THE PARTY SPIRIT
The unity of believers in Jesus Christ is a sacred and living reality, not a mere ideal or aspiration. It is “by one Spirit” that “we were all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). This unity is not achieved by human diplomacy nor preserved by ecclesiastical systems. It is a divine creation—born at Calvary, sealed at Pentecost, and sustained by the indwelling Spirit of God.
When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he declared that Christ “has made both one” and “has broken down the middle wall of separation” (Ephesians 2:14). Jew and Gentile, far and near, sinner and saint—all reconciled in one body through the cross. Unity, therefore, is not something to be manufactured; it is something to be recognized. It is already accomplished. Our task is not to create it, but to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).
The unity of believers is heaven’s music on earth—a harmony composed by the Spirit, not performed by the flesh. Yet, how often the sweet song is drowned out by the harsh noise of division. The “party spirit” is the discordant note in the symphony of grace. Scripture calls it by its proper name: a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:20). Factions, divisions, and sects arise not from the heart of Christ but from the pride of man. Those who walk by the Spirit will not be carried away by such earthly winds, for the Spirit binds, while the flesh separates.
What, then, is this “party spirit”? It is the sin of the self-exalting heart. It is the spirit that would rather champion a cause than cherish a brother. It is the arrogance that builds little kingdoms within the kingdom of God. It is the failure to see that all who are one with Christ are already one with each other. When believers rally around human names and sectarian banners—when they elevate their teachers above their Savior—they are no longer following the Shepherd’s voice but the echo of their own opinions. “Is Christ divided?” cried Paul. “Was Paul crucified for you?” (1 Corinthians 1:13).
O that we would remember the blood that unites us! The same crimson tide that washed Peter clean also cleansed Paul. The same grace that saved you saved me. The same Spirit who indwells the saint in one assembly lives in the saint across the sea. We do not meet each other at the level of preference, but at the foot of the cross.
Let us then guard this holy unity—not with swords of argument but with hearts of humility. Let us be slow to speak and swift to love. Let us renounce every divisive impulse, and cherish the family God has made. For the Spirit who knit us together in one body will not bless the hand that tears the body apart.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). It is the fragrance of heaven on earth, the dew of Hermon upon the soul. May we keep it pure, until the day when all divisions cease, and the whole redeemed company sings as one voice before the throne: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!” (Revelation 5:12).
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
