We’ve officially moved beyond the first half of this letter, where Paul provides a foundation of Christian theology, so now we can breathe easier
Now we turn the page – literally – to the second half of Paul’s letter and a new emphasis on our corporate life in the body
And you’ll remember I introduced our study by dividing Paul’s letter into halves
The first half, Chapters 1-3, focused on doctrine
Doctrine are the truths of our faith
They explain who God is and how we know and please Him
And they explain who we are and why we need Him
And I said we learn doctrine first because it’s intended to guide our living
The ministry of the word of God for God’s people isn’t merely listening to teaching
Ultimately the ministry of the word is putting into action what we learn
I think it’s ironic that misinformed or immature Christians will sometimes say that they don’t find Bible teaching relevant
They prefer preaching that’s “practical” they say
This is like a medical student saying “I don’t want to sit for lectures on human anatomy or infectious diseases…
…I need something more relevant and practical”
If a doctor doesn’t understand the basic science of their profession, they‘ll never move on to the practical courses
Likewise, if a Christian doesn’t understand Biblical doctrine, then he or she stands little chance of adopting the lifestyle of a disciple
And even if a pastor taught “practical” advice from the pulpit, I can’t replace doctrine
Because if I call you to think or do certain things or refrain from doing other things, will you understand why?
And the more important question is, will you obey?
When a preacher calls his congregation to action based on his own ideas or wisdom, the congregation will ask itself does my pastor’s advice seem sensible?
But when the preacher presents doctrinal truths from the word of God calling his congregation to act accordingly, the question becomes will we obey God?
Proper Christian practice comes only from an understanding of Christian theology
That’s why Paul himself spent three chapters wading through important doctrine before he gives specific direction to the church
Therefore, as we move into the “practical” portion of Paul’s teaching, I’ll refer back to the theology of this letter from time to time
So now in Chapter 4, Paul’s transition into practical application begins with a sweeping call to live a Christ-like life worthy of the magnificent grace we’ve received
Paul signals that he’s moving into application with the transition word, “therefore”
Obviously, Paul’s referring back to the previous three chapters
And so we could summarize Paul’s teaching by saying…
“Because God chose you to be an adopted child to receive mercy by faith, and because you have His Spirit and an inheritance and a glorious future…”
For all those reasons…
Paul urges to walk in a manner worthy of this calling
He uses the euphemism “walk” to describe our testimony of life in Christ
In fact, the word “walk” is our mile marker for the second half of this letter
Paul uses the term 6 times at key places to emphasize obedience
We’re so familiar with this euphemism and so unaccustomed to walking anywhere, that we don’t stop to consider the picture it creates
When I travel to teach, I am usually working with a local team of supporters
I enjoy meeting new cultures and experiencing different lifestyles
And in many places, the culture is accustomed to walking far more than we do in America
I remember on several occasions my hosts and I were preparing to leave for my teaching, and I walked outside to get into the car
But I looked up and I’m the only one standing by the car
Everyone else has started walking down the road
The church was about half a mile away, so naturally I’m thinking we’re driving there
While they were thinking it’s only half a mile away, so naturally we’re walking
This happened to me once in Norway, when the temperatures were in the 20s and it was snowing lightly
As they began to walk, I politely suggested that we should drive since the weather was a bad
They replied, there is no such thing as bad weather…there is only inadequate clothing
My point is that in modern cultures (except Norway) we’re in danger of losing an appreciation for this euphemism “to walk with Christ”
Even recreational walks around the neighborhood can’t give us a proper appreciation for Paul’s analogy
Walking in Paul’s day involved a journey
You had a starting place you wanted to leave
And you had a destination you wanted to reach
Furthermore, a walking journey required three things
First, you had to have the energy
In Paul’s day, a person might walk 20-30 miles a day for days on end to get somewhere
To travel between Jerusalem and the Galilee was about a three days walk of about 25 miles each day
Each step in the journey required a small amount of energy, but collectively the energy was significant
So secondly, walking required persistence
There would be times when it was downhill or the scenery was uplifting or the conversation made time go faster
But there were times when you walked uphill or in the rain or into the wind
You might face threats or periods of boring silence with nothing but the sound of your feet hitting the dirt in rhythm
No matter what you found on a given day, you knew you couldn’t reach the destination unless you kept going
Finally, your journey on foot required a sense of direction
It’s very easy to get lost walking in open territory
Unless you have a path to follow or a guide to lead you, you’re likely to walk in circles
Ask anyone who’s been lost in the woods
Each of these details relates to the euphemism Paul will use in the second half of this letter
