I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJV

4:1 The grammar in this verse combines a voice that includes both a welcoming invitation and a sober summoning. The calling which Paul is referencing here is not generic. Our calling, in light of all that Paul is communicating in Ephesians, is the stewardship of the mystery of Christ. Too often this “calling” is made generic because we’ve taken it out of context by applying this verse to lesser ambitions.

We are called to walk worthy of the mystery of Christ.

4:2 To steward the mystery of Christ well we must take the low road of humility. Paul adds gentleness with longsuffering to his exhortation. Longsuffering is not exactly a rare human characteristic. I actually believe people are created with a certain amount of unavoidable character of longsuffering due to our created design facing off against a fallen world.

It is rare, however, for people to possess both humility and gentleness in the midst of longsuffering. This doesn’t come naturally to us, and Paul’s command instructs us to pursue it wholeheartedly so that we have the ability to walk worthy of the mystery of Christ.

As a preview to some statements Paul makes later in this chapter, I believe we do not naturally pursue humility and gentleness in our longsuffering because we yet have much to learn about mercy. In fact, by pursuing humility and gentleness in the midst of our sufferings, we will inevitably learn a great deal about the mercy of Christ. By continually choosing mercy instead of wrath despite what we are experiencing in the midst of our sufferings, we develop gentleness and humility. These characteristics are deeply related and woven together.

To bear with one another in love reveals a similar tone. We are actually called to show great affection, with a gracious attitude, to our fellow heirs in Christ- even when it produces great burden and suffering in our own lives. I want to be clear however, this is not an excuse, nor is it permission for us to accept or receive abuse from other believers. We will often be required to lay aside our preferences and to a degree suffer hurts and injustices by the actions of others, but part of bearing with one another in love also requires us to confront one another if we experience abuses. We are to speak the truth in love, even in conflict. This is sometimes very messy and difficult, and if you find yourself in a situation of abuse, especially from spiritual leaders, my desire is that you find your voice or find an advocate who will be a voice on your behalf.

**Going further, I believe many in the body of Christ have experienced abuse from other Christians, including their spiritual leaders. This problem is endemic to much of the modern western church. Part of pursuing unity in love and co-inheritance within the body is to bring spiritual abuse into the light. Repentance and reconciliation must take place and we have swept many injustices committed by church leaders under the rug. Public ministers are subject to public scrutiny for the sake of transparency and accountability, and the sword of the Lord hangs over the men and women who, while leading others, commit acts of abuse and injustice. They should be given an opportunity to receive mercy, forgiveness, and restoration while also knowing the swift and severe judgment that will fall upon all who call themselves teachers.**

We will inevitably mess this up and get it wrong, even in our most honest and sincere attempts, which is why Paul spends so much time talking about relationships in the Church throughout his letters. Real, human relationships within the body of Christ is where the mystery of Christ gets really personal.

4:3 This word endeavoring, or being diligent, in this use means to have a prompt eagerness or hastening zealousness. We are commanded here to have great zeal in keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Unity of the Spirit simply means that we should pursue to honor and uphold our status as co-heirs in Christ at all costs. If we have been called into unity, or oneness, in Christ, to then not pursue this unity is actually agreement with the spirit of divisiveness and lawlessness. We need to be careful, lest we walk in agreement with the adversary and accuser of the brethren.

To truly pursue unity of the Spirit, we must do so in the bond of peace. This is where the idea of being “our brother’s keeper” comes back into the picture. We as a people, in our attitudes, prayers, and actions towards one another, are called to be the vessel of bonding one another together in peace. The peace that is spoken of here is that which causes our attitudes to prosper confidently regarding God’s order and victory over chaos within the body.

Within many of our fellowships and ministries we rightly emphasize the calling to bring people into the household of God by means of proclaiming the good news of salvation. This is essential and it is a beautiful expression of obedience to Jesus. Even so, what would happen if (once people are saved and in the fellowship) the primary focus of our discipleship was to build up a people who are zealously committed to the mystery of Christ as well as evangelism? When Jesus returns, He is coming back for a faithful people who are actively pursuing the full realities of the mystery.