Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one
body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to
your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one
God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
As
we saw last week, the believers who made up the body of Christ in Ephesus have
been encouraged to be humble and gentle. There should be an atmosphere in every
Christian fellowship of patiently tolerating one another in love. There should
always be an eagerness for maintaining unity. During His ministry on earth,
Jesus set a goal of one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16). Jesus prayed that
believers would become perfectly one so that the world may know that He sent us
(John 17:23). In fact, Jesus commanded His disciples “that you love one
another: just as I have loved you…” (John 13:34).
Paul
understood all of these things when he called for unity in the church. He knew
that there already exists an actual spiritual unity in Christ among genuine
believers. He knew that there are many members of the body of Christ but they
are all one body (1 Corinthians 10:17; 12:12-26). Instead of looking forward to
what might be in the future Paul and the other apostles looked back to the time
when Jesus walked on the earth and prayed for them — and us! Paul knew that…
There is a solid reason for
unity in the body. Let’s look at a part of Jesus’ high priestly
prayer John 17:20-23. “I do not ask for these
only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that
they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they
also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The
glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as
we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become
perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even
as you loved me.”
When
I was in college, studying for the ministry, a friend of mine told me about an
experience that he had with an elderly man in his congregation. His elderly
church member could no longer see and therefore needed someone to read to him
from time to time. My friend asked this parishioner if there was a particular
scripture that he wanted him to read while he visited with him. The old
gentleman said, “Read where Jesus said He prayed for me.” My friend was at a
loss since he could not remember Jesus being specific in any of his prayers
concerning the elderly man in front of him. He asked for more information and
was guided to John 17:20. Then he realized that his older friend was asking him
to read the words of Jesus, “I do not
ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their
word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you,
that they also may be in us, so the world may believe that you have sent me.”
The
Apostle was on good ground when he asked the church in Ephesus to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace. Since there is a solid unity existing within the Father, Son
and the Holy Spirit it is logical to assume that the people in whom the Spirit
dwells would have a sense of unity.
At
the same time we need to remember that our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour
(1 Peter 5:8).
Following
that commendation to unity we are given a list of unifying factors beginning
with…
There is one Spirit. Let’s
look to 1 Corinthians 12:13. For in one
Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and
all were made to drink of one Spirit.
This
passage doesn’t say that there are no spiritual beings other than God but it
certainly tells us that there is only one Spirit that binds us together in
unity. When a person comes to believe in Jesus Christ that one Spirit comes to
live in him or her. As a result the new believer is baptized by the Spirit into
the body of Christ. There are not many different “bodies of Christ” on earth,
there is only one. Since we are bound together in that one body we are
encouraged by the fact that…
There is one hope. Let’s
look at Hebrews 11:1-3. Now faith is the
assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For
by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith
we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is
seen was not made out of things that are visible.
There
is so much confusion in the world today about the idea of faith. For many
people faith represents a leap in the dark. Or some such other foolish idea. In
the same way “hope” is seen as an “I wish it would be” concept. The word “hope”
has lost its meaning in modern language.
I
would like to share with you a quote from Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 143: “for
those who are correctly evaluating the evidence, everything in Scripture and
everything in nature proves clearly that God exists and that he is the powerful
and wise Creator that Scripture describes him to be. Therefore, when we believe
that God exists, we are basing our belief not on some blind hope apart from any evidence, but on an overwhelming amount
of reliable evidence from God’s words and God’s works. It is a characteristic
of true faith that it is a confidence based on reliable evidence, and faith in
the existence of God shares this characteristic.”
There
is one hope only! Everything, apart from the living Lord Jesus, is without hope
in this world, or in the one to come! Praise God! We have been called to one
hope and that one hope is fixed on the fact that…
There is one Lord. Let’s
look at another passage that speaks to this issue 1 Corinthians 8:6. Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom
are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom
are all things and through whom we exist.
