Sunday: The Unity of the Spirit
Read Ephesians 4:1-16. How does Paul encourage believers to nurture the unity of the church?
Paul begins the second half of Ephesians (chapters 4-6) with a stirring call to unity, but in two major parts. First, in Ephesians 4:1-6 he asks believers to nurture “the unity of the Spirit” by exhibiting unity-building virtues (Ephesians 4:1-3), a call he supports with a poetic list of seven “ones” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
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Second, in Ephesians 4:7-16, Paul identifies the victorious, exalted Jesus as the Source of grace in people who lead in sharing the gospel (Ephesians 4:7-10) and describes how they, together with all church members, contribute to the health, growth, and unity of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16).
As the chapter begins, Paul invites Christians to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1, ESV). He used the verb walk in the figurative sense of to behave, or to live (see Ephesians 2:2, Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 4:17; Ephesians 5:2, Ephesians 5:8, Ephesians 5:15). When Paul refers to their calling, he refers to the call to Christian faith (Ephesians 1:18; Ephesians 2:4-6, Ephesians 2:13). Paul urges believers to practice a unifying behavior that reflects God’s ultimate plan (Ephesians 4:9-10). He begins that emphasis here with his call to practice virtues that lead to unity (Ephesians 4:1-3), such as humility, gentleness, and patience.
Let’s look at each term.
Paul elsewhere explains the term humility, in Ephesians 4:2 (ESV; lowliness in NKJV), by adding the idea to “count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3, ESV). Humility, then, may be understood not as a negative virtue of self-deprecation (see Colossians 2:18, Colossians 2:23) but as a positive one of appreciating and serving others.
Gentleness (Ephesians 4:2, ESV, NKJV) may be explained as “the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance” and also means “courtesy, considerateness, meekness.” — Frederick Danker, ed., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), p. 861.
Finally, patience (ESV; compare longsuffering, NKJV) is being able to bear up under provocation or trials.
These qualities, then, all gather around the theme of turning away from self-importance and, instead, focusing on the value of others.
| Humility, gentleness, patience. Think about how these attributes would help unify us as a people. How do we learn to cultivate these virtues? |
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HUMILITY,GENTLENESS,PATIENCE
How they unify us as a people
Unity need to be embodied in physical church congregations as it is essential to the plan of God for us. When there is humility, there will be no fractures or self centredness amongst the believers.When we esteem others better than ourselves,even those who are hostile towards us,we will be united.Unnecessary conflicts will be avoided when believers practice gentleness. For us to show love which also unifies us as a people, we need to exhibit patience as believers.We must utilize these virtues as we encounter other believers’ faults.When a believer is patient,he/she will be able to endure various evils which can result in divisions,and still remain calm.When there are differences amongst believers,we have to be gentle when those we differ with when we respond to them.
How we learn to cultivate these virtues
These virtues are a matter of daily living. We need to put up each other as believers. We must have the zeal for unity as believers. We must not behave or say words which will eventually shatter unity or which will result in divisions being fostered amongst the believers. We must not display much of ourselves. Our own interests have to be laid far away for the sake of others.We have to concentrate on our faults and not the faults of others.
In diversity there is unity. We are given different gifts. The same Holy Spirit in different ways to glorify God. There is harmonious action though the gifts differ.
It is not the opposition of the world that endangers us most, it is the evil cherished in the hearts of professed believers that works our most grievous disaster and most retards the progress of Gods cause. It is our privilege to wear our identity in Christ, but we MUST place ourselves under Christ’s command.
Humility, gentleness, and patience are virtues that are highly beneficial in creating unity and harmony within a community.
Humility:
1. Self-Reflection: Reflect on your actions and attitudes regularly. Acknowledge your limitations and mistakes, and understand that everyone has something valuable to offer.
2. Gratitude: Practice gratitude regularly. Recognizing the role of others and expressing thanks for what we have can help foster humility.
3. Service: Actively look for opportunities to serve others. Serving others helps us to see the value in others and lessens our self-centeredness.
Gentleness:
1. Empathy: Try to understand others' perspectives and feelings. This understanding can encourage a more gentle approach to interactions.
2. Mindfulness: Be aware of how your words and actions may affect others. Think before you speak or act.
3. Practice: Make a conscious effort to react with gentleness even in challenging situations. The more you practice gentleness, the more it becomes a part of your character.
Patience:
1. Mindfulness: Just as with gentleness, being aware of your emotions and reactions can help you to pause and respond with patience.
2. Understanding: Try to understand the circumstances or reasons behind a situation or person's actions. This understanding can help to foster patience.
3. Coping Mechanisms: Develop healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with frustration. This could include deep breathing, taking a walk, or talking to a friend.
Ultimately, these virtues are fruits of the Spirit, as outlined in Galatians 5:22-23. While we can certainly make efforts to cultivate these traits in our lives, it is through our relationship with God, the work of the Holy Spirit, and following the example of Jesus that these virtues can truly be developed. This involves daily prayer, Bible study, and seeking to live out God's command to love one another as He has loved us.
Humility, gentleness, patience. Such characteristics only make sense where there is an interconnection among people. Jesus, the Son of God, with all the attributes of a deity, came to serve, not to be served. Is this utopia?
Thinking of Jesus when He said,
This can be our prayer…. and also…
The picture of true love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is very humbling.
It's edifying to read these two verses in various translations: (Eph. 4:1-2)
Paul, beseeches, begs, exhorts, asks, implores us....
to, walk worthy, lead a life worthy, live up to the life, live in a manner worthy,
with all lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, humble, gentle, patient, humility, gentleness, patience,
bearing with, forbearing, making allowances for faults, accepting , putting up with , tolerating each other
in love.
The message is for the believers in the church to live lives of trustful submission to God, which shows in their gentleness and patient self restraint as they deal in a loving way with provocations arising as they interact with others.
This is NOT a call to tolerate sin, but a call to be loving, understanding, seeking to help, uplift. Having been forgiven we forgive, having experienced God's grace in lifting us up from our own pitfalls, we seek to uplift others.
Self is put aside and we work with Christ for others. Unity of the spirit is only achieved when the Holy Spirit is directing our lives and molding our hearts.
Well put. Thanks for sharing the different translations which puts more meaning into the verses. It was an interesting thought to me that while each translation put the verse in slightly different words, each also was unified in purpose and overall context. Isn't that what unity is about? I also agree with your statement that this is not a call to tolerate sin. We might be in "unity" to tolerate certain sins but that doesn't mean we are in "unity" with what Christ's wants, wills, and commands for his people. Morality or unity is not ruled by the majority of what thinks is correct in this world. Morality or unity is ruled by Christ alone.