Truth
On
Tough
Texts
ISSUE 33 –
April/2008
The Ground of
Unity (1)
Ephesians 4:4–6
In
our two previous issues, we began a look at the question
of unity. With Christianity becoming more all-embracing
every day, with the lines being increasingly blurred
between what is “true” and what is “false,” we must ask
ourselves, “What is the true basis of unity and
fellowship?” Having examined the grace of unity,
we turn now to the ground of
unity, which we find clearly presented in Ephesians
4:4–6:
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called
in one hope of your
calling;
One Lord, one faith, one
baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through
all, and in you all.
The first
observation we should make here is that we are entering
perhaps the most important section of the second half of
Ephesians. I say that because this sections forms the
very foundation of unity. What exactly unites us? Some
today answer “love,” others answer “our shared
experience,” and still others answer “a common goal.”
Many today, even professing evangelicals, insist,
“Doctrine divides, love unites.”
About 25 years
ago, while preaching a week of meetings in a certain
church, the pastor came to me with a burden about how
his denomination was drifting towards Liberalism. Asking
me what he should do, I answered immediately, “Get out.
You must separate yourself from those who deny the
Truth.” Appalled at that, he responded, “Oh, I could
never do that. Our denomination views love and unity as
supreme, so I could never pull out.” But that is serious
error. Love is never spoken of in Scripture as being
superior to truth. Not even I Corinthians 13, that great
“Love Chapter,” implies such an idea. Yes, it says that
without “love” certain things, such as knowledge, faith,
and giving are empty and meaningless, but neither does
it say that love is meant to stand by itself or is meant
to replace all those things.
We should ask a
simple question: How can love unite people who deny
Christ with those who embrace Him? As we saw in our
previous study, how can there possibly be unity apart
from the unique revelation of God through Christ?
If you remove the very essence of Christianity, the very
foundation of the faith, you have nothing. As we’ve also
noted, with few exceptions, people go right to Ephesians
4 when speaking of unity without considering the
doctrine of chapters 1–3. Only when we understand the doctrine of
unity there can we understand the duty of unity
here. Let us say it clearly and with no ambiguity: doctrine must be the
ground for unity. Of course,
that principle is frowned upon in our day and is
ironically considered “divisive,” but there can be no
other foundation.
To put it another
way: doctrine
makes up the building blocks of unity, while love
provides the energy to build. One without the other
is useless. If all we have is doctrine, the building
materials will lie around and accomplish nothing. What
good is truth if you don’t use it? What good is right
Theology if there is no energy? On the other hand, if
all you have is love, you’ll have everyone running
around looking for materials with which to build, but
they will find nothing lasting. It is really here that
most of Christianity is today. Everyone is looking for
something around which to unify, but the last thing they
consider is doctrine. We must, therefore, have both:
truth and love. That is precisely why Paul
says later in Ephesians, “Speaking the truth in love”
(4:15). Truth is first; love is second. Again, we don’t
build unity, rather we
maintain it. To maintain that
“building,” however, we must have the energy and use the
right materials.
Once we accept the
fact that doctrine is the ground for unity, a question
immediately arises: WHAT doctrine is the
ground for unity? This is vitally important. Some base their unity
on which translation of the Bible another uses, or where
someone went to Bible College or Seminary, or what
position another takes on a particular minor doctrine or
practice, or what view someone takes of the Second
Coming of Christ, and so on. But such divisions are not
taught in Scripture.
What then is the basis?
What doctrine is the ground of
unity? What doctrine forms the foundation of our faith?
The answer is in our text. These verses list seven
spiritual realities that unite all true believers.
Contained in these seven principles is the very essence
of Christianity, that is, its foundational truths. If we
could boil down Christianity to its bare elements, here
they are. Our unity and fellowship must be based on
these. If someone accepts these, there can be unity,
even when there is disagreement on minor points of
doctrine or practice. But if one or more of these is
rejected, there can be no unity and fellowship. Recall
again our definition of unity: the unanimous
agreement concerning the unique revelation of God
through and in Jesus Christ. And these seven
spiritual realities are rooted in Christ and His
Word. Let’s examine each of these, noting first its
meaning and then its
application.
I. One Body
(v.
4a)
The
Meaning
There can be no
doubt that one body
refers to the Universal Church, the Body of Christ, the
Church as an organism, to which Paul has referred several times in
this letter.
