Walking United in Christ: Ephesians 4:1-6

Memory verse cards

If you have your Bible with you today, I invite you to turn with me to the fourth chapter of Ephesians (pg. 152 in the NT Bibles ). Over the last few months, we have worked our way through the first three chapters and now we come the major turning point of Paul’s letter. It’s here at the beginning of chapter four, beginning with the key word “therefore” that we see the transition from theology to practicality; from doctrine to duty; from creed to conduct; from exposition to exhortation. In the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul detailed the theology of grace regarding both the salvation of man and the church, and now he begins to pour his efforts into describing how the church of Christ which was purchased by the His atoning blood of Christ must function day-by-day to fulfill its mission. These magnificent opening verses of chapter 4 that we are going to study today really serve as a summary of both what has proceeded in the first half of Paul’s letter and also what will follow in the second.

Therefore, the overarching theme of unity that is embedded in these verses really flow throughout the entire letter. You see, the true focus of Paul’s letter to the church of Ephesus is not who “you are” in Christ and “how you should” live out your faith. No, its who we are united in Christ as the church and how we are to live out our faith united together as God’s chosen people and adopted family. This by the way, is the key reason I chose to study Ephesians this year. All the books that we have studied so far and will work through in 2023 have carried this focus on the family of God. Why? Because God laid it on my heart that we need to grow in our understanding of what it means to be the church.

We live in a culture that is profoundly focused on the individual self. Everything is about you, your happiness, your unique identity, your desires, your heart, your life, and yet the Bible constantly reminds us that such a selfish mindset is completely foreign to the gospel and saving faith. Sadly, many Christians have made attempted to make their faith more personalized in nature. To them, they have the right to choose which passages of Scripture they will believe, and which ones they will disagree with and ignore. I read one modern well known Christian author, who described Christian doctrine as springs to a giant trampoline. He argued, that if you disagreed with a singular doctrinal point, just take that spring out, its ok he argued, because the other springs will still support you and allow you to experience joy. So to that particular author, he would argue that its ok to believe that Christ didn’t physically raise from the dead, or to believe that He is not the only way to God. Folks that’s not biblical Christianity, that’s blasphemy.

The Bible repeatedly reminds us that there is one God, one gospel, one Savior, and it calls us to live out our faith in Christ Jesus through upholding and obeying the entire Word of God as a family, as the church. If you just simply read the Bible, you will clearly see that God created us to live in community, because saving faith is impossible to live out on your own. Oh, how desperately we need brothers and sister in Christ to encourage us, love us, to help carry or burdens, and to point us in the right direction. At times, we also need them to gently rebuke us and correct us. Church, we need each other. We need family members who think like us, and those who think differently. We need family members who annoy and those who don’t. We need those who have spiritual gifts and insight that we lack. We need each other! So, let us look to Ephesians 4 and see this wisdom of God and how it all works together for His glory and our good. READ EPHESIANS 4:1-6.

1) Christians are to live united in a way that aptly corresponds to their calling (4:1).

Paul begins his transition by once again referring to himself as “the prisoner of the Lord.” In mentioning his imprisonment, Paul reminds his readers that the cost of following Christ is high. Obedience to the Lord is costly. It may cause damage to your reputation, you may lose friends, you may be treated unfairly, misunderstood, cursed, sued, or even physically harmed. One day soon, if things don’t change direction in America, you may like Paul find yourself in jail for simply obeying the Word of God. The cost is high, but oh, how it is worth it. Paul knows this and so he calls on them to act like the new persons that they had become in Christ Jesus, regardless of what may happen.

Notice, how the apostle makes this plea. He writes, “I the prisoner of the Lord implore you.” The original Greek language is strong, the word “implore” implies an intense feeling or passionate desire. Paul is literally begging his readers to act on the theology which he has presented in the first half of the letter. He cannot rest until all of those under his ministry lived in a manner worthy of Christ Jesus.

Paul strongly and specifically urges them “to walk in a manner worthy of their calling.” There are several key words here that we need to understand. The word “walk" was frequently used in the New Testament to refer to daily conduct, and day-by-day living. Paul is saying there is a specific way in which we are to live our lives as Christians. And this is Paul’s theme for the rest of the letter. Sadly, there are many professing Christians who claim they believe certain doctrinal truths but live however they desire. Paul is passionately refuting such an idea. Instead, all Christens are to walk in a worthy manner.

