Day 527: The unity of peace - Ephesians 4 vs 1 - 6

1-3 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. 

4-6 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. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.  Ephesians 4:1-6 English Standard Version

On 8 May 1945, Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill made an announcement on the radio at 3pm that the war in Europe had come to an end, following Germany's surrender the day before. Peace had arrived and photographs from that day show a nation united in joy. People from all walks of life linked arms and celebrated together. Today's reading also speaks of a unity that came about through peace. (vs 1-3)

In an earlier chapter of this book I mentioned that the peace Paul spoke of was twofold. It was the peace between a holy God and lost sinners – and peace between Jews and Gentiles who came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In another of his letters Paul said: “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Christ, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:19) Now in the light of this peace that God had brought about through Christ, what does Paul urge the believers in Ephesus to do? (vs 1-3)

They were to live their lives in a manner which was worthy of the united body they had become part of. It is a tremendous privilege to belong to the people God has called to be His own! What do those verses tell us about how this unity of peace is maintained in the body?

Each member of the body is called to behave towards others with humility, gentleness and patience, and to make every effort to put up with those who may be more difficult to get along with. Christians have been made perfect in God's sight because Christ has washed away their sins, but they are not yet perfect in this world because sin is still a reality. Christians can fall into the error of envy, pride, selfishness, or being easily offended. But Paul calls them to a love that is prepared to overlook hurts and disappointments and strives to keep the peace.

In verses 4-6 he reminds them of the oneness they have been called to experience. There is one true Church (one body), not a batch of different Churches all over the world. Christians in Ephesus were brothers and sisters of Christians in Jerusalem, and Antioch, and Rome. They were all indwelt by the same Holy Spirit, served the same Saviour, and worshipped the one true God – not a batch of different idols as they used to do. They had all been baptized into the one faith. These were the things that should unify them and enable them to be at peace with one another.

Verse 7 introduces a subject which, God willing, we will look at in the next post on this book. But can you see how it could have been an area where the unity and peace they were called to could be disturbed?

Paul speaks of Christ having given them grace-gifts. He uses the term 'measure'. That word implies that some may have been given more than others and this could lead to envy or pride. That certainly happened among the Christians at Corinth, which can be seen from the letters Paul wrote to them. That's why the words of verses 1-3 are so important. It is humility, gentleness and patience that will keep Christians from falling out with one another – even over things like the gifts that Christ distributed through the Holy Spirit. May God help us to love one another in such away that we preserve the wonderful unity He gave us through the peace He brought into our lives.