“CHRISTLIKENESS FOR REAL”

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:32

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” 

God designed the Church to resemble the community of beings in heaven. Every member of the congregation is to live in such a manner that when unbelievers see us, they will have an idea of what heaven looks like. No, it’s not about the architectural design of the building or the ethereality of our musical experience, but how we treat one another with genuine love and concern.

This last verse of Ephesians 4 is an encouragement from the Apostle Paul as he lists three positive commands.

First, he tells them to demonstrate kindness. The Greek “chrestoi” is the original word, which means “what is suitable or fitting to a need.” The word doesn’t only mean being helpful, but being kind at heart that enables one to address the needs of fellow believers. Kindness is a manifestation of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, who gives us the strength to be gracious to others.

Second, Paul instructs them to be tenderhearted or be compassionate. The word comes from the Greek “eusplanchnoi,” which refers to “inner emotions of affections” or “to have mercy, to feel sympathy and to have pity.” The Bible presents God as compassionate (Psalm 86:15; Lamentations 3:22-23) and Jesus demonstrated the same attribute (John 11:33-35). Being members of God’s family, we are to show compassion as He is compassionate. In practical terms, it can be applied by addressing the needs of others if it is in our power to help (1 John 3:17).

Last, the Apostle charges the Ephesians to forgive one another. The idea goes beyond mere forgiving and forgetting. Christians are to be willing to forgive as we are saved on the basis of forgiveness. The Lord Jesus gave us a warning about failure to forgive despite being recipients of forgiveness ourselves (Matthew 18:21-35) and rendering church discipline for the purpose of restoring relationships between church members (Matthew 18:15-20).

Our faith is meant to be accompanied by love for God and others. James reminds us that if our faith produces no good works, it is dead. Therefore, we are to demonstrate genuine love by showing kindness to our brothers and sisters, being compassionate and addressing their needs, and being always willing to forgive. After all, we are God’s children not only here on earth but also in heaven. Christlikeness isn’t just a word, it’s for real.

Pursue the Saviour today!