So far Paul's letter could be summarises as :
- Declaring what God has done for us in Christ
- Unity between all believers, especially Jews and Gentiles
- Praying that our spiritual eyes will be opened to realise what He has done
Now Paul turns to what our response should be. Although the gospel is about God taking the initiative, and about everything being achieved in Christ, it also demands a response from us. Every part of the gospels, and every letter in the New Testament includes demands and instructions about our lives. The fact that we are saved by grace through faith in no way means that we have nothing to do, nor that it doesn't matter how we live. Quite the opposite!
We are to live a life worthy of the calling that God has placed on us. We have a marvellous calling, it is absolutely amazing what God has done, but our first response to this is humility. This means having due regard for others. We are not full of ourselves, but full of Christ, considering everyone else to be of great value.
There should also be great patience and gentleness. We were saved by grace, Jesus went to die on the cross when we did not deserve anything good from God. So when we see others who are failing to respond to God we should first of all be patient. And in the church we must bear with one another, this gives space for God's grace to work.
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