4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Ephesians 4:4–6, NKJV)
Of this passage, David Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org, wrote, “even though there may be variations of Christian belief, they are all tethered to one hope, Jesus Christ. This means that the church should be a place of unity with diversity” (theDailyBibleVerse.org). Faith, he says, is expressed in different ways, even as that faith comes from one source. Surely, he must know that one source of faith does not produce different expressions of faith, any more than one source of water yields both fresh and bitter water (James 3:11). Whitehead continues, “the day will come when that source will call us together” (Ibid.). The apostle Paul is not describing an aspirational anticipation of future events. He is describing the present reality. Far from this being an endorsement of ecumenical “unity with diversity,” it is a bold declaration of the platform of truth upon which we are “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). Unity in Christ has one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father of all. Without this platform of truth in place, unity in Christ does not, and will not, exist – even when diversity is excused, and even celebrated.
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