Conclusion: God’s “One-derful” Plan for Unity #1783

“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, NKJV)

Over the past week we have commented briefly on God’s “One-derful” plan for unity from Ephesians 4:4-6. It is the plan for unity that has God’s endorsement, and which binds Christians together in peace as we diligently guard it (Eph. 4:3). To summarize, God’s platform of unity consists of the following planks: One Body: Unity of Relationship (the church, Eph. 1:22-23); One Spirit: Unity of Life (new life in Christ, revealed in truth, Jno. 3:5; Jno. 16:12-13; Gal. 5:25); One Hope: Unity of Destiny (an eternal inheritance, 1 Pet. 1:3-5); One Lord: Unity of Authority (submission to Christ’s will, Col. 3:17); One Faith: Unity of Revelation (the gospel is the faith once for all delivered, Gal. 1:11, 23; Jude 3); One Baptism: Unity of Forgiveness (God’s plan of salvation, Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:37-38; 10:47-48; 22:16); and, One God and Father of All: Unity of Worship (true worshipers, Jno. 4:23-24). Unity in Christ is possible as we trust and follow the wisdom and word of God (1 Cor. 1:10). Human wisdom leads to hopeless division (1 Cor. 1:11-13). The unity of believers for which Christ prayed honors God, does His will, and blesses every soul who participates in it (Jno. 17:20-21; 14:21, 23-24). May me diligently keep this unity with Christ and His people (1 Jno. 1:3-7; 2 Jno. 9-11).

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God’s “One-derful” Plan for Unity: One God and Father of All #1782

“one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:6, NKJV)

The ancient world had many, many gods. Paul acknowledged the obvious, “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords)” (1 Cor. 8:5). Times have not changed. There are literally millions of gods in Hinduism. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) teach there are many gods over many worlds ((Joseph Smith, Jr., History of the Church, VI:474-475), even as their Book of Mormon says there is one God (Alma 11:26-31). But, the one true God has revealed His power and deity through creation (Rom. 1:20). He has revealed His character and His will through Jesus Christ (Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:1-2). There is no other God than the God of the Bible (Isa. 44:6). While there are many things about God we do not know, we can understand what He has revealed of Himself in nature and in His Scriptures. He is our Creator (“Father of all,” Acts 17:25, and heavenly Father of His schildren, Matt. 6:9). He is Sovereign (“above all,” Acts 11:26). He sustains our lives (“through all,” Acts 17:28). And, He lives with His people (“in you all,” Jno. 14:23). He is the great Unifier of Christians in the (one) body of Christ, the church (Eph. 1:20-23). His reward is with all who diligently seek Him and worship Him in spirit and truth (Jno. 4:23-24; Heb. 11:6).

God’s “One-derful” Plan for Unity: One Baptism #1781

“one Lord, one faith, one baptism;” (Ephesians 4:5, NKJV)

While the one baptism unifies, the many contradictory teachings and practices of baptism found on the religious landscape divide believers. The Scriptures speak plainly about the what it is, who it is for, and what it accomplishes. The one baptism is the great commission baptism and is for the whole world (Matt. 28:19). The one baptism is water baptism, not Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 8:12-13, 16, 35-36; 10:47-48). The one baptism is immersion in water, not sprinkling or pouring (Acts 8:38; Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12). The one baptism is for those who believe the gospel, repent of their sins, and confess their faith in Christ, not for innocent babies without the capacity of faith (Mk. 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 8:36-38). The one baptism washes away our sins and saves us (Acts 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). The one baptism accomplishes this because the sinner is baptized into the death of Christ (Rom. 6:3). The one baptism brings a person into a relationship with Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:27). The one baptism is “into one body,” the church (1 Cor. 12:13; Acts 2:41, 47). The one baptism is not a work of man that earns salvation, it is a work of faith in God’s grace (Tit. 3:4-7; Col. 2:12). We can have the unity God arranged for Christians by accepting what the Bible says about the one baptism which Christ commands and blesses.