The word “worthy” is fascinating. It has the root meaning of balancing the scales­­– implying that whatever is on one side should be equal in weight to what is on the other. The word implies that something is in balance and has found its equilibrium. You see, the apostle is charging Christians to live a life that is in balance, in perfect harmony with your identity and position in Christ. It should be aligned with all the spiritual blessings that and the grace upon grace that have been bestowed upon us. All the great theology that Paul wrote in chapters 1-3, should be perfectly reflected in our day-to-day lives.

Listen, sadly a lot of Christians make a mistake of placing too much of their weight on one and not the other. Some people focus all their attention on doctrine. They pride themselves in being theologically astute, but all that theology has little impact on the way they live, and thus they are not balanced. They simply have head knowledge that has never reached the heart. The same can be said for the person who says theology isn’t important, you just need to love Jesus and live a good morally rich life. Again, that is a major imbalance.

The apostle is saying that we must work at putting equal weight onto both. Why? Because doctrine without practice and application leads to bitterness and hypocrisy. It gives correctness of thought that is absent of grace, empathy, patience, and love. You find such people all over Social Media arguing over theology in unChristlike ways. On the other hand, living the Christian life apart from studying and treasuring doctrine leads to emotionalism. It produces intense feelings and mystical experiences, but such things are merely fleeting emotions and episodes that often leads one into the wrong direction.

Puritan John Owen once wrote, “The foundation of true holiness and true Christian worship is the doctrine of the gospel, what we are to believe. So when Christian doctrine is neglected, forsaken, or corrupted, true holiness and worship will also be neglected, forsaken, and corrupted.” Church family, it is imperative that we place importance on both.

But notice how specific Paul gets with this command. He wrote that we are to walk in a manner worthy “of the calling with which you have been called.” The believer who walks in such a manner walks as child of God and fellow heir with Christ Jesus. His practical living aligns perfectly with those spiritual realties. Paul emphasizes calling by using the word twice, in rather rapid succession, to remind us of our sovereign, saving calling.

In this verse, Paul is not talking about spiritual gifts or specific ministry positions. That’s not what he means by calling. Occasionally, you will hear people say, well God didn’t call me to work with kids, youth, or music. That’s not how Paul is using this word. Instead, the apostle is speaking on the effectual call to salvation. Jesus said in John 6:44… “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” Paul expounded on this in Romans 8:30… “and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Listen, no person can be saved apart from placing their faith in Christ, but no person can choose Christ as Savior who has not already been chosen by both the Father and the Son.

The truth is this: if God doesn’t call us and draw us to Him for salvation, we will remain dead in our sin. We cannot choose God apart from Him drawing our heart to Him for salvation. Paul is saying walk in manner worthy of the great gift of grace that you have been given by God, who blessed you with every spiritual blessing, who chose you, predestined you, adopted you, redeemed you, sealed you with the Spirit, who raised you from spiritual death unto life. Those core doctrines of salvation that Paul unpacked for us in the first two chapters are all summed up in Paul’s use of the word “calling.” I love Titus 2:10 which calls really all believers to “adorn the doctrine of God.” Does your life reflect the glorious and gracious doctrines of God? Do you adorn God’s grace to others? Do you adorn His love?

Before we move on to the second point, we must remember the context of this verse. Paul is writing to encourage and call us to be united to one another in Christ. Therefore, we must make that connection for the strength of our church family’s unity directly corresponds to the way that we as individual members live and walk in the faith.

When we each strive to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, our church grows stronger and stronger, as we grow in unison. Listen, a strong and healthy church is not necessarily the biggest and flashiest church on the block, it’s not the church who offers programs for all ages, no, it’s the one where the church members are passionate about knowing God and living for Him according to the Word. It’s the church that clings to the doctrines of grace and walks in light of its glorious truths. Oh, how we must strive to walk in a way that corresponds with God’s grace, even when it leads us into hardships, even if it leads us to persecution, prison, or death.

2) Christians are to preserve the unity of the Spirit by modeling Christlike conduct (4:2-3).

In verses 2 and 3, the apostle Paul explicitly explains how we are to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. He takes the time and space to detail five Christlike attitudes that we must pursue in order to glorify God, grow in grace, and protect the unity of the Spirit. Look with me once again to verse 2 and following… “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Notice the apostle begins with “humility”, which truly is the foundation that begins a glorious progression of Christlike characteristics that we see unfold in these verses. We must begin with humility because we cannot even begin to live a life that pleases God without it. The word “humility” literally means to think or judge with lowliness and implies having a lowliness of mind.

Just as Christ could never have pleased the Father had he not displayed humility, neither can we. In Philippians 2:5-8, Paul wrote… “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Humility you see, must be an essential characteristic of a Christ follower, for unity greatly depends on humble selfless people who are willing to live for the good of others.

