Brotherly Love and Unity

As office-bearers we are called by the grace of God, to labor in God’s vineyard. We are always dependent upon the help, guidance, and instruction of the Holy Spirit. Without Him we can do nothing. Because we are always busy, there is the danger while performing the work of God in the congregation that we forget our own personal needs. It is so necessary for us as office-bearers to retain time for personal instruction and prayer. According to the form of ordination, officebearers are duty-bound diligently to search the Word of God and to continually be meditating on the mysteries of faith. They must take heed that purity of doctrine and godliness of life be maintained in the church of God. They must be good examples to all the people. Regarding this good example in doctrine and walk, I wish to ask your attention in this topic. May the Lord grant us the Holy Spirit in speaking and listening.

Speaking about brotherly unity and love, I refer to Ephesians 4:1-3: “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.”

These words introduce not only a new chapter in the epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, but also a new division of the whole epistle. This epistle can be divided into two parts. The first part is contained in chapters 1-3, with chapter 4 beginning the second part. Chapters 1-3 are almost entirely doctrinal. There Paul has been unfolding the great, essential doctrine of salvation. The Ephesians are chosen in Him before the foundation of the world that they should be holy and without blame before Him in love. They are predestinated “unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.” In Christ they “have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.... By grace they are saved through faith; and that not of themselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. They are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that they should walk therein.”

In chapter 4 and further Paul moves on to the practical application of this doctrine. He shows how sound doctrine must be practiced in our walk. We cannot and may not separate doctrine and practice. When Paul uses the word “therefore” in verse 1, he makes the connection between doctrine and practice quite clear. He puts into action the things he has been teaching the Ephesians. I “therefore.” It is as though he says: Please follow me. It is not enough that you know these things; they must also function in your life. Paul did not only teach doctrine but also stressed that this doctrine must be lived in our heart and be manifested in our life.

One of the great perils of the church in our days is a static religion in which we profess sound doctrine and that is enough; we need nothing more. We are satisfied with sound doctrine, but there is no life in it. Paul points to the necessary application of this doctrine to our heart and life. “I therefore beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.” Paul emphasizes this through the word “therefore.”

Every word has meaning in Scripture. We are not very accurate Bible readers. Often we have our favorite passages, but there is nothing so dangerous as to extract certain verses or paragraphs from the Scriptures and to wrest them out of their context— looking at them in isolation. This is the road to the development of an unscriptural, unbalanced spiritual life. But the word “therefore” prohibits this and insists that doctrine must function in our life. Is it not true, dear brothers, that most of the heresies that have troubled the church have arisen because we have forgotten the simple principle of reading the whole Bible?

It is a good thing to study doctrine, but we may not stop there. Much time is spent (or must I say spoiled?) in discussing and arguing about certain doctrines, while we forget to practice them in our life. The word “therefore” points to the life we are to live in the light of the doctrine of the preceding chapters. After being instructed in the doctrine, we are to go on to practical life. God’s children live in the world. As they pass through this world they must show what they know and what they have received from God. Jesus said to His disciples, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:14-16). The life which we are to live is a life which always results from the application of the doctrine in the heart.

Scripture and doctrine must always come first. We must never reverse this order. It is dangerous, soul-deceiving, and fruitless to seek experience separated from Scripture. This was in a sense the error of the hermits and monks. Those who dig only into themselves cannot find anything else but themselves. Application and experience follow Scripture. The Holy Spirit uses His Word. Without the Scriptures nothing can be truly applied. The moment the Holy Spirit gives spiritual life, the Word begins to operate in the heart. It works; it is not passive; it is active. It is the living Word. Paul says: that ye “walk.” To walk is an activity. It is a movement. It functions. The character of spiritual life is explained here — that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. What a great wonder it is to be called from death into life! But also what a great responsibility to be called to walk worthy of that vocation!

