Ephesians 4:2

‘with all lowliness and humility, with patience,
bearing with one another in love’
(Ephesians 4:2)

The context of this verse is interesting and instructive. Paul is talking about walking ‘worthily of the calling’(Ephesians 4:1) we’ve received, as Christians, which involves being ‘eager to keep the unity’(Ephesians 4:3). Much of the preceding three chapters has been about this calling and unity. Now he comes to some practical exhortations in the light of these things – how we ought to relate to each other, as Christians.

But who exactly are Christians? – adopted ‘children’(Ephesians 1:5ff.) of God, who ‘having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of… salvation… also believed’(Ephesians 1:13), and having been ‘sealed with the promised Holy Spirit’(Ephesians 1:13) are now united like bricks in a ‘building… a holy temple… built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit’(Ephesians 2:21-22), a giant metaphorical ‘spiritual’(1 Peter 2:5) superstructure, also referred to as a ‘body’(1 Corinthians 12:12ff.) with Christ as the ‘head’(Ephesians 4:15, cf. Ephesians 1:22-23)!

It stands to reason, therefore, that unity ought to be a function of who we are ‘in Christ’(Romans 12:5), and that being ‘eager to keep’(Ephesians 4:3) this unity would naturally be part of our walking ‘worthily of the calling’(Ephesians 4:1). We should note the key defining feature that constitutes the unity though: it’s a unity of those ‘sealed with the… Holy Spirit’(Ephesians 1:13), since anyone who ‘doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ… is not His’(Romans 8:9) – ‘one body… one Spirit’(Ephesians 4:4, cf. v3), as Paul continues here. Naturally flowing out from that reality comes this calling to a ‘unity of… faith and… knowledge’(Ephesians 4:13ff.) etc.

However, even within this defined group, scattered across churches and time (more concentrated in some institutions/eras than others), there will be differences – there’s an ‘until’(Ephesians 4:13) about it. We’re all on a growth path and sometimes ‘think’(Philippians 3:15) differently from ‘one another’ whilst finding our feet with regards to ‘doctrine’(Ephesians 4:14) etc., sometimes even persisting in differing ‘opinions’(Romans 14:1ff.) on debatable issues. Besides, some things are ‘hard to understand’(2 Peter 3:16) and some remain ‘secret’(Deuteronomy 29:29, cf. Acts 1:7), so potentially open to speculation (which might not be wise), including things too profound for the human mind to ‘“fathom”’(Job 11:7, cf. Isaiah 55:8-9) – at least until more has been ‘revealed’(Colossians 1:26, cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12).

In this context it’s easy to see how growing yet still flawed ‘saints’(Ephesians 1:1) need to show ‘grace’(Ephesians 1:7) towards one other, ‘forgiving each other, just as God… in Christ forgave’(Ephesians 4:32) us, as Paul concludes this chapter. So, this is how we’re to live our lives worthy of our calling as God’s ‘children’(Ephesians 5:1), full of gracious ‘love’(Ephesians 5:2), especially towards ‘“one another”’(John 13:34). Here Paul details what that will require: ‘lowliness… humility… patience, bearing with one another’, etc.

Not surprisingly, these are also characteristics of our loving Lord Jesus Christ, who was ‘“gentle and humble in heart”’(Matthew 11:29) and who Paul sought to emulate, displaying the ‘humility and gentleness of Christ… lowly’(2 Corinthians 10:1, cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:7) in his dealings with fellow believers. It’s all part of clothing ourselves with Christ, developing this ‘heart of… lowliness, humility, and… bearing with one another… forgiving each other’(Colossians 3:12-13) as Paul wrote in a similar parallel letter. It’s the opposite of ‘anger’(Colossians 3:8ff., cf. Ephesians 4:26) and the like, which we must ‘tame’(James 3:8ff., cf. James 1:19-21) as best we can, in favour of gently ‘building others up’(Ephesians 4:29) through our interactions with each other, even if that involves thoughtful and challenging debates as we ‘sharpen’(Proverbs 27:17) one another in and with the ‘word’(Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 4:12) through ‘the Spirit’(Ephesians 5:18ff., cf. 6:17) – of ‘love… patience… gentleness, and self-control’(Galatians 5:22-23).

So, our heart towards one another should always be to ‘follow after things which make for peace, and things by which we may build one another up’(Romans 14:19), nurturing each other as members of this ‘one body’(Colossians 3:15) ‘the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity… the body… building… itself in love’(Ephesians 4:12-16). If a fellow part seems to be malfunctioning in some way, our concern must be to ‘restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness’(Galatians 6:1), in all humility, not least because it might turn out that we’re actually the one malfunctioning!

However, we mustn’t be naïve. There will be those who carry ‘destructive’(2 Peter 2:1ff.) ideas amongst God’s people. These can be true ‘children’(Ephesians 4:14) of God requiring this gentle correction, through to malicious ‘“wolves”’(Acts 20:29) ‘masquerading’(2 Corinthians 11:13ff.). Even so, ‘gentle’(2 Timothy 2:24ff., cf. Jude 1:22-23) concern mixed with extreme caution might be appropriate, and certainly this gentle ‘humility’(1 Peter 3:15) with anyone else.

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