[This year, the little Bible study group that meets around our kitchen table is working through The Wiersbe Bible Study Series, “EPHESIANS: Gaining The Things That Money Can’t Buy,” by Warren Wiersbe, published by David C. Cook, 2008.
I pray this series of reflections will continue to be a blessing and encouragement that reaches far beyond our kitchen table.]
. . .
KEY TAKEAWAYS from LESSON SIX
(Ephesians 4)
“The main idea in these first sixteen verses is the unity of believers in CHRIST. This is simply the practical application of the doctrine taught in the first half of the letter: GOD is building a body, a temple. He has reconciled Jews and Gentiles to Himself in CHRIST. The oneness of believers in CHRIST is already a spiritual reality. Our responsibility is to guard, protect, and preserve that unity.” (Wiersbe, p 81)
In Paul’s time, new bodies of believers were a melting pot of nationalities and religious backgrounds. Although they had a huge common ground of faith in CHRIST and love for Him, there were many differences that held the potential to divide them, if left unchecked. Just like the early believers, shared devotion to CHRIST will unite us today. Alignment with His heart will help us to align with one another but will also give us His perspective in how He sees and cares for each individual who is part of His family.
Unity is about harmony and consideration, not just “sameness” (uniformity). Our goal is not to become cookie cutter Christians, all looking and sounding and dressing and functioning the same, but a diverse collection of strengths and interests that can compliment and support each other. We are all created by GOD, uniquely. We honor our Creator when we acknowledge the wonder of His design and find ways to champion one another in contributing what each of us has been given to use for His purposes (serving the LORD and each other).
We will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like CHRIST, who is the head of His body, the church. Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. (Ephesian 4:15-16)
How was JESUS’ life an example of meekness and humility – that is, power under control, used to serve rather than to dominate? … How do humility and patience work together? What roles do these and other character traits in Ephesians 4:1-3 play into building unity? (Wiersbe, p 83)
In response to this question, one of our study friends introduced us to a song by Joyful Noise, “Gentle and Lowly”, that captures so many beautiful thoughts about the heart and character of JESUS, our Savior (written in 2022 for “No Other Savior” by Samuel Brewster, Thomas Brewster, and Ruthie Brewster):
𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺, 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥,
𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦,
𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦,
𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦.
𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳,
𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳;
𝘑𝘰𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭,
𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭!
𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦,
𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦.
𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦
𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦!
𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺, 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥,
𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘑𝘌𝘚𝘜𝘚 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥.
𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴, 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴;
𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦!
From Philippians 2:4-8 and gospel accounts, we learn that JESUS (being GOD!) humbled Himself to leave glory (“did not demand or cling to His rights as GOD”), to come to this sin-cursed scene, to live among the men He created. He navigated the brokenness of this world and stretched His human limits to meet countless needs. He endured the ultimate in cruelty and injustice that positioned Him to fulfill the Father’s plan of shedding His blood, giving His life, to meet the requirements of holy GOD for our sin. JESUS endured so much, the wrath of GOD against sin, to redeem lost souls, even the ones who brutally attacked and tortured Him!
JESUS was the ultimate example of humility (thinking more of others than of self). It is that humble attitude of heart that enables us to “endure patiently” (calmly, not losing one’s cool or temper, with long-suffering, no matter how much effort or time is required) when we might have legitimate right to question, reject, or correct wrongdoing.
Live worthy of your calling [by GOD]… be humble and gentle… be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love… always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit… bind yourselves together with peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)
Gentleness, patience, kindness, forgiveness, peace, and love are all fruits of His Spirit that unite us. These marks of His character equip us to be considerate of one another, allow space for one another to contribute unique strengths, to fill each other’s gaps, and to care for one another’s needs. Such efforts foster harmony and complimentary relationships rather than division or criticism or isolation that characterize disunity.
How can false doctrines break the unity of a church? How can we know if a doctrine is false? Why does purity of doctrine alone not produce unity? How can a church be unified when there are doctrinal differences? (Wiersbe, pp 84-85)
A false doctrine is not from GOD, the One who unites us. Anything that is not from Him will likely be rooted in sin or an attack from the enemy, which will always work to divide and destroy, isolate and intimidate, and feed a spirit of distrust in GOD and each other.
The only way to test a doctrine is to hold it up to the inerrant, eternally unchangeable word of GOD and to ask His Spirit to alert us when something is not properly aligned with His mind and heart.
Sadly, we can hold to the “letter of GOD’s law”, we can be Scripturally correct, and still not “sound like JESUS”. We can know the truth but interpret it or carry it out with attitudes or actions that actually dishonor Him and break His heart (“you speak the truth but your hearts are far from Me” (Matthew 15:8-9 and Mark 7:6-7, quoting Isaiah 29:13)).
In a local body where individuals hold very different views about doctrinal interpretation, unity can still be achieved when: (1) there are clearly recognized points of common ground (the Bible is GOD’s Word, JESUS is GOD’s Son, salvation is through faith alone in CHRIST alone, etc), (2) there is deep trust in the work and guidance of the Holy Spirit in individual hearts and in the group as a whole to cause all the pieces to fit together in positive ways that still foster growth and strength, and (3) when all of the above is characterized by gentle reasonableness, consideration, and genuine love for one another.
