Friends, we are going to wrap up the week and there will still be some discussion about the Spirit; only, now it is not just about your life in the Spirit, it’s about how all believers are bound together in the Spirit.
In chapters 1 – 3 in Ephesians, Paul teaches about the believers’ new status as the children of God: how we are forgiven, adopted into God’s Family, we are redeemed from the slavery of sin, loved by God, strengthened with His power, and we are recipients of the riches of Christ Jesus.
So, when Paul begins today’s passage with “therefore” we know that what he is saying comes in light of what he has already spoken (in chapters 1-3). Paul now urges us, as believers, to walk in a new way. He is connecting our faith to practice. He is basically saying of course you know the message of Jesus, now you need to also know the person of Jesus. Knowing Jesus, means we are able to get closer and closer to walking out our faith and putting it into practice. Also, we need to do this together, as the body (or church) of believers. This is our commissioned way of living as one body and one Spirit, in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT
Unity in the Body
1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.
Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for loving each of us despite our faults. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Help us, Lord, to be one united body in Your Spirit. Help us to be patient with one another, and to put our love for each other ahead of anything else. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen