Ephesians 4
February Memory Verse: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
Read: Ephesians 4
On a scratch sheet of paper or on your computer, take a moment and, in your own words, define the following terms:
“Humility”
“Gentleness”
“Patience”
“Bearing in love”
“Unity in the Spirit”
“Peace”
Most of us have grown up our whole lives hearing these words, but we are unable to define them. This is an important practice, especially for this passage, as it is the lynchpin for the whole book of Ephesians.
Although most books cannot be summed up by a single verse, Ephesians 4:3 gets to the heart of the issue—preserving unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Paul was writing because of conflict between Jews and Gentiles in God’s Church. He spent three chapters correcting their theology, now it’s time to correct their actions.
Paul begins chapter 4 verse 1 with “I urge you…” (parakaleō in the Greek). Most English translations put this verb later for readability, but we get a sense of the importance of what comes next. Three times in this single sentence Paul uses a “kaleō” rooted word—“I call you to live consistently with your calling with which God called you.” This is a forceful reminder. Paul, by his own “calling/urging,” is reiterating God’s salvation call as it relates to the present conflict. So how do they/we overcome conflict? Paul’s answer is humility, gentleness, patience, unity in the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Humility—I once heard a good definition for humility—"a right perspective of who I am in light of who God is.” Humility is not worthlessness (“I’m just terrible”). That idea devalues the fact that we are created in God’s Image. Instead, humility recognizes God’s created order and our place in it. Paul said in chapter 2 that all people are united in sin and only saved by Christ. How can any of us be prideful when we bring nothing to the table? “Jews, you cannot save yourselves by your good works (Eph 2:8–9)—walk in humility.” “Gentiles, you aren’t more special than the Jews because you are now included (Eph 2:12–13)—walk in humility.”
Gentleness—This reminds me of Provers 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath.” Like approaching a skittish animal, conflict is best handled with soft voices and slow movements.
Patience—Like several of these attributes, patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5). I think its definition is found right in the passage, “bearing with one another in love.” Patience is the practice of forbearance—it does not dismiss sin, but it chooses the appropriate time to address it. Or, if it cannot be addressed, it simply lays the transgression at the feet of the Father knowing that one day the Righteous Judge will right every wrong.
Peace—Peace is not the absence of conflict. In a world where sin still reigns conflict is unavoidable. In fact, the more trust you place in a person, the more opportunity you give them to hurt you deeply. And because all people are sinners, they will. Conflict will happen. Peace is dealing with conflict in a God-honoring way.
Unity in the Spirit—All of this, is the work of maintaining unity. It requires you to die to yourself over and over. The only way we can do this is by God’s Spirit as He reminds us of God’s truth and our place in God’s game plan. Quarreling has no place in God’s Church or among God’s People. It often starts with a bad perspective; the perspective Paul has spent three chapters trying to correct. But when conflict arises, Ephesians 4 is the answer.
By: Tyler Short
Read: Ephesians 4
On a scratch sheet of paper or on your computer, take a moment and, in your own words, define the following terms:
“Humility”
“Gentleness”
“Patience”
“Bearing in love”
“Unity in the Spirit”
“Peace”
Most of us have grown up our whole lives hearing these words, but we are unable to define them. This is an important practice, especially for this passage, as it is the lynchpin for the whole book of Ephesians.
Although most books cannot be summed up by a single verse, Ephesians 4:3 gets to the heart of the issue—preserving unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Paul was writing because of conflict between Jews and Gentiles in God’s Church. He spent three chapters correcting their theology, now it’s time to correct their actions.
Paul begins chapter 4 verse 1 with “I urge you…” (parakaleō in the Greek). Most English translations put this verb later for readability, but we get a sense of the importance of what comes next. Three times in this single sentence Paul uses a “kaleō” rooted word—“I call you to live consistently with your calling with which God called you.” This is a forceful reminder. Paul, by his own “calling/urging,” is reiterating God’s salvation call as it relates to the present conflict. So how do they/we overcome conflict? Paul’s answer is humility, gentleness, patience, unity in the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Humility—I once heard a good definition for humility—"a right perspective of who I am in light of who God is.” Humility is not worthlessness (“I’m just terrible”). That idea devalues the fact that we are created in God’s Image. Instead, humility recognizes God’s created order and our place in it. Paul said in chapter 2 that all people are united in sin and only saved by Christ. How can any of us be prideful when we bring nothing to the table? “Jews, you cannot save yourselves by your good works (Eph 2:8–9)—walk in humility.” “Gentiles, you aren’t more special than the Jews because you are now included (Eph 2:12–13)—walk in humility.”
Gentleness—This reminds me of Provers 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath.” Like approaching a skittish animal, conflict is best handled with soft voices and slow movements.
Patience—Like several of these attributes, patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5). I think its definition is found right in the passage, “bearing with one another in love.” Patience is the practice of forbearance—it does not dismiss sin, but it chooses the appropriate time to address it. Or, if it cannot be addressed, it simply lays the transgression at the feet of the Father knowing that one day the Righteous Judge will right every wrong.
Peace—Peace is not the absence of conflict. In a world where sin still reigns conflict is unavoidable. In fact, the more trust you place in a person, the more opportunity you give them to hurt you deeply. And because all people are sinners, they will. Conflict will happen. Peace is dealing with conflict in a God-honoring way.