There are many
other references to this in Scripture. In Matthew 16:18,
Jesus said He would build His “Church” (singular), not
“churches” (plural). While before his conversion Paul no
doubt persecuted individual churches, he recounts in I
Corinthians 15:9 how he persecuted “the church,” that
is, the entire Body of Christ. That is why the Lord
Jesus asked, “Why persecutest thou Me?” (Acts 9:4), that
is, My Body, all believers. Later in Ephesians 5:25,
Paul also declares that Christ gave Himself for “the
church,” that is, the entire Body. That Body was formed
on the Day of Pentecost and includes every true
believer. He emphasized the same truth to the Romans:
“For as we have many members in one body, and all
members have not the same office: So we, being many, are
one body in Christ, and every one members one of
another” (Rom. 12:4-5).
So there is one
body, not many. There is not one
church that is for Jews, another for Gentiles, another
for men, another for women, another for Caucasians,
another for Negroes, and another for Asians. There is
one, a single unified Body of Jesus Christ, of which all
believers are part. As Paul states in 2:14–18, God has
made us all one. Shame on us if we build back any walls
that He has broken down.
What a joy it is
to meet someone and find out they are a Believer! A few
years ago I had to fly back from vacation for an
emergency in our local church. On the last leg of the
trip, between Denver and Grand Junction, Colorado, I
started talking with the man sitting next to me. As we
chatted, it came out that he was a believer. What a
marvelous time we had in the next few minutes!
Regardless of race, denomination, or any other factor,
to meet a true believer is a joy. There is an immediate
connection, an instant fellowship that is
incomprehensible to an unbeliever. The reason is that we
both belong to the same body and therefore our
fellowship is instantaneous.
One word of caution
is in order here. A common teaching in today’s pragmatic
atmosphere is that only the Universal Church is
important. This emphasis tears down and de-emphasizes
the Local Church, which is, in fact, actually more
important in some ways. The Local Church is the Church
as an organization. More precisely, it is the local assembly of
believers, organized and functioning according to
Scriptural guidelines, that carries out all outward
ministry. The Local Church is God’s instrument for
working in the world today, and each is to carry out all
ministry. That is why Paul founded local churches. As
one writer very aptly puts
it:
The one body is the model for the
many local bodies that God has established across the
world. The fact that a person is a member of the one
body does not excuse him from belonging to a local body,
for it is there that he exercises his spiritual gifts
and helps others to grow.[i]
That is precisely
what the Local Church is for. It is for God’s people to
gather for worship, exercise their gifts, and equip them
for service. As Paul makes clear later in 4:11–16, God
has given certain men “for the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ,” and this obviously takes place in the
Local Church, as is also made plain in the book of Acts.
Paul likewise wrote to Timothy, the pastor of a local
church, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how
thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God,
which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
ground of the truth” (I Tim. 2:15 with context). So as
we will see, the Local Church is the training ground for
ministry.
The
Application
Simply stated,
acceptance of the one Body,
the Universal Church, is a basis of unity and
fellowship. One example of those who don’t accept this
principle are certain denominations (or some groups who
refuse to be even called a denomination) who maintain
that their local assembly, along with other local
assemblies who agree with them, are “The Church”; no one
else is part of the Church, no matter what they believe.
That is, of course, arrogance that is hard to
fathom.
The most graphic
example of false teaching concerning the Body of Christ
is Roman Catholicism, which teaches that only it is “The
True Church.” If you are not Roman Catholic, you not a
part of “The Church” and are, therefore, “accursed.” But
Biblically, no earthly denomination or group can be
called “The Church.” Every true believer who is in agreement concerning
the unique revelation of God through and in Jesus
Christ is part of Christ’s Body.
Any other attitude destroys unity and any possibility of
fellowship.
II. One Spirit
(v.
4b)
The
Meaning
One spirit
can refer only to the Holy Spirit of God, the third
member of the Trinity, who regenerates the sinner and
then indwells, enlightens, equips, and empowers the
believer. So vital is the Holy Spirit in living the
Christian life that Paul mentions Him a dozen times in
Ephesians.[ii] While we could
add several to the list, let’s briefly note seven major
ministries of the Holy Spirit to the Believer. What is
the Holy Spirit doing in your life?