God’s “One-derful” Plan for Unity: One Faith #1780

“one Lord, one faith, one baptism;” (Ephesians 4:5, NKJV)

The one Lord has not sanctioned thousands of conflicting messages. There is one faith, which is the gospel of Christ. When Paul preached “the gospel” he preached “the faith” (Gal. 1:11, 23). We must speak the same faith as we endeavor “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). The “one faith” that achieves unity is the revealed gospel that saves those who believe (Rom. 1:16). Nowhere in the Scriptures do we read of “Catholic faith,” “Protestant faith,” “Orthodox faith,” “Mormon faith,” “Evangelical faith,” or any faith capable of saving the soul other than “the faith” that was once for all delivered in the first century (Jude 3). All these are false faiths that impose and codify division (Col. 2:20-23). If they were all “one faith” they would not be separate faiths teaching and practicing different gospels (Gal. 1:6-12). It is an affront to divine truth (and to human logic) to suggest many faiths are somehow one faith. Only the one faith – the gospel of our salvation (Eph. 1:13) – produces true faith that saves from sin (Rom. 1:17). All other faiths are destructive, divisive deceptions (2 Pet. 2:1-3). The gospel call is to walk worthy of the “one faith” that makes known the will of God, and that unites the saved with God and with one another (Eph. 1:9; 4:1, 11-16).

God’s “One-derful” Plan for Unity: One Lord #1779

“one Lord, one faith, one baptism;” (Ephesians 4:5, NKJV)

God’s “One-derful” plan of unity continues in Ephesians 4:4-6 with the emphatic declaration there is one Lord. That simple truth is forgotten whenever religious, moral, and social division occurs. I am not Lord. You are not Lord. Not “Lord Krishna,” not “Lord Buddha,” not any other person who has lived or is living now. Only Jesus Christ is Lord (1 Cor. 8:6). Through Him we have life and all things. He alone has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth” by God the Father (Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1:20-23). Christ’s word is truth and settles every issue concerning “life and godliness” (Jno. 1:14; 8:31-32; 2 Pet. 1:3). He rules, and by His authority (the “name of our Lord Jesus Christ”) we can “speak the same thing,” reject dissensions and be joined together “in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10). This takes faithful effort by each Christian, no question about it (Eph. 4:15-16). Division arises when we follow men or women instead of following Christ (1 Cor. 1:11-12). We must ever remember that Christ is not divided (1 Cor. 1:13). Humble submission to the one Lord will guard unity and glorify God: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17).

God’s “One-derful” Plan for Unity: One Hope #1778

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; (Ephesians 4:4, NKJV)

Hope is more than desire. It is also an expectation of things to come. A popular song says, “Everybody want to go to heaven, but nobody want to go now.” Its lyrics depict a wholly worldly value of life on earth and of the life to come. While some search for “heaven on earth,” others envision heaven as living their best moment on earth over and over. Both are illusions formed by the fantasies of human imagination. The gospel of Christ provides a singular hope that unites all who heed its call. “In Christ we have obtained an inheritance” that is “incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven” for Christians (Eph. 1:11; 1 Pet. 1:4-5). (Note that heaven’s inheritance is obtained “in Christ,” not in the world.) Ours is a “living hope” that combines desire and expectation “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:3). Hope in Christ is our refuge that anchors our souls through life’s storms (Heb. 6:18-19). The hope that unites Christians is “laid up for you in heaven,” and is found “in the word of the truth of the gospel” which calls us out of sin’s death into a life of grace and truth (Col. 1:5-6). The Lord Jesus Christ is “our hope,” for what He has promised, He will fulfill (1 Tim. 1:1). Our sure hope is that where Jesus is now, we will be with Him throughout eternity (Jno. 14:1-3). This is why we put your hope in Christ, not in the fleeting and false hopes of the world (Eph. 2:12-13). We urge you to also put your hope in Christ.

God’s “One-derful” Plan for Unity: One Spirit #1777

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; (Ephesians 4:4, NKJV)

The work of the Holy Spirit and His presence in the body of Christ through it is a powerful ingredient of unity among believers. Through the new birth of “water and the Spirit” He gives life to our spirits and entrance into the kingdom of God (Jno. 3:3-5). We have access to the Father “by one Spirit” through the “word of truth, the gospel of (our) salvation” which He revealed, inspired, and miraculously confirmed (Eph. 2:18; 1:13; 3:3-6). When we are led by the Spirit, walking according to the truth He revealed, unity with God and with fellow Christians is attainable and sustainable (Gal. 5:16-18, 22-24). But, prospects of unity are doomed when we fail to live in the Spirit (that is, walk by His word, the gospel, Gal. 5:25-26). And so, we must take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” and fight the good fight of faith to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 6:17; 1 Tim. 6:12; Eph. 4:3). The one Spirit has equipped us with truth – exactly what we need to protect the unity that belongs to Him and that He directs (Eph. 4:3). Let us walk in truth and rejoice in the unity it accomplishes.