A.The book of Ephesians divides naturally into two parts.Chapters 1-3 tell us of the blessings in Christ, and chapters 4-6 tell us how to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (4:1).
B.As we practice this worthy walk in Christ, Ephesians 4:3 tells us to be "diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”The unity of the Spirit is then demonstrated to us by the "seven ones” in Ephesians 4:4-6:
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
C.Presently, let us consider the substance of the "seven ones” while we also consider how they contribute to the "unity of the Spirit.”
II.THE SEVEN ONES
A."There is one body…”
1.The body is used here as a figure of the church, for which Jesus is the head or authority (1Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23; Col. 1:18).
2.The figure is simply understood.Just as the human anatomy has one body with many members belonging to one head, so also there is one church with many members belonging to Christ.
a.This figure emphasizes the unity of all believers in the church and Christ’s authority over them all.All Christians are united through Christ in one body, which is the church universal built by Him (Matt. 16:18).
b.In a practical way, the one body also applies to local churches.
i.Christ has organized each local church as a single, functioning body with many diverse members working together for the common goals of unity of the faith and maturity in the Lord (Eph. 4:11-16).
ii.Each local church is owned and ruled by Jesus, for He purchased each one with His own blood (Acts 20:28).He knows which churches are His, and He gives or takes away each church’s "lampstand” (Rev. 1:20; 2:5).
c.This Scriptural model of the body and head disproves the concept of denominations.It shows that Christ intends to have one united church and not many divided denominations (John 17:20-23; 1Cor. 1:10, 13).
B."…and one Spirit…”
1.The unity of the Spirit is demonstrated by the Holy Spirit Himself.
a.The Spirit is not divided, and He does not deliver a divided message.His work and word are clear, distinct, unique, and unequivocal for all of mankind.
b.The prophetic word of God delivered by the inspiration of God’s Spirit is not to be divided, parsed, or reinterpreted by any man (2Tim. 3:16-17; 2Pet. 1:20-21).
2.The "one Spirit” also correlates to the figure of one body, for just as each man has one spirit (soul) within him, so also God has one Spirit.
a.There is one Spirit of God who searches and reveals the singular mind of God (1Cor. 2:10-13).This singular revelation of the one mind of God by the one Spirit is not changed from person to person, but it is the same for all through the Scriptures (Jude 3).
b.Those who attempt to divide the Holy Spirit by suggesting that His message is divided violate the unity of the Spirit.Their doctrine is more akin to having a legion of demons that having one spirit in one body (Mark 5:9, 15).
C."…just as also you were called in one hope of your calling…”
1.Hope is the confident expectation of something good.The singular hope of every Christian is salvation and eternal life in Christ (John 3:16; Acts 4:12; 1Thess. 5:8; Tit. 1:2; 3:7).
2.This "one hope of your calling” is the one hope given by the gospel.
a.The gospel of Christ is the singular source of both the calling of a Christian (2Thess. 2:14) and his hope in heaven (Col. 1:5).
b.Each believer is called to this common hope through the hearing of the gospel, which produces a common faith (Rom. 10:17; Jude 3).Faith and hope are inextricably connected to one another (Heb. 11:1).
D."…one Lord…”
1.The one Lord is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
a.On the Day of Pentecost, Peter told the Jews that "God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36).
b.God the Father made Jesus Lord when He gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18).Everyone is subject to Christ’s rule and judgment.
2.The unity of the Spirit is preserved only when the authority of the one Lord is respected.
a.Christians cannot be united when they are following different sources of authority.Only a single authority, the Lord Jesus, can bring unity to all believers in Him (1Cor. 1:10, 13).
b.The authority of the Lord Jesus is respected only when believers obey His word.Jesus indicated this when He asked, "Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).
E."…one faith…”
1.This passage does not deny the existence of many faiths in the world (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Paganism, etc.), but it indicates that God recognizes only one faith, which is genuine New Testament Christianity.
a.The gospel of Christ with all of its principles, promises, and laws is "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).Faith in Jesus Christ is the only faith accepted by God (John 8:24; 14:6; Acts 4:12; Gal. 1:6-9).
b.This one faith is the "narrow way” that leads to life of which Jesus spoke in Matthew 7:13-14.It is opposed to the broad way of many faiths that leads to destruction.
2.The unity of this one faith is a primary goal of the one body of Christ, the church.
a.The one body of the church is equipped with many members who have many gifts to build up the body "until we all attain to the unity of the faith and to the knowledge of the Son of God” (Eph. 4:13).
b.This unity of faith within the body, the church, flows from the head, who is Christ.The body must "grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ” (Eph. 4:15).
F."…one baptism…”
1.There is one baptism prescribed by God for this dispensation of time, and none other is acceptable to Him.
a.Baptism of believers in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for the remission of sins was preached by the apostles and other Christians on the authority of Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 8:12-13, 35-38; 9:18; 10:47; 16:15, 33; 22:16).This began on Pentecost after Christ’s ascension to heaven.
b.Baptism into Christ superseded John’s baptism (Acts 18:25-26; 19:1-7).Baptism in Jesus is now the only valid baptism for believers in God.
c.The word "baptism” literally means "immersion.”When the New Testament was written, this was plainly understood, but since then men have replaced immersion with sprinkling and pouring.However, immersion is still the one mode of Scriptural baptism.
2.Notice that baptism fits naturally in this list, for it is an integral part of the unity of the Spirit.The unity of the Spirit cannot be preserved if the necessity of baptism is neglected.
G."…one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
1.The capstone of this list is God the Father Himself, who is the God of every person.
a.Men have devised many gods of their own, but there is only one true and living God to whom all men must turn (1Thess. 1:9).
b.Every person has their creation and existence in God, and in this way He is the Father of all (Gen. 1:26-27; Acts 17:22-31; Eph. 3:14-15).
c.The unity of the Spirit requires acknowledgement of and submission to the one Father.Truly, there is only one Holy Father (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 45:5; Matt. 23:9; John 17:3).
2.This all-encompassing existence of the Father will be eternally manifested at the conclusion of time.At that time, Christ will deliver the kingdom to the Father, and then Christ "also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all” (1Cor. 15:28).
III.CONCLUSION
A.This passage (Eph. 4:4-6) was not written to introduce the ideas that there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, etc., for the Ephesian Christians already knew these things.It was written to show that Christians ought to have unity with one another just as the core beliefs of their faith are in unity.
B.Therefore, let us have this unity among ourselves just as Jesus prayed that we would (John 17:20-23).
