A Firm Foundation – Sermon 10

As we saw last week in Ephesians 4, we are to spare no effort to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:3), and we’re never to give up on that pursuit, no matter how difficult or tiring. However, as we affirmed very importantly, that pursuit of unity is grounded in both the knowledge of Christ and the truth of scripture. It is never unity at the expense of truth, but unity in the truth and the knowledge of the Son of God. In order to pursue that life-long goal, effectively and enduringly, we must “be completely humble and gentle” and we must be “be patient, bearing with one another in love” (4:2). But it raises a question, are there limits to the pursuit of unity? And if so, what are they, why, and how should they be applied and lived out? This week we come to the flip side of the coin, as it were. We turn from the Call to Christian Unity, to “The Call To Christian Fidelity”, as we consider the appeal of Jude, to “contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints”. As we’ll see, they are not opposing truths, but different sides of the same truth, and equally essential to the church’s effectiveness and endurance.