The pattern we often find in Paul’s letters is that he first lays the doctrinal basis then moves to the practical outworking of doctrine in personal and church life and in society. This pattern is seen (approximately) in Ephesians. Having surveyed God’s eternal plan of salvation and the transformation wrought in sinners in chapters 1 to 3, he turns now to the implications of this for conduct. He begins with biblical church unity and the role of the Holy Spirit. Consider now Ephesians 4:1-6 The unity of the Spirit.
1. The life that encourages unity
Paul describes himself as ‘a prisoner for (or ‘of’) the Lord’ (v1) – he is literally in prison, but he is also captive to the Lord, as are all the Lord’s people. His exhortation – ‘I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received’. This is the effectual call of God to salvation, brought home to the sinner’s heart by the Holy Spirit and always resulting in salvation. That call shapes our whole life – ‘just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do’ (1 Peter 1:15). Nothing less than a holy life will be an adequate response to God’s call. We are to be ‘completely humble’ (v2) – not self-projecting or concerned to impress others, ready to acknowledge the gifts and achievements of others. To be ‘gentle’ is to manifest a truly Christ-like spirit. In the same way we are to ‘be patient, bearing with one another’ – showing forbearance under provocation. The foundation for this lifestyle is love for brothers and sisters in the Lord. This outlook encourages true biblical unity in the church.
2. The effort that preserves unity
Paul urges us to ‘keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace’ (v3). There is already a unity because of the work of the Spirit in the hearts of believers. Thus ‘we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body’ (1 Corinthians 12:13). This is an objective fact, but invisible to the world, but it must be made visible to the world, as Jesus prayed in John 17:21. The unity of Chrit’s church is to be a witness to the power of the gospel. Unity can easily be ruptured, hence ‘Make every effort to keep the unity’. Disunity may be evident within congregation, between congregations and in the multiplication of denominations. Satan delights to divide and cause friction. The duty to make this effort to preserve unity where it exists and to seek it where it does not rests on every Christian. Sometimes, because of sin or error, separation is necessary. Where there is true unity, we see a ‘bond of peace’.
3. The truth that requires unity
The only true unity must be built on truth. In v4-6 Paul lists some foundational truths for unity. There is ‘one body’ – the church redeemed by Christ, brought into existence by ‘one Spirit’. As a result, we have ‘one hope’ – the completion of the salvation begun in us. We have ‘one Lord’ – Christ alone, reigning over his church. There is ‘one faith’ – in Christ alone (Acts 4:12). Admission to the church is by ‘one baptism’, administered according to the Lord’s institution. At the heart of our faith is ‘one God and Father’ – he is ‘over all and in all and through all’. This Trinitarian faith is to be a lived daily reality in every Christian. As we grow in obeying the truth, we grow close to one another in biblical unity.