1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
As we saw in chapters 1-3, God, through His grace, has rescued us from a life that brought us to ruin. It is a rescue we don’t deserve, but because of His great love, it is offered to us. The call is simple: because of what God has done for us, there is an obligation to live for God, a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Humbleness and gentleness: Although Christians should stand in fiery opposition to evil, our main focus is to be humble. Humility is an evidence of our submission to God. When we submit to God, through Jesus, we are committing to Him leading our life. We begin to trust. From all of this comes a gentle nature, one that sees that those around us come from the same bleak history, are offered the same gift, and hence struggle forward, just like we do. In Galatians 5:22-25, Paul lists the Fruits of the Spirit. The fruits are evidences of our walk with Christ. They are those things present within us, showing others that the Holy Spirit is inside.
Patience: Patience is one thing no one seems to have a lot of. But patience here is in direct relation to others. Our patience for others learning, growing, and living in the spirit is part of our job as Christians. Our patience should always evolve from the relationship we have with Christ, remembering that God too was patient with us long before we understood the path to Him.
Unity of spirit through the bond of peace: In the sermon of the mount, Jesus has this to say about peacekeepers: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). Fighting for peace is part of the Christian identity. When we have a humbling and gentle spirit, we are already working toward the unity of spirit - peace. But peace is not a given. It must be worked at.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
The unity that Paul speaks of is all-inclusive. There are many parts to it, but the unifying spirit of it is God.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” 9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
God works the unity of the church through dispensation of spiritual gifts. The church, the receiver of these gifts, dispense them to others in various ways. God’s grace makes this possible. The evidence of these dispensed gifts is when Jesus ascended to heaven (John 16:7). Once Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit was given to believers as an indwelling, a helper, to help guide those willing to follow and believe.
Lower parts of the earth: this could refer to Jesus’ work in Hades after the resurrection (1 Peter 3:9, 4:6), which were prophesied in the Old Testament (Isaiah 61:1-2) and the New (Luke 4:18).
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
A part of the unity Paul refers to is the dispensation of gifts to the leadership of the church. Christ himself points the leaders of the church, those in ministry, those meant to build up the church in the ways they are gifted. The leaders, along with the followers, are all swimming toward the same island. It is a wonderful picture of symbiotic faith, both ends working toward the same goal of teaching and learning, both meant to bring a deeper relationship with Christ and a maturity that builds over time.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work
If we are to build and allow to be built into maturity, then we will grow in faith. Paul uses a few metaphors that have deep and lasting picture.
Infants: An infant is a helpless child that needs constant care. The infant knows nothing of the world around him. He is learning and growing. An infant does not have a deep idea of how the world works around him.
Tossed back and forth by waves: As those growing up in a sinful world, we were often pulled along with corrupt teaching. It may not have been religious. Maybe it was smoking, drinking, swearing - things that seemed right at the time and we willingly followed to our own detriment. As bigger infants, we spent a life discovering, learning and experimenting. Teachers tried to wrangle us one way our another. Some said life is all about work. Others claimed the eastern religions were correct about life. Gurus came and went in our life and we were convinced, each time, that we staggered down the correct road for us, only to understand later that it wasn’t the right road.
Paul is saying this: when we are infants in understanding Christ, the threat to fall into false teaching is greater. When we become more mature in Christ, we are less susceptible. Why? Because when you learn, connect and grow, you begin to see the truth and it is easier to see the lies. Paul speaks of cunningness and craftiness of these teachers. What does that remind you of? Perhaps someone who has his own schemes at heart, is willing to trick you into a false idea of truth to suit his own needs.
The difference is clear: when we connect with the truth and speak it into our lives, we become more mature over time. Christ, the head of the body (1 Corinthians 12:12-31), is the foundation of the entire system. Each one of us has a function. Our functions in this body are not all the same, yet they are equally important for the entire body to function. But the key is to build the body in love.
Instructions for Christian Living 17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
Paul’s insistence is strong: don’t live like the people who are still lost in the darkness. Why are people still locked in the darkness? They have hardened their hearts against God. Paul discusses this same concept in Romans 1:18-32. The idea is this: God has made his existence plain to everyone, but it becomes a choice to follow. There are those who do not want to follow. So they must ignore God. This is a hardening of the heart. They want to live life on their own terms without the accountability. In doing so they march further away from God. God allows this so they can experience the self-destructive nature of sin, in hopes to come back to the light.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
We were taught differently. That teaching permeates our soul. This truth is with Christ as the foundation. This teaching is a contrast to how we once operated. Paul says make the choice: take off the old self - walk away from that life because it is killing you. Put on the new self, the one shining with Christ’s light; renew your mind (Romans 12:1-2). Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. Realize your true nature…God desires a purity and holiness in you.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
This is the next step in accepting a new life. Don’t be dragged back into corruptive behavior. One of the reasons Paul starts with falsehoods (lying) is to make a larger point: when we are in corruptible behavior, lying often comes right along with it. If we are in the business of breaking others down through deception, we are committing a sin against ourself. In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul lists the Acts of the Flesh, which are corruptive behaviors common to people who aren’t walking in the light with God.
Next, he talks about anger and sin. Because we are angry, sometimes we fall into all sorts of sinful responses. James says “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak ad slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires (James 1:19-21). This is important in Paul’s thoughts because anger has a way of making us react. As James teaches that we should consider the other person, or situation, before we react to it, Paul takes it to another step. He says that we shouldn’t dwell on it. The reason is simple: because if we allow ourselves to stew in our anger, it gives the devil traction in our life.
Lastly, Paul reminds us of our priorities. If we are to turn the page on our life effectively, we must put away the very things that trip us up. Instead, reallocate the energy. With the energy put into sinning, being angry, whatever the problem is, find a way to take that energy and refocus it into helping others.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
These instructions for Christian living is powerful and practical, and Paul finishes with a flurry of issues that attack our life subversively. Why does he end on unwholesome talk? Because it’s such a big problem. It is an easy sin, a sin of convenience and a sin of capitulation. It’s easy to group up with friends and drag a fellow acquaintance through the muck of imagined facts. Paul teaches this: take that energy and use it for building people up instead.
What is grieving the Holy Spirit? Grieving the Holy Spirit, in its most basic terms, is when we choose something worldly over something spiritual. The Holy Spirit, left for us from Jesus, is meant as our helper in this world. Charles Spurgeon puts it like this: “I think I now see the Spirit of God grieving, when you are sitting down to read a novel and there is your Bible unread.... You have no time for prayer, but the Spirit sees you very active about worldly things, and having many hours to spare for relaxation and amusement. And then he is grieved because he sees that you love worldly things better than you love him.”
Paul continues with bitterness, rage, anger, brawling and slander and malice. Again, why is he ending with these things? If we have put on the new self, then we should have some semblance of control over these very basic, humanistic problems. These trip us up the easiest, they are the ones we fall into and feel justified by, and they end up staying with us the longest, festering over time, becoming part of us. If we are to master the new self, we must master these.
Finally, Paul compares the new man with the old man. The new self is marked with kindness and compassion for one another, forgiveness, and remembering that wonderful grace that was afforded to us. We didn’t deserve it. We were lost in our sins. But God came for us, presented us Jesus, gave us the gift of grace, and allowed us a new beginning.