Reaching in Love by Walking in Unity
Rooted in Christ, Reaching in Love • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Handout
Handout
Opening Theme
You know, when Paul talks about “walking worthy of the calling” in Ephesians 4, he isn’t just giving us a list of spiritual goals — he’s inviting us into a way of life. It’s about walking in a manner that reflects who we now are in Christ.
And part of that “worthy walk” means remembering that we’re not walking alone. Paul goes on to say there is “one body and one Spirit… one hope… one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” That’s a powerful reminder that we’re united — not because we all think, look, or act the same, but because we share the same purpose and the same Spirit working in us.
That purpose? It’s not about building our own platforms or chasing comfort.
It’s about helping others find the same hope we’ve found in Jesus.
We live out the Gospel of Jesus and love others to Him
Every conversation, every act of kindness, every moment of patience can become an opportunity to reflect the heart of Christ.
So as we walk this week, let’s keep that picture in mind: one body, one Spirit, one purpose — to shine hope into the lives around us. When we walk in unity and love, we make Jesus visible to a world that’s desperate for something real.
Title: “Reaching in Love by Walking in Unity”
Outline.
Reaching in love means walking worthy of our calling (1-3)
Reaching in Love means being proactive in Unity (4-6)
You ready Church?
Reaching and love means walking worthy of our calling (1-3)
Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love,
diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us.
Explanation.
The assertion Walk worthy of your calling v.1
Paul transitions from theology to practice. After three chapters explaining the believer’s riches in Christ (calling, salvation, inheritance, unity in the church), he begins chapter 4 with the word “Therefore” — marking the hinge of the letter.
He writes from prison (“a prisoner of the Lord”), yet he’s more captivated by his calling than his chains. His appeal is pastoral, not punitive: “I urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received.”
The word “walk” (peripateō) in Greek means to live habitually — it’s about a consistent pattern of life. “Worthy” (axios) implies balance — living in a way that corresponds to what God has done. The “calling” (klēsis) refers to the divine invitation to salvation and participation in God’s redemptive mission (cf. Eph. 1:18; 2:10).
Paul then lists four key virtues —
humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love —
that embody this worthy walk.
Historical / Cultural Context
In the Greco-Roman world, humility was often seen as weakness — not a virtue. But Paul redefines greatness in terms of Christ’s character, not status.
Gentleness was power under control — like a tamed stallion.
Patience referred to a long endurance toward difficult people.
“Bearing with one another in love” speaks of enduring relational friction through self-sacrificing love — a rare concept in the pride-driven Roman honor culture.
Timeless Principle about Jesus
Jesus walked perfectly worthy of His calling — humbling Himself, being gentle with the weak, patient with the stubborn, and bearing our sins in love. His life defines what our worthy walk should look like.
Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,
who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage.
Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a •slave,
taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man
in His external form,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
For this reason God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow —
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth —
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Walking worthy of our calling means living a life that mirrors the character of the One who called us.
It’s responding to grace with grace. Paul’s appeal is not “try harder” but “live truer.”
Since Christ has already made us new, our daily walk should display His humility, gentleness, patience, and love to the world.
The manner to which we are to walk is in Humility, gentleness, patience, and love
Illustration
Paul says these things in conjunction with the spiritual gifts in verses 7-12 would lead us to grow up into mature manhood not being little children.
Even Paul is admitting that we are all made new and we are born as spiritual babies and even He is only a Little child (toddler ages roughly)
Humility, gentleness, patience, and Bearing with one another in love are not traits of a toddle. They are taught those traits over time.
Argumentation.
Paul grounds this appeal in the calling of God — not in human effort. Its not in our efforts, its in our surrender.
Throughout Scripture, a divine calling always produces a new standard of living:
Abraham was called out of Ur and therefore lived by faith (Gen. 12:1–4).
Israel was called to be holy because God is holy (Lev. 19:2).
The church is called out of darkness into marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9).
If God’s call is transformative, then walking worthy is the fruit of that transformation.
This call is based on Christ’s finished work. The same grace that saves us also empowers us to live differently
For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
not from works, so that no one can boast.
For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.
The worthiness of our walk doesn’t make us worthy of salvation — it proves salvation’s power in us.
For a skeptic who doubts this,
the evidence is historical and visible:
Wherever the gospel truly transforms people, character and community change follows
Humility replaces pride, gentleness replaces aggression, patience replaces judgment.
Jesus walked worthy of His Father’s calling — humbling Himself, bearing with others, and loving to the end. Through His Spirit, He enables us to walk the same path.
Remember, Unity is not agreeing on everything, unity agrees that the Gospel is everything.
Application.
Where do your attitudes or actions still reflect the “old self”?
Ask the Spirit to produce humility, gentleness, and patience where pride or frustration have taken root.
Choose to bear with someone in love this week rather than retaliate or withdraw.
