Sermon Tone Analysis

The first six verses can be summarized as follows: the church is spiritually one; therefore, let it be spiritually one!

Also, the oneness is not an end in itself.

It is not a superficial desire for togetherness in the spirit of the familiar lines:

“For your friends are my friends, and my friends are your

friends; And the more we get together, the happier we’ll be.”

On the contrary, it is a unity with the purpose of being a blessing to one another, so that the church can be built up, and can thus be a blessing to the world.

There is work to be done, as verse 12 clearly shows.

As to these responsibilities, the addressed had been foreordained to sonship (1:5).

It is their responsibility, therefore, to behave in the manner in which adopted children of the heavenly Father could be expected to behave: believing his teachings, trusting his promises, and obeying his will.

And as to the blessings, these were described in the preceding chapters: election, redemption, sealing, being made alive, being reconciled not only to God but also to those who had formerly been their enemies, having freedom of access to the throne of grace, etc. Surely, a life of gratitude, abounding in good works as its fruit, was in order!

And you were kdead in the trespasses and sins 2 lin which you once walked, following the course of this world, following mthe prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in nthe sons of disobedience

For fwe are his workmanship, gcreated in Christ Jesus hfor good works, iwhich God prepared beforehand, jthat we should walk in them.

The Apostle now shows his readers, “what the gospel requires,” after he has called to their memories what it has given them.

It requires manifestations of life from those who had been quickened, not from the dead.

It expects works of love and righteousness from those who believe and are justified, from him who has been new-created unto good works (comp.

on 2:10).

It expects good fruit from a good tree

Paul has just prayed so heartily, now he can exhort so profitably

The call entitles us indeed to the kingdom and glory of God, but it obligates us also to sanctification, and to adorn the doctrine of God and our Saviour.

The unity in the Spirit is something very different from corporate, external, conventional, superficial unity; it dwells deep within, in the entire will and disposition, it is holy, proceeding from the Spirit, not from mere prudence, concerning itself about essentials, not about non-essentials.

From this we infer what real union is; the Spirit alone can create it, that made by man is as a rule of no value.

One may endure the faults of his neighbor from want of feeling, from mildness of temperament, from human good-nature, from earthly politeness, from temporal policy, from pharisaical hypocrisy; nothing is so common; but it is rarely done out of real Christian love.