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I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,
Verse 1. Here begins the second part of this epistle, in which he exhorts them to the practice of Christian virtues. Witham.
with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling,
Verse 4. In one hope of your vocation. The three great reasons that we have to love one another are contained in this verse, because we have but one body, of which Christ is the head. We are all animated by the same spirit, that is the Holy Ghost, who is given to us all, and we all live in the same hope of eternal happiness. Calmet.
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Verse 5. This contains some more reasons why Christians should love one another. We are all the servants of the same God, believe the same mysteries, and receive the same sacraments, whoever may be the dispenser of them.—One faith. As rebellion is the bane of commonwealths and kingdoms, and peace and concord the preservation of the same; so is schism, and diversity of faith or fellowship in the service of God, the calamity of the Church: and peace, unity, and uniformity, the special blessing of God therein. S. Cyprian, in his book on the unity of the Church, writeth thus: “One Church, for one is my dove. This unity of the Church, he that holdeth not, doth he think he holdeth the faith? He that withstandeth or resisteth the Church, he that resisteth Peter’s chair, upon which the Church was built, doth he trust that he is in the Church?” And again, Ep. xl. “There is one God, and one Christ, and one Church, and one chair, by our Lord’s voice founded upon Peter. To set up another altar, or to constitute another priesthood, besides the one altar and the one priesthood, is impossible. Whosever gathereth elsewhere scattereth. It is adulterous, it is impious, it is sacrilegious, whatsoever is instituted by man to the breach of God’s disposition. Get ye far from such men: they are blind, and leaders of the blind.” S. Hilary also applies this text against the Arians thus: “Perilous and miserable it is that there are now among them as many faiths as wills, and as many doctrines as manners; whilst modes of faith are written as men will, or as they will, so are understood. Whereas the one truth teaches there is but one God, one Lord, one baptism, and also one faith: hence whilst more faiths are made, they begin by falling from that which is the only faith, and end in having no faith at all.” S. Hilary, l. ad Constantium Augustum.
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in us all.
But to each one of us, the grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Verse 7. To every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. That is, as it hath pleased Christ to bestow his free gifts upon us; to shew, says Saint John Chrysostom that it was not according to any merit of ours. The words also shew that Christ is the giver and author of graces, and consequently the true God. Witham.—We must endeavour by all means in our power to preserve this unity, especially by avoiding jealousy, or being envious of the graces which have been given to our neighour; considering that they all proceed from the same God, who divides to each one as he pleaseth. Tirinus.