Ephesians urges maintaining “the unity of the Spirit” and then lists shared realities: “one body… one Spirit… one hope… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” The list functions as the stated basis for unity. See Ephesians 4:3–6.
In Ephesians 4:1–6 Paul urges the readers to live in a way that fits the calling they have received. He names the kind of posture that protects life together: humility, patience, and loving endurance with each other. The goal is active effort to maintain Spirit-given unity through peace. This passage marks a turning point in the letter’s flow.
Paul shifts from explaining God’s work to urging a way of life that “fits” the calling the readers have received (verse 1). His appeal is framed by his own status as “the prisoner in the Lord,” adding personal weight without using social power. The passage’s center is relational unity.
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with Ephesians 4:3-6, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
3being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling;
5one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.