One Body United by One Belief: Ephesians 4:4-6
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I. Introduction
A. The disunity of our country is apparent. Looking at the news can sometimes be disheartening.
a. People are making politics their idol.
b. This has, of course, become an issue in the church.
c. Christians have been more concerned with political unity than doctrinal and spiritual unity.
d. The farce is that you see how Satan is using radicalism to affect both left and right-wing politics.
e. Some of the most disturbing things I have seen are people not mourning the loss of a child, parent, or grandparent.
f. The most egregious I have seen in the modern political landscape is people stating that we need to learn to “hate” again.
g. Many Christians have been drawn into this political upheaval.
h. It has caused Christian churches to lose their unity.
i. We must remember that our unity isn’t founded on the political party to which we belong, but on Christ.
B. Paul reminds us here that the Church is much more than our differences; our divine origins bind us together.
C. What unites us isn’t on any political basis but on belief.
D. Have you struggled to understand what unites us as believers?
E. Paul is providing a theological exposition to explain verses 1-3.
F. This central thesis is that there is one must at the church through the lens that unites us.
G. Main Idea: What Paul teaches is that we, as believers, are united by our shared doctrinal beliefs.
II. Introduction to 4-6
A. We see that this is a continuation of verses 1-3.
B. Verses 4-6, Paul begins by emphasizing the oneness, a critical theme in these verses.
C. These three verses will provide an organic structure to provide the central theme of unity.
D. In these passages, Paul teaches us, guided by the Holy Spirit, that our unity is protected not by mere humans but by our Lord.
E. Paul is emphatic that unity is paramount to the foundation of these verses.
F. Much like corporate values within a business, the church has a deeper foundation.
G. The purpose is simple. Paul recounts our values of oneness through these passages through confessional necessities and doctrinal unity.
III. One Body United by One Spirit (v.4)
Eph 4:4
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—
A. Verse 4a.
a. Starting with verse 4a, “There is one body and one Spirit.”
b. One Body.
1. Looking back at Ephesians 2:16, Paul has already defined this body for us. It is the local church.
2. In contrast, some other historical notions have been used to justify the idea that one body could mean a monolithic church, such as Roman Catholicism.
3. This enquiry would not be justified because the use of “body” refers to a catholic “universal” church.
4. This body, comprising people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, is the focal point of God’s ministry on earth.
c. One Spirit
1. Since there is one body, there is “one Spirit.”
2. As Arnold points out, the Spirit incorporates the body.
3. As O’Brien points out,
4. “Believers are members of the body by virtue of the work of the Holy Spirit. And as there is one body, so also there is only one Spirit.”
5. Akin backs that the background of the Ephesian church is essential. These believers struggled with magic elements in their worship of pagan gods. There was the issue of multiple spirits (demonic entities). These people would have grown up calling out to various spirits.
6. Paul is reminding them that their conversion is a commitment and that there is only one Holy Spirit.
7. Furthermore, Paul reminds them that it is the Holy Spirit who brings them into unity.
8. As Baugh concludes,
9. “There is only one church, the one body of Christ; so also this church is filled by the one Holy Spirit, who unifies the church with his glorious presence and brings access to the Father to all.”
IV. Verse 4b.
A. In verse 4b, “just as you were called to one hope, at your calling,”
B. Paul is emphasizing our calling. It is God’s sovereignty that unites believers as one body.
C. Paul is reminding us that we are part of the Body of Christ, and there is nothing we could have done.
D. It is God’s work that unifies the body. Paul also reminds them actively of their Christian duty in verses 1-3.
E. The Christian duty to maintain ecclesiastical unity is also a central theme in Paul's words.
F. The essence of one hope also precludes us from understanding what he means. Theilman harkens back to 2:1-10.
G. Theilman states about the presence of one hope,
H. “This means that hope accompanied God’s call, as an integral part of it. Like Abraham, their trust in the good news that God has included them in his people and reconciled them to himself is a trust in something they cannot see.”
I. This hope encompasses the eschatological expectation we have in Christ's return. That we as a body have a unified hope in the coming kingdom.
V. One Body United by One Confession (v.5)
Eph 4:5
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
A. One Lord.
a. The beginning of “one Lord” is the foundation of unity.
b. Of course, Lord, in the context of the letter, refers to Jesus.
c. However, claiming Jesus as Lord is a profound statement of both social and religious significance.
d. This is the foundational claim for our faith.
e. Rigorously, as we look at the Shema, “Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Deut. 6:4).
