Ephesians 4 is a good reminder for all of us who call Jesus “Lord”. Paul reminds us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. He calls us to walk with humility, gentleness, patience, and showing tolerance for one another in love. We are to be diligent in preserving the unity of the Spirit of the body of Christ in peace.
Even amongst those who submit to Christ, we will have a diversity of personalities and make mistakes or impose on one another, even unintentionally. If we dwell together in life as a body of Christ… a family of believers… then we will inevitably have our differences. We are not to let them cause strife and division in the body.
We are not all the same. We have different gifts and abilities. We have different callings. Let us celebrate how we can all work together to glorify God even more than we could hope to do so alone. As a body we can unite around the word and Spirit of God as the truth that should guide us. We need never be blown to and fro and tossed about by false doctrine and lies of men. We can unite around the truth and build up the body in love in such a way as to honor and glorify the Lord.
Unity of the Spirit
1Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
8Therefore it says,
“WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH,
HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES,
AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”
9(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
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