Romans 12:16 — Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Romans 15:5 — Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,
1 Corinthians 1:10 — Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.
In these three passages, Paul impresses upon the Romans and Corinthians the need to be of the same mind with one another. This is what it means to know the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Here is what Matthew Henry has to say about Romans 12:16:
"...labour, as much as you can, to agree in apprehension; and, wherein you come short of this, yet agree in affection; endeavour to be all one, not affecting to clash, and contradict, and thwart one another; but keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,.................... This is to love our brethren as ourselves, desiring their welfare as our own.
In other words there seems to be an effort required by a whole fellowship to arrive at a common and agreed understanding on issues. Where this is not possible to achieve for the time being, believers are instead to agree to disagree in a spirit of love - not using issues as fuel to stir up dissension, animosity and malice but rather as opportunities to demonstrate Christian love,and to continue to work together for common understanding.
Sadly, we have probably all known fellowships that have gone through difficulties that were apparently not capable of being resolved in love, where no "one-mindedness" was possible or none was even sought. These problems may have arisen from different understandings on matters of doctrine or practice, or groups operating with different agendas and pulling in different directions. Whenever these matters escalate, there is potential for damage to the church, to individuals and most seriously, to the Name of Jesus Christ which every true church bears.
Paul indicates that it is not meant to be like that in the church. There are in reality no divisions in Christ, so we are not to fabricate or easily tolerate divisions in His Body. We have one Lord and we are to be one Church on earth by God's grace.
Paul links this unity and one-mindedness to "completeness" in the passage from 1 Corinthians above - not being fragmented. It is something to be prized in the church and a great joy and blessing to experience in fellowship together (the concept of being of the same mind is meaningless where believers never meet). Let's pray that the Lord would give us all grace to make every effort in our fellowships to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
