Sin is a disruptive force, it always divides, separates, and splinters. It divides a man within and against himself. It has produced the constant fight and struggle which we are all aware of in our own lives and in the life of the church. Consequently, the central object of salvation, in a sense, is to re-unite, to bring together again, to reconcile, to restore the unity that God created before sin and the fall produced this terrible havoc between God and man, between men, and within man himself. So the unity that we have in Christ is part of the grand design. Thus, one of the peculiar marks of the Christian calling is to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

2 aspects of Unity - Character and nature of unity & Practical outworking of unity

Unity is not just a spirit of friendliness or camaraderie or just a team effort to achieve a common goal. 

There can be no Christian unity unless it is based on the teaching of chapters 1-3. Since Christian unity is a result of God's work in Christ, it is not something that we are to aim at for the sake of unity.

Character and nature of unity (spend less time on this part)

Unity is "of the Spirit" - Refers to the unity provided by the Holy Spirit

1. Unity is organic - Christian unity, the unity of the Spirit, is a unity which starts within and works outward through organic life like we see in a flower or in the human body. The unity of the church is also organic in character. She is not a collection of parts. She is a new creation, a spiritual body created by God in Christ.

(Can give the example of the human body: The human body is first, an organic unity. It consists of many parts: toes, fingers, hands, feet, legs, eyes, ears, etc. But it is not a collection of parts put together like in an automobile or a house. It begins from one cell which begins to develop, grow and shoots off little buds that eventually make up the variegated parts. Similarly, this is an organic and a living unity by creation. So is the church in the spiritual sense)

2. Unity is diversity - the different parts do not function alike but they are all important, needed, interdependent, and all work toward the same end, the purposes for which each member was designed in the function of the body as directed by the head and in accord with the creative purpose of God. Some of the parts are covered, others are within the body and are unseen, but nevertheless, very important. Some gifts are more in the fore front, they are more obvious and others less so, but all are essential to the effective work of the body.

Practical outworking of unity (spend more time on this part)

1.Unity of Calling - The calling is the responsibility to respond to what we have become in Christ. Every believer has been called to be Jesus' disciple and to serve in the body of Christ.

2. Unity of Common life and Source - There is great emphasis of togetherness in this letter. For example: Eph 2:5,6,19,21,22; 3:6; & 4:16. The world today is so full of selfishness only caring about I, me and myself. It no longer upholds the teachings of the importance of togetherness.

3. Unity of purpose - The purpose is maturity in Christ, being conformed to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. The ultimate goal is Christ-likeness, or spiritual maturity according to the standard of Christ. This is the primary goal of the equipping and the unity desired. The more we possess His character and mind, the more we will experience the unity of the Spirit.

Ephesians 4:17-32

In the NKJV, v17 uses the word "therefore" which means that whatever Paul is about to say is based upon what he talked about previously about preserving unity and peace.

v18-19: Unsaved people are alienated from the life of God, because of the blindness of their heart! "Blindness of the heart" is a spiritual disease. Because of this alienation, and blindness to the things of the Lord, the unsaved are usually engulfed in life dominating sins. It is our choice to be disciplined and choose/do right. It is definitely not God's will! 

v20-24: We as Christians have the truth in Jesus Christ and that we put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. We can put off our old self and put on the new self as 2Cor5:17 puts it.

v25: Speak truth to your neighbours! We are now one body of Christ and lying to one another will end up destroying and hurting each other.

v26-27: In your anger, do not sin! Psalms 37:8, Proverbs 16:32. Irritation in the heart of a believer is always an invitation to the devil to stand by.

v28: Stop being a taker but start being a giver. We as Christians should live a selfless life. The scripture also states that we should "carry our own weight"

v29: Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies! Things that flow from a Christian's mouth should build people up, not put them down.

v30: Do not hurt the Lord with your words and action. Our body is a temple of God, the Holy Spirit lives in us, when we sin, we not only give a bad image of ourselves to people but the Holy Spirit in us also gets hurt.

v31: These actions and attitudes might be "natural" and easy, but we should endeavor to keep them under the control of the Holy Spirit. Think twice before doing anything. Do not let your emotions and feelings cloud your judgement!

v32: Forgive just as how God forgave us. Romans 2:1-6 says it all.

Done by: Rayner