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Crucial Ligaments of Peace

Words of Faith Final

 

Crucial Ligaments of Peace

Words of Faith 3-2-2021

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

www.faithfellowshipweb.com

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Ephesians 4

[3] Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  

 

     One of the biggest problems in the early church was division among the members of the Body.  In spite of the dramatic work of God among the people in a particular area, there remained phragmos – barriers built up between people.  Some of these barriers were social-- Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave or free. Other barriers were religious backgrounds, current trends, economic differences, and even loyalty to certain leaders and personalities like Paul, Apollos, Peter, Barnabas, Timothy.  There was much to threaten the bond of peace.

      The Holy Spirit teaches us in that much remains of our sinful nature, and we contend with these... The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21). Seven out of fifteen of the acts listed are related to division!  It appears that the enemy has a hay day using our flesh to divide us from one another.

        It is little wonder that the Spirit exhorted the believers in Ephesus to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  The Scripture here means to make immediate and diligent effort-- make it your study and labor-- to keep the unity.  Throw yourself wholly into protecting unity.  Believers are not called to create unity-- but are called to immediately respond to keep or guard what God made in creating the "one new man" (Eph. 2:15-16). 

       This is not a secondary issue.  The bond of peace takes effort!  Unity does not just happen by itself.  This is also not just some churchy policy.  The call of God upon every believer is that we would guard or protect the unity of the Body.  Of course, we are to personally avoid causing disunity.  But we are also to guard against those things that would break the "bond of peace." 

       What is this peace we are to protect, and what its "bond?"  The word for peace is eir