Ephesians 4:1-16 (ESV)
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. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?
He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
We should “walk in a manner worth of the calling to which [we] have been called.” When we walk in that way we should have:
1) Humility
2) Gentleness
3) Patience
4) Bearing with one another in love
5) Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
It is easy to see from those characteristics that a Christian should stand out in comparison to those who follow after the ways of the world. The world will question why someone would demonstrate these characteristics in adversity and in abundance, but as Christians we have a great hope and by faith we can show these characteristics as we seek to follow the example of Christ in each and all circumstances.
Paul notes that there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism and one God and Father. Christ didn’t die to create a number of churches or creeds. Christ died for his church to create one body. Christ prayed for unity in the garden in John 17. Our desire should be to seek to be the church and body that Christ died for. To be the body and church that we read about in the Bible. We should seek unity based on the Bible. It is easy to see why Christ prayed for unity in John 17 – that the world might believe.
It takes all of us working together to build up the church. Each of us has special talents. Some are good at teaching, others in leading, others in service. Whatever our ability we should seek to use it for the glory of God and to equip the saints and to build up the body of Christ. May we seek the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. May we seek to be full grown in Christ that we will not be “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”
On the contrary – let us seek “to grow up in every way into him who is the head, in Christ”. May we seek to build up the body in love. My our every desire to be to seek Christ and to help others in attaining that aim.
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