The Work of the Spirit: Creating Unity

May 28, 2024

Unity among brethren is very important to God. Jesus, just before going to the cross, prayed for unity.  He prayed, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (John 17:20-21 NASB95)  Jesus wants all who believe in Him to be one.  Yet division exists, both within congregations and between congregations.  How can we achieve the oneness that Jesus so fervently prayed for?  From where does unity come?

Unity in the church is a work of the Spirit of God.  Paul urged the church at Ephesus to walk in a manner worthy of their calling, “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3 NASB95) Unity is created by the Spirit.  We must make every effort to preserve the unity that He created.

How did the Spirit create unity?  It is the Spirit who placed us into the one body of Christ.  “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13 NASB95) When we were baptized into Christ, the Holy Spirit transferred us into the one body, the church.  This was done by His power.  We were made to drink of the one Spirit at that time.  Each one of us in Christ has become a partaker of the one Spirit, and because of that, we are one.  The problem is that sometimes we let our flesh rule instead of the Spirit.  When this happens, unity can quickly be destroyed.

The Spirit not only creates unity in the church, but He helps us maintain unity as well.  How so?  First, understand that the Spirit gave us the word and helps us understand the word. (1 Corinthians 2:13-14) Understanding the word is absolutely necessary for unity.  We must be unified on truth.  Second, think of the fruit that comes from the lives of those walking by the Spirit:  Love, peace, patience, gentleness, self-control, among others. (Galatians 5:22-23) These Spirit-given traits always preserve unity.  It is when we fail to walk by the Spirit that we find enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, and things like these (Galatians 5:20-21) These things are certainly not of the Spirit of God, and they always destroy unity. 

May God help us to preserve the unity that the Spirit has created among us.  Let us walk by the Spirit, be unified in our love of the truth, and enjoy the rich blessings that come from brothers and sisters walking in unity.

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin

The Work of the Holy Spirit: Knowing God’s Love

May 17, 2024

How do you get through tough times?  There are many among us who are going through some very difficult situations.  How do you get through it all?  What keeps you going?

Paul writes in Romans chapter 5 that because we have been justified by faith in Christ, because we have peace with God through Christ, and because we are standing in His grace, we can rejoice in hope.  As Christians, we can rejoice, even in our tribulations, because we know that they are bringing us closer to God.  We can rejoice in tribulations, knowing that “tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope…” (Romans 5:3-4 NASB95) And hope helps get us through every challenge.  We have hope in Jesus!  We can be growing in that precious hope—that confident expectation that one day God will make all things right, that He will wipe away every tear, that we will live with Him eternally.

But hope is something that you cannot see (Romans 8:24-25).  We hope for things that will happen in the future—things that certainly will not disappoint us.  But the challenges we face are happening now.  Is there anything that can help us to persevere now? 

This is where the work of the Holy Spirit comes in.  “And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5 NASB95)  The Spirit was given to those in Christ to help them in the here and now.  He does this by pouring the love of God into our hearts.  When we go through trials and heartache, God knows that it is critical that we have a deep, abiding sense of His love for us.  His love for you is something that can be known and experienced.  The experience of His love helps us to get through the hard times while we wait in hope for all He has promised us.

We learn something similar in the third chapter of Ephesians.  Paul prays for the brethren that they would be strengthened in their inner being through the Holy Spirit, so that Christ would dwell in their hearts, that they would be rooted and grounded in love, and so that they would be able to comprehend the incalculable dimensions of Christ’s love. (Ephesians 3:16-19) It is through the Spirit’s indwelling that they would, “Know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19 NASB95)

May God help us, through His Spirit, to comprehend the incomprehensible love of Jesus.  Now and always, may we experience the love of God being poured out within our hearts through the Spirit He has given us.

—Scott Colvin

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Posted by Scott Colvin