Elders Bible Study Notes on Ephesians:
Ephesians 2:10 says we were “created to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” because of our gratitude for God’s grace.
Ephesians 4:2-3 reads, “Be completely humble and gentle’ be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
Webster’s Dictionary defines “humble” as “showing an awareness of one’s shortcomings.” It is the opposite of proud. To fulfill the two greatest commands that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 22:27-39 of “loving the Lord your God with all of your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself” one must be humble.
When we compare ourselves to Christ, who is the head of the church, we see our failures and there is no room for pride. There is a lowliness or meekness when we compare ourselves only to God’s perfection and His amazing grace to each of us. If humility is the first attitude for unity of spirit in our church, the second attitude would be to show patience and forbearance with each other because we are all uniquely gifted and God has a different timetable for working on each one of us.
It is our duty to keep the Christian unity, and two things are necessary. First, each member needs to have an intimate connection with Jesus Christ. Second, we as a team should be striving towards the one goal of a world redeemed in Christ by fulfilling the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20.
Grace and peace,
Bob Sidlinger