Ephesians 4.5a-Christian Corporate Unity in a Positional Sense is Defined by One Lord
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday December 3, 2024
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:5b-Christian Corporate Unity in a Positional Sense is Defined by One Faith
Lesson # 206
Ephesians 4:1 Therefore, I myself, the prisoner because of the Lord’s will, exhort and encourage each and every one of you as a corporate unit to live your lives in a manner worthy of your effectual calling with which each and every one of you as a corporate unit have been effectually called 2 with the fullest expression of that which characterizes humility resulting in that which characterizes gentleness. Specifically, by each and every one of you as a corporate unit continuing to make it your habit of tolerating one another with that which characterizes patience by means of the practice of divine love. 3 In other words, by all of you without exception continuing to cause yourselves to make it a habit of making every effort to maintain the unity produced by the Spirit by means of the bond, which produces a peace, which is divine in quality and character. 4 It is defined by one body as well as one Spirit just as each and every one of you as a corporate unit were also effectually called into the state of experiencing one confident expectation of blessing which was produced by your effectual call. 5 It is also defined by one Lord. It is also defined by one faith. It is also defined by one baptism. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 4:4-6 contains seven essential, fundamental elements or spiritual realities of Christian unity in a positional sense.
These are identified by the nouns sōma (σῶμα), “body,” pneuma (πνεῦμα), “Spirit,” elpis (ἐλπίς), “confident expectation of blessing,” kurios (κύριος), “Lord,” pistis (πίστις), “faith,” baptisma (βάπτισμα), “baptism,” and theos (θεός), “God.”
All seven are modified by the nominative form of the adjective heis (εἷς), “one.”
Each constitute the basis for Christian unity in an experiential sense.
Ephesians 4:5 is composed of three elliptical assertions about Christian unity in a positional sense, namely that Christian unity in a positional sense is defined by one Lord, one faith and one baptism.
The second assertion in Ephesians 4:5 states that Christian unity in a positional sense is defined by the Christian faith, which speaks of Christian doctrine or that which the church believes, teaches and practices and considers orthodoxy.
Paul employs the noun pistis (πίστις) to designate the Christian faith, which has three basic meanings in the Greek New Testament.
There is first the active usage meaning “faith.”
There is also a passive usage meaning “that which is believed, the body of faith, doctrine” (Gal. 1:23; 2 Pt. 1:5; 1 Tm. 1:19; 4:1, 6; 6:10; 2 Tm. 2:18; 4:7; Heb. 11).
Lastly, the noun pistis is used as an attribute meaning “faithfulness, reliability” (Gal. 3:22; Titus 2:10; 2 Th. 1:4).
In Ephesians 4:5, the noun pistis (πίστις) is used in an objective passive sense for the Christian faith and specifically, it refers to the content of what Paul taught the churches or in other words it is another description of the gospel.
The word pertains to that body of doctrine which the church believes, teaches and practices and considers orthodoxy.
Like the nouns sōma (σῶμα), “body,” pneuma (πνεῦμα), “Spirit,” noun elpis (ἐλπίς), “confident expectation of blessing” and kurios (κύριος), “Lord,” the noun pistis (πίστις), “the Christian faith” in Ephesians 4:5 is also modified by the adjective heis (εἷς), “one.”
As it did in the four previous instances, this adjective functions here as an attributive adjective modifying the noun pistis (πίστις), which means that it is ascribing to the Christian faith the concept of being a single entity in contrast to more than one.
Thus, it emphasizes that the Christian faith or that body of doctrine, which the church believes, teaches and practices is the only body of teaching which the Christian community believes, teaches and puts into practice.
Thus, it is unique to the church and governs the conduct of the Christian community.
Therefore, like the body of Christ, the Holy Spirit and the church age believer’s confident expectation of blessing, and the Lord Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father, the Christian faith is an essential, fundamental element or spiritual reality of Christian unity in a positional sense because it defines Christian unity in a positional sense and provides the basis for Christian unity in an experiential sense.
Therefore, along with the body of Christ, the Holy Spirit and the believer’s confident expectation of blessing, and the Lord Jesus Christ because of His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father, the Christian faith helps to define Christian unity in a positional sense and also provides the basis for Christian unity in an experiential sense.
As was the case in the first assertion, Paul is again using the figure of asyndeton in the second assertion in Ephesians 4:5, which means that the third person singular present active indicative conjugation of the verb eimi (εἰμί) is again omitted but implied.
