spirit; they are a unified whole in the believer’s life. The Galatian believers had been “bewitched” (3:1) by false teachers into believing that following the Law was necessary for right living. But Paul makes it clear here that it is not the constraints of the Law that produce Christ-like character, neither our efforts that produce it, but the Holy Spirit working in us. Just as the “the works of the flesh” in 5:19-21 fall into three general areas (sex, religion, and human relationships), “the fruit of the spirit” also fall into three categories; personal, social, and philosophical.

First, “love,” “joy,” and “peace” are personal. By this we mean that they are the real basis of our growth in Christ and are the foundation of all the others. They come only by personal experience of Christ and are absolutely unique to Christianity. We must never forget this uniqueness. No other “religion” or faith can profess, much less manifest, these three. They form the very foundation of all that happens in the Christian life.

Second, “longsuffering,” “gentleness,” and “goodness” are social. They illustrate the command of our Lord, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” They describe how we should appear to and how we then deal with those around us.

Third, “faith,” “meekness,” and “temperance” are philosophical. These are given to demonstrate the basic contrast between the attitudes of God and the attitudes of the world. These three philosophical principles are the exact opposites of the world’s philosophies.

The “Fruit of the Spirit” in Our Text

It is truly amazing that four of the nine “fruit of the spirit” appear in our text and that there is at least one from each category. The obvious reason for this is that these are the characteristics that will maintain unity.

First, from the personal category, we see love and peace. There can be no doubt why love is mentioned first. The first characteristic in Galatians 5:22 is love because from it all the others flow. As Paul declared just a few verses earlier, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Gal. 5:14). We submit, therefore, that the underlying characteristic of unity is love. The Greek agapē refers to a sacrificial love, “a self‑emptying self‑sacrifice.” God’s love, then, could be defined as, “A self‑emptying self‑sacrifice in which God gave of Himself in the form of His only begotten Son Who gave His life for us.” Now we read that to maintain unity we are to have and practice the same kind of love toward other believers. Just think, how can there ever be disunity when we all have “a self‑emptying self‑sacrifice?” To put it in the reverse, when there is disunity, there is an obvious lack of “a self‑emptying self‑sacrifice.” If there is some rumbling going on in the body, if there is some little fuss brewing, if a fight breaks out, it is because we are thinking of ourselves instead of someone else.

We might think that to speak of love would be enough, but Paul knew that it would not be enough because he understood human nature. So he adds that we are also to be forbearing one another. The Greek behind forbearing (anechomai) means “to hold one’s self upright, to bear, to endure.” This is the same word Paul uses in II Timothy 4:3 to describe people who will not “endure [put up with] sound doctrine” but will seek teachers who will tickle their ears. The idea here, then, is that sometimes we just put up with each other, that we bear with each other in misunderstandings, problems, and conflicts, that we love each other and sacrifice ourselves for others anyway. This does not mean we just put up with it but still boil within, rather we forbear in love. Without this kind of love and forbearing, unity will be destroyed and God’s work right along with it.

Paul mentions another personal characteristic, peace. The Greek is eirēnē, “a state of tranquility; the opposite of rage and war.” This word is related to the Hebrew word shalom, a common Hebrew greeting. This word, however, means not so much the opposite of war but of any disturbance in the tranquility of God’s people. First, since we are in Christ, there is tranquility and harmony between God and man (1:2), and second, since we are in Christ, there is tranquility and harmony between Jew and Gentile (2:14). We now see the third step in the progression: there is, and must continue to be, tranquility between all believers because of Christ. This is not just the opposite of war, not just the opposite of “going at one another,” not just the opposite of suppressing our seething resentment of someone else, rather a tranquility, a freedom from any agitation or turmoil. We must allow the Holy Spirit to maintain this tranquility, because it is the bond that holds us together.

The word bond translates syndesmos. In Classical Greek, from the time of Homer onwards (8^th–7^th Century), the root desmos meant “chain.”[1] In the New Testament, it meant “band, bond, ligament.”[2] With the prefix sun (“with”), syndesmos means “that which binds together.” In a negative sense, we see it in Acts 8:23, where someone is enslaved by a habit or attitude. Peter says of Simon the sorcerer, who was not a truly converted man, “I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.” In Colossians 2:19, it refers to a tendon or ligament of the bones that holds the body together.

This, then, is the picture of true unity. It’s not some superficial or sappy sentimentality, rather a bond, the very ligaments of the body, which hold us together. One commentator notes that the American Indians spoke of peace as a “chain of friendship.”[3] That is, indeed, what the true Christian has with other Christians.

This challenges us that a lack of peace in the Body is sin, no matter what the reason. A vivid example of this appears in Philippians 4:2-3:

I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers.

The only problem in the Philippian church was a single unnamed conflict between two women, but that one conflict threatened to do serious damage. Paul obviously doesn’t tell us what the problem was because it didn’t matter. Whether one woman’s argument was right and the other wrong didn’t matter either. Both were wrong because they were causing disunity in the body.