In the ancient world, the concept of humility was far from a virtue. In fact, neither the proud Greeks nor the very proud Romans had word for humility. The concept of such a mindset was so foreign to their way of life that they literally had no words to describe it. In fact, many scholars believe Paul created this GK word himself, and the only time the Romans used the term was to describe those who displayed weakness and cowardness. Interestingly, it simply was a word that was used to describe a slave.

If you think about it, not much in our world has changed. Humility is still a foreign concept to the ways of this world. The world still exalts the prideful and looks down among the humble. Our culture says, “Exalt yourself,” “Treat yourself,” “It’s all about you!” Well, that’s our biggest problem isn’t it. It’s pride, the sinful inflation of self. Pride is the original sin that led Adam and Eve to doubt God and long to be like God, which in turn led them to eat from the forbidden tree. Pride simply means being filled with self. While conversely, humility is simply the result of being emptied of self and filled with God. Remember the sermon last week, that is exactly what the apostle just prayed for believers in chapter 3.

Listen church family, every spiritual sin has its roots in pride, while every spiritual virtue has its roots in humility. That’s why Paul starts here. Oh, how we need to understand that pride is always behind every conflict that we endure with others. It naturally seeks to destroy our unity within our community. You want to know why churches split: pride. You want to know what behind every divorce that occurs in a Christian marriage: pride. Pride that says, I know God tells me to diligently work through my difficulties with others, repent of my sin, and forgive others, but I know better than God.

And humility on the other hand, humility is behind every harmonious relationship we experience, its behind ever spiritual success, and every moment of joyous fellowship we experience with the Lord and with each other.

Humility is the foundation, that faithfully produces what Paul list next: gentleness. As one of the fruits of the Spirit that should characterize every child of God, gentleness is also one to the true sings of humility. You see, it’s impossible for a prideful person to be gentle, because gentleness only flows out of a humble heart. The Greek word here for gentleness is the same word used for meekness and it implies being mild spirited and self-controlled, which is the opposite of being vengeful or vindictive. You see, people who become easily irritated or angered at every nuisance or inconvenience know nothing of what it means to be gentle. For a meek person is normally quiet, soothing, and mild mannered, and they are never self-avenging, self-assertive, or self-defensive. A gentle and humble person, will never look down upon other with a sense of superiority, but will always look out for their best.

But make no mistake gentleness, like humility, is not a weakness, nor does it have anything to do with being timid. This same Greek word for gentleness was used in ancient literature to describe wild animals that were tamed, especially of horses that were broken and trained. Such a large animal certainly still has the same strength, power, and spirit as before, but now it’s will has been placed under the control of its master. You see, gentleness is simply power under the control of the Master.

Jesus described himself, saying Matthew 11:28-29… “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” There has never been a more powerful person who has ever lived than the Lord Jesus Christ, who was God in flesh. And yet, even while being tortured on the cross for our sin, beaten beyond our wildest imaginations, he modelled perfect gentleness and self-control as He submitted to the Father’s will. Jesus described himself as a man who was both humble and gentle. Can you describe yourself that way? Are you both gentle and humble in heart?

Thirdly, as Paul is just getting warmed up, the apostle calls on Christian’s striving to walk in worthy manner to model patience. And notice the progression, for patience flows out of a humble and gentle heart. In our world of instant gratification, how are you doing with this virtue and fruit of the Spirit? I remember as a child, before Amazon and internet, ordering things out of a catalog. You had to mail everything in, and many times when the package eventually arrived, you couldn’t even remember what was in it. And now we get upset if we don’t have it within hours. Let’s be honest, Paul’s list isn’t getting any easier is it?

The word for patience in the Greek language plainly means long-suffering, and oh how we do everything can to avoid suffering in our culture. But patience is the spirit that endures, it suffers long, and never gives up on others, especially those whose personality may rub us the wrong way.

Church family, if we are going to preserve unity, we must be incredibly patient people. People who patiently accept God’s plan for everything, without grumbling. People who are slow to complain when God puts them in a difficult situation, or with difficult people. Patient people who have posture of forgiveness about them. We must be a people who reflect often on the gospel message, where patience was profoundly on display as God the Son abandoned His perfect home in glory, to come to a very broken world to experience hatred, rejection, to be spit upon, cursed, and crucified, He endured it all without sin. Without returning evil for evil or complaining to God the Father. Oh, that God would help us grow to be more and more humble, gentle, and patient.

