Last week, I considered how Christians should band more closely together. This week I consider one of the key functions on how we stay together.
Ephesians 4:1-3 reads:
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Notice how Paul frames this appeal. He isn’t writing from a position of comfort or authority — he’s writing from prison, in chains for the gospel he’s now urging others to live out. His words must be important, so I should take heed.
Consider the character traits Paul lists: humility, gentleness, patience, and a willingness to put up with one another out of love. These aren’t traits meant to stay inside a church building or a private devotional life. They’re meant to show up on my street, at the soccer game, in the local Facebook group, and across the fence from a person whose politics I dislike. And yes, they’re supposed to show up in how I treat other Christians in my community on Sunday or any other day of the week.
It’s easy to feel superior to the neighbor who thinks differently than I do. He may live in sin, but what about my own stains? He may believe the nightly news, but what untruths do I hold close to? If I’m living in humility, I cannot look down on him. It’s easy to get irritated when someone’s flaws start rubbing against my own edges. But patience absorbs that irritation instead, and love covers what could otherwise turn into a grudge.
Lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, and forbearing are key aspects to keeping Christian communities together. Unless there is a true wrong, which I can address in the future, I need to live peaceably with all men, especially my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Paul points out that unity isn’t something I create. It’s something I maintain. So I must ask myself: in my neighborhood and in my daily life, among the people God has placed around me, am I a source of friction, or am I the one who keeps the peace?
