The world’s definition of unity and the practice of it is very different from that of the Bible. Christian unity is very radical, in that, it transcends beyond cultural and economical boundaries. In this passage of Ephesians, Paul directs our thoughts on why pursuing unity matters for believers and how to practice it.
The unity of the church refers to the union of the people of God, bound to Him and to one another by the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s that One blood which saves God’s people, and this same truth produces unity that transcends race, culture, age, and social status. Gospel, when truly embraced, will transform us and pursuing unity among the saints becomes an inevitable reality. In this passage, we learn how pursuing unity in the Kingdom of God is part of gospel witness, and also necessary to experience joy in Christian life.
For any mission to be accomplished, there needs to be peace and unity among a specific group standing for a cause. If there is no unity, the group falls apart. The disunity also weakens the individual to fulfill the mission so it is impossible to accomplish it alone. We’re hard wired to work and live in the context of community. How can such a unity be established among a group of people in the church who come from various backgrounds? This passage gives us insights into that tension.
Religious leaders often seem very kind in public, but get aggressive and violent when someone opposes them. Sometimes Pastors even beat up their wives and do not respect them in private. There are other leaders in the church, who serve people because of money. Some leaders are good with people in public but poor in managing their own household, their children don’t listen to them and are extremely rebellious. As a father and husband, they’re very passive about family matters, and the list goes on and on. But the Apostle Paul has a response against all these bad character qualities of a leader in this passage.
The Bible clearly states that causing divisions in the church is an abomination to the Lord. Christ did not die for only one person, He died for His bride i.e His Church (true believers in this world). Therefore He expects us to maintain peace, unity and harmony in the church. The problem is that we’re sinful beings, so there is always a tendency to create discord among believers either for selfish gains or because of spiritual pride. In this passage, we learn how to avoid causing divisions within the church.