The Bond Of Peace.

Unity is fundamental to the existence, growth, and progress of the Church of Jesus Christ. The Church was never intended to exist as a divided body, because Christ Himself died to bring people together as one. Through His death, Jesus broke down the barriers between Jews and Gentiles and made it possible for all believers to become members of one body. As Ephesians 3:4–6 teaches, both Jews and Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of God’s promises through Christ.

The Church itself represents a profound unity between the physical and the spiritual. Although it consists of people living physically on the earth, it is spiritually joined to Christ and governed by the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who produces and sustains genuine unity among believers. For this reason, every Christian has a responsibility to consciously endeavour to preserve the unity of the body of Christ.

One of the greatest assets for maintaining this unity is peace. There can be no lasting unity without peace, because peace creates the environment in which believers can remain joined together. Peace can be understood as the absence of strife, but the peace of God goes much deeper than merely avoiding conflict. It is spiritual in nature and is capable of remaining in a believer even in the midst of storms, persecution, difficulties, and opposition. The peace God gives is therefore different from the peace offered by the world.

Jesus Christ is the peace of the Church. A person can only experience true inner peace after being reconciled to God. Peace with God must come before the fullness of the peace of God can operate within a person. This peace is a gift from God, and it is also one of the fruits produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.

Our inner peace grows as we continually surrender ourselves to God. However, there is an ongoing conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. Galatians 5 teaches that the desires of the flesh oppose the desires of the Spirit. Therefore, the extent to which a believer is willing to crucify the desires of the flesh and yield to the Holy Spirit will greatly influence the extent to which the peace of God is allowed to rule in that person's life. A life controlled by the flesh naturally produces conflict, while a life governed by the Spirit produces peace.

Scripture also makes it clear that peace does not belong to those who persist in wickedness. Those who desire the peace of God must pursue righteousness and turn away from evil. As 1 Peter 3:8–11 teaches, believers should seek peace and pursue it. Peace must therefore be consciously desired, protected, and maintained.

Peace can also be described as the bond of unity. A bond is something that binds, secures, or guarantees. In this sense, peace is what helps hold the Church together. Where peace is cultivated, unity is strengthened. Where peace is neglected, division soon develops. The Church must therefore be bound together by peace if it is to function as one body.

The kingdom of God is a mystery, and the peace of God is also a mystery. A mystery may be understood as a truth that was once covered or hidden but has been revealed by God. The Church itself is both a mystery and a custodian of divine mysteries. God has entrusted the Church with spiritual truths that cannot be fully understood merely through human reasoning.

Because the Church belongs to Christ, strife must never be tolerated within it. There can be no genuine peace in a church where strife is deliberately encouraged or ignored. Strife produces fear, and fear can create an atmosphere in which wickedness flourishes. Strife also grieves the Holy Spirit and works directly against the unity He desires to produce among believers. Those who deliberately become agents of strife place themselves in opposition to the purposes of God.

Insincerity is one of the precursors to strife. When people are dishonest in their relationships, motives, or dealings with one another, suspicion and conflict often follow. Nepotism can likewise become a source of strife when people are treated according to personal relationships rather than with fairness, truth, and righteousness. Such practices should be avoided because they weaken trust and threaten the unity of the Church.

The mystery of the Church is also illustrated through marriage. Marriage itself is described in Scripture as a mystery because it points to the relationship between Christ and His Church. Just as husband and wife are joined together and become one, Christ desires His Church to be perfectly united with Him and with one another. The Church is the bride of Christ and must ultimately become one, united body prepared for Jesus.

God's inheritance is available to both Jews and Gentiles through Christ. This inheritance includes the guarantee of eternity in glory, membership in the one body of Christ, and participation in the promises originally given through Abraham. Through Jesus Christ, the blessing of Abraham has come to the nations so that all who believe may receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Jesus died for all. His sacrifice was not restricted to one race, tribe, nationality, or group of people. Through Him, believers from every background are brought together into one Church. Unity is therefore not merely a desirable characteristic of Christianity; it is at the heart of what Christ accomplished through His death.

For this reason, every believer must become a promoter of peace rather than an agent of strife. As Jesus declared in Matthew 5:9, peacemakers are blessed and are called the children of God. When believers yield to the Holy Spirit, crucify the desires of the flesh, reject insincerity and partiality, and consciously pursue peace, the unity of the Church is protected.

The Church must therefore remain united through the bond of peace. Unity reflects the purpose of Christ, peace preserves that unity, and the Holy Spirit makes it possible. As the Church grows in peace and oneness, it increasingly demonstrates the mystery of Christ and His bride: many people from different backgrounds becoming one body in Jesus Christ.