Faith to Unite

December 31, 2017 Background Scripture: Ephesians 4 Lesson Passage: Ephesians 4:1 – 16 As we close out another calendar year, we close it out on a note of unity. In the text of our lesson, Paul stresses the oneness of God that flows from Him. Believers in Christ are admonished to work hard to preserve this oneness in the body of Christ. Unity is not something that is forced upon Christians and neither is it something that happens all by itself with no human effort involved. Paul named five qualities that are necessary in Christians to aid in maintaining unity within the body of Christ. First, believers must develop an attitude of humility. Pride is very destructive to unity. This is not to suggest that we should not be proud of God’s accomplishments in us or the opportunities He allows us to participate as servants in ministry. However, we should take care to not forget that it is only because of the grace of God that these things are possible. In and of ourselves, we are not capable of doing anything that pleases God absent faith in Him. Secondly, Christians should have an approach of gentleness. Our sins offend God. We love the experience of God being gentle when He handles us even through times of discipline when we have gone astray. Others need that same approach from us at times when they have offended us. Handling conflict through gentleness tends to lead to a more acceptable resolution of the issues. Thirdly, Christians are to exhibit patience as we observe life situations unfold. Sometimes God is at work and we are unaware of it. Patience allows us to see God’s outcome rather than trying to force some half-developed plan of ours into the midst of circumstances we may not fully understand. The fourth quality is tolerance. Tolerance is needed when the outcome we were expecting or desired does not materialize. Sometimes we have to “put up with” some less than ideal situations or unruly people in order to allow God’s perfect plan to unfold. Everything that seems bad is not always as bad as we think it is. And even when it really is bad it is sometimes best just to tolerate it. Finally, love for one another is the defining quality of all disciples of Jesus Christ. Jesus described it as the unmistakable brand of who we are in the eyes of others. He declared that all men would know that we are his disciples by the love we have one for the other. All of these character qualities must have love as their basis. Humility, gentleness, patience, and tolerance are all truly shown in a spirit of love. Contrariwise, Paul also warned the church to avoid things that are detrimental to unity within the body. The foremost is strange doctrine. Even today we are amazed at how quickly some people give up on the teaching they received that led to their salvation. It was good enough to lead them from the road to eternal damnation but afterwards they feel that something is still missing. Deceitful people develop schemes that entrap these confused Christians in an ever-evolving religion of jargon and nonsense. Often this leads to the sale of millions of books and videos that enrich a few while the masses are led farther and farther from the simple truth of the gospel they first embraced. The body of Christ is built up from the inside by the individual members who have been gifted by the Holy Spirit to edify the body. Knowing that we each have been gifted by the Holy Spirit, let us in faith embrace the work of bringing about unity within the body. Robert C. Hudson November 16, 2017