The text for Sunday morning is Ephesians 4:1-6. What an incredibly rich passage! I thought it of extreme importance to highlight the character qualities that Paul was inspired to communicate in this passage. These qualities are essential for every believer's possession and practice if the church is going to truly and effectively glorify God. MacArthur says these are "five essentials for faithful Christian living." If he is correct the question for us then is this, "Do we possess and employ, these essential character qualities?" If we don't, then we need to assess the reason for the absence of, neglect and/or failure to employ them.
We will begin by examining HUMILITY. This is a compound word that literally means to think or judge with lowliness. It has been described as the foundational Christian virtue; for by it we recognize our need for salvation, admitting the inadequacy of our own abilities, good works, and self-righteousness. Jesus taught a similar concept to humility in Matthew 5, when he said, "Blessed are the poor in Spirit." The problem is that humility is very elusive in our world. The world instead exalts pride and establishes principals that elevate self: self-esteem, self-help, and self-actualization.
In contrast to the world's view, the Scripture teach, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). In Proverbs 15:33 we read, "humility comes before honor;" and in 22:4 the Scripture says, "The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life." James Montgomery Boice summarizes the practice of humility by saying, "It is refusing to insist on our rights and actually putting our neighbor's interests before our own."
Humility is important and quite possibly the foundational Christian character quality because it allows us to see God for who He is and ourselves as we truly are. By it, we are able to identify our need for Christ and His righteousness, because our righteousness is inadequate to provide us just before God. Humility enables us to approach God with appropriate penitence and enables us to be accepted by Him. Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector and concludes (Luke 18:9-14), "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
Having considered humility, Paul then lists GENTLENESS as the next quality a Christian should possess. Gentleness, produced by humility, is described as mild-spirited and self control. It is the opposite of vindictiveness and vengeance. Gentleness is listed in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:5 and is also one of the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. One who exercises gentleness is a person who uses the power of their position, office, or gifts under the influence and control of the Spirit of God.
An examination of most of the godly leaders in Scripture would reveal their practice of gentleness (sometimes even their failure to be gentle and the resulting consequences). David showed gentleness when he refrained from killing King Saul while in the cave of Engedi. Moses confronted Pharoah with gentleness in the Lord's name. He also confronted Israel regarding her rebelliousness and sin. The gentle person is governed by the standard of God's Word and lives as a peacemaker, having the right attitude towards a sinning brother and the unsaved.
The third character quality Paul writes about is PATIENCE. This word is sometimes translated "longsuffering." I read of a pious man who came to his pastor and confessed that he lacked patience. He then asked the pastor to pray that he would gain patience. The pastor responded by immediately praying, "Lord, please send great tribulation into this brother's life."
The man interrupted the pastor trying to clarify any confusion. He said, "I asked for patience, not tribulation." The pastor quickly replied, "I heard what you asked for, but surely you have read Romans 5:3, which says, "suffering produces endurance." If you are going to possess patience you will also experience suffering. I have only prayed that God would give you what is needed for you to recieve your desire."
Patience requires a great dependence upon God and an unwavering commitment to accept his plan for everything. For patience will be gained through trials and suffering. Therefore, patience requires a willingness to endure God's plans without grumbling and complaining and instead one must maintain an attitude of joy in the midst of one's circumstances (James 1:2-4)
There is a fourth Christian character that Paul acknowledges, BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE. MacArthur describes this love as that which "throws a blanket over the sins of others, not to justify or excuse them but to keep the sins from becoming any more than necessary." This forbearing love is the place where the attitudes of humility, gentleness and patience are expressed.
A Chinese believer had a problem with his neighbor who was stealing the water from his retention pond where he watered his rice fields. The believer had to pump water to his property, which was at a higher elevation that his neighbors field. One morning he awoke to find a breach in his wall that allowed the water to flow to his neighbors field. After repairing the breach he then watered his own. However, the wall continued to be breached and his supply limited. He told his fellow believers of the situation, consulting them for wisdom. He said, "I have tried to be patient and not retaliate. Isn't it right for me to confront him" His counsel replied, "If we only try to do the right thing, surely we are very poor Christians, we have to do something more than what is right."
The Christian field owner awoke early the next day and pumped water to the fields of his neighbor and then labored through the afternoon and watered his own. After this the wall was never again breached and the Christian won an audience with the neighbor sharing his reason and motives for his actions. Bearing with one another means employing these qualities to show a way of life that is superior to the world.
There is a final character quality of the Christian that Paul describes, UNITY. Unity is the ultimate outcome of Christian living. This unity is created by the work of the Holy Spirit and fostered by the responsible living of the individual membes of the church. Unity is bound by peace as followers of Christ live with one another. Unity requires an eagerness or zeal on the part of believers to maintain this.
Apathy, and half-hearted pursuit of unity will lead to a visible reduction of unity in the church. Emphasis on matters of less than utmost importance will lead to division, unrest, and disease in the church. When this occurs there is a veil cast over God's glory as should be revealed in the church. Mark Ross said, "We are one of God's chief peices of evidence . . . Paul's great concern for the church is that the church manifest and display the glory of God, thus vindicating God's character against all the splendor of demonic realms, the slander that God is not worth living for . . . God has entrusted to His church the glory of His own name."
My dear friend, if you are reading this post, I pray that your life be lived in a manner that expresses the glory of God by self-examination and self-awareness tleading to repentance and great reliance upon the work of the Holy Spirit, that your life be an exhibit of these Christian characeristics. When it is your investment, involvement, and engagement in the church will bring glory to God.
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