You asked

what practical steps can we take to embody this 'oneness' in our own diverse communities today?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Ephesians 4:1-3

“I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love; being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

The Apostle Paul, writing from prison, addresses Christians in Ephesus and the surrounding regions. He has spent the first three chapters laying out a grand theological vision of God's plan to unite all things in Christ, and now he shifts to the practical implications of that vision for daily life within the Christian community.

What might it look like to prioritize the 'bond of peace' over personal preference in a community you belong to?

Then — the setting

Paul likely wrote this letter in the early 60s CE, probably from house arrest in Rome. The recipients were diverse congregations in the Roman province of Asia (modern-day Turkey), centered in Ephesus. These communities were made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers, who brought with them different cultural backgrounds, traditions, and understandings of God. The challenge was to forge a new identity and unity in Christ while respecting, and sometimes navigating, these significant differences.

Across the Testaments

This passage is in the New Testament and builds on Old Testament themes of community and covenant. While the Old Testament often emphasized the unity of the people of Israel through their shared ancestry, covenant with God, and adherence to the Law, the New Testament, particularly in Paul's letters, expands this concept of 'oneness' to include all peoples—Jew and Gentile—united not by ethnic identity or Mosaic law, but by their shared faith in Christ and the indwelling Spirit. The 'Spirit' here, central to Paul's concept of unity, points to the new covenant prophesied in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, where God's law would be written on hearts.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Colossians 3:12-14
Encourages virtues like compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience as foundations for love and unity.
Philippians 2:1-4
Calls for unity by having the same mind, love, and humility, considering others better than oneself.

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