'Therefore you' binds the first half of Ephesians (our beliefs) with the second half (our behaviour). We must never study theology without acting on it, and vice versa. Just theory alone will give us spiritual indigestion, and just ethics alone will result in legalism. You became a Christian when you heard the voice of God calling you by name. That's the Lazarus experience. For us Christians, there's only one calling. In the Bible there is only one call. We are called to serve the LORD, no matter what profession we are in. For those who follow Jesus Christ, there is something more important for us in life – 'therefore'. Our whole moral, social and ethical life are determined by who we belong to. What is Paul's first priority for us? One: Be eager (i.e. work hard) to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We all have faults, the only way we can share unity is to do what Jesus does. Two: 'with humility and gentleness' – don't let pride get in the way. In our culture, we mistake lowliness and meekness for weakness, but meekness doesn't mean having weak conviction. We are meant to bear with each other. That assumes we are in regular contact with others, bearing each others' burden. This is church belonging 101.

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