Wednesday, October 26, 2022 Some material taken from The Church I Want To Belong To Part 5
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
True Unity in the Body of Christ
Koinonia – a Greek word that means fellowship, sharing in common, communion. It appears 20 times in the Bible because fellowship is a very important part of the Christian walk. We come together to encourage each other in faith and love. This is koinonia. This koinonia is a part of the unity we have together in the Spirit.
In Ephesians 4:4-6, Paul gives us the Seven-Fold Basis for Unity as believers. We have unity because of what we share in common. In Jesus we share one body, one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one Father. Alone we are not as strong as we are united into one body on these elements of our doctrine.
Paul’s Seven-Fold Basis for Unity:
Body – The one Church of the Lord Jesus Christ – one body of which He is the head. Just as a physical body does not function properly without all its parts, the body of Christ is the same. The body can function without some parts, but not to its fullest capacity. However, none of the parts can function by themselves apart from the body. If a hand is severed, it no longer functions as a hand without the body. The body can function without the hand, but not as a complete body. We are unified in Christ as one body.
Spirit –There is one Spirit from God – the Holy Spirit - to guide and direct the body.
Hope – No other thing on earth can provide this hope. This hope is never uncertain as it is when we hope for things on earth. We hope this or we hope that… When we say that there is no certainty. But the hope we have as we believe in the promise of His coming is the hope of our calling. This hope is true certainty for all believers.
Lord – This is Christ crucified, buried, raised, and exalted. There is room for NONE OTHER. All our unity is centered around Him who He is, who we are in Him, and the sacrifice He made for us.
Faith – Through faith we receive the Father and follow the Son. The faith we receive is that we believe that God sent His Son, Jesus, who came to earth and took on human flesh. He lived a perfect life and offered Himself on the cross in our place, paying the debt that we owe. He rose from the dead, and is in heaven, but He is coming back. On that day everyone will be judged. He gifted us salvation by grace alone, which we receive through faith alone, apart from any merit or works on our part.
Baptism – One burial of one whose heart has been purified by faith, who has been crucified with Jesus to that sin, to rise in the newness of life.
God – One who is in all, over all, and through all – this is Gods, personal, transcendent, sovereign, relationship with His creation.
It is our unity in Christ, through the Holy Spirit, that strengthens us and makes us whole – one body. We bond together in work – His holy calling for us – to go and make disciples, to go and minister to the homeless, to go and feed the hungry, etc… Together we are more effective for His Kingdom and His glory. This is His calling for us, together as one unified body, His church.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:6-7
