Table of Contents
The Unity of the Spirit
In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul lists 7 particulars which the unity of the Spirit consists of. He says, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). Let us examine these 7 particulars closely:
1-One Body
There are many members in the church of God, but one body (Ephesians 1:23; 2:15,16; 1 Corinthians 12:12–14). The Christian is not a solitary person; he is part of the body of Christ, the family of God. This unit replaces the country, the community, and even the immediate family as the highest object of his attachment.
2-One Spirit
This is the same transforming Spirit, that Jesus talked to Nicodemus about (John 3:5; Ephesians 4: 3). All the gifts, fruits, and graces of the Christian life come from the Spirit’s living in the hearts of believers and thus in the members of the church. The Spirit casts the divisions out of the believer’s life, the trouble and strife that make so many lives shattered. Disunity is a clear mark that the Holy Spirit is not present.
3-One Hope
This is the hope of redemption and the appearance of the Lord (Titus 2:13). It is the hope of the final triumph of the kingdom that gives a genuine basis for peace, happiness, and rest. The Spirit supports this hope (Ephesians 1:13, 14), which, in turn, unifies believers and becomes, indeed, a “lively hope” (1 Peter 1:3). Such a hope produces a changed life for “everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).
4- One Lord
“There is … one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:6). He is Lord by creation and by re-creation, and all authority rests with Him. Full submission to Him is the believer’s greatest joy. And those who offer full loyalty to the Lord are not in hostility with one another.
5-One Faith
There is only one way of salvation [Justification (Ephesians 2:8,9) and Sanctification (2 Thessalonians 2:13)], which is by faith (Galatians 2:16). Both Jew and Gentile enter the “body” (Ephesians 4:4) by the same channel (Romans 3:29, 30). This is the subjective faith in Christ as a personal Savior rather than faith as a religious system (Romans 1:5). It is the attitude of mind by which the believer proves his loyalty and dedication to Christ and his dependence on Him. And faith produces obedience.
6-One Baptism
Baptism by water clearly symbolizes death and resurrection (Mark 16:16). Also, it is a mark of cleansing and separation from sin. Baptism represents the joining of the life of the believer in such close union with the life of Christ that the two become, as it were, one spiritual unity (1 Corinthians 12:12, 13, 27; Galatians 3:27). Those that make a decision to be part of God’s body or the church, mature spiritually together into the likeness of Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 6:3–5).
7- One God and Father of All
Paul writes, “there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things” (1 Corinthians 8:6). The Christian knows God as his loving, compassionate, and understanding Father. God created all people; He provides all things needful for their happiness; He protects them as a father does his children; He pities them in their pain, helps them to face their troubles, and in every way reveals Himself as their loving Father (Psalms 68:5; 103:13; Jeremiah 31:9). The heathens don’t know God as a father, but only as a mighty being who has great powers and who must be appeased
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
