Ephesians 4:4-6

Day 30

“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.” Ephesians 4:4-6

The Unity of Biblical Truth
The opening of this chapter, Ephesians 4:1-3, focused on the unity of the church that occurs through right attitudes.  The unity of the church depends on our mutual humility and patience, love and tolerance, pursuing peace in the fellowship with other believers. These three verses, Ephesians 4:4-6, shift our attention to the unity of the church that emerges out of our commonly held beliefs.  The list is short and there is little explanation.  Paul had already expounded on much of this information. He would have sent us back to the first three chapters of Ephesians for greater clarity on most of these. Here’s the list…

One body: The church, described as a body with Christ as the head of the church. This is first on the list because the topic concerns the unity of the church.  We are connected to each other in deep and meaningful ways so we must protect the unity of the church. Just as a human body preserves itself from injury and danger while doing what is necessary to care for itself, so too the church must function with the good of the entire church in mind.

One Spirit: The Holy Spirit, the third member of the trinity whose role in the life of the believer is to indwell and empower believers, to live in unity, to mark us as authentic, and to be the deposit of our inheritance. (Eph. 1:13-14)

One hope: The hope that comes with our calling, marking the certainty of our eternal calling through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Hope of our future inheritance and destination should bring unity.  We will be together forever in the presence of Christ. Since that destiny is sure, how then should we live together now?

One Lord: The Lord Jesus Christ, the One in whom we must believe in order to be saved.  By the plan of God our Father, all things are about Christ. (Eph. 1:7-12)  We have a common Lord.  Therefore, we all should live at peace with one another as our Lord has desired us to live.

One faith: Our saving faith in Jesus Christ is the means by which God chooses to save us. (Eph. 2:8-9)  Since we are saved by faith alone and not by our own efforts, no one in the church should rule over anyone else.  We all came to Christ with nothing warranting His love.  Therefore, we all share in the fullness of His work without any distinction in ability or value within the church.

One baptism: The external sign or rite that signifies our faith in Christ and demonstrates our entrance into the community of the church. This item seems unique in the list as Paul has not mentioned this topic at all in Ephesians 1-3.  In fact, this is the sole mention of baptism in the entire letter to the Ephesian church.  The connection of baptism to Christ and saving faith, along with this particular rite being celebrated by every believer as their outward expression of church membership, makes the act of baptism a natural point of commonality for the church.  Remember your baptism.  Remember the symbolic expression of dying to your old self and being united to Christ in His death and resurrection.  Remember the significance of declaring your life as a life of death, as “you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”  Remember the declaration of life that baptism symbolizes in Christ. We live only because He is alive.  This truth, expressed in the rite of baptism, must unify the church.  

One God and Father: God the Father, sent His Son into the world to be our Savior.  It is the will and plan of God from eternity past to bring glory to His name through the saving work of Jesus Christ. (Eph. 1:3-6)  The entire plan of salvation comes from the eternal and sovereign God who made us and who saved us.  He adopted us into His family.  We belong to Him.  He is our God and Father. As adopted children by the same amazing Father, we must live in unity.

Suggested Prayer:  God, thank You for revealing these amazing truths.  Make us one through Your revealed word.

Ephesians