Bearing with One Another

Do you ever feel that in your local church, you are fine, but it is other people who have… problems? Yes, in our head, we know that we are all sinners and we recognize the baggage that comes with that condition as it is laid out in Romans 3:23. Because of our sin and the blind spots that come with it, however, it is easy for our hearts to deceive us and make us wonder if we really have to put up with [insert name of annoying man, woman, or couple here]. In his letter to the Church in Ephesus, Paul seems to address this quandary, devoting part of Ephesians as a clarion call, its thesis statement being found in Ephesians 4:2 – “with all humility and gentleness, bearing with one another in love…” But let us put “bearing with one another” in the context of Ephesians 4:1-16 and how it benefits not just the individual, but the local church we are part of. Right below is a link to the passage courtesy of Blue Letter Bible to read alongside this post.


https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/eph/4/1/s_1101001https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/eph/4/1/s_1101001



It brings unity (Ephesians 4:1-3)

The word, humility, was a word rarely used in the Greek language and culture often because it rubbed against the culture of the time. Still, Paul uses that word along with gentleness, which does not equal weakness, an issue I have seen many – particularly men – in the Church struggle with to this day. We do this with patience, realizing that no one is without spiritual blemishes and we are all works in progress by God’s saving grace. This should encourage us and spur us on to unity in our local church, glorifying and pointing to the power of the Spirit of God and the work He is doing in us.



We remember God’s all-encompassing grace (Ephesians 4:4-10)

This applies to everybody who believes! As Paul writes in Ephesians, this Good News is not just for Jews who believed first, but for everybody! Jesus, fully God, came down to Earth fully man, lived a perfect and sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose on the third day, conquering a spiritual and – yes – a literal death. This is the Truth and there is no other way to peace with God but through Jesus as Jesus Himself lays out as a gauntlet in John 14:6. If you repent of your sins and acknowledge this, you are saved and it is enough! It is finished for everyone who believes and calls upon Jesus as Savior. All of us, warts and all, are bonded by this Truth that Paul emphasizes in Verses 4-10. Simply put, how can we not – by Gods grace – strive to bear with one another? This goes doubly when you realize our own fallen state and God’s amazing grace to us as individuals, much less as a collective body. Amazing grace, indeed!


All flourish to the glory of God (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Anyone saved is a minister of the gospel, a teller of the Good News and all it entails to one extent or another. We talk about it, we live it out, and some of us feel called to the extent that our ministry becomes our vocation, our full-time work. But whether it is our vocation or not, as ministers of the gospel, we can disciple one another in growth and maturity, all of which brings glory and joy to God. Brothers and sisters, I strongly believe God delights so much in not just our salvation, but our journey and growth as those who believe. If God delights in this to a level that we cannot even begin to fathom, how much should we delight in it, not just for ourselves, but for other believers as well? Our true spiritual joy should be more than just a two-hour church gathering on Sunday or a mid-week Bible study.


Embrace growth that comes with our walk with Jesus (Ephesians 4:14-16)

With maturity that comes with growing in the saving grace of God, we embrace the gospel truths and all it entails, not false or feel-good doctrine. We are able to speak truth in love to our fellow believer so we all may grow as one body in Christ, not to shame or wag the finger, but to reach out to others and ask, “May I walk with you?” We bear each other’s burdens so we can all grow and even when we fall (which we will), we can stand up, dust ourselves off, and keep on walking.

So! Let us strive for unity whilst remembering God’s saving grace is enough. In response, may we flourish to the glory of God and embrace the growth that comes as Christians. Most importantly, let us do all of this “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love…”

Grace and peace.

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