He is asking us to set our minds on a journey living as disciples of Christ
Our faith has placed us on this journey, this walk
Our starting point is the place God found us, whether as a child or teen or adult
It’s a place we want to leave, a place of sin, ungodliness, brokenness and hopelessness
And by faith in Jesus Christ, we’ve been adopted into a new family, a family with a glorious future and eternal blessings
This family is like the Norwegians I mentioned earlier
The family of God has set its mind on following Christ and so it heads out to the road for a walk of faith
You can’t take a shortcut…there’s no car or train
You just start by placing one foot in front of another, dedicating energy, committing to persistence and under direction
The energy for our spiritual walk comes from the Spirit of God, Who pulls us away from worldly distractions and lust
So He can put those resources to use in obedience to Christ
And He encourages perseverance for the journey
Sometimes the journey is easy because He puts the wind to our backs and brings friends alongside us to pass the time
Other times he strengthens us by giving us hills to climb
And all the while He’s speaking to our hearts, encouraging us, challenging us, reminding us that the destination is closer every day
Finally, He guides us in our journey by His word
Pointing the way to righteousness
And even calling us back to the path when we wander off
That’s what Paul’s talking about when he calls us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling
In a general sense, he’s asking us to set our minds on leaving the world and seeking the destination of obeying Christ
He’s urging us to bring our resources of time, talent and treasure to bear in serving God in whatever way we’re called
He’s asking us to show perseverance
And Paul’s asking us to walk in the counsel of God’s Spirit so we may stay on track
I hope that makes it easier for you to appreciate His euphemism, but we know it’s a lot easier to talk about these things than it is to live by them
Most of us begin the journey with enthusiasm
We’re eager to please Christ, because we imagine a glorious trip filled with excitement and reward
Like the day a family starts a long road trip…
But then things don’t go as planned…
We get a flat, we face detours, the trip takes longer than we expected, fights break out in the backseat…the poodle gets motion sick
And pretty soon we’re all asking “Are we there yet?”
The problem isn’t the journey…it’s our perspective
We need to start our journey with the proper point of view
Our walk with Christ isn’t a day trip, it’s not even a two-week vacation road trip
It’s a lifelong journey
And the roads won’t always be paved and smooth
The roads will have potholes and there will be detours to avoid
So Paul says in v.2 that if you’re going to walk – that is live – in a worthy manner, you must start the journey with the right attitude
Paul describes that attitude in terms of three virtues
First, we need an attitude of humility
In Greek, humility literally means having a lowliness of mind
Paul says something similar in Romans 12 when he cautions the church not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought
The idea is to have a realistic appreciation for the difficulty of the journey because of the strength of your opposition and your own weakness
We must have a sober appreciation for the difficulties that lie ahead
Secondly, Paul counsels us to maintain an attitude of gentleness
Gentleness means having grace for other believers who will face the same difficulties with you
It’s the natural compliment to humility
Humility is recognizing you’re not going to just glide through your spiritual journey without missteps
And gentleness means being understanding when others stumble from time to time in their walk
We appreciate others’ challenges even as we acknowledge we face our own
That’s why Paul says we must show tolerance for others in the body of Christ in love
We know people aren’t perfect
So when they show their imperfections, let’s react in agape love, thinking of their needs above our own
We don’t judge or condemn, we show tolerance
And while we’re on the topic of tolerance, let me address the common misuse of the word in our culture today
Many people in the world call for tolerance
Most of the time the world uses that word very differently than the Bible does
The Bible is asking us to show understanding for others in the body of Christ when we sin, when we make mistakes
We tolerate a mistake in the sense that we show patience and give opportunity for the person to learn and do better in the future
But the world calls for tolerance in the sense that we accept their sin
They call for the world to be tolerant by accepting various sexual sin as normal and legitimate
And they call for Christians to be tolerant toward other religious viewpoints by agreeing they are equally valid to our own
In other words, tolerance means accepting any viewpoint or preference while silencing any opposing view
Ironically, the modern view of tolerance is self-contradictory
By the world’s standard, any mutually exclusive point of view is inherently intolerant
If you hold a view that by its claims eliminates all other views, it must be rejected simply because it holds an absolute view
If you believe only one kind of marriage is true marriage, then you are intolerant
If you believe that there is only one way to God, then you are intolerant
And anything intolerant must be bad, the world declares
You can see the enemy’s fingerprints on this one, can’t you?
