Ephesians 4:1-8: a reflection

1I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, 2with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling, 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in us all. 7But to each one of us, the grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to people.”

Paul urges believers to keep the unity of the Spirit, and shows the way to do it: through humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love. Walk worthily of your calling, Paul says, with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The unity of God's people is kept not by force or mere agreement, but through the humble, gentle, patient bearing with one another that love produces. Because we are one, one body, one Spirit, one Lord, we are to be eager to preserve that unity, and the way is through humility and patient forbearance. This shows that unity is kept through humility, patience, and bearing with one another in love. Keep the unity of the Spirit through humility, patience, and forbearance. Unity is preserved by humbly bearing with one another in love. Humility and patience are the way to keep unity. Bearing with one another in love keeps us united.

Notice how Paul says unity is kept: not by some external force, nor by everyone being the same, but through humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love. He knows that keeping unity among people, even people who share one Lord, one faith, one baptism, requires something of us: the humility not to insist on our own way or our own importance; the gentleness that deals kindly with others; the patience that does not give up on people; and the forbearance that bears with others' faults and differences in love. Unity is not kept where people are proud, harsh, impatient, and unwilling to bear with one another; it is kept where these humble, loving qualities are at work. This is instructive for us, in the church and in all our relationships. We can undermine unity by pride, insisting on our own way; by harshness; by impatience; by an unwillingness to bear with the faults and differences of others. But Paul calls us to be eager to keep unity, and shows the way: through humility, patience, and bearing with one another in love. We do well to cultivate these qualities, for the sake of the unity that God desires among his people. Keep unity through humility, patience, and forbearance in love. Pride and impatience undermine unity; humility and forbearance keep it. Bear with one another's faults and differences in love. Be eager to preserve the unity God desires, through humble love.

That is worth taking to heart, for unity is kept through humility, patience, and bearing with one another in love, and we do well to cultivate these for the sake of the unity God desires. We can undermine unity by pride, harshness, impatience, and unwillingness to bear with others; but Paul calls us to keep the unity of the Spirit through lowliness, gentleness, patience, and forbearance in love. Unity requires these of us. Be eager to keep unity, cultivating the humility, patience, and forbearance in love that preserve it. Be eager to keep the unity of the Spirit through humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love, cultivating these qualities for the sake of the unity God desires, as Paul urged believers to walk worthily of their calling with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, since we are one body, one Spirit, one Lord; for the unity of God's people is kept not by force or mere agreement but through the humble, gentle, patient bearing with one another that love produces, and keeping unity among people, even people who share one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, requires something of us, the humility not to insist on our own way or importance, the gentleness that deals kindly with others, the patience that does not give up on people, and the forbearance that bears with others' faults and differences in love, since unity is not kept where people are proud, harsh, impatient, and unwilling to bear with one another but where these humble, loving qualities are at work, so that we do well to cultivate them for the sake of the unity God desires among his people.

Lord, Paul urges believers to keep the unity of the Spirit, and shows the way to do it: through humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love. Walk worthily of your calling, Paul says, with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. The unity of your people is kept not by force or mere agreement, but through the humble, gentle, patient bearing with one another that love produces. Because we are one, one body, one Spirit, one Lord, we are to be eager to preserve that unity, and the way is through humility and patient forbearance. Show me how Paul says unity is kept: not by some external force, nor by everyone being the same, but through humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love. Keeping unity among people requires something of me: the humility not to insist on my own way or my own importance; the gentleness that deals kindly with others; the patience that does not give up on people; and the forbearance that bears with others' faults and differences in love. Unity is not kept where people are proud, harsh, impatient, and unwilling to bear with one another. This is instructive for me, in the church and in all my relationships. I can undermine unity by pride, harshness, impatience, and an unwillingness to bear with others. But you call me to be eager to keep unity, through humility, patience, and bearing with one another in love. Take that to my heart, for unity is kept through humility, patience, and forbearance in love. Keep me from undermining unity by pride, harshness, or impatience; help me be eager to keep the unity of the Spirit, Lord, cultivating the humility, gentleness, patience, and loving forbearance that preserve it, bearing with others' faults and differences in love for the sake of the unity you desire among your people.