Fourth, Paul says at the end of verse 2, that if we are going to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, then we must show “tolerance for one another in love.” Such forbearing and tolerant love could only be a reflection of God’s agape love, because only agape love gives continuously and unconditionally. Peter wrote that such “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).The word covers implies throwing a blanket or cover over the sins of others, not to justify, to excuse, or belittle the sin, but to keep the sins from becoming more known than necessary. That’s what love does, it literally endures the abuse of others while making a conscious decision to love no matter what. Certainly, Jesus is the supreme model of such love, let me remind you of the familiar words of Romans 5:8… “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

The fifth and final way in which believers are to walk worthy of their calling is by being diligent to preserve unity. This is the ultimate outcome of humility, gentleness, patience, and love. The Greek word for “diligent” in verse 3, means to make haste, prioritize, and to hurry. In other words, we can’t slack off in our work to preserve unity. You see, unity is active and not passive. The church’s unity should be a constant concern of every believer. And notice, unity is not something we are to create, but rather something we are preserve.

Paul has already stated, that in Christ we are united through faith with one another. We share every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places together. When God adopts us into His family, we become brothers and sister with those who share in His calling. Unity, you see, is the work of the Holy Spirit and we are to preserve it. It’s the Spirit of God who draws us to Christ for salvation, convicts us of sin, points us in the way of truth, urges us to love one another, and restore one another when we fail. It’s the Holy Spirit that unites us together as the family of God.

Interestingly, the world is constantly seeking such amazing unity, but always failing to discover it. Folks, apart from the American Civil War, I’m not sure we could possibly discover a time where we are more divided as a nation as we are today. But listen, no presidential election, no act of congress, and no judicial action will ever bring such unity to this nation. Because as long as the individual self is at the center of all things, as long as our feelings and personal rights are our primary concern, then we will never experience true unity as a nation. The Victorian Era pastor and theologian JC Ryle once wrote, “Unity without the gospel is a worthless unity; it is the very unity of hell.” Church family we can and should be grateful to live in America, but if you are looking to experience the gift of God’s unity, you must look far beyond the government, and look to the local church.

Before, we move on, I think it’s important to note the bond or the glue that holds the church together in unity. Paul specifically says, “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Peace....... peace is what moves us towards one another. In Romans 12:18, the apostle wrote, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” In other words, always, always, always go the extra mile to serve one another and to be reconciled to one another by addressing the sin that divides us and by moving quickly to forgiveness. As much or as far as it depends upon you! You must strive to do all that you can to be at peace with your brother and sister. Such actions are exactly what will preserve and cultivate the unity of the Spirit.

Church family, the supernatural unity that we have in Christ, and the Christlike attitudes of humility, gentleness, patience, forbearing love, and a diligent heart that constantly and passionately works to preserve unity…. Those things should be our most powerful testimony to the world around us for they stand in great contrast to the attitudes and disunity of our culture. If we are diligent in growing and moving in the direction that Paul is pointing us in in these opening verses of chapter 4, then surely people will be drawn here and long to listen to the gospel that unites us in faith. If we model such Christlike conduct in our homes and in the workplace, doors will certainly open for us to share the truth of God’s Word with those who need to hear it most. oh, how we must model Christlike conduct to the world in which we live.

3) Christians are united together by an exclusivegospel confession of faith (4:4-6).

Everything that relates to the salvation of man, the church of Christ, and the kingdom of God is rooted in unity. This is clearly reflected in how Paul uses the word “one” seven times in these last three verses. Many Bible scholars believe that what we see in verses 4-6 is an early Christian creed, a hymn, or confession of faith. And all seven of these “one” statements emphasize the oneness that true Christians share in the gospel. Notice, if you will, the Triune nature of God that is revealed this confession. Verse 4 centers on the Holy Spirit, Christ our Lord is emphasized in verse 5, and God our Father is highlighted in verse 6.

The Triune God, He is the supreme model of unity. In John 17:21, Jesus prayed for the church, that it would reflect His personal relationship with the Father. He prayed, “that they (the Church) may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us.” A healthy church is one, one that can be characterized by such unity. And look how specifically how the apostle Paul forms this gospel confession.

He starts in verse 4… “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling.” In this one verse we have the first three one statements that focus on the person of the Holy Spirit and His work in cultivating unity. Notice Paul starts by saying there is one body. This is Paul’s primary concern. We are one body made up of diverse and unique individuals who have been redeemed from the sin, forgiven, and adopted into God’s family. There is only one church, one body of believers made up of people from every nation. There is one church that goes beyond denominational lines, and beyond geographical, ethnic, and racial boundaries. There is no Gentile, Jewish, male, female, slave or freeman church. No, there is one body, a collection of people who are in Christ, those who have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies, those who have been chosen by God, redeemed, forgiven, and sealed.

