Maintain Unity – Ephesians 4:1-6

We’ve all seen the clever signs churches post to attract people to church or just to express truth. One that has been posted is, “Mud Thrown Is Ground Lost.” There is a self-defeating aspect to church disunity. Fighting for the thing we’re thinking to save, our church, is causing us to lose it. Everything Paul has been teaching in chapters 1-3 is leading to what he applies in chapters 4-6, and unity is at the head of that application.

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. (Ephesians 4:1-6, ESV)

Given that we have been blessed in the heavenly realms with being chosen by God to be holy, redeemed by Jesus’ sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins, and sealed with the Holy Spirit so that we might know the hope of our calling to salvation in Jesus Christ, and the glorious inheritance we are as Jews and Gentiles made one man in Christ, and the power of God toward us that strengthens us to know how much He loves us, Paul now begins describing how we must live in light of all this.

As one who has suffered imprisonment for living this calling Paul urges us to live worthy of the calling as well. And the most powerful way of displaying that worthiness is through unity with other believers. Unity has been established by the Holy Spirit. He has made us all one by indwelling all of us, as one body is indwelt by one spirit, or as one temple is indwelt by the glory of God. The triune God has made us one body by the one Spirit and given us one hope in common, our salvation, and installed over us one Lord, Jesus Christ, to follow the one faith symbolized by our one common experience of water baptism.

But this unity must be maintained. It is maintained through love, the bond of peace, and that love is expressed in humility (my agenda doesn’t trump yours, but God’s agenda, the kingdom, trumps all). Love is expressed in gentleness (I don’t fight to maintain my agenda but walk in the gentleness that knows that God determines all things). Love is expressed in patience that bears with each others’ failings and weaknesses and even sins, because love has been poured out into our lives, a love so deep and broad and long and tall that we can’t even wrap our minds around it entirely.

Our common salvation should result in uncommon love for one another that leads to peace with one another. That is the only worthy path for believers.

Discussion Questions

1. What feelings does the subject of church unity arouse in you?
2. What experience have you had of someone relating to you in humility and gentleness? How did it affect you?
3. What do you think the Holy Spirit feels about our lack of unity as believers?
4. Who has the Spirit asked you to bear with in love, and does that mean ignore their issues?
5. How does the Triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit, and our relationship with Him/Them, inspire you to unity with your brothers and sisters?
6. What is one way you need to make your walk more worthy of this calling to unity?