I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, (2) with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, (3) endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (4) There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; (5) one Lord, one faith, one baptism; (6) one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
The letter to the Ephesians was written by the apostle Paul – he has been writing about doctrine and belief earlier in Ephesians and now, in our verses, he turns his attention to duty, practice and behavior. In our calling we are to live differently in faith in Christ, and we are to walk in unity. The Son redeemed us with His own blood and the Spirit seals us for all eternity. We are a diverse people – physical differences, intellectual differences, economic differences and spiritual differences all compete against unity. But it is the call of the gospel that saved us, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace.
We do not have anything to do with preserving the unity of the body of Christ – God is looking after that. The body of Christ is NOT composed of all the different sects and denominations – that would contain a great many people who are in the body of Christ but would also include a great many who are not. The body of Christ (the church) consists of those who are regenerated and born again by the Spirit in faith in Christ. We are all baptized into one body; both Jew and Gentile are all made one in the Spirit of God. All believers have one blessed hope; one day beholding the face of Christ and being transformed into His image. God’s relationship to the entire creation means God is the creator of all men. He is the living transcendent God over all, directing all things and pervading everything. The Spirit is not only the seal of regeneration but also the promise of future perfection and hope of our calling. In spite of all natural and spiritual qualities and our division and strife upon earth, Christians are still actually one. Peace brings us together and Jesus is our peace.
In our verses the point is, in our calling, that we were aliens, helpless and miserable but now in faith, in Christ we are united in one body. The unity of the indwelling Spirit is something we cannot create. It is a gift from God. In Christ we return from the diversity of function to the singleness of one object; Christ Jesus. C.s.Lewis wrote:”There have been times when I think we do not desire heaven but more often I find myself wondering whether, in our heart of hearts, we have ever desired anything else.”
Our verses tell us that we were