Paul Commands the Ephesians to be one as God is One
Ephesians
4:4-6 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are 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. KJV Paul reaffirms to them the absolute Oneness of our Great God. Paul having already prayed for these Ephesians to be enlightened to know the tremendous hope of their calling “in Christ”, wants them to realize that because The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit live and operate as One with no dissension, disagreement, or discord, then they too must be amongst one another the same way. First, Paul again wants to repeat what he has already declared to them early on in this same letter when he said, “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in One Body to God through the Cross, by it having put to death the enmity.” (Ephesians 2:14-16). Paul wants them to understand that factions (dissenting cliques) or sects is not what they have been called out of their paganism into, but instead they are a part of One Body (the Church of Jesus Christ) and although just as a human body is made up of many different members (i.e. hands, mouth, nose, feet, legs, etc.) it is still one human body and so is Christ Body One, for it is an organism (not buildings made of brick or mortar), but of people from every tongue and tribe upon the earth just as Paul declared to the Corinthian believers with these words, “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12).
Also, Paul wants them to recall that it was by One Spirit (God the Holy Spirit) that they were baptized into the One Body (the Church) as he declared with these words to the Corinthian believers, “For by One Spirit we were all baptized into One Body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of One Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Paul declares that it is God the Holy Spirit who animates or quickens or gives life to the One Body (the Church) as our Lord Jesus Himself declared He would do with these words spoken to the first Apostles, “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” (John 16:12-15). The unity Paul exhorted them to earlier (Ephesians 4:3) that English word unity is translated by the Greek word henotes meaning oneness, that is, (figuratively) unanimity: or full agreement between a number of people; consensus. In other words, the Triune God is never not One in all things, therefore, His children who are animated, energized, and quickened by His Spirit should be (in this world) as He is in Heaven bringing His Kingdom and His Will to the earth in the One Body of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. Note: “The true Body of Christ is the invisible Body of all of us that have been truly born again of incorruptible seed by the Word of God (1 Peter 1:23) and there is ‘unity of the Spirit’ even though we are all scattered throughout the world.”
Paul declares to these Ephesians and to us today that there is “one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4). The English word hope Paul uses here is translated by the Greek word elpis meaning (to anticipate, usually with pleasure); expectation (abstract or concrete) or confidence: - faith, hope. The ultimate or final hope of our calling is to be made just like our Lord Jesus Christ receiving our glorified bodies that will never be sick or die or be tempted to sin or fail, fall, and falter in sin, or grieve, or be disobedient to our Blessed Lord Jesus, etc. even as Paul wrote to the Colossian believers with these words, “For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] Glory.” (Colossians 3:3-4) and even as our Lord Jesus declared to the Church at Smyrna with these words, “Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. [Dismiss your dread and your fears!] Behold, the devil is indeed about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested {and} proved {and} critically appraised, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be loyally faithful unto death [even if you must die for it], and I will give you the crown of life. He who is able to hear, let him listen to {and} heed what the Spirit says to the assemblies (Churches). He who overcomes (is victorious) shall in no way be injured by the second death.” (Revelation 2:10-11).
Paul now declares Christ to be the “One Lord” (Ephesians 4:5). The English word Lord Paul uses here is translated by the Greek word kurios meaning (supremacy); supreme in authority, that is, (as noun) controller; - God, Lord, Master. In other words, Paul wants to emphasize with extreme prejudice that Jesus Christ is the One and Only Lord being the Greatest in status, authority, and power and that our Lord, Master, and Savior desires, deserves, and demands to be in complete control of those that He poured out His Blood for on Calvary becoming sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) and must have preeminence in His Church and in every member of His Body as Paul declared to the Colossian believers with these words, “And He is the Head of the Body, the Church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18). The one faith Paul refers to here is the hearing of the Gospel and being convicted of sin and trusting Jesus Christ only as the propitiation for our sins as the Apostle John wrote in this manner, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10). The English word propitiation is translated by the Greek word hilasmos meaning atonement (or satisfaction or payment or compensation), that is, (concretely) an expiator. In other words, Christ payment for our sins with and by His Blood shed on the Cross and that was the “mercy seat” and faith or trust in Him and what He did for us that we would not suffer the second death or eternal death as pictured with these words written by Moses to the Israelites, “And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:” (Leviticus 16:13-15).
The one baptism simply means the outward manner or method of being sprinkled or immersed in water identifying ourselves with Christ death, burial, and resurrection from the dead for our sins and to justify us before the Father. Note: “The mode of baptism is not the key or critical thing, but that the one being baptized has been born of the Spirit of God and the internal baptism (that cannot be seen by humanity) is signified, symbolized, and stood for in the baptism by water in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” Paul declares again that there is but “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:6). This here is Paul’s climax of God’s Oneness declaring that everyone born of His Spirit has The Father living and dwelling in each one of His children that He sired through regeneration and the new birth as Paul wrote in this manner with these words to the Roman believers, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing son-ship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!” (Romans 8:14-15) and as Habakkuk declared with these words speaking of the Jewish Temple, “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.” (Habakkuk 2:20). Today His holy temple is the Body of Jesus Christ (the Church) and each and every individual member of Christ Body here on the earth.
“The argument here is, that there ought to be unity among Christians, because they have one Lord and Savior. They have not different Saviors adapted to different classes; not one for the Jew and another for the Greek; not one for the rich and another for the poor; not one for the bond and another for the free. There is but One. He belongs in common to all as their Savior; and He has a right to rule over one as much as over another. There is no better way of promoting unity among Christians than by reminding them that they have the same Savior. And when jealousies and heart-burnings arise; or when they are disposed to contend about trifles; when they magnify unimportant matters until they are in danger of rending the Church asunder, let them feel that they have One Lord and Savior, and they will lay aside their contentions and be one again. Let two men who have never seen each other before, meet in a distant land, and feel that they have the same Redeemer, and their hearts will mingle into one. They are not aliens, but friends. A cord of sympathy is struck more tender than that which binds them to country or home and though of different nations, complexions, or habits, they will feel that they are one. Why should contentions ever arise between those who have the same Redeemer?” Albert Barnes
“In missionary fields, confronting the overwhelming forces and horrible evils of Paganism, the servants of Christ intensely realize their unity; they see how trifling in comparison are the things that separate the Churches, and how precious and deep are the things that Christians hold in common. It may need the pressure of some threatening outward force, the sense of a great peril hanging over Christendom to silence our contentions and compel the soldiers of Christ to fall into line and present to the enemy a united front. If the unity of believers in Christ-their oneness of worship and creed, of moral ideal and discipline-is hard to discern through the variety of human forms and systems and the confusion of ‘tongues that prevails, yet the unity is there to be discerned; and it grows clearer to us as we look for it. It is visible in the universal acceptance of Scripture and the primitive creeds, in the large measure of correspondence between the different Church standards of the Protestant communions, in our common Christian literature, in the numerous alliances and combinations, local and general, that exist for philanthropic and missionary objects, in the increasing and auspicious comity of the Churches. The nearer we get to the essentials of truth and to the experience of living Christian men, the more we realize the existence of One Body in the scattered limbs and innumerable sects of Christendom.” Expositor’s Bible commentary
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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