I. Introduction
A. Analogy to the human body
B. A Review of Eph 4:1-2
C. Ephesians 4:2-3 – outline of the sermon
II. Bearing with one another in love
A. The prerequisite – patience (Rom 2:4 1 Thess 5:14)
B. Forbearance
1. Seeing others as ‘works in progress’
2. God sees the finished product (Rom 8:30)
C. “Love the church, warts and all” (Brian Bjorgman)
1. Not what Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls a “wish-dream”
2. Neither is Biblical separation guarantee
3. 2 Cor 4:7 – the key to loving others rather than a “wish-dream”
4. 1 Cor 12:15-25 – look at someone different than you as an opportunity to love and display unity.
D. The Rule of the church: Unity, Diversity, Harmony
E. Application to the –
1. universal church: do not divide on secondary matters
2. local church:
a. seek harmony in relationships
b. don’t be afraid to confront sin
c. pray for one another
d. God is most glorified when sinners love one another
F. Sanctification is a group project
III. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace
A. It is a unity … of the Spirit
1. intended by God and accomplished through Christ (Ep 1:9-10)
2. it is indestructible (Eph 4:4-6)
B. How is it then that God would ask us to maintain what He has begun?
1. The ‘already’ and the ‘not yet’
2. faith in invisible realities vs. action in visible practice
C. Endeavor: an urgent, passionate effort of your entire being
D. The sphere of Christian unity “in the bond of peace”
E. Let us make unity more than merely a statement of good intentions
