I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ephesians 4-6.

    Paul discusses the importance of unity in the Church. There is only one Spirit, one Father, one faith, and one baptism. He calls for the Church to be united in the Spirit. However, this is not unity for the sake of unity. This is unity in Christ, unity in faith. As we grow into this unity we will not be tossed about by new teachings. God has given different gifts to different people in the Church in the service of obtaining that unity. Whatever gifts God has given us (spiritual or otherwise) were given to us to equip our fellow believers to do God’s work in building the Church. They were given to us so that we can build others up.

    In many ways the rest of the passage is about how to not be tossed around by every new belief. Or, to put it another way, it explains how to recognize beliefs which are consistent with the Good News taught by Paul and the other Apostles from the new beliefs we should stay away from. We are to throw off the life of lust and deception. We need to get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander. Instead, we are to be kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving. Every time I read this passage I realize how much further I have to go to live my life as Christ desires.
    Paul tells us, “Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you.”
    And I go, “OK, I am tempted on those, but with God’s help I should be able to overcome.”
    Then he says, “Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you.”
    And I think, “Oh, that’s much harder, some of those stories and jokes are funny. I don’t want to be a prude.”
    However, as I have gotten older I have realized that I have a lot of respect for those people who behave as Paul instructs. The key difference between the people I respect and the “prudes” is that the people I respect do not talk that way, but never do anything to imply that they look down on those who do. That is what Paul is calling us to be like. Then he swings back around to recognizing false beliefs. They are those things taught by those who justify the above behavior.

    Yes, I desire to do what is good and right and true so that those around me may be inspired by my life. Not so that they admire me, but so that they glorify God. I am striving to be a person who lives a godly life without being a person who sinners, those who know that they sin and have no desire to change, are comfortable being around (I hope to inspire them to realize that one does not have to be boring to avoid sin). There is so much more in this passage, but I have run out of time.