Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Unity of the Spirit Questions and Answers

What is the first particular aspect of Christian living mentioned by Paul in Ephesians 4?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the first particular aspect of Christian living that Paul mentions in Ephesians 4:2-3 is "endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this comes first for a reason: "Why did he choose this as the first thing? Why is this the first particular? The answer, of course, is to be found in the first three chapters of this great epistle, because there the thing which the apostle has been emphasizing in his doctrine above everything else is this great matter of unity."

What does Lloyd-Jones say about the nature of the unity Paul describes?

Lloyd-Jones explains that the unity Paul describes is not simply human friendship or camaraderie. It's not "some common aim or a series of common aims." Rather, it is a unity produced by the Holy Spirit Himself: "The unity about which the apostle is concerned here is the unity which is produced and created by the Holy spirit himself. He alone can produce this unity." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that this unity is "a living unity," "a vital unity," and "not a mechanical unity." He states, "There is all the difference in the world between a coalition and a true unity."

According to Lloyd-Jones, do Christians create unity or preserve it?

Lloyd-Jones makes a crucial distinction that Christians are not called to create unity but to preserve it: "The apostle doesn't ask us to create a unity. What he asks us to do is not to break the unity that is already there and which has been produced and created by the Holy Spirit himself." He explains, "He doesn't ask us to make a unity or to create a unity. No, guard it, he says, it is there. It's there because you're Christians. You can't be a Christian without the work of the Holy Spirit."

What virtues does Paul mention for maintaining unity according to Lloyd-Jones?

Lloyd-Jones identifies several virtues Paul mentions as essential for preserving unity: 1. Lowliness (humility) - "Humility, the chiefest of all the christian virtues, the hallmark of the man, the child of God." 2. Meekness - "an inner mildness, gentleness." 3. Long-suffering - "suffering long... a long holding out of the mind before it gives room to passion or to action." 4. Forbearance - "to hold yourself up against [temptation]... Put up with it. Bear it, endure it, suffer it." 5. Love - "If you only love people, well, then you will be long suffering and forbearing because you'll have their interests at heart."

How does Lloyd-Jones contrast modern approaches to unity with Paul's teaching?

Lloyd-Jones contrasts the biblical understanding of unity with modern ecumenical approaches: "So much of the modern talk about unity is just put in some such terms as that. It's very vague, it's very indefinite, it's very nebulous." He criticizes approaches that say: "Let's all come together. We mustn't be too particular about things, but we must have this spirit of fellowship and of friendship and of working together against this common enemy."

Lloyd-Jones points out that modern approaches often reverse the biblical order: "Their great argument is this. Here we are divided and separated. Let's begin to act together, to work together, and then we'll probably feel the spirit of unity. But that's a denial of the whole thing." Instead, he insists that "in every manifestation of life, the internal principle comes first and then the outward manifestation."

Why does Lloyd-Jones emphasize that unity is internal before external?

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that true unity begins internally because it's produced by the Holy Spirit: "The thing itself is internal. Its external expression also has to be considered. But again, let us notice the importance of the order. You don't start with that which is external and then hope to arrive at the internal. You start with the internal and go out to the external."

He uses several analogies to make this point: "A body, as I'm never tired of saying, does not consist of a collection of parts and portions stuck together somehow. No, the parts have come out of the central being. The parts have emanated from the heart, from the living core." He also notes, "Nobody's ever seen a soul, and yet the soul is the most important thing in men... And if I merely discuss my body and leave out the soul, how foolish I am."