Page 84 - Ephesians

“Bless be to the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.” It’s
easy to say the wall is gone but there was a price to take down
that wall. There is a price, for the blessing of unity.

Are you familiar with the basic idea that death is separation? He
was dead and then alive. He was separated. Here’s an amazing
thing. Since it cost the death of Christ that I can have unity with
you. And also, for you, to have unity with me. The price of unity
is separation. Christ had to be separated, before we could be
united. He purchased the right for Christians to be one. I believe
one of the greatest miracles in Church history, was the unity, in
the first century Church. They had many reasons to be divided.
The Jews and the gentiles were divided. The homeland Jews and
the Jews of the dispersion were divided. Masters and slaves were
divided. Even those saved before the cross, and those saved
after the cross, were divided. We don’t have half the reasons for
disunity they had, yet, the Church is full of division. If ever you
had an object lesson, of the power of the blood. You have it in the
unity of the New Testament Church. Psalm 133:1,

“How good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in
unity.”

Don’t take that miracle lightly. Unity comes at a high price. Let
me try to identify what the Bible teaches about unity, and apply it
in several ways. Verse 2:16, when he’s talking about the Jews
and the gentiles he uses the expression, “In one body”. He’s
talking about the body of Christ. Christ is the Head and we are His
members. In our introduction to Ephesians I suggested “Mutual
Headship”, as a definition of unity. If I’m looking to Christ as my
head and you are looking to Christ as your head, then we have
perfect unity.

That’s what brings the parts of my physical body into harmony.
They have a common head. My right hand lives for the pleasure
of my head, and my left hand lives for the pleasure of my head.
The problem of unity amongst God’s people, can be found in how
differently they depend upon their Lord and King. If Christ is not