1-3: - Unity of the church in Christ.
4-7: - One...
8-10: - Descending & Ascending
11-13: - Equipped for the Ministry
14-16: - Building and strengthening of the body
17-19: - You did not learn like that
20-24: - Warning to not revert to the old ways
25-32: - Do not give the Devil the Opportunity (Christian behavior, guidelines, rules)
Eph 4:1-3 - Maintain the Unity
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
V. 1 - “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,”
“Therefore...” - This ‘therefore’ points us back to the previous verses in which we see that God’s power is ours to draw upon. Because they are being strengthened, and because Christ dwells in each of use, and because of the love of Christ fills us - because of those things...
“I... implore you” - The basic reasons Paul can entreat are found in the prayer:
- Christ dwells within us;
- To know the love of Christ;
- Paul adds he is an apostle. Jesus Christ has captured Paul's heart, mind and soul.
- Our position in Christ;
- He (Paul) cares so much for them.
“The prisoner of the Lord” - See the notes on Phil 3:1, previously. ( Bible Study Notes posted Sep 2019)
“Implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling...” - There are a couple of key words in this sentence: walk, worthy, and calling.
“Walk” - does not mean to perambulate, but refers to your deportment. The RSV translates this phrase as: lead a life.
“Worthy” - appropriately; as becoming to; deserving. When we say to the Lord, "You are worthy...", we are saying He is deserving of our praise. Here we are urged to act as if we belong to Jesus: Oh, by-the-way, WE DO belong to Him. He paid the price for our sin, honor that sacrifice by living 'appropriately'.
“Calling” - (KJV uses “vocation”) - See: Col 3:1-11; Phil 3:13-16, 20, 21. Just what is our calling? We have been called by Jesus Christ to:
- Be His disciples, believers in Him, and fellow heirs in the kingdom.
- Be perfect. See the standards set down by Christ, by example and by teaching.
- Be separated from the world, set apart; in the world but not of it.
Note this calling is not just any run-of-the-mill appeal to join some good cause, a good church, etc. This calling is a commitment of the total self to a new way of life, to a permanent relationship with God the Father. Live your daily life so as to bring praise to the One who has called you. Live your life as if Jesus were with you every second - because He is.
V. 2 - “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,” - A continuation of verse 1; that is vss 2-3 are definitions of the phrase “walk in a manner worthy”.
Live a life: “full of humility” - Just the opposite of self-seeking pride and glory seeking.
Live a life: “full of gentleness” - (The RSV uses the word “meekness”.) Now to me - gentleness and meekness are not synonymous; close but not the same. Meekness is not Casper Milquetoast. It is possible to be strong, and yet gentle. The power can be sensed by others without an overt display. The power is under control. We can be strong in Christ, under His control.
Live a life: “full of patience” - (The KJV uses “long-suffering”) As the Lord is patient (See: 2 Pet 3:9; Rom 2:4; Col 3:12ff; 1 Pet 4:8). With the love of Christ to control us we can be forgiving and patient without harboring grudges. The patience will be from the heart controlled by Christ, and not a facade.
V. 3 - “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Live a life: “diligently preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” - Do not separate the body of Christ, the church, into factions. Not only are we to work together, we are to diligently strive to maintain the peace that keeps (or would keep) us together.
Paul is speaking to the specific problem of separation of Jewish and Gentile Christians. The same message applies to us as well. Many of the things that now create denominations are really and basically non-vital, non-essential quibbling between us as men and women, having nothing to do with the spreading of the Good News!
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