Unified as the Body of Christ - Ephesians 4:1-6

My children seem to have continued conflicts because of differences of opinons. They make the active choice to confront each other and point out these differences. This results in one, both, or all three of them getting upset and their feelings hurt. However, they have one truth in common, and that is that they are unified as brothers and sisters in our family. 

There are times as Christians that we may differ on minor nuances of doctrine, but the most important thing is our unity in the simple faith that we are saved through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 


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Ephesians 4:1-6
¹ I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 
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Therefore…Paul built up the previous 3 chapters to explain the free gift and grace of God. He lays down the foundation for the Ephesians with riches in Christ and the true doctrine we are to follow. Then, with that foundation, Paul earnestly and persistently tries to persuade us to ‘walk.’ Now that we have the tools in our kit, we can step forward in faith and actively walk. Walking requires a choice. For our feet to move, it requires an impulse in our brain to make them go. Our feet require voluntary muscle contractions to move forward, or back. This isn’t an automatic thing that occurs. We may choose to stand still and remain stagnant in our relationship with God. The choice is up to you. 

But we are called to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, or axios in Greek. How are we to act in a way that is worthy of our calling by God? We are to walk with humility and put ourselves below others. We are also called to be meek and submissive. Additionally, we are to be patient and persevere in order to have the endurance to fulfill our calling. Lastly, we are to bear with one another in love. We need to be tolerant and quick to hear and slow to speak. We need to pour out our love toward others and not expect anything in return. We are to do this because we, as the body of Christ, need to maintain unity with each other in the Holy Spirit. We need to be eager, or have a strong desire, to maintain or preserve unity. Again, this comes down to choice. Are we choosing to be humble, patient, gentle, and tolerant of others through love in order to preserve the unity of the body of Christ in the Holy Spirit? What ties it altogether is peace. We only get this peace through the Holy Spirit working in our lives when we submit our hearts. 

What is unity? It is one body in Jesus Christ. We are all Christians, and we may have differences of opinions and interpretations of minor aspects of Christian doctrine, but we are still one body because of our faith in Jesus Christ. This is through the body of Jesus, we have access to one Holy Spirit, one Lord, it is only one true faith in Jesus, one baptism for Jews and Gentiles, and finally, one God the Father who reigns above and ‘over’ all things. God the Father who works ‘through’ us according to His will. We are His vessels. God the Father who lives ‘in’ us and dwelling in our hearts. 

I encourage us all to be submissive and humble ourselves, and then we need to take that step forward and actively walk with God. As we walk with God, we are to have a strong desire to preserve the unity within the body of Christ. We all have differences, but let the main truth be the focus…that we are saved by grace and justified by faith. The only thing that matters is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. So, be patient with others and be humble despite our differences in minor interpretations of Christian doctrine. We all come from different backgrounds and churches, but the only thing that matters is salvation in Christ. Love one another and encourage each other to pursue God on a personal and intimate level.