Scripture Text: Ephesians 4:5a
After knowing that all believers (not just the believers in Ephesus) must be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, there is an immediate realization that this truly requires an intense labor or working to promote and preserve unity and peace. Accomplishing this is the kind of Christian walk that matches the blessedness of it in the Lord Jesus Christ! Furthermore, if there is another understanding that each must possess, it is this: we are required with all humility and gentleness, all patience, bearing in love with and for one another, to keep unity and peace, which all is from the Holy Spirit for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, dear saint! each of us must fully see that there is now an unending fellowship or oneness established by God, the Father of our Lord in Him [Christ]! And this work transcends time, as all believers from the old days to the present, and even in the future before the coming of the eternal One who is with God, are one in Him!
Proceeding now, the apostle Paul continues to establish what he previously urges in his letter for the believers in Ephesus (and to us as well). That humility, gentleness, bearing with one another in love, is for maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (4:2-3). And maintaining unity with eagerness is based on this reality that he writes to his readers. And this is the first in the seven of those glorious unchangeable truth: “There is one body (v.5a)”. The apostle draws back the previously stated reality that all believers are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. That all who genuinely believed the gospel, are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. Notice carefully how Christ is magnified in all: It is Christ’s glory in the first place, for no one else is glorious except Him! And He is the chief cornerstone, for all is built unto Him! And now, the apostle Paul is saying that there is one body, for Christ is the head! For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
Our oneness belongs in the Lord Jesus Christ, dear saint! We don’t belong to a company, and Christ is the CEO. We are His body, and Him being the head shows the richness of our identity in Him! This is now to understand that our lives revolve in Him, our lives spring forth from the overflow of His, and He himself is very our life! So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another! And now, dear saint, since you belong to one body, this will be the basis for eagerness to promote unity and peace! Don’t fall into temptation to disrupt unity and destroy the bond of peace, but keep in mind that you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Strive for oneness, dear saint! Be united with all the believers who are your companion to your new life hidden in Him, the head! That there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
May your heart, dear saint, be truly captivated by this blessedness that you have in Him, and because of Him! May you find yourself, together with the psalmist, acclaiming, bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits! who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Ultimately, the enjoyment of God in Christ is the only joy and happiness with which our souls can be truly and magnificently satisfied.
Desire to know Him more, who has loved you unconditionally and eternally! Thirst and long for Him! Be in awe of Him—the darling of Heaven! He is all yours… He is all-perfect, all-holy, all-glorious!
Hear this then, dear saint: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Christ is all that we have! Christ is all that we need!
Take heart, dear saint!
Reflect
1. Are you living a life worthy of the calling with which you have been called to as a believer of the Lord?
2. Is your life marked by eagerness to maintain unity and peace with your brothers and sisters in the Lord?
3. Do you continue to grow in need of His grace?
4. Do you desire and long to love Him more, as you ought to be?
Remember
Every blessing from God and our Father are means to keep us back to our chief end—to glorify God and enjoy Him forever! Live your life therefore for the praise of His glory, and continue to live out your blessedness in Him!
Pray
Father in heaven, I come before You in the name of Your Son, thank You, for the blessedness of being brought into the body of Your Son. Father, I ask for Your blessing once more, that I may be enabled fully to match this blessedness that I have in Him, by walking in faithfulness in promoting peace and unity with my brothers in the Lord. May I find delight in my oneness with them in Your Son, as I continue to learn to bear with them in love, as Your Son has modeled to us. For His glory, Father, I ask, that I may truly learn to give importance to the fellowship in Your Son with my brothers, seeking to serve them and prioritize their interest to preserve and maintain peace and unity, with eagerness, love, and humility, help me accomplish these things, as I rely fully in the Spirit and His ministry in me. I ask this, Father, in the name of who was and is, and is to come – Your Son, my highest blessedness. Amen.
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