Again,
the word of God tells us there is one God and that God is the Father whom
everything comes from and everything points to. Our one Lord, Jesus Christ, has
come into our lives to give us hope for eternity. Remember, this “hope” sits in
the middle of assurance not wishful thinking! With our one Lord…
There is one faith. Let’s
look at the little book of Jude verse
1:3. Beloved, although I was very eager
to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write
appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to
the saints.; 20-21 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy
faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the
love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to
eternal life.
Jude,
one of the human brothers of Jesus who became a faithful follower, now urges us
to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. Remember,
we are not talking about faith as a belief system. We are talking about faith
as a structure within which we live and die. “The faith” mentioned here and other
places in the New Testament is “Christianity” itself. And Jude would remind us
that we need to build ourselves up in our most holy faith. God’s plan for our
life is not just to be saved and prepared for heaven but also to be mature in
the faith. There is one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith and…
There is one baptism. Let’s
look together at Galatians 3:27-29. For
as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are
Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
Having
been baptized into Christ we have put on Christ. Baptism symbolizes for us our
spiritual death, burial, and resurrection. Therefore, only those who have given
a believable profession of faith in Jesus Christ should be baptized. If they
have not made such a confession of faith then they have not died with Christ
and they cannot be buried with Him or raised to walk a new kind of life.
Baptism does not save a person any more than a marriage ceremony makes two
people love each other. If two people love one another the marriage ceremony
can take on real significance. If a person has believed in the Lord Jesus
Christ then baptism is a testimony of their belief. Since baptism represents
burial and resurrection it is essential that the mode of baptism is by
immersion. The Greek word that we translate “baptize” means to plunge, dip,
immerse something in water.
Mark
tells us that when Jesus was baptized He came up out of the water. When Philip
preached Jesus to the Ethiopian eunuch the Ethiopian asked, “See, here is water! What is to prevent my
being baptized?” (Acts 8:36). Obviously, Philip did not think that
sprinkling or pouring a handful of water from a container that would have been
carried in the chariot would constitute baptism. They both went down into the
water. The word “burial” is used repeatedly in the New Testament to talk about
baptism. It was necessary that there be adequate water to go down into for this
man to be baptized.
Throughout
the New Testament baptism is only administered to those who have placed faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Baptism is a symbol of leaving the old life behind
and entering into a New Beginning. Since that is the case, baptism should only
be administered to those who have begun the Christian life.
On
the day of Pentecost, as the church was being birthed, baptism was administered
to those who received Peter’s words and trusted in Christ for salvation. It is
appropriate for a person who has believed in Jesus Christ to symbolize his or
her turning from their old life and entering a new life to be baptized. There
is one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith and one baptism because…
There
is one God. Looking back to the Old Testament we find Isaiah 45:5-6. I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me
there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, 6 that
people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is
none besides me; I am the Lord,
and there is no other.
This is only one of many
statements found in the Old Testament that speak of God being one. The
statement of faith of Israel was, “Here,
O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4). The
statement in Isaiah is different because it is a statement by God Himself!
Here, and in chapter 43 God affirms that He is the only God. Later Hosea would
make a similar statement (Hosea 13:4). Then we find Paul writing to his son in
the faith…
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one
God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
Many
religious people today seem to think there are many ways to God. Because they
believe there are many gods. With many gods there must be many roads.
Throughout Scripture we are bound to the concept “there is one God”! Beginning
in the beginning we find these words, “In
the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The
one God has eternally existed as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Each person is fully God, and yet there is only one God.
Just
as there is perfect unity within the Godhead there should be perfect unity, on
the essentials, within the church. Throughout the New Testament an overriding
theme is the importance of unity in the church. There are strong warnings
against those who cause divisions. Paul appealed to the Roman brethren to take
note of anyone who caused divisions (Romans 16:17-18). Paul had to oppose Peter
to his face because he separated from the Gentile Christians at mealtime
(Galatians 2:11-14). In the midst of all this it is important to know that you
are part of the body of Christ. Have you believed in Jesus Christ? Let this be
the day that you acknowledge Him as Lord.
All
scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version.
2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
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