Unity in the Spirit—All of this, is the work of maintaining unity. It requires you to die to yourself over and over. The only way we can do this is by God’s Spirit as He reminds us of God’s truth and our place in God’s game plan. Quarreling has no place in God’s Church or among God’s People. It often starts with a bad perspective; the perspective Paul has spent three chapters trying to correct. But when conflict arises, Ephesians 4 is the answer.
By: Tyler Short
19 Comments
Great reminder today Tyler. More often than I want, I'm the opposite of those qualities. That's so convicting. I'm going to work on this today. Thank you.
Awesome. It's certainly convicting for sure.
Thank you Tyler Short for the good word today and for everyone who takes time to comment. It is inspiring to learn how God's Word to speaks to each person in a unique way. Here's what hit my attention today.
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.
I like the Biblical math here:
1 Lord
1 Faith
1 Baptism
1 God
= 4 given by the Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. How did God's Word speak to you today? I'll look forward to seeing the responses later today.
That's such an important math equation, especially considering the conflict Paul is speaking in to.
Amen Tim Parsons. I see myself lacking in these areas as well. The default of our sinful hearts is self first. Placing others before self can only be accomplished through the work of the Holy Spirit. Good reminder Tyler.
Awesome Jumpstart this morning Tyler! I loved how you had us pause and write out definitions for these commonly used words and phrases. It made me really slow down and dwell on this passage and was a good reminder to not just brush past familiar ideas and concepts.
Yes! It's amazing how familiar we are with churchy words without taking time to consider the magnificent depths. It's like, I understand what the writers are saying, but just dwelling on the Word makes such an impact.
Good word Tyler. In verse 17 Paul said "With the Lord's authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused." I'm glad the Lord brings clarity over confusion. As convicting as it is, God's word is a clear guide.
That's a good word Mr. Wilson.
Tyler, all your definitions are so insightful and rich. As I read them I saw how God is at the center of them all. If we just could remember that God is the center of everything our perception would change. Praying today for continual reminders through the Holy Spirit.
Great stuff Brad. Thank you for the encouragement. It's fun to watch God speak.
I agree, all your definitions are so incredibility insightful and rich.
Wow - PEACE In fact, the more trust you place in a person, the more opportunity you give them to hurt you deeply. And because all people are sinners, they will. Conflict will happen.
Peace is dealing with conflict in a God-honoring way.
Wow again - Patience is the practice of forbearance-it does not dismiss sin, but it chooses the appropriate time to address it.
And finally Unity in the Spirit-All of this, is the work of maintaining unity. It requires you to die to yourself over and over. It often starts with a bad perspective Great Job. Thanks Tyler
Great stuff Brad. Thank you for the encouragement. It's fun to watch God speak.
That's great Lindsay, thank you so much for sharing!
Great stuff Brad. Thank you for the encouragement. It's fun to watch God speak.
I agree, all your definitions are so incredibility insightful and rich.
Wow - PEACE In fact, the more trust you place in a person, the more opportunity you give them to hurt you deeply. And because all people are sinners, they will. Conflict will happen.
Peace is dealing with conflict in a God-honoring way.
Wow again - Patience is the practice of forbearance-it does not dismiss sin, but it chooses the appropriate time to address it.
And finally Unity in the Spirit-All of this, is the work of maintaining unity. It requires you to die to yourself over and over. It often starts with a bad perspective Great Job. Thanks Tyler
Great stuff Brad. Thank you for the encouragement. It's fun to watch God speak.
Ephesians is rising to the top of the list as one of my favorite books of the Bible. I love our focus as a church on this book right now. One verse that stuck out to me was â€â€Ephesians‬ â€4:26‬-27 "BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity." I have definitely had to learn this over the years, especially verse 27, don't even give the devil a chance. When we dwell on anger, when we hold grudges, when we refuse to address the issues that are festering inside of us for whatever reason, that is when Satan can get a foothold and cause all kinds of problems. If you are angry, if you have an issue, address it now, don't wait. We can save ourselves a world of hurt if we biblically address our anger, and don't give the devil a chance. Thankful for our focus on Ephesians today, it is such a great book!
â€â€
That's true. I think often Christians confuse not letting the sun go down on their anger with don't let the sun go down on your conflict. Conflict will not always be finished in a single day, but the emotion of anger should not be allowed to fester between believers and especially in marriage. Paul's message is that Jews and Gentiles on on the same team in Christ, and it's something that Christians need to understand today. We can disagree, conflict can exist, and still anger has no place. It does not produce the righteousness of God so says James, because although it is right to be angry at sin, we are usually wrong in our appropriation.
Great message this morning Tyler! It was so helpful for me to really think about these actions that we should practice everyday and write out definitions. A couple that really stood out to me were patience and unity with the spirit. I am the most impatient person and need to really practice bearing one another and situations I am in with love first. I also loved reading about unifying myself with the holy spirit daily because I tend to forget that Jesus left His spirit with us for that very reason.
Tabor, you are great. I seriously doubt you are the most impatient person... but I take your point.
Great post today, Tyler. I also enjoyed reading the comments. Great points and things to think about. I often lack in these areas/qualities. Needed this reminder today!
Especially in the times were in, we need this verse. Especially as a church. Our church needs to maintain unity in the spirit with other followers of Christ throughout our nation. We should be on the same page because we are called to one God