Next Paul says there is one Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who lives in every believer and serves as the inner unifying force in the body. He is the One who convicts us of our sin, brings us to life in Christ, opens our eyes to the glory and beauty of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. He the One who moves us towards faith, and leads us into sanctification. The Holy Spirit, He is the one creates unity and empowers us to maintain it.

Notice, next there is one hope. One hope in Christ. One hope of your calling. In chapter 2:12, Paul says that apart from grace and apart from salvation you were without hope. The apostle is stressing to his audience, that apart from faith, apart from the Holy Spirit drawing your heart to God for salvation, you will die unforgiven in your sin.

This my friend is the worst thing that you can ever imagine. To die in your sin means that you will experience the eternal and just wrath of God for every sinful thought you had, for every sinful word you’ve uttered, and for every sinful action you’ve made. And if you were to honestly examine your life for just a few seconds, the weight of your sin, the totality of your sin, should cause you great concern.

Without Christ you are hopeless. But the good news of the gospel is that in Christ, you can be forgiven and pardoned for your sin. Because Christ bore your sin on the cross and experienced the just wrath of God on your behalf you can be redeemed. You see, Christ endured hell and defeated death so that you can experience an abundant and eternal life. You my friend, must simply believe and repent of your sin. You must place your faith in Christ who lived a sinless life, died on the cross for your sin, and three days later rose again. You must choose to live for Him in joyful obedience. If the Spirit is pulling on your heart this morning to make such a decision, please come find me in the foyer after the service. I would love to encourage you, pray for you, answer your questions, and tell you more about the hope we can have in Christ!

Yet. Paul doesn’t stop there does he… In verse 5, the apostle adds, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” There is only one Lord, and His name is Jesus, the Savior of the world. In Acts 4:12 (Luke wrote), … “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Therefore, consequently there can only be one faith. The apostle is not speaking of an act of faith by which a person is saved, or even the continuing of faith that produces a pure and holy life. But rather, Paul is refereeing to the body of truth or doctrine that we believe. Our one faith is the content of the Scriptures, which we should treasure, study, and hide in our heart.

Notice also there is one baptism. As Christians we have been baptized into the faith and are untied with Him, in His life, death, and resurrection. The ordinance of baptism into water pictures this glorious spiritual reality. That like Christ we died to sin, repented of our selfish ways, and have risen to walk in newness of life. There is one Lord, one hope, one baptism.

And finally verse 6… “one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” The basic doctrine of Judaism has always been, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” (Deut. 6:4). And God’s oneness is just as foundational to the Christian faith, for the great dividing wall has been torn down that once separated the Jews the Gentiles.. Notice how God is described as over all, through all and in all. Over all means He’s absolutely sovereign over all things, He’s through all which speaks of His immanence and unlimited power, and lastly He’s in all which speaks of His omnipresence. Its amazing that Paul can’t simply say One God, but must speak more on His glorious nature.

When I was in college, I remember sitting in a religion class and the professor drew a large mountain on the chalk board, and he asked us to think of God as a large mountain. He went to say that he believes that the various religions of the world are all simply trying to climb the same mountain, they just are making their way up the terrain from different sides of the same mountain. He genuinely believed that one day when we finally reach the top in heaven, we will see people from every major region in the world. Church, that’s not what Paul is saying when he says there is One God! When we put this entire confession together, we can clearly see not inclusivity buy exclusivity. There is but one Spirit of God, one Savior, one Hope, one salvation, one God, and only one church that is redeemed and sustained by His grace. All other religions, all other walks, ways, and paths to god that present a different gospel or add to the way of salvation are simply counterfeits in nature that ultimately lead people away from God, away from eternal joy, and away from His eternal blessing.

This beautiful and exclusive gospel confession of faith unites us together. It’s a statement of faith that binds hearts together in His truth. As we close, can I simply ask you, are you walking in unity? If not, there are several things you must do. First, you must reflect on our unity that is deeply rooted in the Holy Trinity and expounded on in verses 4-6, which contain all seven one statements. Second, we must ask the Holy Spirit to help us cultivate Christlike character, to help us grow in humility, gentleness, patience, forbearing love, be diligent in preserving unity in the bond of peace. And lastly, we must walk in manner that corresponds with our calling and be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. PRAY With ME!!!!

KSW1