Tuesday 24 November 2015
- Bible Book:
- Ephesians
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all." (vv. 4-6)
Psalm: Psalm 133
Background
God, it seems, can only do so much! While God poured outabundant love through Jesus Christ, and called us to share in theall-inclusive embrace of that love, God cannot, or will not, forceus to let that love transform our lives. It wouldn't be love, ofcourse, if it was imposed against our will.
And so the writer of this letter begs his readers to behave asthough they really have responded to the call of God's love. Thisraises a fundamental issue which has divided Christians for nearly2,000 years. Are we saved (or redeemed, or inwardly transformed, orwhatever) by the irresistible force of divine love or by thevoluntary exercise of human willpower in response to God's graciousinvitation? Blood has been shed over this question - which isironic, given what follows in the remaining verses.
The only life worthy of God's call is one of "humility andgentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love". Andthis, we are told, requires effort. It doesn't come naturally. Akey problem for the Ephesian Christians was that those from aJewish background simply wouldn't get on with those from a Gentile(non-Jewish) background. To overcome this would require a realeffort, a real act of will. God would not (could not) impose unityagainst their will. They would have to want it and work at it,inspired, but not coerced, by God's love.
God's primary purpose it appears is simply to restore a common,united humanity to a divided world. For Paul, the uniting of Jewsand Gentiles in one Church was the start and the symbol of this.And this unity is derived from the relationship between the oneSpirit, one Lord and one Father that the Church, much later, cameto call the Trinity. The amazing suggestion of these verses is thatwe are all invited to join in.
To Ponder
- Are we saved (or redeemed, or inwardly transformed, orwhatever) by the irresistible force of divine love or by thevoluntary exercise of human willpower in response to God's graciousinvitation? What do you think?
- The big problem in Paul's day was that Jewish Christians andGentile Christians simply couldn't get along. What issues stilldivide the Church today?
- What excuses do we use for not "making every effort to maintainthe unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"?