Before directly taking up the "unity of the Spirit," and attempting to define it, it will help to clear our subject if a few words be said on the three aspects in which believers corporately are viewed in the latter part of Eph. 2 We find there: 1St, Jew and Gentile reconciled "unto God in one body by the cross;" 2nd, "fitly framed together as that which groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord;" 3rd, builded together for an "habitation of God through the Spirit." All these three aspects of the assembly commenced at Pentecost with descent of the Holy Ghost, and are in present existence on the earth, but it is important to distinguish between them as, though co-existent, they are not all co-extensive, nor can the terms by which they are respectively described be used interchangeably.
"The body," as we learn from 1 Cor. 12, is formed by the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and comprehends all true Christians. They are vitally united by the Spirit to Christ as the Head in heaven and to one another to form His body on earth. The body, in scripture, is always regarded as a complete organic whole, having its sphere of display and activity on the earth, though growing from the Head in heaven "by joints and bands, having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God" (Col. 2:1919And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. (Colossians 2:19)), and so compacted together that there "can be no schism in the body" (1 Cor. 12:2525That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. (1 Corinthians 12:25)); while so intimate is the union of one part with the other that if one member suffer all the members suffer with it, and whatever affects the members on earth reaches the Head in heaven. (Acts 9:44And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Acts 9:4).)
No outward ruin of the church, or apparent scattering of the members of the body, touches this vital unity, nor enfeebles in the least degree the living and divine sympathy, or interdependence of one member on the other. It may not be intelligently or consciously recognized that the condition of the members in Australia affects that of those in England, and that the well-being, or otherwise, of one member reacts upon the whole body in spite of all ecclesiastical disorder and separation, but it is so nevertheless. This is a blessed and soul-subduing fact, though a sad and solemn one in view of practical denial. In the body all is the Spirit's work from first to last, without any human instrumentality.
"The holy temple" is being built by the Lord Himself, and is growing to completeness, each stone being fitly framed and put into its place by the hand of Him, who says in Matt. 12, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." It is of this holy and growing temple that Peter speaks in 1 Peter 2:4-5,4To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4‑5) "To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house." The holy temple is composed entirely of true believers, and here, as in the body, no human hand comes in; it is all the Lord's own work, and will have its completeness at His coming, when the last living stone has been put in its place.
"The habitation," begun by God Himself instrumentally by man, and thus set up perfect, is built by man and committed to his responsibility, consequently conditions are found in it in entire contrast with those that obtain in either the body or the holy temple. In both of these all is divine, and hence all perfect. In the “habitation " it is God's building, and the sphere of His working in the world, but man being the actual workman failure comes in, and good and bad materials are found in this building in its subsequent development. Its formation and history we get in 1 Cor. 3. Paul, as a laborer, "together with God," and as a "wise masterbuilder," says, "I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
As commenced by God, working in and by man, the habitation or house, and the body were equally composed only of true believers, and were thus co-extensive, but very soon the absolute work of God by the Spirit, and that instrumentally wrought by man, in which room was left for man's responsibility to declare itself, parted company, and, while at the beginning all those who confessed Christ and were baptized were true and living believers, very soon the weakness of man's hand showed itself, and mere professors, destitute of living faith, were brought in on confession and baptism, and builded together with the true believers, and the habitation enlarged itself beyond the body, being composed of dead and living stones builded together, but not united one to the other by the living bond of the Holy Ghost. The building continued the sphere of God working, and the place of His dwelling with its blessed privileges and solemn responsibilities for faith unaffected by the state of those composing it. Still is it God's house, and will remain so to the close, as the solemn warning of Peter tells us. "For the time is come," he says, "that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:1717For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17).) It is this external, visible building or "habitation of God by the Spirit," and still as much as ever "the house of God," that has fallen into ruin and disorder, and which will close its history on earth, as man's work, in judgment, to reappear in heaven, according to God's mind made good in His own infallible power, as "the tabernacle of God." (See Rev. 21;3.)
But besides the formation of the church as the body; the commencing of the holy temple: and the building of believers together externally and visibly as the habitation of God, another thing came into existence at Pentecost, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Caiaphas, that Christ "should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 2. 52), and the Lord's prayer- "neither pray I for these alone, but for them also that shall believe on me through their word: that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me " (John 17:20,2120Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:20‑21)), and that was that all believers, "as called in one body," were brought by the Spirit's power and presence into a divine and moral and practical unity of mind, heart and purpose, as we read, "all that believed were together, and had all things common " (Acts 2:4141Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:41)), "and the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul, neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common" (Acts 4. 32), this is "the unity of the Spirit;" a unity where all is according to God's mind, flowing out of, and sustained by, the presence of the Spirit amongst believers, and based upon the great principles given us in the latter part of Eph. 2, "one new man;" "one body;" "access by one Spirit unto the Father;" and "builded together for an habitation of God."
The unity of the Spirit in its perfection is then the power of the Spirit which produces divine accord amongst believers, and enables them to realize their relationship to all saints, thus securing the manifestation of the one body on earth; and taken in its completeness it cannot be separated from the one body, yet it is not the same thing, for "there is one Spirit," and "there is one body."
Practically the "all may be one," and the "one in us," of John 17 is the unity of the Spirit, and this is what believers are enjoined to use diligence to keep "in the uniting bond of peace." Jews and Gentiles gathered out to Christ at Ephesus were not to follow their own separate interests, or quarrel, but to walk together in "all holiness and meekness with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;" visibly together, and in divine concord by the power of the Spirit which made God's mind and theirs all one here on earth. Reconciled to God and to one another by the cross, and before the Father in communion by the one Spirit, their walk was to be together according to that communion. The unity of the Spirit begins here, but develops itself practically out in accordance with what the children of God are in connection with all other saints, as "the one body" and "habitation of God by the Spirit."
Abstractedly the unity of the Spirit is the mind of God, and when the mind of one believer with another believer goes on together with the mind of the Spirit it is practically kept, but when saints do not see together, so that the mind of God is not made good in them, the unity of the Spirit is not kept, even though there may be no outward breach. They may be together outwardly as "one body," but they are not inwardly one in divine accord, as being "of one heart and of one soul," the "one in us" is not there.
At the beginning, at Pentecost, the unity of the Spirit was fully kept, and all believers were outwardly and inwardly together in one, and the unity of heaven shone brightly on earth for a brief space, but soon Satan entered the heavenly scene, and in Acts 5 and 7, we find the unity of the Spirit is gone, though the power for its manifestation remained. The unity of the body remained untouched, and even its outward manifestation was still maintained, but the unity of the Spirit had not been kept. A sad and solemn fact! C.W. (To be continued.)