The Body of Christ (Part 1)
Unity in the Body of Christ
Introduction:
As believers, we are the body of Christ!
We have been called by God.
2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT
20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
Matthew 5:14-16 NLT
14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
In this lesson Paul begs us to live a life worthy of our calling.
We are to live in unity with other believers.
Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT
Unity in the Body
4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.
Examine the scriptures:
Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT
Unity in the Body of Christ
4:1 Therefore
Reflecting on what Paul had written in Ephesians 1-3.
Remember all that God has done for you.
Ephesians 1:14 NLT
14 … he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Colossians 1:12-14 NLT
12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
- (God) has purchased us to be his own people.
Paul was addressing both Jews and Gentiles.
Paul has taught that God brought Jews and Gentiles into a new relationship with each other.
Paul also taught that the church (the body of believers) is to be the reflection and full expression of the glory of God.
Now in chapters 4-6, the believers are expected to apply the principles taught in chapters 1-3.
I, a prisoner for serving the Lord,
Paul made this same statement in 3:1.
Paul was a prisoner at the time he wrote this letter. (Likely in Rome)
Paul suffered imprisonment or confinement several times for serving Christ.
2 Timothy 1:11-12 NLT
11 And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.
12 That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.
- The walk of faithful Christians can be costly. Paul knows this from personal experience.
(I) beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
A person’s calling and conduct should be in balance.
Knowing all that God has done for us should have a significant impact on the way we conduct ourselves in our personal lives and in our church life.
Philippians 1:27 NLT
27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
1 Thessalonians 2:12 NLT
12 We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.
Colossians 1:9-10 NLT
9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
- Live a life worthy of your calling.
Paul mentions three virtues that should be enhancing our daily walk.
At home, on the job, and in the community.
2 Always be humble
The pagan culture of Paul’s did not consider humility an admirable quality.
Many people today feel the same way.
Freedom from pride.
Humility promotes unity. Pride, the opposite of humility, promotes disunity.
Humility involves recognizing your limitations and weaknesses and acknowledging that you need God’s help to overcome them.
Humility also involves treating others with respect and kindness, regardless of their social status or background.
Proverbs 11:2 NLT
2 Pride leads to disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.
Proverbs 29:23 NLT
23 Pride ends in humiliation,
while humility brings honor.
and gentle (or meek).
Gentleness or meekness does not mean weakness.
Gentleness is strength under control.
Gentleness is having one’s emotions under control.
It takes a strong man to be truly gentle.
Philippians 4:5 NIV
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Be patient with each other,
Calm and unruffled temper.
Romans 12:12 NLT
12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
Galatians 6:9 NLT
9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
Proverbs 15:18 NIV
18 A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,
but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
Colossians 3:12-14 NLT
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Gently and humbly get your brother back on the right track.
Galatians 6:1 NLT
6 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
- Practicing humility, gentleness, and patience will enhance our daily walk.
3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
All believers.
Jews and Gentiles
Colossians 3:14-15 NLT
14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
In his final prayer, found in John 17, Jesus prays for the unity of all believes.
John 17:21-23 NLT
21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 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.
- As members of the body of Christ we are called to preserve the unity which God had established.
- Even with ethnic differences (Jews and Gentiles) all believers have a lot in common:
4 For there is one body
The church
All believers
Ephesians 2:16 NLT
16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
Ephesians 3:6 NLT
6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 12 – One body with many parts.
and one Spirit,
The Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:22 NLT
22 Through him (Jesus Christ) you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
Christians will live with God forever.
5 There is one Lord,
Jesus Christ.
one faith,
John 3:16 NLT
For this is how God loved the world. He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 14:6 NLT
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
one baptism,
One response – a profession of faith.
6 one God and Father of all,
God the Father.
Here the word all refers to all believers, not all mankind.
One, one, one, one, one, one, one (7 ones)
One Spirit, one Lord, one God.
One body, one hope, one faith, one baptism.
Remember, Paul is speaking to Jews and Gentiles.
(one God) who is over all, in all, and living through all.
God is present everywhere.
Psalm 139:7-12 NLT
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT
19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
Galatians 2:20 NLT
20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Colossians 1:27 NLT
27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
- When Christians are living a life worthy of their calling there is unity in the body of Christ.
- With God living in us, we are certainly equipped to live a life worthy of our calling.