He’s working in the minds of the unbelieving with a call to tolerance
He’s insulated them from the mutually-exclusive claims of Christ by predisposing them against any absolute truth
We need to be careful to not bring the enemy’s definition of tolerance into our theology
We will tolerate mistakes among us as Christ does for us
But we not declare evil to be good for that is never the loving thing to do
Finally, Paul says we need patience
Patience was an essential requirement for any long journey
Impatient people usually don’t even start long journeys, much less finish them
Our walk with Christ may last 3, 4, 5 decades or even longer
We have to bring an attitude of patience to this walk, or we’re likely to burn out quickly
If you’ve ever watched a Christian begin their walk of faith with a burst of energy and then quickly flame out, you’ve almost certainly seen someone start with the wrong attitude
Excitement and anticipation is good, but it must be accompanied by patience
Perhaps no one sat them down and explained from scripture that our walk with Christ isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon
And so how we start will have a lot to say about how we finish
We need to start with humility concerning ourself and gentleness for others walking with us
We need to devote energy, but not in bursts…we must measure out the energy to ensure we give attention to our walk in a daily way
We need to persevere for the tests we know will come against us
And we need to seek the counsel of God in His word throughout the journey so we don’t lose our way
And for all these things, we need patience in our heart
Patience for ourselves and patience for others
And with patience and love and tolerance, we’ll preserve our unity
We’ll give grace to others, remembering no one is perfect
And speaking as a pastor and on behalf of your elders, we especially value and need your patience and tolerance and love
We’re on the same walk with you
Which means we’re also walking away from sin and weaknesses of one kind or another
And we’re moving toward a destination of godliness and sanctification
We’re going to stumble, we’re going to have our bad days
We don’t ask you to excuse our sin, much less approve it
But we do ask you to tolerate it with patience for the sake of our unity, even as you pray for us to do better
And we’ll do the same for all of you
Which leads us to the next part of Chapter 4
Paul supports his call for the church to act in unity by reminding us that we are already united spiritually
It’s like telling two siblings to treat each other in brotherly love
I always wondered what brotherly love was
For the longest time I thought brotherly love was intended ironically to mean dislike
Because my relationship with my brothers growing up was anything but loving
But Paul isn’t speaking ironically, of course
He’s saying the body of Christ is united in important, eternal ways
So let’s act like it
And to illustrate his point, Paul lists seven ways we’re already united with one another
These seven aspects of unity are all spiritual
They are markers that identify us as part of the same family and destined for the same eternal future
Therefore, they argue strongly for us to live and think in ways that reflect our unity
So let’s take a brief look at these seven aspects of Christian unity
First, there is one body Paul says
The word body refers to the universal church
Every person on earth who has been born again by the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ is a member of the Church
We are one body of people
The point is that there are not multiple separate bodies
In human terms we may break up the body of Christ in various meaningless ways
Different denominations, theological views, affiliations and even just multiple campuses work to divide us in earthly ways (often regrettably)
But these things don’t change the fact that we are one institution
Therefore, no one can come along and claim to have “rediscovered” the true church (like the Mormons)
And no one can claim that their unique style of worship or teaching or location or whatever defines the true church
The body of Christ transcends such superficial things
A true confession in the Name above all Names is the one and only requirement to become a part of that body
And no one has a monopoly on the name of Christ or His body
And secondly, that one body is held together by the indwelling of the one and only Spirit of God
Our membership card for the Church is the Holy Spirit
We don’t check your ID as you enter this building
But Paul says the Lord certainly checks for that ID card before you enter His body spiritually
In Acts 8 we see a case where a man wanted to enjoy the benefits of membership without possessing the proper ID card
Simon was an unbeliever seeking to enjoy the power and recognition that came to the apostles by the Spirit of God
But as Peter observed, his heart was not right with God, which is why he lacked the Spirit
He had attached himself to the body of Christ, but he was not part of that body because he did not possess the Spirit of God
Thirdly, Paul says we have one hope in our common calling
We have the same hope concerning our future, the hope of resurrection and eternal life
Our common eternal hope is perhaps one of the most powerful unifying principals of Christianity
No matter how diverse our socio-economic backgrounds
No matter how different our dreams for the future
No matter how differently our lives turn in this life
Nevertheless, we all share exactly the same understanding and expectation for what we will have waiting after our death
What other group can you say that about?
