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4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
The first thing I notice about our text today is the Trinity, the Spirit, the Son, and the Father is mentioned. We see the Holy Spirit mentioned in v.4, the Son (Lord) is mentioned in v.5, and the Father is mentioned in v.6. In this context, the Apostle Paul mentions seven ones that provide unity to believers.
The Apostle writes, "There is one body." The essence of a body is that it consists of thousands of cells with one mutually shared life. It is the sharing of life that makes the church a body. It is the Lord Jesus, Himself, who provides for believers our unity.
Then Paul writes, "and one Spirit." The Holy Spirit is the invisible Person who is the power behind the Christian church. The strength of the church never comes from its numbers.
Paul links with this the "one hope." This hope is the product of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. It is this hope that enables the believer to persevere in his faith. As a result of His resurrection, the Lord Jesus is, through the Holy Spirit, living in us. In Colossians 1, the Apostle Paul writes, "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
In v.5, the Apostle mentions "one Lord." Of course, this is a reference to the Lord Jesus. In every place in the Scriptures, it is only when we acknowledge Jesus as Lord that He becomes our Savior. Lord means "one with ultimate authority."
Next, Paul writes, "one faith." Here, he is using a noun and is referencing the truth that has been revealed through the Lord Jesus and the Bible. This is not to be mistaken with the verb form of faith which is our positive response to the truth.
What Paul is getting at is, there is full agreement everywhere among true Christians that there is a body of truth revealed about Jesus Christ; there is only one set of facts; there is only one faith.
In v.6, we come to the last of these seven ones, "one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." It would appear this verse is teaching pantheism by stating the God is in all. However, the "all" the Apostle is using here is speaking of those who have believed in the Lord Jesus.
Finally, our actions are determined by our beliefs. Praise the Lord that He has given us His word so that we know what His thoughts are on a given subject. This is truth, what God has said on a given subject. And, these truths set the direction of our lives. These are the defining truths that God uses to provide us His culture.
