with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, (ESV)

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (NIV)

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. (NLT)

Dive Deeper:

I hope I never get used to or bored by the truths of Ephesians 1-3. The fact that God chose us before the beginning of time (Eph 1:4) and that He redeemed us through His blood (Eph 1:7) ought to change everything about the way we live. And He did this all by grace through faith, not because of anything we’ve done (Eph 2:8-9).

In Ephesians 4, Paul helps us live a life of joyful obedience as children of God in light of the truths he shares in Ephesians 1-3. Specifically, in Ephesians 4:2, Paul makes the application crystal clear as he charges us to walk with all humility and gentleness, with patience, as we bear with one another in love.

Be completely humble and gentle.

When we live with humility, we see ourselves through the correct lens. We don’t over-inflate ourselves, while at the same time, we don’t underestimate our value and worth. We can easily err on either side of this spectrum by thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought (Phil 2:3-4), or by forgetting we’re of infinite value and worth, made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:27).

I know what it’s like to live with false humility. Recently, someone complimented me on something I did at work, and I got some encouragement from it in front of our entire staff. While the behavior itself was a praiseworthy deed, the motive behind it was all wrong. While I appeared to be outwardly humble, on the inside, I excelled at displaying false humility.. While I appeared to be outwardly humble, on the inside, I excelled at displaying false humility. In Ephesians 4:2, Paul challenges us to be completely humble. This means the Lord gets the credit and praise, not you or me. 

At the same time, Paul encourages the reader to be gentle. Jesus perfectly displayed what it means to be gentle and lowly (MT 11:28-30). We’re to walk gently in the truth of the gospel.

Be patient.

A life fully surrendered to the truths of the Gospel is marked by patience. When we’re patient, we display a deep trust in God and in His design and plan. But wow – this is hard! We lose patience with our kids, spouse, neighbors, our favorite teams, and so much more.

We can struggle with patience in our commute, as we wait for others to respond to our texts, or waiting for a spouse or child to get ready to get to our next appointment. Opportunities abound for a lack of patience. Thankfully, the Lord is patient with us, not wanting any of us to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He’s slow to anger and abounding in love (PS 103:8). When we walk wisely, we demonstrate patience with others.

Bear with one other in love.

Finally, in Ephesians 4:2, Paul instructs us to bear with one another in love. When we bear something, we endure an unpleasant or difficult experience or circumstance. We don’t brush it off or try to move on too quickly. We walk alongside others in the mess and muck of life. For instance, when a couple says “I do” to each other, they agree to bear with one another until death do them part. A loving parent chooses to bear with a toddler when they throw a temper tantrum or throw their milk on the ground. Those early parenting years are not always fun, but we bear with a disobedient child in love.

And we don’t do this begrudgingly but with a posture of love. A life impacted by the gospel doesn’t merely tolerate others, but rather sacrificially and selflessly walks through life with others. As followers of Jesus, we get the opportunity to bear one another’s burdens in love.

We can be gentle, humble, patient, and loving because of the calling we have received.

 Written by Scott Kedersha

Challenge:

 Are you marked by complete humility and gentleness?

Is your life marked by patience? 

Do you bear the burdens of others, all with an attitude of selfless love?

If you’re unsure, ask your spouse, kids, or closest friends.

As you wrestle through these commands from Paul (be humble, be gentle, be patient, bear with one another in love), where are you most encouraged? Where are you most challenged? Pray the Lord would help you be humble, gentle, patient, and loving as you walk alongside others.