“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
1. This claim for Paul is simple.
2. We are equating Jesus Christ with divinity. For the ancient Christian with a Jewish background, this was a serious matter.
3. As Arnold states,
4. “Because of his encounter with the resurrected and exalted Christ, Paul came to be convinced that Jesus of Nazareth shares the identity, title, and authority with the Father.”
f. Socially
1. For the Roman Christian, this is a direct contradiction of what they were raised to believe.
2. Emperor worship is rampant.
3. During the Roman Empire, Christians had to confess either to Rome or to Christ.
4. Some died for our shared beliefs, who were sacrificed in the Colosseum.
5. These believers were told to worship Ceaser as God.
6. This declaration shows that no Ceaser or any politician will ever attain the title of Lord, that alone is reserved as our Savior.
7. As Gregory S. MaGee and Jeffrey D. Arthurs state,
8. “This title communicated the idea of Jesus’s enduring authority over the church and was one of the most common titles for Jesus in the early church. The Lord Jesus exercised His authority with the highest good of believers in mind, demonstrating Himself to be a trustworthy and good Master. Paul and early Christians often proclaimed the lordship of Jesus with joyful and triumphant tones (see Rom. 10:9; 1 Cor. 8:6; 2 Cor. 4:5; Phil. 2:11; Rev. 22:20). Since both Jewish and Gentile believers shared a common standing in the Lord, Paul naturally put Jesus’s sole lordship at the center of his readers’ spiritual existence.”
B. One Faith
a. Now we have “one faith.” This one faith is that our religion is unique and exclusive.
b. There is not a multiple path to God, but one.
c. The heresy of pluralism is founded on the back of Satan.
d. Our faith is in our one Lord.
e. That Lord is the triune God.
f. Anything that is outside that faith is not in our faith.
g. The word and words of our master, Jesus, are our foundational creed.
h. I recall when I was young, it was common to come across TV channels or magazines during the peak of the Christian Holidays of Christmas and Easter, and hear some misconceptions about the beliefs that were incorrect.
i. They would always spin a theory that in the early church, there was a diverse range of views on core theological beliefs.
j. Let me be clear, there wasn’t a diverse view of Christ but a united view of Christ. Paul doesn’t mince words about “one faith.”
k. This faith is grounded in the person and work of Jesus and our Lord’s bold claim in John 14:6-7.
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
l. “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.
C. One Baptism
a. We also have “one baptism”.
b. Of course, many people have different views of how to practice baptism. As a Baptist, I am incredibly partial to this position.
c. This context isn’t concerned with such a discussion.
d. This is about water baptism.
e. Water baptism was common following a personal confession of faith.
f. Baptism has connections to unity in Galatians 3:27-28, “For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. There is no Jew or Greek, enslaved person or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.
There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
g. This baptism is shared by all of us who are in faith in Christ. Just like how Christ was baptized, we are also baptized.
h. We are all united in this together with our savior.
i. As Baugh concludes,
j. “There is one baptism because there is only one Lord who has brought all together in one united body.”
VI. One Body United by One God (v.6)
A. One God (v.6a)
a. We see Paul conclude with verse 6, “one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.”
b. Within the framework of the passage as a whole, we see that the Trinity is referenced in our unity of doctrine.
c. Verse 4: Paul discusses how we have one Spirit. In verse 5, one Lord, who is Christ, and now we have one God who is Father.
d. Despite the ancient pleas of many that there are multiple gods, in reality, there is only the Triune God. This is the importance of 4:6.
e. In 6a, “one God,” we see that God is monotheistic.
f. Our Triune God is sovereign, omnipotent, and omnipresent.
g. Again, with roots dating back to the Shema (Deut. 6:4), Paul offers us a distinctive claim to monotheism.
h. With the background of the Ephesian church, Gentile believers had to agree on one God, rather than a myriad of deities.
i. The issue with Paul’s statements is that he is pulling out Trinitarian language.
j. As Baugh highlights, in this verse, he is speaking about God the Father.
k. Paul uses this type of language in 1 Corinthians 8:6, “
yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him.
l. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'—6 yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him.”
m. Paul consistently maintains this doctrinal transparency throughout his letters.
