Most of us have probably never experienced a time when we’ve lived in such close quarters. And it looks like we’re going to be in this state for a while. A few days in and we probably do just fine. After a week, we might experience moderate cabin fever. But after three weeks, who knows how we’ll be doing!
As we spend more time indoors together, how will we respond? How will we treat one another? Will we allow ourselves to get unnerved by our spouse, our kids, or our siblings? Will we display the love of Christ, one month, two months into this quarantine?
After three chapters of unfolding the glories of the gospel, Paul calls us in Eph 4 to walk as those who know Christ. This walk is our whole lifestyle, from our speech, to our emotions, to our actions (4:25-29). It’s too easy to speak and act harshly toward each other if we’re not careful.
We justify or minimize these sins. But we need to put them all away, and in turn, we’re to be kind and tender-hearted, forgiving each other (4:31-32). In other words, we’re to love one another, especially when we’re together so much and tempted in all sorts of ways in our new context (5:2).
So what will actually empower us to be patient and peaceable? Paul provides three empowerments:
1. Consider that our anger gives the devil an opportunity to tear our closest relationships apart (4:27). He wants nothing more than to have us at each other’s throats (4:27).
2. Consider that our relational sins grieve the indwelling Holy Spirit (4:30). Why would we want to grieve the One who transforms us to be like Christ?
3. Consider the love of Christ in His sacrifice for our sins (4:32; 5:1-2). God forgave all our sins against Him by punishing His Son in our place. And Christ bore His Father’s wrath against our sins because He loved us.
Take all three considerations and lock them in your mind. Let the last one in particular stir up your affections for Christ and the Father. Let His love draw up your defenses against sin and move out toward others in loving words and deeds. And by faith, we will imitate God (5:1) and walk in love just as Christ loved us (5:2). The beloved children will look like their loving Father.
