Ephesians 4:2
What does Ephesians 4:2 mean?
with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love;
The short answer
Ephesians 4:2 reads: "with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love." It is not a complete sentence on its own—it describes how Christians are meant to live out the calling Paul names in the previous verse. These are not abstract virtues to admire from a distance; they are the daily habits that make it possible for very different people to stay together in one community.
The word often translated "meekness" or "gentleness" here is the Greek praotes, and it is easy to misread. In English, meekness can sound like timidity—being a doormat. The scholar William Barclay shows it means nearly the opposite. In the New Testament, he explains, the word carries three ideas: submission to God's will, a teachable spirit that is not too proud to learn, and consideration for other people. He also points out that the related adjective was used of a tamed animal—a creature of real power brought under control. Meekness, in other words, is strength with a hand on the reins. Aristotle, Barclay notes, saw this quality as the balance point between too much anger and too little: anger at the right time, never at the wrong one.
"Bearing with one another in love" is just as practical. Paul assumes church members will sometimes irritate, disappoint, and wound each other. Bearing with people does not mean ignoring what goes wrong. As Earl Johnson observes, it is always better to face a problem directly than to pretend it isn't there—Ephesians 4:1–3 is advice for real conflict, not a wish for a conflict-free church. Humility, patience, and gentle strength are the tools that let a community name its problems honestly and stay in relationship while working them out.
What scholars say
Barclay answers the question of what Paul's "meekness" actually means in Greek—tracing it from submission to God and teachability to the image of a tamed animal, strength under control. Johnson then places Ephesians 4:1–3 in the practical work of handling conflict, arguing it is better to deal with problems directly than to pretend they do not exist.
“In the New Testament, it has three main meanings. (1) It means being submissive to the will of God (Matthew 5:5, 11:29, 21:5). (2) It means being teachable, being not too proud to learn (James 1:21). (3) Most often of all, it means being considerate (1 Corinthians 4:21; 2 Corinthians 10:1; Ephesians 4:2). Aristotle defined praotes as the mid-point between excessive anger and excessive angerlessness, the quality of the person who is always angry at the right time and never at the wrong time. What throws most light on its meaning is that the adjective praus is used of an animal that has been tamed and brought under control; and so the word speaks of that self-control which Christ alone can give.”
“It is always better to deal directly with a problem, rather than hoping it will go away or pretending it does not exist. The church heard similar advice in Ephesians 4:1–3, where the author admonishes church members “to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” In Romans 12:16–18, Paul urges members not to repay evil for evil, and “if it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” As Jesus says, the effort to deal with conflict “one-on-one” has a positive effect: “If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.”
What it means for you
This verse asks a searching question: when someone frustrates you, what does your strength do? Praotes is not the absence of feeling but feeling under control—the capacity to be angry at injustice without being angry at inconvenience, to hold your ground without flattening the person in front of you. Practically, that might mean raising a hard issue with a family member or fellow church member face to face, rather than venting to others or quietly withdrawing. Bearing with people in love is not avoidance; it is patient, honest engagement. Humility keeps you teachable in the conversation. Patience keeps you in it long enough for something good to happen.
Ephesians 4 in context
Ephesians 4 marks a turn in the letter. Chapters 1–3 lay out what God has done in Christ—grace, reconciliation, one new humanity. Chapter 4 begins the response: "walk worthily of the calling" (4:1). Verse 2 lists the character that walk requires, and verse 3 names the goal—keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Paul then grounds that unity in one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism (4:4–6), before describing the gifts Christ gives to build up the church.