Diversity for the Sake of Unity
AS THE CHURCH, WE ARE ONE. BUT WE ARE NOT THE SAME.
There is blessed unity but not boring uniformity among us. Because the way the Risen Christ has purposed to maintain, strengthen, and protect our unity is through our diversity. Ephesians 4:7-16 teaches us that all the different, varied, and numerous gifts of grace that we’ve been given serve the singular goal of helping our church grow toward maturity. Each of us has received a gift so that ALL of us can play our part in the growth of the church (v.7). These gifts have come to us as the spoils of victory that Jesus won through everything that took place from his death upon the cross to his ascension into heaven. In what might strike us as an unexpected detour in this passage, Paul draws our attention to the nature and wonder of Christ's victory in vv.8-10, so that we'd be assured of Christ's unstoppable purposes for his people in vv.11-16.