Let us always remember that every tree is known by its fruits. A tree without fruit is a dead tree. Faith without works is dead faith. What does the word “worthy” here mean? It contains two basic ideas. The first idea is that of equal weight or balance. Think of two things which are of the same weight so that when you put them on opposite sides of the scale, there is no tilting to one side or the other, for they balance perfectly. That is the meaning of the original word translated here as “worthy.” What Paul is exhorting the Ephesians to is to always give equal weight in their life to doctrine and practice. They must not put all their attention on doctrine and none on practice, nor all their attention on practice and none on doctrine. What profound and serious instruction God’s Word gives us here! God’s Word is the only truth and guide for our life. It cannot lie. When the Word of God sheds light upon our heart, our opinions, feelings, traditions, and everything from ourselves must wither away. The Word of God must have authority over our words and deeds. Our doctrine and walk must be in balance according to God’s Word. It must not only function in our personal life, but also when we are called to instruct the congregation.

The second idea contained in the word “worthy” is something that is “becoming.” We may translate as follows: “I therefore beseech you that ye walk in a manner which is becoming to the vocation wherewith you are called.” The idea conveyed is that of “matching.” It is like putting on a piece of clothing that is consistent with another piece, something that is suited to and matches something else. Paul means that there must never be a clash between our doctrine and walk. We all know that there are certain colors that do not match. There are certain things that are not becoming. For instance, there is nothing so ridiculous as to see an elderly person dressing as if he or she were very young. It is not becoming, worthy, in balance. Paul means to say: There must never be an element of sharp contrast between the life and practice of God’s children. Let your walk be as becometh your vocation wherewith you are called.

Our lifestyle must not contradict doctrine, but make it attractive. The world is watching us. Our life, words, deeds, and walk must make the doctrine we profess something desirable to possess. We are to live the kind of life that will adorn our doctrine.

This is the character of the new life, the principle. The Heidelberg Catechism says in question 64, “But doth not this doctrine make men careless and profane? By no means: for it is impossible that those, who are implanted into Christ by a true faith, should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness.” And question 86 says: “Since then we are delivered from our misery, merely of grace, through Christ, without any merit of ours, why must we still do good works? Because Christ, having redeemed and delivered us by His blood, also renews us by His Holy Spirit, after His own image; that so we may testify, by the whole of our conduct, our gratitude to God for His blessings, and that He may be praised by us; also, that every one may be assured in himself of his faith, by the fruits thereof, and that, by our godly conversation, others may be gained to Christ.”

Oh dear brothers, what a lesson for all of us! Let us never look to another. Let us put our hands in our own bosom. What does the world, the congregation, our family, hear and see from us? Only sound doctrine? And does your walk contradict that doctrine? Does the doctrine live in your heart and is it manifest in your daily life?

Paul proceeds to tell what the doctrine is. It is “the vocation wherewith you are called.” You have to live that kind of life because you are called to it. The Greek word for church is “ecclesia” which means the called-out ones. First of all they are called out of the “midnight” darkness of their natural state, when they “were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” But now they live in the “midday” light of grace in Jesus Christ, brought nigh by the blood of Christ. They are created in Jesus Christ unto good works. And when called out from Satan’s power and ingrafted in Christ, then it is not up to them to take up a certain type of life which they themselves desire, but they are chosen and called in Christ to live according to God’s holy will.

Paul makes this appeal as the “prisoner” of Jesus Christ: I am not my own. I do not decide what I must do. I am in His charge. Paul speaks about our walk. Walk suggests activity, movement, progress. And we are to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. We do not stay where we were or as we are. There has been a change from darkness into light. We do not say, “Now we are converted and all is well.” The life of the called ones is in progress. We are going forward, not in our own strength, but looking upward to the Head of the church, Jesus Christ, that we may grow and increase in knowing Him.

And how must we walk? “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.” Paul places on the foreground the great value of unity. Sin always divides, always separates. It is the work of the devil to separate. We have seen it at the beginning of creation. By the temptation of Satan and the disobedience of Adam and Eve were they separated from God. Sin separates, it splinters, it divides a man within and against himself. It leads to enmity, war, and strife. Satan produces division between man and man, which we are all aware of in our life. That is a walk not becoming us. This is not worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to work that unity in the life of the church. His work is to bring together, to reunite, to restore the breaches, and to keep together. Jesus has prayed for this unity: “The glory which Thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one.”

