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“Endeavoring to Keep the Unity of the Spirit (Part 4)”
Endeavoring to Keep the Unity of the Spirit (Part 4)
Wade Webster
In the first part of our study, we laid the foundation for unity. In the second part and third part, we made two connections that exist between Jesus and unity – The Prayer That Jesus Prayed and The Price That Jesus Paid. In this final installment, we will notice a third and final connection.
The Peril That Christ Portrayed
Mark records an occasion when the scribes came down from Jerusalem and accused Jesus of casting out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils (Mk. 3:22). Jesus’ response to the scribes teaches an important truth about unity. Mark records, “And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end” (Mk. 3:23-26).
Please note the simple peril that Jesus portrayed. A house that is divided against itself simply cannot stand. Although Jesus was not specifically talking about the church, the principle that He gave holds true. United we stand, divided we fall. As you know, inspired writers often described the church as a house. To Timothy, his own son in the faith, Paul wrote,”But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15; cf. Eph. 2:19; Isa. 2:2-3).
Please notice that the church of the living God is the house of God. If a house divided against itself cannot stand, and the church is a house, then what does division do to the church? Clearly, it will cause it to fall.
Today, we need to consider again the peril that Christ portrayed. If we will do so, then it will help us to keep the unity of the Spirit.
In the simplest way that I know how, I have laid out three reasons why we should endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit. We should labor to keep the unity of the Spirit because of the prayer that Christ prayed, because of the price that Christ paid, and because of the peril that Christ portrayed.
