Strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of the Spirit

Scriptures used:

Proverbs 17:9; Proverbs 10:12; 1 Peter 4:8; Ephesians 4:7; Rom 12:3-4; John 1:16    

Proverbs 17:9

(KJV)

He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

(MSG)

Overlook an offense and bond a friendship; fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!

(AMP)

He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends.

Proverbs 10:12 (KJV)

Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

1 Peter 4:8 (AMP)

Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others].

Ephesians 4:3-6 (AMP)

3 Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.

⁴ [There is] one body and one Spirit—just as there is also one hope [that belongs] to the calling you received— ⁵ [There is] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ One God and Father of [us] all, Who is above all [Sovereign over all], pervading all and [living] in [us] all.

Rom 12:3 (KJV) 

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Rom 12:4 (KJV)  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

John 1:16  And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.

Ephesians 4:7 (Barnes)

But unto every one of us:

- Every Christian.

Is given grace:

- The favor of God; meaning here that God had bestowed upon each sincere Christian the means of living as he ought to do, and had in his gospel made ample provision that they might walk worthy of their vocation. What “are” the endowments thus given, the apostle states in the following verses. The “grace” referred to here, most probably means “the gracious influences of the Holy Spirit,” or his operations on the heart in connection with the use of the means which God has appointed.

According to the measure of the gift of Christ:

- Grace is bestowed upon all true Christians, and all have enough to enable them to live a life of holiness. Yet we are taught

here:

(1) That it is a “gift.” It is “bestowed” on us. It is not what is originated by ourselves.

(2) it is by a certain “measure.” It is not unlimited, and without rule. There is a wise adaptation; an imparting it by a certain rule. The same grace is not given to all, but to all is given enough to enable them to live as they ought to live.

(3) that measure is the gift of Christ, or what is given in Christ. It comes through him. It is what he has purchased; what he has obtained by his merits. All have enough for the purposes for which God has called them into his kingdom, but there are not the same endowments conferred on all. Some have grace given them to qualify them for the ministry;

Some to be apostles; some to be martyrs; some to make them eminent as public benefactors. All this has been obtained by Christ; and one Should not complain that another has more distinguished endowments than he has;

Compare Rom_12:3 and Joh_1:16 notes.

Rom 12:3 (Barnes) 

Through the grace - Through the favor, or in virtue of the favor of the apostolic office. By the authority that is conferred on me to declare the will of God as an apostle; see the note at Rom_1:5; see also Gal_1:6, Gal_1:15; Gal_2:9; Eph_3:8; 1Ti_1:14.

The measure of faith - The word “faith” here is evidently put for religion, or Christianity. Faith is a main thing in religion. It constitutes its first demand, and the Christian religion, therefore, is characterized by its faith, or its confidence, in God; see Mar_16:17; compare Heb. 11; Rom. 4. We are not, therefore, to be elated in our view of ourselves;

We are not to judge of our own characters by wealth, or talent, or learning, but by our attachment to God, and by the influence of faith on our minds. The meaning is, judge yourselves, or estimate yourselves, by your piety. The propriety of this rule is apparent:

(1) Because no other standard is a correct one, or one of value. Our talent, learning, rank, or wealth, is a very improper rule by which to estimate ourselves. All may be wholly unconnected with moral worth; and the worst as well as the best people may possess them.

(2) God will judge us in the day of judgment by our attachment to Christ and his cause Matt. 25; and that is the true standard by which to estimate ourselves here.

(3) nothing else will secure and promote humility but this. All other things may produce or promote pride, but this will effectually secure humility. The fact that God has given all that we have; the fact that the poor and obscure may have as true an elevation of character as ourselves; the consciousness of our own imperfections and short-comings in the Christian faith;

And the certainty that we are soon to be arraigned to try this great question, whether we have evidence that we are the friends of God; will all tend to promote humbleness of mind and to bring down our usual inordinate self-estimation.

If all Christians judged themselves in this way, it would remove at once no small part of the pride of station and of life from the world, and would produce deep attachment for those who are blessed with the faith of the gospel, though they may be unadorned by any of the wealth or trappings which now promote pride and distinctions among men.

John 1:16 (Barnes)

Grace for grace - Many interpretations of this phrase have been proposed. The chief are briefly the following:

1. “We have received under the gospel, grace or favor, ‘instead of’ those granted under the law; and God has added by the gospel important favors to those which he gave under the law.” This was first proposed by Chrysostom.

2. “We, Christians, have received grace ‘answering to,’ or corresponding to that which is in Jesus Christ. We are ‘like’ him in meekness, humility,” etc.

3. “We have received grace ‘as grace’ - that is, freely. We have not purchased it nor deserved it, but God has conferred it on us ‘freely’” (Grotius).

4. The meaning is, probably, simply that we have received through him “abundance” of grace or favor. The Hebrews, in expressing the superlative degree of comparison, used simply to repeat the word - thus, “pits, pits,” meaning many pits (Hebrew in Gen_14:10). So here grace for grace may mean “much” grace; superlative favors bestowed on man; favors superior to all that had been under the law - superior to all other things that God can confer on men. These favors consist in pardon, redemption, protection, sanctification, peace here, and heaven hereafter.

References:

Translations are retrieved from http://www.biblegateway.com/  BibleGateway.com © Copyright 1995-2010 Gospel Communications International

King James Version (KJV)—Public Domain/ 1604, King James I of England

The Message Bible (MSG)—Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995 by Eugene H. Peterson

Amplified Bible (AMP)—Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

Barnes' Notes on the New Testament (Barnes) by Albert Barnes Published in Philadelphia, August 25th, 1832. Retrieved from e-Sword www.e-sword.net  —Copyright © 2000-2012 Rick Meyers All Rights Reserved Worldwide