As was the case in the previous assertion, the word means “to define” since in this context the word pertains to identifying the essential nature of something or making a statement which expresses the essential nature of something.
As was the case in the previous assertion, the referent of the third person singular form of this verb is the noun henotēs (ἑνότης) in the second assertion in this verse is Christian unity in a positional sense.
Like the nouns sōma (σῶμα), “body,” pneuma (πνεῦμα), “Spirit,” elpis (ἐλπίς), “confident expectation of blessing,” and kurios (κύριος), “Lord,” the noun pistis (πίστις), “the Christian faith” functions as a predicate nominative.
This means that it is making an assertion about the subject, which we noted is Christian unity in a positional sense.
Therefore, the noun pistis (πίστις), “the Christian faith” is making the assertion that Christian unity in a positional sense is defined by the Christian faith and thus helps to provide the basis for Christian unity in an experiential sense.
This use of the noun pistis (πίστις), “the faith” in Ephesians 4:5 is synonymous with the articular form of the noun euangelion (εὐαγγέλιον), “the gospel.”
This use of the noun pistis (πίστις) for the Christian faith or Christian doctrine by Paul here in Ephesians 4:5 appears many times in his writings and Jude also employs the noun pistis (πίστις) in this fashion.
Colossians 1:23 Of course, if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument each one of you continues to persevere according to the standards of the Christian faith so that each one of you is established, and thus solid individuals. In other words, so that each one of you is not moved away from the confident expectation (of blessing) produced by obedience to the gospel which each one of you has obeyed. This gospel was publicly proclaimed throughout all creation which is under the heavens, of which I myself, Paul became a servant. (Lecturer’s translation)
1 Timothy 4:1 However, the Spirit explicitly has said and it applies at this present moment that in later times certain individuals will allow themselves to abandon the Christian faith by being occupied with deceitful spirits, specifically, doctrines originating from demons. (Lecturer’s translation)
1 Timothy 4:6 By you yourself regularly pointing out these things for the benefit of your spiritual brothers and sisters, you yourself will be excellently serving Christ, who is Jesus. Specifically, by you yourself regularly instructing them by means of these words originating from the Christian faith, in other words, that which is accurate teaching, which for your benefit, you are adhering to. (Lecturer’s translation)
1 Timothy 5:8 However, if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that someone absolutely does not provide for his own and especially the immediate family and we are agree that there are some who don’t, then he himself is rejecting the Christian faith. Also, he, as an eternal spiritual truth does exist in the state of being worse than an unbeliever. (Lecturer’s translation)
1 Timothy 6:10 For you see, the love of money is, as an eternal spiritual truth, the root cause, which produces all types of evil actions. Certain individuals, because they selfishly possess an insatiable desire for it, wandered away from the Christian faith. Consequently, they impaled themselves with many intense sufferings. (Lecturer’s translation)
1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, I solemnly charge you to make it your top priority to guard the deposit with the result that you cause yourself to avoid the words lacking content, which are worldly, specifically, the contradictions, which are falsely called ‘knowledge’ 21 which because certain individuals are asserting for themselves, have deviated with regards to the Christian faith. May His grace cause itself to be manifested among of all of you as a corporate unit. (Lecturer’s translation)
Second Timothy 3:8 Now, just as Jannes and Jambres rebelled against Moses so in the same way these individuals previously mentioned are in their own selfish interests presently in a state of rebelling against the truth, men who permitted their minds to be corrupted, worthless ones with regards to the Christian faith. (Lecturer’s translation)
Second Timothy 4:7 For my own benefit, I have competed in the contest which is noble. I have finished the course. I have conscientiously obeyed the Christian faith! (Lecturer’s translation)
Titus 1:13 This testimony is true. For this reason, begin the process of severely rebuking them and continue to do so in order that they would be sound with regards to the Christian faith. (Author’s translation)
Titus 2:2 Older men are to be characterized as level-headed, dignified, sound-minded by being characterized as sound in the Christian faith, in the uniqueness of divine-love, in the uniqueness of godly perseverance. (Lecturer’s translation)
Jude 3 Beloved, although I have prepared myself with utter diligence to communicate in writing for the benefit of each one of you regarding our common salvation, I have entered into the state of being compelled to communicate in writing for the purpose of exhorting and encouraging each and every one of you at this particular time to make it your habit of exerting intense effort for your own benefit on behalf of the faith, which has been delivered once and never again for the benefit of the saints. (Lecturer’s translation)
