Paul once
again referred to himself as a prisoner of the Lord. He understood that
ultimately, whatever happened to him was part and parcel of the Lord’s plan and
purpose. Since God had designed it such, he implored the Ephesians to flow with
God’s purpose and fulfill their calling.
Like in our
days, the Church then, also existed in a fractured and disenfranchised world.
And there were desperate demands to meet the needs of such a world. Therefore,
like them, we must also ask the pertinent questions: as a community, what is
the role of the Church in the midst of such a world? In this and the following
verses, Paul defined the function of the church to help them see their mission.
In contrast to how people conduct their lives, the community of believers are called
to lead a life worthy of the calling. Paul made a solemn appeal to the Church, comprising
of the people of God, to walk in the manner worthy of that calling. Whether in
speech or action, the conduct and character of God’s people must reflect the
life and work of Christ, Who dwells within. The lives of the individual members
of this new community must demonstrate that life-changing encounter with the
Lord Jesus Christ. In the following verses right through to verse 16, Paul gave
several pointers that would promote unity in the new community.
Here in
verses 2-3. Paul delineated five traits that would contribute to unity. They
are: humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance and love. Where any of these
elements is missing, unity would be lacking. But when each person lives these
traits, the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace would be preserved.
When Paul
used the word “humility,” he was seeking an accurate understanding of their own
moral smallness. In essence, it means to realize one’s own insignificance while
evaluating the worth of others. In the word that had been translated gentleness
or meekness, Paul was talking about power under control. The idea is for a person
who refuses to react against another for the sake of Christ, although he or she
has the right. The words “longsuffering” or “patience” literally mean “to be
long tempered.” This is the opposite of having a short fuse. The word “forbearance”
is to endure or to put up with. And the word “love” refers to God’s kind of
love, the unconditional and unselfish love that takes others into
consideration. Paul knew that when these five traits are present, the unity of
the fellowship would be truly evident. It would be marked by peace.
Believers must
practice these traits because they belong to one body. The word “one” appears
seven times in these four verses. Notice once again how Paul alluded to the
Trinity – The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Just as there is perfect unity in
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Church finds their oneness in their
identification with Christ. Their oneness is possible because believers share in
the one Spirit, Who integrates them into the one body. Secondly, they share a
calling into that one hope, one faith and one baptism because there is only one
Lord. Thirdly, they share a common family because they share one Father, Who
embraces all and fills all.
Let our constant
prayer be: Father make us one, so that the world may know that you have sent
your Son. Let’s go for unity!
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