“Walking Like Christ in Unity”
Sermon Title: Walking Like Christ in Unity
Scripture: Ephesians 3:20-22; 4:1-6 ESV
Introduction
Ephesians can be divided into three sections: to sit with Christ, walk like Christ, and stand for Christ. This structure helps us understand spiritual growth, starting with our relationship with God and leading to serving others.
In my last sermon, I emphasized that a Christian must first be seated with Christ before they can walk or stand for Him. Being seated with Christ means, through His grace, we are given a position of honor and authority in heaven—not by our works, but by His. This gives us identity, stability, and confidence in God's Kingdom.
When seated with Christ, we stop striving for worldly acceptance and security. We rest in the assurance that we belong to Him, which becomes the foundation for walking like Christ in unity.
Seated Together
One essential truth we must understand about being seated with Christ is that we don't sit alone. We are seated together with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul highlights this in Ephesians 2:5-6, where he writes, “even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Paul uses plural language to emphasize that our seated position is not just an individual experience but a communal one.
However, many Christians, particularly in North America, view being seated with Christ as a personal matter, something just between them and Jesus. They think, "I don't need the church; I don't need the community; all I need is Jesus." But this perspective is wrong. While our relationship with Christ is deeply personal, it is never private. Being seated with Christ is a communal experience, more like sitting at a round table with others. We are joined together with Christ and one another, and we don't get to choose who sits next to us. Whoever is seated with Christ is seated with us, and we can't exclude them based on our preferences.
This can be challenging because, in the Kingdom of God, we don’t control who sits at the table with us. Yet, we are all joined together in Christ, even if we aren’t always comfortable with it. Just like the "Get Along T-shirt" parents use to force their kids to stay close when they fight, Christ is like that shirt, holding us together even when we don’t always like the person next to us.
Paul explains this concept further in Ephesians 3, where he reveals a mystery that had been hidden for ages: Jews and Gentiles are now one family in Christ. This was shocking to people in Paul’s time. Today, we might not grasp the weight of it, but it would have been as surprising as saying Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are now on the same team, or that rival hockey teams like the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens are now united. The idea was utterly unthinkable to them.
In Ephesians 3:20-21, Paul writes, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Many people quote this verse in personal situations when they need encouragement, but Paul is speaking about the power of God to unite people who would normally be divided. The "immeasurably more" that God does is not just about personal blessings; it is about His power to join people from different backgrounds and make them one family in Christ. This is the true miracle beyond what we can ask or imagine.
This is good news for us because we all have strained or broken relationships. We may wonder if God can heal our relationships, marriages, or friendships. Paul tells us that God can indeed restore relationships through His abundant power, just as He united Jews and Gentiles. This is the staggering mystery of God's reconciling work.
As Paul moves into Ephesians 4, he begins to talk about what this unity means for how we live. Up until this point, Paul has written about what God has done for us, but now he emphasizes how we must respond. He urges us to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called" (Ephesians 4:1). The Ephesian church had a status with God, but their lives did not reflect that reality. Their walking did not match their sitting.
This is a problem we see even today. Many Christians fail to live lives that align with the calling they have received. Gandhi famously said, "I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." This disconnect between our faith and our actions is something Paul addresses. It is not enough to be seated with Christ; we must also walk like Him. Our walking must be consistent with our sitting.
The Calling
The key question here is: What specific way does God want us to live? Paul answers by urging us to "live a life worthy of the call you received" (Ephesians 4:1). Initially, I thought of this call as an individual matter: live as a worthy pastor, Christian, or faithful worker. But Paul’s message isn’t just about personal calling. Rather, he emphasizes a communal calling: being a unified community of believers.
In Ephesians 2, Paul explains the call: we are called to be one new humanity and one new body. "For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility" (Ephesians 2:14). We are also called to be one new temple: "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19).
Our calling, therefore, is not just an individualistic walk but a communal life of unity. The way we relate to and love each other, even those we disagree with, demonstrates the Kingdom of God. Unity is the primary goal, and the way we live out this unity in our interactions is essential to our calling.
Paul becomes specific in Ephesians 4:2-3, explaining how we should live in unity: "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Unity is the key word here.
However, Christians today aren’t known for their unity. We are fragmented across thousands of denominations. Whether it’s Protestants vs. Catholics or conservative evangelicals vs. Pentecostals, we divide over even the smallest differences. A joke illustrates this tendency: a man on a bridge identifies as a Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912, only to be pushed off by another for being a "heretic."
Paul’s message to the Ephesians is countercultural. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, God is putting the world back together—heaven and earth, Jews and Gentiles, God and humanity. "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call" (Ephesians 4:4-6). Unity already exists in the Spirit, and we are not responsible for creating it. God has done that. Our job is to preserve it.
But often, we confuse unity with uniformity. We think, “If you believe, think, and act like me, then we can be united.” This is not the unity Paul speaks of; it’s conditional uniformity. Christian author Christena Cleveland wrote, "As I walked with Jesus, somehow my 'growth' had been coupled with increasingly stronger opinions about the 'right' way to be a follower." This mindset isn’t Christlike. True unity is not based on our preferences but on our shared identity in Christ, which is grounded in our baptism. In baptism, we die to ourselves and become a new creation in Christ, joined with all other believers.
Living out this unity is difficult. It requires embracing diversity and being willing to engage with those we might not naturally get along with. But this is precisely the new normal God is calling us to, as reflected in heaven where all nations will be united in perfect peace. Until Christ returns, preserving unity amidst our differences is challenging and requires extra effort.
Paul provides practical guidance on how to preserve this unity:
Humility – Unity is built on humility, which means having an accurate view of ourselves. We are all broken people, in need of grace and learning. Pride, on the other hand, fuels division. In any context, whether marriage, friendships, or church, humility is key to maintaining unity.
Gentleness – If humility is about seeing ourselves accurately, gentleness is about seeing others correctly. People are fragile, and we must handle them with care, especially in conflict. Instead of reacting harshly, gentleness involves seeking to understand why someone might be acting out. Paul encourages us to look beyond the hard exterior and find the fragility inside.
Patience – Patience recognizes that none of us have arrived; we are all works in progress. Patience means allowing others the time to grow without imposing our own expectations on them. We trust that God is working in their lives according to His timing. God loves us as we are, not as we should be, and calls us to love others with that same patient love.
Preserving the unity that the Spirit has already created involves humility, gentleness, and patience. This is how God loves us, and it is how we are called to love each other.
Reflection and Response
Brothers and sisters, as we reflect on today’s message, let’s remember that being seated with Christ calls us to a higher standard of living. It’s not enough to simply hold a position of status, significance, and stability in Christ; we must let this truth shape the way we walk and engage with one another. Our walk together should reflect the unity that God has already created among us through the Spirit, and we are called to preserve that unity with humility, gentleness, and patience. • How does your relationship with others reflect the unity that God has already established in Christ? Are there people you find difficult to connect with or show grace to? • Where do you struggle with humility, gentleness, or patience? How might God be calling you to grow in these areas as a way of preserving the unity of the Spirit? • Are there any relationships in your life that are strained or broken? How might God be inviting you to pursue reconciliation, trusting that He can do far more abundantly than we ask or imagine? My brothers and sisters, when we allow our seated position with Christ to transform how we live and relate to others, we begin to grow in our spirituality, deepening our relationship with God and one another. This is how we live a life worthy of our calling—by letting the gospel reshape our hearts, renew our minds, and guide our interactions. So, at this time, let’s take a moment to respond in our personal prayers as we commit to walking in a manner worthy of our calling, striving for unity, and seeking to embody the character of Christ as we grow together in faith, love, and spiritual maturity.