Ephesians 4:3

Ephesians 4:3. Earnestly striving, giving diligence. This is parallel with ‘forbearing,' and describes the humble, longsuffering walk, with reference to the motive of the forbearance, a motive leading to continuous and earnest effort. The underlying thought of Christian unity is carried out in the next section.

To keep, to maintain, to preserve something already possessed, and to continue doing this.

The unity of the Spirit, i.e., the Holy Spirit, since a reference to the human spirit in this connection would be both flat and unpauline. The unity is that effected by the Holy Spirit; not an outward uniformity, or hollow truce, or unholy compromise, but that unity of thought and feeling and effort among individual Christians which is produced by the indwelling of the same Spirit. Such a unity we are commanded to ‘keep,' not to ‘make.' The main instruments in keeping it are the graces named in Ephesians 4:2. This is the basis of all real unity in the Church. Most of the failures in seeking unity have resulted from a failure to accept what is implied in this clause. Only unity of Christians, wrought by the Holy Spirit, maintained by loving personal endeavor, can result in the manifested unity of the Body of Christ.

In the bond of peace. ‘ In' is not= ‘by,' but points to the sphere or element in which the unity is maintained. There are, however, two explanations of the phrase ‘the bond of peace:' (1.) the bond which is peace; (2.) the bond which has peace as its object. The latter view regards this phrase as parallel to ‘in love,' taking love as ‘the bond,' in accordance with Colossians 3:14. But the other explanation is more natural. ‘Peace ‘is the result of peace with God, and, binding Christians together, it is ‘a condition and symbol of that inner unity wrought by the indwelling Spirit of God' (Alford). Hence an outward unity, which does not bind Christians in peace , can scarcely be ‘the unity of the Spirit.'