Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary
Ephesians 4:1-16, the 2nd NT Reading for today, opens the paraenetic chapters (4-6) of this epistle. These verses presuppose the Christocentric theological panorama unfurled in chs 1-3. The writer’s addressees are the hard-pressed, mixed Jewish / Gentile congregations of Asia Minor. The very fact of fellowship between these distinct groups under one roof and around one table would have been scandalous to onlookers. One can imagine these congregations leaning in, hearing Ephesians 2:1-22 read aloud. There, the writer (very likely a close associate of Paul, not Paul himself) declares that the risen Christ has torn down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, forging “one new humanity.” Now, in ch 4, the author envisions the Christian congregation as an expression of this new humanity. Unity arises not from soci0-cultural homogeneity, typical of churches around the globe today, but from embracing the “unity of the Spirit” (v 3) through forbearing, selfless love (v 2). More verb than noun, the church is not a static edifice, but an organic community that matures “into” Christ, its source and head (4:15-16), as the leaders whom Christ gives (vv 11-12)* foster practices of inclusion.
The churches of Asia Minor found it no easier than we do to avoid fragmenting internally into subgroups—Gentile/Jew, rich/poor, high-status/low-status. A preacher might sketch the typical “mixed” Jewish/Gentile congregation of late first-century Asia Minor before moving on to some frank reflection upon similar divides in our own congregations. How is the Spirit leading us to embrace practices that honor our diversities, allow them to be strengths, not obstacles.
As a visiting instructor in a southern city, I attended a church created when a predominantly black church and a predominantly white one merged. Their worship honored both traditions. They sang stately hymns and clapped rhythmically with spirituals. Formal liturgy ran alongside spontaneous prayer and testimony from the pews. Worship lasted nearly two hours. Impressed, I remarked to a grey-haired “matriarch” that everyone seemed remarkably comfortable with this mélange of traditions. “Comfortable!??” she hooted. “Who’s comfortable?! I doubt anyone’s completely comfortable here. But comfort isn’t the point. This is how we need to worship so our neighbors—any and all of our neighbors—can see this as a trustworthy place to ask for help.” Selfless embrace of difference in this congregation supported its mission to persons in need. All were welcome.
The seven “one-nesses” of vv 4-6—one body, Spirit and hope; one Lord, faith, and baptism; one God who is above, through, and in all—may reflect an early baptismal creed. For the Ephesians writer, these are “givens,” not aspirational goals; divine gifts, not human achievements. Yet, historically, differences of conviction about how to practice God’s gift of baptism or articulate our “one faith” have splintered congregations again and again. “Every [shifting] wind of doctrine” (v 14) has become an occasion for some to walk out the sanctuary doors in righteous anger in order to huddle defensively with the like-minded. The “unity of the Spirit” seems to elude us. Have we underestimated the power of Spirit-inspired practices of humility, patience, and loving, mutual forbearance? Perhaps.
The risen Christ has already made of us one counter-cultural, counter-intuitive “new humanity.” Millennia later, we still struggle to inhabit this God-given reality. Yet the unifying Spirit still leads us. One day, through patient forbearance, we may yet discover the infinite wideness of God’s embrace.
* The underlying Greek text speaks of people (ministers, prophets, preachers, etc.), not “offices” of leadership. See Andrew Lincoln, World Biblical Commentary (Dallas, TX: World Books, 1990). 249-50.
Insights into Biblical Greek Grammar and Syntax 