One Faith

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

Opposition to the Gospel is not borne out of honest pursuit but commitment against it. But even if you believe that Jesus Christ is who He claims to be, but you don’t want a LORD, then you won’t entrust yourself to Him.

Real biblical faith involves entrusting ourselves to the LORD.

<<READ vv4-6>>

Last week, unity in our common commitment to one Lord. This week, one faith.

Q. What is the One Faith that unites the Body?

I. One Faith Delivered

In order to have unity of faith (Eph 4:13), need to know what the Faith is.

Sometimes, Paul uses the word “faith” to refer to the act of believing / entrusting ourselves to Jesus Christ, and sometimes he uses it to refer to the set of beliefs that make up our common confession or profession.

Eph 1:15 - faith in the Lord Jesus

<<READ 2:8>>

<<READ>> 3:14-21 // 4:13 ((THE faith))

Here in 4:5, we are called to one faith - a shared commitment to the same Lord, and a shared confession of the same beliefs.

The content of our common faith begins with a statement about Jesus.

The very earliest professions of faith in the New Testament are statements about Jesus.

John 1:49 - Nathanael - “You are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel”

Matt 9:22 - Woman with the issue of blood says to herself “If only I can touch his garment, I will be made well” - Jesus: “Your faith has made you well”

Matt 9:27-31 - 2 blind men, “have mercy on us, Son of David!” Jesus: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes Lord,” “Let it be done to you according to your faith”

Matthew 16:16 - Peter - “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”

John 20:28 - Thomas - “My Lord and my God”

John 11:25-27 - Jesus says, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes [[HAS FAITH]] in me, though he die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Martha: “Yes, Lord, I believe you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

All these statements identify Jesus as the Christ, the savior the Son of God; the Lord.

Our common commitment and confession starts with the truth that Jesus is Lord.

Shortest summary of the Gospel - 1 Cor 8:6, 12:3, Phil 2:11

Romans 10:9–10 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

For the apostles, entire Gospel is packed up in that statement, just waiting to be opened up.

TRINITARIAN: When you do open it up, notice is that it is a deeply Trinitarian statement of faith. Wherever you see the Lordship of Christ, the Father and the Spirit are close by.

In Acts 2, 8, 10, for example, the Apostles call people to repent, and believe, and be baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But when Jesus gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, remember - He commanded them

Matthew 28:19 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord is faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, because the LORD Himself said it was so. When Jesus tells us what it means to believe in Him, He points to the Father and to the Spirit. At His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and the Father said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

Our common faith is also ATONEMENT-FOCUSED: If we unpack “Jesus is Lord” we discover that it’s also deeply focused on His mission of salvation. In those same passages in Acts where Peter and Paul call people to repent, believe, and be baptized, they’re calling people to believe something specific about Jesus: that He died a sin-bearing death and rose again, and ascended to the Father’s side, and will return to judge all people.

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

In Acts 10, Peter preaches, saying that Jesus Christ is Lord of All, that God anointed him with the Holy Spirit, that He was crucified, that God raised him on the third day, that He is the one who will judge all the living and the dead, and:

Acts 10:43 ESV

43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Do you see? THE FAITH is a well-defined faith. It’s a unified commitment and confession that Jesus Christ is Lord in the way that He has said He is.

This ONE FAITH is HISTORICAL, RELEVANT:

Our faith is the same faith that the OT prophets taught. Hebrews 11, that passage often called the Hall of Faith, puts Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, and all the rest of the Old Testament believers forward as your brothers and sisters.

Hebrews 11:13 ESV

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

And then he says,

Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

The ONE FAITH stands in complete continuity with the Old Testament, and it is the same today as it was in the earliest days of the Church.

ILLUST: CREEDS

Naysayers frequently attack the Gospel with ridiculous historical fabrications. One of the more famous and silly ones claims that the Trinity was made up at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD because Emperor Constantine told the church to do it.

Here’s what actually happened: When Christians were tasked with defending and proclaiming their faith in the decades after the New Testament was completed, they went back to the Scriptures again, and again, and again and found that each and every time, the Scriptures showed them how to answer.

Drawing from the rich texts of John 1, Colossians 1:15-20, Philippians 2:6-11, and all the rest of Scripture, earliest Christian leaders defended the One Faith that had been delivered to them, with men like Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cyprian, Athanasius, and even the original Saint Nicholas. Yes, that one.

By 325 AD, the Council of Nicea had 300 years’ worth of teaching derived from the Scriptures to show that even before the word “Trinity” was coined, the ONE FAITH delivered once for all to the One Body of Christ is the same faith that they held, and the same faith that we are called to hold. Jesus is Lord; God is eternally Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and the Son became flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord, to fulfill all of God’s promises in His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, and His future return.

The result of that Council at Nicea was a statement of faith called the Creed of Nicea, and one form of that creed is still spoken in many churches throughout the world. It is deeply Trinitarian, Christ-centered, and deeply Biblical.

The ONE FAITH is relevant today because it is still the message of salvation. Bethel’s own Statement of Faith is the same kind of document that Christians have been writing since Ignatius, and Irenaeus, and Gregory Thaumaturgus. When questions about the Faith arise, we take the questions back to God’s Word.

