Read Ephesians 4:1-16. How does Paul encourage believers to nurture the unity of the church?
Paul begins the second half of Ephesians (chapters 4-6) with a stirring call to unity, but in two major parts. First, in Ephesians 4:1-6 he asks believers to nurture “the unity of the Spirit” by exhibiting unity-building virtues (Ephesians 4:1-3), a call he supports with a poetic list of seven “ones” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
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Second, in Ephesians 4:7-16, Paul identifies the victorious, exalted Jesus as the Source of grace in people who lead in sharing the gospel (Ephesians 4:7-10) and describes how they, together with all church members, contribute to the health, growth, and unity of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16).
As the chapter begins, Paul invites Christians to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1, ESV). He used the verb walk in the figurative sense of to behave, or to live (see Ephesians 2:2, Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 4:17; Ephesians 5:2, Ephesians 5:8, Ephesians 5:15). When Paul refers to their calling, he refers to the call to Christian faith (Ephesians 1:18; Ephesians 2:4-6, Ephesians 2:13). Paul urges believers to practice a unifying behavior that reflects God’s ultimate plan (Ephesians 4:9-10). He begins that emphasis here with his call to practice virtues that lead to unity (Ephesians 4:1-3), such as humility, gentleness, and patience.
Let’s look at each term.
Paul elsewhere explains the term humility, in Ephesians 4:2 (ESV; lowliness in NKJV), by adding the idea to “count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3, ESV). Humility, then, may be understood not as a negative virtue of self-deprecation (see Colossians 2:18, Colossians 2:23) but as a positive one of appreciating and serving others.
Gentleness (Ephesians 4:2, ESV, NKJV) may be explained as “the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance” and also means “courtesy, considerateness, meekness.” — Frederick Danker, ed., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), p. 861.
Finally, patience (ESV; compare longsuffering, NKJV) is being able to bear up under provocation or trials.
These qualities, then, all gather around the theme of turning away from self-importance and, instead, focusing on the value of others.
| Humility, gentleness, patience. Think about how these attributes would help unify us as a people. How do we learn to cultivate these virtues? |
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