Knowing we share an eternal future should silence any petty difference that divides us now
One day we’ll both be living in eternal bodies in the kingdom serving Christ
I expect that some day you and I will run into each other
And when we do, we’ll probably laugh at ourselves, at our foolishness and our meaningless disagreements
And we’ll marvel together at our shared blessings in Christ
You know, we could skip the first part and just jump to that second part now
Fourth and fifth, we serve one Lord by one faith
These points should be self-explanatory
There is one Lord, meaning one Savior God
As Peter declared
Here again, the world would call us intolerant for our unwillingness to accept there may be other ways to heaven
But holding to the truth is not intolerance…it’s love
Our message is the only one that saves
Likewise, we have entered into the family of God by one faith, which means one confession
The only way to salvation is by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ
As Paul said simply
Faith in a specific church does not save you
Faith in a good work does not save you
And faith in your own goodness or worthiness will not save you
The word “faith” requires an object, something you place your faith in
And if you don’t place your faith in the right thing, you will be disappointed
But as Peter wrote
Christ is our cornerstone, and so we are united by a shared faith in the one and only Savior
No matter what other disagreements or disputes might divide us, we have agreed on our Savior
And that common faith unites us just as much as it divides us from the unbelieving world
Sixth, we have all experienced one baptism
Paul is speaking about the spiritual baptism that comes by the Spirit of God
The baptism of the spirit comes at the moment of our faith
And in fact, it is inseparable from the moment of faith
That common experience unites all believers
It is our common experience of being born again
In a way, it’s like all of us had the same spiritual womb
We were all birthed in the same process
Just to clarify, Paul isn’t talking about water baptism, because clearly we didn’t all experience the same water baptism
Some believers are never water baptized whether by disobedience or lack of opportunity
For example, the thief on the cross was never baptized in water
Yet Christ said he would be in paradise with Jesus
Furthermore, different churches practice water baptism in different ways
I believe that scripture teaches that there is only one correct way to practice water baptism
Nevertheless, I cannot say that my brothers and sisters in Christ who were water baptized in a different way are less a part of the body
We all share the same spiritual baptism, and therefore we are no less one simply because we performed different rituals
Finally, we are all the children of the same God and Father
I mentioned that my brothers and I didn’t get along very well growing up
Now that we’re adults, we’ve mostly put those things behind us
Recently, my father has been enduring some difficult health issues
He’s required care and attention from me and my siblings, which has caused us to come together as a family
My father’s situation has reminded my brothers and I that we are part of the same family and from the same father
And so it should be with us as the family of our God and Father
No matter what differences mark our earthly lives
No matter how much we disappoint, disregard or annoy one another
No matter how often we may fail to show love to one another…
Blood is thicker than water, as the saying goes
We are all children of the same God and Father Who called us into His family
None of us had reason to expect or deserve our adoption
We are all in need of God’s grace and we’re all brothers and sisters
So let’s act that way as we walk this journey together
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
Access all of our teaching materials through our smartphone apps conveniently and quickly.