As Paul wrote the fractured Corinthians, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (I Cor. 1:10). When we are thinking more about what we think and what we feel, there will be division. As Paul writes later, we are being wise in the world, and that’s foolishness (3:18-20). How many Christians there are who think they are wise in this age, that is, wise in contemporary human wisdom. But Paul says that they are just deceiving themselves. As a pastor, I am constantly troubled (and quite honestly terrified) about what disagreements and difference of opinion over paint color, carpet fiber, pew design, window trim, and other such ridiculous matters can do to church unity. Such things are merely personal taste and worldly wisdom and are foolishness to God. Such things can destroy unity in a heartbeat, so we must always be on guard.

Second, from the social category of the “fruit of the spirit,” there is longsuffering. The Greek here is makrothumia, a compound word from makro, meaning “long,” and thumos, meaning “temper.” The idea, then, is simple; we are to be long-tempered in contrast to short-tempered, to suffer long instead of being hasty to anger and vengeance. This is one of the social characteristics of “the fruit of the spirit” because this is how we are to react to people and how we are to treat them. To maintain unity, we will set aside “self,” set aside our own needs, and be willing to suffer last place instead of first place, even to look like we’re wrong (in non-essential matters) if it will maintain unity. Again, we’re not talking about doctrinal issues here—that is the point in the next passage (4:4–6); rather we are speaking here of things that don’t matter, the little things of personality and human interaction. What a marvelous testimony it is to be longsuffering, to have the ability to be long‑tempered. “Love suffers long” (1 Cor. 13:4) and we must be “swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath” (James 1:19).

Chrysostom, that great 4^th Century preacher, wonderfully defined this as the spirit that has the power to take revenge but does not do so. Commentator William Barclay offers a homey illustration. Have you ever seen a puppy and a large dog together? The puppy barks that high pitch puppy yap, pesters the big dog, and even nips him. But while the big dog could snap the puppy’s neck with one bite and a shake, he just bears it with dignity. Perhaps you have even seen the big dog look up at you with an expression that says, “Look what I have to put up with.” That is longsuffering, the attitude that bears attack, assault, affront, and abuse without bitterness or complaint.

When we are impatient with people and when we are short tempered, it is really because we are impatient with God. We are at that moment not trusting and not leaning upon Him to give us strength. A verse, which is not quoted enough and lived consistently by Christians, is Isaiah 40:31: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” When we wait upon God and allow Him to rule in our lives, and let Him “right the wrongs” that people do to us, then He renews our strength in three stages: 1) During the easy times we will soar like eagles. It’s quite easy to live for the Lord when all goes well, but it is also during these times that we must lean upon Him lest we become puffed‑up; 2) Then during the everyday difficulties of life we might not soar as eagles but we will still run and not grow tired if we are leaning on Him; 3) And then during the serious problems and tragedies we will still be able to walk along without collapsing if we are leaning on Christ.

Again, what a testimony it is to those around us when we can wait upon the Lord and manifest Him in our lives. This “social grace” comes only by allowing the Holy Spirit to produce it in us.

Third, from the philosophical category of the “fruit of the spirit,” there is meekness. The common error is that meekness means “weakness,” but that could not be further from the truth. The Greek is prautēs (or praotēs), which means gentleness and mildness. It has been truthfully stated many times that, “Meekness is not weakness, but strength under control.” The Greek was used, for example, of horses that were broken and trained and also of a strong but mild medicine, both of which have strength but is under control.

The ultimate example of meekness is the Lord Jesus in His humanity. As that well-known song proclaims:

He could have called ten thousand angels,

To destroy the world, and set Him free;

He could have called ten thousand angels,

But he died alone for you and me.

Our Savior had the power of the universe at His command. Is that not strength? But still Scripture says He was meek. While our Lord will one day be vindicated and glorified, instead of being vindicated at that moment, He submitted to the greater need of redeeming the lost. Additionally, our Savior was strong physically. The liberals and the world would have us believe Jesus was weak and even effeminate, but could a weakling carry a timber weighing as much as 150‑200 pounds? Jesus did! (see John 19:17). However, even with all that strength, Jesus was meek, for His strength was under control.

Again, meekness is strength and power under control. It is the opposite of self‑interest, self‑assertiveness, and self‑direction. What is needed today are Christians who are meek and humble, Christians who know the power they have in Christ and the Holy Spirit, and Christians who are thereby controlled by Christ and His Spirit.

This word is inseparably coupled with another word—lowliness. The Greek here (tapeinophrosunē) pictures modesty, humility, and lowliness of mind, having a humble opinion of one’s self, a deep sense of one’s littleness. Think of that! Not a false humility, such as one that is spoken of often, rather a deep sense of how little we really are.

