Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also 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.”
Last Sunday, Pastor Herk continued in his sermon series through the Pauline epistle of Ephesians and preached about the seven ties which bond Believers together based on the unity of God Himself. There is an old idiom that states: "birds of a feather flock together,” meaning people who have similar interests, ideas, or characteristics tend to seek out or associate with one another. There are all kinds of ties that bind us with others people; strong family ties, sports, hobbies, common beliefs and et cetera. In the church, the Holy Spirit establishes the unity of Christ-followers. Christians need to be bonded together in unity to improve, maintain and preserve that common body in the purposes of God, the Father of all who is over all and through all and in all, with Christ as the head.
The key word in the Bible passage above is “one”. The Greek word used seven times in this passage is “Heis”, meaning “one” as opposed to “many”. True consecrated and sanctified Followers of Christ are united in one body of Believers with the same calling and hope in the same faith and baptism by the same One and only Holy Spirit over, through and in the same One and only almighty Creator God. The body is not divided or exists in separate parts because have one and the same common God and purpose. Romans 12:4-5 “For just as we have many parts in one body and all the body’s parts do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another.” In Christ, the body of Believers is complete, as "birds of a feather flock together”. These bonds are soul deep and profounder than any ties based on common causes or interests. The blood of Christ in the family of God is eternally thicker than all other ties that bind, because they find their roots in God Himself. Ephesians 4:3 be diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The seven ties which bond Believers together reveals the work of the three members of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and how they take effect in the lives of Believers. The Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, work in perfect unity to accomplish the purposes of God. God exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit in a community of greater humility, servanthood and mutual submission, and delight than you or I can even imagine; three and yet One (1x1x1=1). It is the oneness of God that is the model for God’s people. The overall principle is the oneness of Believers is based on the oneness of God.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling. One body, one hope and one calling are clearly the work of the Holy Spirit, who causes a person to see his or her sin as a wicked transgression and inequity against a just and holy Creator God, convicts the soul of evil turpitude deserving Hell, and illuminates the need of a Savior. It is the Holy Spirit that transforms the soul, converts the heart and regenerates the spirit to place sanctified people into the body of Believers of the universal church of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13 “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.” God never intended for Christ’s church to be divided by manmade Theology. Real Christianity is united in the Holy Word of God, united in the faith, united in the Creator of the world, united in the Savior of the world, united in proclaiming the Gospel, united in the Lord of all and His purposes as birds of a feather. Our competition is the sinful and dark God-rejecting world and denies Christ. We need all the power of God to reach that world with the message of repentance, forgiveness and salvation power of the Gospel that leads to “saving” faith.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.” The Holy Spirit brings hope into our lives. Ephesians 1:13-14 tells us that in Jesus, “you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” The Lord Jesus tells us in John 14:16-17, 25-26 “ I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you. These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.”
Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on God and the church in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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