When the Holy Spirit works within us, the first thing we desire is to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. We desire unity. The Holy Spirit brings together. The Holy Spirit works only where unity of the Spirit is in the bond of peace. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Ps. 133).

Is it not noteworthy that we read in Acts 2 that the church was all together in one place and in one accord? It is remarkable that the history of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit begins with this statement: They were all with one accord in one place. May I say it very simply? We all know that in the temple were many rooms. What would have happened if a part of those people were in one room with Peter; another group with Thomas in a different room; and in another room some people who liked John better? If they were all spread out in different rooms in the temple, where must the Holy Spirit come? If they were scattered throughout the whole building, the Holy Spirit could not work there. But here at Jerusalem they were all with one accord in one place. They kept the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. At Jerusalem it was not: I am of Peter, I am of Thomas. There were no preferences. And that is the place where the Holy Spirit will come. Satan divides, but the Holy Spirit brings and keeps together. And that was not only on the day of Pentecost. We read in Acts 2:44, “And all that believed were together, and had all things common,” and in verse 46, “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple.” And how is it today? Do we hear the instruction of Paul? I beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. Must we not be ashamed and weep?

Oh, at Jerusalem there were people with different characters, and different ways wherein the Holy Spirit had led them. Thomas had different experiences from Peter, Nathanael from John. But they were all one. One in prayer and in expectation. They possessed one hope, one faith, one love. They all were living out of one Savior, Jesus Christ.

Dear brothers, it is heard many times that we live in dark times. Then we are looking to the world, the sin in the world. And that is true. Sin is not sin anymore, and this will never change. It will become worse and worse with the world. The world will never become better. But what about the church? Is not the darkness in our days inseparable from darkness in the church because we do not walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called? What does the world see and hear in and of the church? There is so much darkness. If we are divided in our denomination and local churches, where must the Spirit work? Does the Spirit make a distinction? If one group is much better, talks better, but ... but if they do not live together, oh then the Spirit is grieved and withdraws Himself. Then our profession might be sound, but there is no life in it all.

We all know what it means to grieve, what tears are. But have we ever seen and felt the tears of the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is grieved if one says, “I am of Paul, and another, I am of Cephas.” The Holy Spirit is grieved when one is despised and the other preferred.

Dear brothers, grieve not the Spirit, but walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. Paul says to the Galatians: “Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”

This unity cannot be put into practice unless the Holy Spirit works in us. Where the Spirit reigns there is unity. Must we conclude then that the Spirit has withdrawn Himself? Oh, that this Word of God might touch our heart, that we may turn with it into our inner chamber and beg the Lord that the Holy Spirit might work powerfully in us, that He might bind and keep us together in true love and unity, that the world might see that light of unity and peace. Oh, that this darkness might be or become a burden for us too heavy to bear!

Paul says, “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” It means to be diligent, to work at it with all our heart. Can we then expect anything from ourself? Far be it from this, but we are called to endeavor to keep this unity and to preserve it. We are called to resist the devil. And our only strength is in Him who overcame Satan’s temptation and who is given all power in heaven and earth. He has promised to help and sustain us and to provide for us all that we need and to work in us whereunto He has called us. He gives us self-denial, to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love. Paul has learned that himself by the grace of God. Who then is Paul and who is Apollos but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.” This is a good place to be — nothing in our own eyes. It is a good place to be in hearing the Word of God when we do not expect anything from “Paul,” but only from the Holy Spirit.

When we by the grace of God practice these things, then we are preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of love. Then we are people who are easy to live with. Then we are peacemakers. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” This is the vocation to which God’s church is called. If we fail here, our sound doctrine is of no use: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.... If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22, 23, 25).

Let us close our topic with the prayer that God’s Spirit may work within us, that He may remember us, that David’s prayer may be our daily prayer: Cast us not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from us.

Rev. H. Hofman is pastor of the Netherlands Reformed congregation of Sioux Center, Iowa.

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