How do the gifts in Ephesians 4:11-12 work together to create unity? In what ways do people use their gifts wrongly to create division? Compare the gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11-12 with those described in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. (Wiersbe, p 86)
In this context, gifts are from GOD. Anything from Him should not be handled lightly or carelessly. The gifts He gives to each of us are the ways in which He designs (and weaves into the fabric of our being) interests and abilities to offer others what no one else can contribute in the same way. Those abilities are intended to equip us to love and serve GOD and others. Identifying those gifts and using them for His honor and glory should be a top priority.
He is the One who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip GOD’s people to do the work and build up the church, the body of CHRIST. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
Proper handling of GOD’s Word (teaching, preaching, expounding as the Spirit leads and enables those who do so), strengthens the common ground, hope, and calling we hold, unifying us, in alignment with the mind and heart of GOD. Conversely, if those seeking to teach, preach, or expound of GOD’s word don’t rely on His Spirit to lead and enable them, if they trust in their own understanding and promote their own agenda, then their words can lead to confusion, division, and distrust.
There are different kinds of service in the church, but the same LORD we are serving. There are different ways GOD works in our lives, but it is the same GOD who does the work through all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church … wise advice, special knowledge, faith, power to heal, power to perform miracles, ability to prophesy, discernment, speaking in unknown languages, interpretation. It is the one and only Holy Spirit who distributes these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
If Christians aren’t to walk like other Gentiles, how then should they walk? How do believers renew the spirit of their minds? How can dishonesty lead to disunity in a church? How can people be angry without sinning? What are the best ways to deal with corrupt or inappropriate talk? (Wiersbe, pp 87-89)
Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of GOD because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against Him. … Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in GOD’s likeness – righteous, holy, and true. So, put away falsehood and tell your neighbor the truth because we belong to each other. Don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you…. if you are a thief, stop stealing. Begin using your hands for honest work, then give generously to others in need. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. … Get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as GOD through CHRIST has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:17-32)
Some practical steps to renew our minds: (1) read Scripture regularly to replace negative thoughts with GOD’s truth, (2) pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guard our thoughts, and (3) focus on positive, uplifting, and pure ideas instead of worldly ideology (where is the pure place in our responses, attitudes, actions, or perspective?), (4) keep company with others who will speak GOD’s truth and point us toward Him and away from an earthly mindset, and (5) cultivate an attitude of complete dependence of GOD instead of self-reliance.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)
It is important to understand the verb tense for “be transformed” in this verse. It is present imperative, which indicates a continuous, ongoing endeavor. We need to be continuously renewed in our minds – this is not a one-time occurrence!
Dishonesty in the church breeds distrust, a “them against me” mentality, self-protective tendencies that lead to isolation and self-sufficiency rather than interdependence and harmony. Even in the small things, anything that chips away at the reliability of someone’s words, motives, or actions is deception that is destructive and hurtful.
Anger becomes sin when it is uncontrolled, harbored as bitterness, or used to hurt others (acted upon in destructive outbursts or malicious attitudes). A few verses that refine our appreciation for GOD’s perspective about anger:
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27)
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of GOD. (James 1:19-20)
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)
Understanding different manifestations of anger can also help us:
Righteous anger: being upset by what breaks GOD’s heart, such as injustice, oppression, or evil, while remaining loving and controlled. GOD’s anger is restorative and communicates truth and justice.
Sinful anger: stemming from wounded pride, selfishness, or a desire for personal revenge.
Unwholesome talk is foul or abusive language. It is often critical, sarcastic, belittling, or threatening. It mocks GOD, His truth, or others, handling carelessly anything that does not honor GOD or His character. Each of these cases opposes the common ground we hold in our love for the LORD, gratefulness for His salvation through CHRIST, and His call on our lives to love and serve GOD and others. This level of disconnect creates tension, hurt feelings, misunderstanding, or judgement.
When we encounter unwholesome talk, how do we navigate such a tricky situation? It could mean quietly stepping away, praying for those who seem to delight in such language, or privately approaching those individuals and expressing concern about their behavior and how it impacts others, asking them to be willing to pay closer attention to their speech and how they do or don’t accurately reflect GOD’s character and true desires for His church body or community.
What should replace five sins described in Ephesians 4:25-32? How can we do that? (Wiersbe, p 91)
- tendency to dominate others -> humility, consideration, leaving space for others to serve
- impatience -> patient endurance, long suffering, graciousness, compassion
- deceit -> honesty, openness, reliability
- unresolved anger -> gentle reasonableness, repentance, courageous dialogue, forgiveness
- inappropriate talk -> fix our thoughts and our words on that which honors GOD
Dear brothers and sisters, fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me [Paul] and heard from me and saw me doing, and the GOD of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)
… let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the LORD in your hearts. (Ephesians 5:18-19)
After we wrapped up our discussion, I discovered a few more thoughts that expanded my understanding and appreciation for unity within the local body. I hope these few added quotes will touch and encourage your heart, too:
From First 5’s study of 1&2 Chronicles (written by Sarah Gagnon, posted 9/3/26):
“Picture yourself attending a symphony. If each player proceeded without direction, they would produce a cacophony of sound… but instead they know their parts, carefully tune their instruments, and focus their attention on the thing that unifies them all: the conductor’s baton. This baton gives clarity and directs the whole orchestra, bringing out the loveliness of the music. Similarly, GOD has always directed His people in unity, bringing believers into harmony through undivided worship of Him.”
“Our unified adoration of GOD displays the loveliness of His Kingdom for all to see.”
And from the LORD JESUS’s prayer for His followers:
I have given them the glory You gave Me, so they may be one as We are one. I am in them and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me. (John 17:22-23)
