“A hymn is a Chorus that got old.”
Though this is not technically true of most church songs, there are a few choruses from my youth that graduated from the Chorus Book to the Hymn Book. One in particular was: “Bind us Together, Lord.”
It began:
“Bind us together, Lord. Bind us together, Lord. With chains that cannot be broken.”
When visiting another congregation, I noticed that they sang “…with cords that cannot be broken,” instead of “with chains that cannot be broken.” Of course, “cords” turned out to be correct, but that didn’t stop me from thinking that being bound together “with cords” seemed inferior to “chains.”
Either way, the point of this unity prayer song was not easily missed: Christians desiring to be bound together in the One Church of our One God and King.
It takes little effort to unravel relationships.
That’s why Paul stresses: “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:14). What are these virtues he speaks of? They are “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance and Christlike forgiveness.” When we allow love to bind these virtues together in us, we will find ourselves bound together in Christ.
Again, Paul encourages the saints from prison: “Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).
Being bound together in love and peace is lived out in a specific household—The church. The church houses more than saints; God lives within. We are indeed The Temple of the Holy Spirit.
Thus, we are all well warned to avoid any talk or deed that brings disharmony or destruction upon the church.
“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
John Staiger
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