Ephesians 4:1-6

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

 

Putting Jews and Gentiles together is kind of like putting cats and dogs together.  Attempts to unite people that are from such diverse backgrounds can be difficult to say the least.  It is a good thing that the supernatural power of the Spirit is behind this effort.  The truth is that uniting any group of two or more people will be a challenge in this sin-cursed world.  Families, churches, businesses, ministries, neighborhoods, and communities all struggle to work together in a productive and pleasant manner.  The only way to resolve this is through the work of God’s Spirit to produce the character and the framework in which unity can thrive.

 

THE PRE-REQUISITES TO UNITY: God has blessed us with so many gifts trough His work of salvation.  These blessings ought to impact the way we walk and live our lives.  God calls us to walk in unity with one another no matter what our race, ethnicity, social status, gender, or economic status might be.  However, unity does not just naturally happen.  There are character qualities that are fundamental to being able to achieve unity.  Humility is the first essential pre-requisite to unity.  We must approach every relationship with the idea that others are to take priority over self.  Pride is a unity breaker.  Gentleness is the second character quality essential to unity.  There will be times when we need to correct and confront one another, but this must always be done with a kindness and calmness that will draw us together.  Patience is also essential to unity.  We will not always be humble and gentle, and others will not always be so to us.  This means that patience will be required to be able to maintain the unity that Christ requires.  We must not give up on one another or abandon the idea of unity in the face of struggles.  Love is the final pre-requisite to unity Paul mentions.  However, he describes this love as being a tolerant love that is willing to bear with the difficulties of others.  There must be an eagerness for the body of Christ to pursue peace with one another by being intentional to walk with humility, gentleness, patience, and love.

 

THE PRINCIPLES OF UNITY: The basic principle behind the commandment for unity in the body of Christ is that we are all one in Christ.  Paul is simply calling for a visible practice that is in line with our spiritual reality.  We are all under the exact same God and placed into the exact same body called the Church.  Paul’s list of “ones” is impressive; One: body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, one God and Father.  There are not multiple Churches like there are multiple nations.  We are all members of the same body of Christ and members of one another.  We are all inhabited by the same Holy Spirit.  He permanently indwells every person who has come to faith in Christ.  Every believer lives with the exact same hope of an eternity of conformity with the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are all under the headship and authority of Jesus Christ.  All of us are saved by the same means of faith in Jesus.  We are all identified with Christ in baptism and made to be members of the Church.  We have the same God and are members of His family as our Father.  He permeates every part of our being and every aspect of our lives.  These truths should have a profound impact on the way we live.

 

APPLICATION: Be intentional about practicing and growing in humility, gentleness, patience, and love.  In times of difficulty, strive to focus on the spiritual reality of all we have in common as opposed to focusing on whatever might be different about us.