The early Christians were not developing new doctrine when they created their creeds. They were doing their best to demonstrate what was already in God’s Word.

Today, the same is true. God has already spoken on the matters that mean the most to you.

When you're not sure how to make your way today, open the Word and seek His wisdom.

II. One Faith Proclaimed

When Jesus commissioned us, He said

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The method of making disciples is the proclamation of the Gospel. In Acts 1:8, Jesus:

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

But when the first persecution arose against the Church, all the apostles were stuck in Jerusalem, while the rest of the believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

Acts 8:4–5 ESV

4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.

The faithful believers shared their faith. We’re called to the same proclamation today. But imagine how hard it would be to proclaim the One Faith if you can’t summarize it. When Philip went down to Samaria, and they asked him what the Gospel was, do you think he struggled to figure out how to answer the question?

I don’t. Look at Peter’s sermons in Acts 2-4 and 8-10, or Stephen’s message in Acts 7, or Paul’s Gospel proclamations starting in Acts 13. They knew what they were about.

ILLUST: I have to tell you, I’ve been amazed over the years, interviewing pastoral candidates, when I’ve asked the question, “What is the Gospel?” how many people who want to shepherd God’s church have struggled to answer that question. It’s not a hard one. The Navigators can teach you how to share the Gospel from just one Bible verse, Romans 6:23. You can memorize the Romans Road. But every Christian should be able to explain the Gospel in just a few words.

If you’re a parent and you don’t know how to explain the Gospel so your child can understand it at age 5, please Google “Awana Gospel Wheel” or come talk to me or one of the Children’s Ministry leaders. The simple truths that come out of 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 will actually help any of us explain the Gospel to folks at any age, so even if you’re not a parent, if you don’t think you could explain the Gospel to a 5 year old, I’m not sure you could explain it to your neighbor. The beauty of our faith is that it is simple enough for a child to understand, and simple enough for a child to explain, but glorious enough to captivate us for our entire lives.

WOW CAMP CONVERSIONS: In fact, back in 2016, on a Mission Trip to Michigan, camp for 1st-4th graders. Skit, teaching, games, LEGO MOVIE GOSPEL TRACT. One elementary school child was so captivated by the Gospel that she took that little tract home & pored over it, then grabbed her grandparents and read it to them, and her grandmother and grandfather gave their lives to Christ, too.

AT CHURCH - Proclaim the One Faith in teaching (obvs), but also in our singing, proclaim to one another.

Goes all the way back to the Scriptures. <<TURN WITH ME TO COL 1:15-20>>

SINGING as TRAINING; Prayer, Reading Scripture proclaim

Baptism & the Lord’s Supper - Baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit - a sign & symbol that we have died to sin - crucified with Christ - and now are united to Him by faith;

1 Corinthians 11 - the Lord’s Supper “we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes”

AT WORK - Often the most difficult for people to imagine, but frequently the most fruitful! Esp when you live a life worthy of your calling, faithfully loving your coworkers & seeking their good. Praying for opportunities to proclaim, expecting God to provide, prepared with the simple Gospel (Navigators.org / resources / evangelism).

IN EVERYDAY LIFE - Powerful proclamation prompter: Learn to ask real questions with real love behind them. I can’t tell you how many Gospel moments have come simply from asking something like, How are you really doing? What are you excited about right now? What do you think is really important?

Don’t hide that you’re a Christian. Ask because you care. Pray for God’s wisdom and an opportunity, and don’t worry if it takes more than a couple of conversations.

III. One Faith Lived

We’re going to close by considering a couple more ways to live out this ONE FAITH.

Last week we talked about worship and the Word as two tools for maintaining unity. Here’s another one: welcome one another (no promises that there will be any more tools that start with W). One of the greatest tools both for evangelism and discipleship is an open front door in a godly home. Welcoming people in for dinner, or to host a small group, or for a Bible study can change people’s lives when they see a home that has been shaped by the ONE FAITH. <<BUTTERFIELD>>

The ONE FAITH calls us to unity with others who share our common commitment and confession, even if we disagree on other important matters. We are brothers and sisters with everyone who has truly been born again by the Holy Spirit.

But the ONE FAITH also sets a dividing line. Anyone who claims the name of Christian but denies the ONE FAITH is not united with us.

1 John 4:2–4 ESV

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

At a very minimum, anyone who denies what Scripture teaches about God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, anyone who denies that the eternal Word became flesh, who denies that Jesus died as our righteous substitute and was physically raised the third day, and is coming again, anyone who denies that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, is not a Christian. Unity in the ONE FAITH requires us to identify and distinguish ourselves from those who teach or believe a false Gospel.

Any so-called church that denies these things is holding out a message that deceives and condemns. It seduces sinners away from the path to life. We must say, “Back to the Word.” As Jude 3 says, we contend for the FAITH delivered once for all to the saints.

SO: let’s stand & proclaim the One Faith together:

NICENE CREED

Related Media

Related Sermons