Life Church - Salisbury

Ephesians 4:1-6 points us to a crucified and risen Savior. To a Lord who is so glorious, so brilliant, so kind—that he can and will hold our attention and captivate our hearts. In this passage, we see three things: 1) As Christians, we are united by our calling (4:1). As Christians, we are united in our confession (4:4-6). As Christians, we protect unity through our conduct (4:2-3).

The New Testament uses the word calling to refer to salvation. God calls his people—to himself. He calls his people—to faith. He calls his people—to know and love and follow Jesus. So, when Paul says, “walk in manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”, he is talking about this gospel call. Really, he’s thinking back on everything that he has said in the first half of the letter.

Ephesians 4:4-6 reads like an early creed or confession of faith. Perhaps the apostle Paul composed these words. Perhaps they were known to him or to the Ephesians already. In either case, they are now part of Holy Scripture—which means they are the very word of God. This confession shows us the true doctrines that unite us. We can disagree about things. Many things. Even many doctrinal things. But Christ’s Church is united in our belief in these things.

Christian unity is not something we create. It is something that God does, through his gospel, as he brings people from every tribe and tongue and nation into his Church. We don’t create unity; God does. We do preserve unity, however. And we preserve it through the way we live with one another.

📸: Faye Atkins