The Unity of the Spirit

Ephesians 4:1-7 ESV

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.”

Walking Worthy of God

As followers of Jesus Christ we are to walk (in conduct, in practice) in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. So this means we are to walk, in conduct and in practice, in a way that is fitting, suitable, appropriate, compatible and becoming to the calling of God on our lives. And what is his calling on our lives? We are to live holy lives which are separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are to be being conformed, by God, to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, as we cooperate with God.

Walk worthy; calling of God: [Matthew 10:37-38; Luke 9:62; Philippians 1:27; Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; Psalms 139:13-16; Romans 1:6-7; Romans 8:28-29; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 1:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 1:3]

And this is to be with all humility, which is lowliness of mind, having a humble but honest opinion of oneself, i.e. being willing to see ourselves realistically from God’s perspective and not in the flesh with a vaunted opinion of oneself. For we are not to be self-exalting nor self-inflated in pride, thinking more of ourselves than is warranted. But we are to be those who know that we are only able to live lives worthy of the calling of God on our lives because of God’s grace to us, and not of ourselves.

And this is to be with gentleness, which is the same as meekness, which is gentle strength which expresses power with reserve. For the believer in Christ, meekness (gentle-force) begins with the Lord’s inspiration and finishes by His direction and empowerment. It is a divinely-balanced virtue that can only operate through faith (cf. 1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim 2:22-25) (source: biblehub.com interlinear).

So, this is not about making compromises with the truth of the gospel or refusing to speak the truth in love to others so that we don’t offend them. Remember that Jesus Christ was meek, but he was not weak, and he definitely was not soft on sin nor afraid to speak the truth in love to his listeners. He never went soft on sin. He never compromised truth and righteousness in order to not offend others. For this is about living godly and holy lives and following the example of Christ in how we ought to live.

Thus, bearing with one another in love is not about being soft on sin and refusing to confront others who profess the name of Jesus with their sins. So it is not about coddling those who are living ungodly lives in their sins so that they don’t feel bad for deliberately and habitually sinning against God and against those they are supposed to be loving. And the unity and the bond of peace we are to have with one another is to be of the Spirit of God, not of human flesh, so it does not involve compromise of truth and holiness.

One Body, One Membership

And the church we all belong to – that is we who belong to Christ, by God-given faith in him – is not anything built by human hands. So it is not a physical building, but it is a spiritual building made up of human stones, with Christ Jesus as our chief cornerstone. And there is only one membership in this church, which is a membership with the body of Christ by genuine God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ via dying with Christ to sin and being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness (Romans 6:1-23).

And we are all members of that one body, yet we may live in many different places, and so we may gather together in various places, but we are still one church, one body, with only one membership. And each of us is gifted by God with Spiritual gifts and we are given our assignments within the body of Christ by God, which is to be for the good of the body of Christ. So, this requires that we follow the Lord Jesus Christ with our lives, that we are students of the Scriptures, that we are listening to our Lord, and that we are following him wherever he leads us in being who he has called us to be.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

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