1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live
a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be
completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make
every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There
is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were
called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one
God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:1-5
We are a family
of humanity and we should be at peace with other races, nationalities,
ethnicities, and languages. The Bible says we are to be, as far as possible, at
peace with all others, even other religions and lack of religion.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with
everyone. Romans 12:18
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to
mutual edification. Romans 14:19
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy;
without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14
We should be at
peace with people of different lifestyles, preferences, and orientations. Some
of the strongest Christian witnesses I know of are testimonies of the Amish or
the African American church members of faith who forgave and showed the love of
God to those who actually murdered innocent family members. That is
supernatural love and Christ-like forgiveness.
Obviously, being
at peace and demonstrating love to others, “while they are still sinners”
(Romans 5:8) is not condoning or accepting their sinful lifestyles or deviant
behaviors, but it is extending to others the forgiveness and love that Christ
showed and gave to us. Read Romans 5:6-8
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still
powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone
die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly
dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Once a person
has received the indwelling Christ, God’s redeeming and convicting Holy Spirit can
give dunamas power and authority to
become and live like a child of God. John 1:12-13 says, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he
gave the right to become children of God--children born, not of natural
descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
Since Christ
loved us when we were sinners, how much more should we live in love and harmony
with our fellow believers who are saved. There are people in the world who are
not believers that I have to ask God to help me to love. It is not in my
nature, but in my nature there is sin. Now that I am a Christian, I have a new
nature. The old nature has passed away. Read how the New Living Translation
conveys the “new normal” of a born-again believer.
5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires
were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a
harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6 But now we have been
released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its
power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the
law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Romans 7:5-6, NLT)
21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the
truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and
your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on
your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. (Ephesians 4:21-24, NLT)
5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within
you… 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of
this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage,
malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each
other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked
deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to
know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it
doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised,
barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives
in all of us. (Colossians 3:5,7-11,
NLT)
Are you truly a
follower of Christ? Then extend love and peace to those who are also members of
the family of God and who also seek to follow the Son. I know I do not follow
Christ at all times and in every way. But knowing that others still love me and
forgive me will help me stay on the path and return to it when I stray.
