Walking Worthy of Our Calling
Those of us who are Christians are richly blessed to have been called by God into His spiritual family. We were all called the same way, that is, by the gospel of Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). Having been called by the gospel, we must now walk worthy of it.
Ephesians 4:1 (ESV)
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
Our manner of life should match our calling. We must live by the gospel while, at the same time, defending it against heresy, and we should do it together, being perfectly united.
Philippians 1:27 (ESV)
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
But there is a right way to strive for the faith, and Paul tells us what it is.
Ephesians 4:2 (ESV)
2 With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
We must not strive for the faith arrogantly. Remember, we are what we are by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10). The only difference between us and those outside the body of Christ is that we have been forgiven. So, we must strive for the faith humbly, and humility breeds gentleness.
As we strive to keep the unity of Spirit, we must be patient with each other, and above all, demonstrate love. We are all at different stages of our spiritual walk. I cannot expect a babe in Christ to have the same understanding as the seasoned saint. Christians sometimes do not understand the will of God fully and need guidance. We must give them that guidance with humility and gentleness, being patient as they come along slowly.
This does not involve ignoring sinful behavior or tolerating error; it involves having the right approach toward someone who is still growing. We will be forced at times to reprove and even rebuke, but we must do it gently or we risk pushing the person who needs guidance away from Christ.
The Unity of the Spirit
Unity is essential in the body of Christ. Jesus prayed that His followers would be one (John 17:20-21). David once wrote, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity” (Psalms 133:1). Clearly, God wants us to be united.
While unity is essential for the body of Christ, achieving unity at all costs should not be our approach. The only kind of unity advocated in the Word of God is the unity of the Spirit.
Why should there be unity among us? Paul tells us in what has been called “the platform of unity” (Ephesians 4:4-6). Notice the “ones” that he emphasized.
- One Body
The body is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18). Despite what man teaches, Christ only has one church. There are many man-made churches today. We call them denominations, but Jesus only promised to build one church (Matthew 16:18). There can be no unity in a religious world where thousands of churches teach different things, practice different doctrines, and wear different names.
- One Spirit
This is a reference to the Holy Spirit. The primary job of the Holy Spirit in this dispensation was to reveal God’s Word, which He completed in the first century. It is important to understand that the Spirit is the only one who knows the mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). When churches teach and practice things not revealed by the Spirit, they claim to read God’s mind. To ensure we are teaching and practicing God’s will, we must adhere to what the one Spirit has revealed.
- One Hope
The one hope is the hope of heaven. That is where our true citizenship is (Philippians 3:20). This hope should be kept before us at all times (Hebrews 6:18-20), as we look forward every day to the coming of our Savior to deliver us up to our heavenly Father (1 Corinthians 15:24; 1 Peter 1:13). This hope of heaven sustains us in this ungodly world (Romans 8:24), and unites together since we are all living and striving for the same hope.
- One Lord
This one Lord is Jesus Christ, and He is the head of the one body, the church (Colossians 1:18). Since there is only one Lord, we should all be practicing the same thing. Why is there so much division in the religious world today? It is because denominational churches turn to sources other than Jesus for authority. They authorize their practices by man-made creeds and manuals, and put people in positions of authority who can determine what they are going to believe and practice. It is no wonder that the religious world is such a mess. If there is to be unity, we must all recognize the one Lord and obey Him alone.
- One Faith
The one faith is the gospel of Christ revealed to us in the New Testament. It includes the totality of New Testament teaching and has been once delivered by the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:3). Some claim today that they receive new revelations. They say that God speaks to them apart from the Bible. Do not listen to them. They are not telling the truth. The one faith has not been added to since the last apostle laid down his pen and stilled his tongue.
- One Baptism
This baptism is in water for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). We know this because after Paul wrote this, Peter referred to baptism saving us (1 Peter 3:21). The dates of the two books are close, but most scholars place 1 Peter just after the book of Ephesians chronologically, showing that the one baptism has to be water baptism in the name of Jesus, for the forgiveness of sins.
- One God and Father of All
We only have one heavenly Father. While both Jesus and the Holy Spirit are a part of the godhead, and both are called God in Scripture (Jesus – Titus 2:13; Spirit – Acts 5:3-4), neither of them is the Father. They are three separate beings, all of whom possess divine attributes, making all three of them God. The fact that God is our Father is a wonderful blessing and extremely comforting, knowing that we are His children and He will take care of us accordingly. The promise of God to be our Father is one of the great promises of the Bible (2 Corinthians 6:18).
Yes, we should strive to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and it is possible to do so precisely because there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all.