B. “and Father of all who is above all and through all and in all” (v.6b)
a. Finally, we get the last part of verse 6b, “and Father of all who is above all and through all and in all.”
b. This phrase can be confusing because who is the all?
c. The debate has caused some scholars to lose track of the syntax of the verses.
d. I support the minority view of some scholars that all believers in context means believers.
e. God is the Father of all Christians, concluding this unity. We see that God, who is our Father, is non-discriminatory.
f. As Stott states,
g. “The unity of the church is as indestructible as the unity of God himself. It is no more possible to split the church than it is possible to split the Godhead.”
h. It is God who is over all, through all, and in all, meaning that it is related to the Church, meaning that the Triune God is over the church.
VII. Conclusion
A. When we examine this passage, it provides the theological background for verses 1-3.
B. Paul teaches us that we are united by and through the Triune God.
C. The Church has a greater calling than most people realize.
D. This requires us to understand that our unity is more important than our differences.
E. So, what are we to do with this passage? There are three things we can learn from this passage.
F. First, we should enrich each other through God’s Word.
a. First, we see that this passage teaches us the foundation for the church.
b. Our unity is founded on our Savior.
c. Therefore, we should enrich each other through God’s Word.
d. This is the apex of discipleship.
e. I don’t understand how someone can find the Bible boring who is a believer.
f. Are there segments that mind feel like a drag?
g. Let me take Leviticus and Deuteronomy as an example.
h. Christians sometimes struggle to read these books because they discuss the Law.
i. Hermeneutically speaking, you cannot understand the Old Testament without these books.
j. One of the most important verses in the entire Bible is found in Leviticus 19:2, “The LORD spoke to Moses: “Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.”
“Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
G. We shouldn’t let massive disagreements over a minute doctoral position divide us.
a. If our foundation begins with the Word of God, which is how God exclusively communicates to His people today, then we should build our unified doctrine on the Word of God.
b. We shouldn’t let massive disagreements over a minute doctoral position divide us.
c. Bryan Chapell defines this perfectly:
d. “We are called out of our separateness not to do as we please, but to direct our faith and practice toward the truths given to us by the testimony of Scripture. This calling also causes us to honor brothers and sisters of other churches and denominations who unite their thoughts and actions to Scripture. In doing so we must affirm that there are differences that are honorable but not vital; there are believers with whom we differ on matters important but not essential; and even as we are correcting ourselves by Scripture, we are called to seek ways to come together with those who are with us in their testimony of one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. What we are not permitted to do is unite ourselves with those who have abandoned these truths affirmed in Scripture.”
Ephesians We Share the Same Testimony (4:5)
We are called out of our separateness not to do as we please, but to direct our faith and practice toward the truths given to us by the testimony of Scripture. This calling also causes us to honor brothers and sisters of other churches and denominations who unite their thoughts and actions to Scripture. In doing so we must affirm that there are differences that are honorable but not vital; there are believers with whom we differ on matters important but not essential; and even as we are correcting ourselves by Scripture, we are called to seek ways to come together with those who are with us in their testimony of one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. What we are not permitted to do is unite ourselves with those who have abandoned these truths affirmed in Scripture
H. We are called to be united in common faith.
a. This is particularly important, especially in a world where people often fail to fellowship with one another.
b. Since we are not to squabble over disagreements but are united in our Faith. This Faith is in the Triune God.
c. Our God calls us to be united on His mission and for His ministry.
Ephesians We Share the Same Family (4:6)
My brother in Christ is infinitely valuable to God, and therefore I must honor him with regard from my heart, with the words of my mouth, and with the works of my hands. Each of us for whom Christ died is called to love beyond differences of race, or class, or perspective, or personality.
The Apostles’ Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism Series Preface
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY,
maker of heaven and earth,
AND IN JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S ONLY SON, OUR LORD:
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and is seated
at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
AMEN.
The Nicene Creed: An Introduction Introduction: The Historical Setting
We believe [I believe]
in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible;
and in one Lord,
Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
who was begotten of the Father before all ages,
[God from God,]
Light from Light,
True God from True God,
begotten, not made,
having the same being as the Father,
through whom all things came to be;
who for us human beings and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate
from the Holy Spirit
and the Virgin Mary
and became human,
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate,
and suffered
and was buried,
and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand of the Father,
and shall come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
of whose kingdom there shall be no end;
and in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and Giver of Life,
who proceeds from the Father
[and from the Son],
who with the Father and Son together is worshiped and co-glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets;
in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins;
we look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the age to come.
Amen
