Unity of the Spirit (Part 2)

Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. KJV

Ephesians 4:3 Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Douay Rheims

Ephesians 4:3   busy to keep unity of Spirit in the bond of peace.  Wycliffe

Three very different meanings in Endeavoring, Careful, and Busy.  The  Tyndale Holy Bible adds a fourth calling it diligent.   It is not normal for me but with four very different meanings, I decided to look up the word in the Latin Vulgate Holy Bible which is written in Latin.  It uses the word "solliciti".  The second word  "servare" does mean "to keep".  

Note:  For those who do not know, the Latin Vulgate is the oldest known written form of the Holy Bible in and around 400 AD.   

What does "solliciti" mean?  The strange thing is it means all four of the words endeavoring, careful, busy and diligent.  Let me put this in context through each descriptive word.  

Endeavoring means we need to really work at keeping unity with the Spirit of peace.  Careful means to be cautious with what we say and do to keep Unity of the Spirit.  Busy means to be be active in keeping unity of spirit.  Lastly, diligent means to be steady or direct in our efforts.  Many of us, including me, have struggled mightily in our faith in the Lord or in keeping unity with the Spirit. It is extremely difficult especially when you see evil all around us to be careful or to be diligent and busy in the "Works of the Lord" vs the works of the flesh.  

When reading these passages in Ephesians 4 it is evident Paul is talking about working (vocation) for the Lord in the body of Christ for the Church.  As Paul says, some of of us are called to be pastors, teachers, apostles, prophets, and evangelists.  This is not the complete list but each person who is called for the work of ministry is perfectly described in Ephesians 4:2 " With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;".  

Paul writes there is one body of Christ (Church), One Spirit (aka Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, Holy Ghost) one Lord (Jesus), one faith, one Baptism, and One God the Father the creator of everything and is above all.  If only all of the Christian churches believed this simple example Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-6, 11.  We will continue our study of Unity which is the "Unity of Faith".  

Before we do, let's recap so you have a better understanding of what it means to keep the unity of the Spirit.  Satan knows true Christians will be humble/humility (lowliness), mild mannered (meek), endure hardship (longsuffering), and will hold back judgement but will love each other even when major wrongs are done against us and the church.  Jesus has to constantly remind me about loving others or as my next book, the fourth book, is "Feed my Sheep".  He says to me all the time, their evil is not aimed at you, although they are lashing out at you, their evil is against me, their hatred, violence, vitriol, vainness, backbiting gossipers.  That is why when you see four different but similar translations of Endeavoring, Careful, Busy, and Diligent in the unity of the Spirit.  There is not one word which best describes it but many words we need to embrace to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  

For every Christian including Catholics and Jews, Paul says it very clean:  "there is one body of Christ (Church), One Spirit (aka Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, Holy Ghost) one Lord (Jesus), one faith, one Baptism, and One God the Father the creator of everything and is above all."  We will read Paul response in part three for us to be wary of the churches who do not believe in these words of the Lord as written in the Holy Bible.