Within the church there is a prevailing spirit of peace wrought by God's Spirit. However, note a tragic fact: not every believer walks in the Spirit—not all the time. Too often, believers allow self and the old life to re-enter the picture—their old:
• prejudices
• differences
• hurts
• jealousies
• pride
• arrogance
• complaints
• criticisms
• grumblings
• gripes
• comparisons
• dislikes
The result is terrible for the church: divisiveness and a disturbance of the peace and spirit of unity. This is the reason for this charge. Note the word "endeavor.” It means being diligent, working to take care and to do one's very best, and to make haste to do it. The only way to walk worthy of God's great calling is to work at keeping the peace and unity which God has given us. Nothing cuts the heart of God like divisiveness between His people, divisiveness which tears apart His church. The very thing God is doing is creating a new body of people to live together in the love and unity of His Son. He is going to create a new heaven and earth in which there will be no other spirit. Therefore, He expects us to live in the love and unity of His Spirit now.
"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" (1 Cor. 1:10).
"Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you" (2 Cor. 13:11).
"Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephes. 4:3)."Only let your conversation [behavior] be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel" (Phil. 1:27).
"Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous" (1 Peter 3:8).
The Believers Walk: There are seven basic reasons why we should walk worthy and strive to keep the peace and unity of God's Spirit in the church. Note what has just been said, for the point needs to be stressed: there is great need to keep the peace and unity within the church. Far too often the church is the place where the peace and unity of believers fly apart. Again, there are seven reasons why this should never happen—seven reasons why believers should always walk in the peace and unity of the Spirit:
1) There is only "one body." There are not two bodies nor several bodies of believers. However, in this imperfect world, there are many different denominations and churches. But note what God is doing: God is creating only one body of people who trust and follow His dear Son. When a person places his trust in Jesus Christ, God does six things to the believer that place him into the body of Christ:
2) God gives a new birth to the believer—quickens him spiritually—causes him to be born again (John 1:12-13; John 3:3-6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 5:1).
3) God makes a new creature, a new man out of the believer (2 Cor. 5:17; Ephes. 4:24; Col. 3:10).
4) God places His divine nature into the believer (2 Peter 1:4).
5) God puts His Holy Spirit into the believer, actually has His Spirit enters the believer's body. The believer's body becomes a temple for the presence of God's Spirit (John 14:16-17; 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:19-20).
6) God causes the believer to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, control (Galatians 5:22-23).
7) God places the believer into the new body of people He is creating, that is, into the body of Christ, His church.
"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13).
Note the last two experiences in particular. There is no way a believer can be in conflict with another believer unless he is walking after the flesh and is in a backslidden condition. There are just some things that are contrary to love and joy and peace that hurt and damage the body:
• an ill spirit
• struggling for position
• self-centered differences
• reactions
• feeling superior
• seeking our own way
• forming cliques
• selfishness
• envy
• anger
Such things have no place in the church, not in the new body which God is creating. There is only one body of true believers, not two—not one body over here and another body over there. This is the reason we are to strive to keep the peace and the unity of the Spirit.