Pray that our church would reflect this “worthy walk” in our relationships, showing the community what redeemed people look like together.
Transition: God is giving us an invitation to walk or strive for unity. That unity already exists in us, but we need to bring ourselves to a place of maturity so that it can radiate through us.
Reaching in Love means being proactive in Unity (4-6)
There is one body and one Spirit —just as you were called to one hope at your calling—
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
Explanation.
Paul moves from attitude to foundation. The unity we are called to maintain is not man-made; it already exists because of our shared connection in Christ.
Verses 4–6 form one of the most powerful theological summaries in the New Testament — the “seven ones” that define Christian unity:
one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.
These are not seven commands to create unity, but seven realities that prove unity already exists.
Historical / Literary Context
Historical / Literary Context
The Ephesians came out of polytheism, a society that worshipped a lot of false Gods, evil spirits, and greek deities.
Ephesus was a diverse, cosmopolitan city — Jews, Gentiles, rich, poor, free, slave. Division came easily. Paul anchors their togetherness not in culture or personality, but in shared doctrine — the triune work of God:
The Spirit creates one body and one hope.
The Son is one Lord who gives one faith and one baptism.
The Father rules over all as one God.
Unity flows from the Trinity.
Exegetical Insight
The repetition of “one” (heis) is intentional — a rhythmic confession of faith for the early church.
It’s theological poetry meant to be memorized.
The “body” refers to the universal church;
“Spirit” to the indwelling power that animates it;
“hope” to the shared future of resurrection;
“Lord” to Jesus’ supremacy;
“faith” to the common gospel trust;
“baptism” to the shared sign of belonging; and
“Father” to the source and goal of all life.
Paul’s logic is simple: since there’s only one of each, believers must live as one.
Illustration.
Several years ago I attended a missions conference in Atlanta. Churches from all over the world lead us in worship. Hispanic, Korean, Native American, Argentina all singing in their ative tongue. Their tunes were familiar, the words unidentifiable to me anyways, but their faith was the same.
I didn’t understand their words, but I understood their worship.
That’s unity — not sameness, but shared allegiance to one Lord and one hope.
Argumentation.
From Jesus’ own prayer in John 17 (“that they may be one”) to Paul’s repeated commands for unity
Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
A skeptic who doubts the church’s unity might point to denominational divisions, but those are symptoms of disobedience, not failures of God’s truth.
The fact that Scripture commands unity shows that God anticipated the challenge and gave His Spirit as the means to achieve it.
The unity of the church reflects the unity within the Godhead.
The Spirit unites us to the Son,
and the Son brings us to the Father.
Disunity, therefore, doesn’t come from the gospel’s weakness — it comes from our resistance to live out what God has already accomplished.
Jesus is the center and source of Christian unity — the one Lord who reconciles us to God and to one another.
As long as He remains risen and reigning, the unity of His body stands secure. Our task is to live in line with that unbreakable reality.
Application
Christian unity isn’t something we manufacture — it’s something we maintain.
We must act in love, forgive quickly, and serve humbly.
We must make visible, the invisible oneness Christ already created by His cross.
Appeal Worship Team Come Up
Paul reminds us that the gospel is our common calling from God.
It’s not just a message that saves us — it’s a mission that shapes us.
Appeal
Paul isn’t asking us to create something new — he’s calling us to live out what Christ has already made true.
We are one body, one family, called by one Lord. So walk like people who belong to Him.
If you’ve been proud, impatient, or divisive — take off the old and put on the new.
If you’ve been distant from another believer, let love move first.
The world doesn’t believe in the power of the gospel because it rarely sees unity in God’s people.
But when we walk worthy and guard the unity of the Spirit, the world gets a glimpse of heaven’s harmony on earth.
RESPONSE
To Believers:
Do you need to renew your commitment to walk worthy of your calling?
Ask the Spirit to make humility, gentleness, and patience visible in your life.
Take a practical step toward unity — forgive someone, reconcile, encourage, or serve. Let your walk preach as loud as your words.
To Unbelievers:
The unity and love Paul describes begin with a relationship with Jesus Christ.
You cannot live worthy of His calling until you’ve received His grace.
But today, that grace is extended to you — through the cross, where Jesus took your sin and gave you His life.
Trust Him, and let Him make you new from the inside out.
The call of God is not just to believe the gospel — but to become a living picture of it. So walk worthy of your calling, and protect the unity that displays His love to the world.
Prayer
In what ways does Paul emphasize unity among believers in Ephesians 4?
How does the passage define the nature and role of the Triune God in relation to the church?
What does it mean to reflect the relational nature of the Triune God in our communities?
How can you actively practice humility and patience in your relationships this week?
What are some practical ways to bear with one another in love as mentioned in the sermon?
Can you identify a situation in your life where you need to promote unity, and what step can you take to do so?
