Walk in Unity

4 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Spiritual Gifts

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8

worthy of the calling God’s act of creating one family in Christ requires His children to live in a manner that honors His work.

4:2 humility and gentleness, with patience Natural results of being filled with God’s Spirit. Compare Gal 5:22–23.

putting up with one another Since believers belong to one family of God, they must bear with one another. Compare Phil 2:1–5.

4:3 unity of the Spirit Refers to unity that can only exist because of the work of the Holy Spirit.

bond of peace Earlier, Paul portrays Christ as the personification of peace (Eph 2:14). The work of Christ leads to peace between God and humanity and between Jews and Gentiles (2:15).

4:4 one body and one Spirit Compare 1 Cor 12:12–14.

4:5 one faith, one baptism In the NT, a new believer’s expression of faith is closely connected to their baptism—an outward expression of that faith. See note on Acts 2:38; note on Rom 6:3.

Baptism

4:6 God and Father of all See note on Eph 3:15.

over all, and through all, and in all Stresses the supremacy of God. He joins all people together under His sovereign rule.

4:7–16 In this passage, Paul focuses on God’s gifts that build up the body of Christ (the Church). The NT lists areas of spiritual giftedness five times (vv. 11–12; 1 Cor 12:4–11, 28–30; Rom 12:3–8; 1 Pet 4:7–11). Each list presents different gifts and emphases.

4:7 grace In this context, the Greek word used here, charis, likely refers to a believer’s God-given calling and ability to serve in ministry. Paul associated God’s grace with his vocation as apostle to the Gentiles (Eph 3:2).

Unity in the local church depends upon each person in it cultivating certain attitudes. They are ‘lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love’ (4:2). Lowliness is taking the lowest place with a view to being the servant of all. The Lord Jesus Christ was lowly, and so was Paul, as we saw in 3:8. Disunity cannot survive where lowliness reigns.

With lowliness is to go ‘gentleness’, or ‘meekness’, as older translations put it. It means being spiritually and morally strong without being self-assertive, pushy or heavy-handed. Its strength is controlled.

‘Long-suffering’ is being hurt and hurt again, but not complaining, while those who are ‘bearing with another in love’ are refusing to strike back or be bitter. Such people do not consider that their own feelings matter. What counts is the welfare of others. All the qualities mentioned in these verses are found in our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and his church is to be modelled on him.

Those who are aiming to have such Christlike lives may truly be said to be ‘endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’ (4:3). You have to work to maintain unity, but nobody has to create it. It exists already. All divisive barriers have been removed by the work of Christ. The members of the new nation and family are bound both to God and to each other. The Spirit-forged bonds exist. But they have to be preserved.

Sadly, many believers make no effort in this area, which is why Paul is writing about it. War is waged where Christ has made peace. The God-given bonds are forgotten. Ungodly attitudes, words and actions raise the old divisions again. Many such people believe Ephesians chapters 1–3 in theory, but openly contradict it in practice. God’s sanctifying call is forgotten and the redeemed church disgraces itself by resembling the perishing world.

Paul pleads for different behaviour. He calls for the execution of self and all else that smacks of ‘me first’. Unity is not automatic. Steps must be taken to preserve it. Work is needed. Who will make the necessary effort?

Unity Through Humility

2 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.