One of my favorite stories is the one told about a group of tourists who went in to see Beethoven’s home in Germany. After the tour guide had showed them Beethoven’s piano and had finished his lecture, he asked if any of them would like to come up and sit at the piano for a moment and play a chord or two. There was a sudden rush to the piano by all the people except a gray-haired gentleman with long, flowing hair. The guide finally asked him, “Wouldn’t you like to sit down at the piano and play a few notes?” He answered, “No, I don’t feel worthy.” No one recognized him, but that man was Ignace Paderewski (1860-1941), Polish statesman, composer, and celebrated concert pianist. While he was the only person present who really was worthy to play Beethoven’s piano, he did not think so.[4] That is lowliness. And if a concert pianist can think that he is lowly in the shadow of Beethoven, how little are we in the shadow of our Lord? Are our feelings, views, and opinions important enough to destroy unity?

The most fascinating aspect of the Greek word behind lowliness is that, as Greek scholar Richard Trench points out, “No Greek writer employed it before the Christian era, and apart from the influence of Christian writers, it is not used later.”[5] The reason this was true was that to the Greek and Roman mind such an attitude was synonymous with weakness and cowardice. It was so abhorrent to their mind that they had no term to describe it. That philosophy still lives in today’s pervasive “self-image” craze, and that is precisely why this is in the philosophical category of “the fruit of the Spirit.” It is the very opposite of the world’s basic philosophy of life—the exaltation of self. These words from Martyn Lloyd-Jones should challenge us:

“Lowliness” is humility, and especially humility of mind. . . . It means modesty. It is the opposite of self-esteem, self-assertion, and pride. Humility is one of the chief of all the Christian virtues; it is the hallmark of the child of God. Humility means having a poor opinion of yourself, and of your powers and faculties. . . . It is the opposite of what is found in the so-called man of the world; it is the opposite of the worldly spirit which urges man to trust in himself, and to believe in himself. It is the opposite of all aggressiveness and self-advertisement and ambition and all the brazenness of life at the present time. There is nothing sadder about this present age than the appalling absence of humility; and when this same lack is found in the Church of God, it is the greatest tragedy of all.[6]

Lloyd-Jones said and wrote that in the middle of the 20^th Century, and look where we are today, how “self” has been enthroned, just like the Greeks and Romans.

There is one other observation we should make. Notice Paul says all lowliness and meekness. The Greek behind all is pas. When used with an article, it conveys the idea of the sum total of something. Used without an article, however, as it is here, it means “each” or “every.” Paul is saying, then, “every kind of lowliness and meekness possible, in each and every situation, we are to be as lowly and meek as possible.” Someone has said that humility “is the first, second, and third essential of the Christian life.”[7]

Humility truly is elusive, is it not? Why? Because if we focus on it too much, it can turn into the very opposite—pride. I once heard a preacher say from the pulpit, and I’m not making this up, “I have many shortcomings, but one virtue I know I have is humility.” Sadly, he missed the whole point. Humility is a virtue we seek but can never claim to have. Probably the best we can ever say is, “God is still working on me.”

Similarly, the story is told of a young man who fancied himself a preacher and who stood up at a pastor’s conference and announced, “I am against education. I don’t believe in education. I read no books except the Bible; I don’t profess to know nothing about literature or anything of that kind; I am just an ignorant man. But the Lord has taken me up, and is using me, and I am not at all interested in schools, or colleges, or education. I am proud to be just what I am.” An older preacher then arose and said, “Do I understand that our dear young brother is proud of his ignorance? If so, all I can say is that he has a great deal to be proud of.”[8] To our shame, we have such men in pulpits today. But as someone has wisely said, “Knowledge is the discovery of ignorance,” and it is only the humble mind that recognizes that truth.

In stark contrast, a story is also told about John Wesley. After the memorial service for George Whitefield, a staunch supporter of Whitefield approached Wesley, who had strongly disagreed with Whitefield’s Calvinistic views, and asked him, “Mr. Wesley, do you think you will see Mr. Whitefield in heaven?” “No,” Wesley answered quickly. “I was afraid you would say that,” lamented the enquirer. But then Wesley added, “George Whitefield will be so near the throne of God, that men like me will never catch a glimpse of him.”[9] Oh, that such humility would characterize us all!

There we have the Grace of Unity, its meaning, motive, and maintenance. Without love, peace, [forbearance], longsuffering, meekness, and lowliness we will not keep the unity of the Spirit, and that will have grave consequences. If our Lord could bring unity between God and man, between Jew and Gentile, and now between all believers, is it too much to ask that we do all we can to guard that unity?

Dr. J. D. Watson

Pastor-Teacher

Grace Bible Church

ISSUE 32 – March/2008

The Grace of Unity (2)

Ephesians 4:1-3

III. The Maintenance of Unity (vs.2-3a, c)

The “Fruit of the Spirit”

The “Fruit of the Spirit” in Our Text