Ephesians 4:1–6

Bible Studies for Life
Samford University and Brookwood Baptist Church, Mountain Brook 

Connected in Unity

Ephesians 4:1–6

Jesus’ final prayer begged God that believers be one so that the world would believe His message (John 17:21). The effectiveness of Christian witness relates directly to the oneness of Christian unity. Paul’s first item in the worthy Christian walk calls for unity among believers. The Church makes an impact on the world to the extent that we walk together in united bonds of peace.

We Are to Humbly Accept Each Other (1–2)

Depending on the translation, Paul describes himself as a “prisoner for the Lord” (NIV) or a “prisoner in the Lord” (NRSV). Even in prison Paul remains steadfast by his speaking out “for” the Lord and by his abiding “in” the Lord. Paul is acutely aware of the threat of schism in the body of Christ, the Church. He notes the vital virtues that will help in preventing the schism. Humility and gentleness are the very opposite of haughtiness and self-assertion. It was Jesus who was “gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29). These twin virtues displace pride, the primary barrier to Christian unity. Patience and forbearance follow after gentleness and humility. The old KJV word “long-suffering” is perhaps a better translation than patience, for it holds out until the broken relation is set right. The Lord is “long-suffering to you, not wishing that any perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). “Bearing one another” also has the quality of enduring to the end, and that is why it is done in agapae love.

We Are to Strive to Keep the Unity of the Church (3)

When love has been fully experienced in our relationship with God and with each other, there is an eagerness to practice even the smallest acts of love. This eagerness fosters in us a passion to remain united. Literally the phrase reads, “being eager to maintain, or guard, the unity of the Spirit.” The verb used here for being eager is a present participle, which indicates that we must constantly be endeavoring to maintain this unity. The cold winds of division, apathy and ill will should not be permitted to blow out the flame of unity. As long as the fire burns, “the bond of peace,” the ligament of love, holds all together. Colossians 3:12 reminds us that the seven garments of grace are insufficient until the Church puts on love, “which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

The ‘Oneness’ of God is the Foundation for the Unity of the Church (4–6)

Belief in one God in the Old Testament brought together the one people of God, and this is summarized in the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4). Later the prophets issued words of hope when disunity threatened God’s people: “The Lord will become King over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be one and His name one” (Zech. 14:9). Now for the sake of God’s redeemed people, the Church, Paul issues what some call the “sevenfold oneness statement” of God and His Church: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God the Father. It is worth noting the presence of the Trinity — Father, Son and Spirit — within this sevenfold statement, thereby magnifying the unity of the Godhead as well as the Church.

“One hope in your calling” refers to our great goal that leads to our great grace. Believers are all proceeding toward the same goal, and that is key to our unity. Our methods might be different, our organization may be different, even some of our beliefs may be different. But we are striving toward the one goal, that of reaching the world for Christ. One day this shared hope of our calling will be realized by the greatest of graces, the return of our Lord to take His Church to heaven. The Holy Spirit within is the assurance of this great promise (Eph. 1:13–14).