Ephesians 4:1-6 is a prescription for the unity of the church. Paul urges unity based on the reality of there being one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God. This is a clear example of a person's belief determining his behavior. The unity application is drawn from the doctrine of there being one God.
This unity is not mechanical or externally imposed. (It is all too common to see uniformity without unity.) Rather it is organic; it comes from within and is supernaturally wrought by the Holy Spirit. And yet, maintaining this unity requires effort on our part and in this passage Paul gave us the maintenance schedule.
Today's passage marks the transition from doctrine to duty in the letter to the Ephesians. It is easy enough to erect various doctrinal positions, but we must also venture out of our fortifications into the world of life change and application. In this passage, Paul quit preaching and went to meddlin'! Ephesians 4:1-6 is a tough passage of application for every Christian.
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Stephen Atkerson helps church leaders discover simple growth strategies that Jesus gave the early church. For over 30 years, he has worked with evangelists, missionaries, church planters, and pastors in Asia, the Americas, Europe and Africa. He is one of the pastors of a Baptist...
