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TEXT: EPHESIANS 4:1-7
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
INTRODUCTION
- The book of Ephesians has six chapters.
- “Chapters 1-3 are principally the doctrinal elaboration of the great theme, and chapters 4-6 teach what should be the practical consequences of it for human life and relationships… (It) expounds the great theme of this whole epistle, the purpose of God in Christ for his church…” from the Tyndale New Testament Commentary
- One of the great themes of the Epistles is in Ephesians 4:3:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
- The purpose of Christ was contained in His High Priestly prayer in John 17:11b.
Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one.
A. UNITY: ITS BIBLICAL MEANING
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:3-6
1. Creedal Unity
- The passage explains creedal unity, or belief in:
a. one Lord
b. one faith
c. one baptism
d. one God and Father of all
- The Apostle’s Creed captures this creedal unity.
- Creedal unity is a must. It is a necessary component of unity.
- However, creedal unity is not enough to achieve the unity of God’s people.
2. Common Community Enthusiasm
- Common enthusiasm of a community of people outside of Biblical creedal unity might be devastating and destructive at times.
- One example of this is the current turmoil in Mindanao as a result of the aborted Memorandum of Agreement between the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) and the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines).
- One Biblical example of this is the disastrous result of building the Tower of Babel.
- Common enthusiasm of a community of people within the scope of Biblical creedal unity is a great help to achieving the unity as prayed for by Jesus.
- Commendable as it may, what is lacking in common community enthusiasm in achieving Biblical unity, the unity Christ prayed for, is the direction of the Holy Spirit.
…keep the unity of the Spirit… Ephesians 4:3
3. Unity of the Spirit
Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives. Ephesians 4:3
- To achieve the unity which Christ prayed for the church – His body – all concerned must follow the direction of the Holy Spirit.
- What are some of the things which we must be aware of in ourselves and for our group (IRM) to achieve the unity which the Holy Spirit gives?
- First and foremost, we must rid ourselves of all sin.
- Next, our concept of sin must be enlarged through the reading of the Scriptures and prayer.
- If we fail to daily submit ourselves to God in prayer, fail to seek the will of God for our particular responsibilities in a given day, fail to read the Scriptures – then disunity ensues.
- The Scriptural counsel and command to us to be able to achieve and maintain the unity that the Holy Spirit gives is contained in Proverbs 3:5-6.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will direct your path.
B. UNITY: ITS OBJECT
- To whom did the Apostle Paul give the command to do [their] best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives? Let us read verses 1 and 3 again.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received… Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit…
- In the book of Ephesians, there are three groups of people, namely:
a. the saints or “called out ones”
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints… Ephesians 1:15
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received… Ephesians 4:1
b. the Gentiles or the uncircumcised
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised‘ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ (that done in the body by the hands of men)… Ephesians 2:11
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles… Ephesians 3:1
c. the Jews or the circumcised
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ (that done in the body by the hands of men)… Ephesians 2:11
- The command or instruction to “keep the unity of the Spirit” is given only to the saints or the “called out ones.”
- Therefore, we who received Jesus as our Lord and Master are the ones who must keep the unity of the Spirit.
- The other groups are not given the command to do so.
C. UNITY: ITS REQUIRED VIRTUES
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2
- We may observe that the content of verse 2 is stated before verse 3.
- In my understanding, verse 3 (“make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit”) is achievable only when the content of verse 2 is happening to the saints.
- Thus we may say that the prerequisites to be able to keep the unity of the Spirit are the following Christian virtues:
a. humility (kababaan o pagpapakumbaba)
- Friedrich Nietzche, a 19th century philosopher and enemy of Christianity, developed and marketed his philosophy which says, “Might is right.”
- There are a lot of examples of this in Philippine politics.
- The desire for power and authority was also observable in the two sons of Zebedee.
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” ”What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory…” Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” Mark 10:35-37,42-43
- The teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ is the exact opposite of what Friedrich Nietzche is saying. — In His Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus said:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3
b. meekness (kaamuan)
- Meekness is a twin virtue of humility.
- “Prautes” is the Greek word for meekness.
- It is the attitude and response of the strong and powerful towards the weak and powerless who insulted him or did him wrong.
- Being meek is an attitude that will not insist one’s rights if it will result in the progress of the kingdom of God.
- The difference between humility and meekness is that humility is what you show to an equal, while meekness is what you show to someone who is less in stature than yourself.
c. patience (pagpapahinuhod)
- “Makrothymia” is the Greek word for patience.
- It is fortitude in the face of sufferings.
- It is choosing not to take revenge against others who did something wrong to you.
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:19-21
CONCLUSION
When we make these Biblical truths as our barometer in our goal to achieve unity, our questions are:
- Are we having it now?
- Are we near to achieving it?
- Or are we far from realizing it?
This sermon is very correcting yet so much inspiring.. Being a Christian sometimes our lives are being challenged by the people around us, be it in the same church or Non-Christian. By having the Christian virtues and prayerfully strengthen our faith, forgive and forget, the unity that God want us to have will surely take its place in us and the realization of truth will always be revealed to other through us.