First, the
Holy Spirit regenerates the
sinner. As our Lord declared to Nicodemus, “Except a man
be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God . . .
Except a man be born of water [physical birth] and of
the Spirit [spiritual birth], he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:3-6). And as Paul reminded Titus,
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus
3:5). The new birth is the imparting of the Divine
nature (II Pet. 1:4), and it is the Holy Spirit Who
transmits that nature.
Second, the
Holy Spirit gives the believer
assurance of salvation.
Romans 8:15 and 16 declare, “For as many as are led by
the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. . . . The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we
are the children of God.” The Spirit gives the needed
peace and rest that we are indeed in Christ and thereby
a child of God. As stated in Ephesians 1:13, we have
been “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,” which
denotes absolute ownership and assurance. No other
picture in Scripture gives a stronger affirmation of
assurance than sealing of the Holy
Spirit.
Third, the
Holy Spirit indwells the
believer. Regardless of how imperfect or immature we
might be, I Corinthians 6:15-19 declares “that [our]
bodies are the members of Christ” and “the temple of the
Holy Ghost.” Paul was writing to the most carnal bunch
of Christians recorded in the New Testament, but they
were still indwelt by the Holy Spirit. His presence
within motivates us to holiness and purity and gives us
a realization of His power in our lives. That leads to
the next principle.
Fourth, the
Holy Spirit strengthens the
believer. As Ephesians 3:16 declares, “That he would
grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be
strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.”
Through the Holy Spirit, God gives us the power and
ability to perform anything that He desires of
us.
Fifth, the
Holy Spirit illumines and teaches the believer. As Paul again wrote to the
Corinthians, “Now we have received, not the spirit of
the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might
know the things that are freely given to us of God . . .
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned” (I Cor. 2:12, 14). Man’s mind must first be
illumined by the Holy Spirit before he can rightly
understand the Word of God. As Jesus told His
disciples:
But the Comforter, which is the
Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he
shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (Jn.
14:26).
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of
truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he
shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall
hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things
to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of
mine, and shall show it unto you (16:13-14).
There are no new
revelations being given today, as an increasing number
of people are claiming today. The Holy Spirit illumines
the believer concerning Christ, and brings to our
remembrance what Christ has said and done. As we hear
truth preached and read it in Scripture, the Holy Spirit
gives us understanding.
Sixth, the Holy Spirit
infills the Believer and empowers him for
service. As Paul instructs in Ephesians 5:18: “Be not
drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with
the Spirit.” As we will study there, the Greek behind
“filled” is
pleroo, which
means “to influence fully, to control.” The chief idea
in this is that we are to be permeated by the Spirit, to
be influenced by Him and nothing else, or, to put it
simply, to be filled with the Spirit is to have our
thoughts, desires, values, motives, goals, priorities,
and all else set on spiritual things and spiritual
growth. The purpose for this infilling is for an
empowering for service, more specifically, an empowering
to be a witness of Jesus Christ. As Acts 1:8 confirms
the words of our Lord, “But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall
be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all
Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth.”
Seventh, the
Holy Spirit produces the fruit of Christ-like
character in the believer. We read of the “fruit of
the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23: “love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance.” Note that the Holy Spirit is producing the
fruit of the Spirit, not
fruits. Paul put it in the
singular to show that they are a unified whole in the
believer’s life, and only the Holy Spirit can produce
it.
The
Application
The pointed
application of this spiritual reality is that this
one
spirit is the energy of
unity and fellowship. In 34 years of ministry I have
seen some tragic examples of a lack of unity. I am
convinced that the reason for this is a failure to allow
the Spirit of God to rule. I am not doubting anyone’s
salvation, but I am doubting that we are allowing the
Holy Spirit to work in us. If we divide over some silly
thing, we have just denied the “unity of the Spirit”
(Eph. 4:3) and have fractured the body of Christ.
On the other hand,
a rejection of this truth makes unity impossible. If one
examines any cult or false religion, he finds the total
absence of the idea of the personal indwelling and
empowering presence of God through the Holy Spirit.
Jehovah’s Witness, for example, teaches that the Holy
Spirit is not a part of the Godhead. Both the
personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit (which is
defined as “the invisible active force of Almighty God
which moves His servants to do His will”) are
denied.[iii] So as Romans 8:9
declares, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he
is none of his.” A rejection of the one
spirit of God who indwells every
believer and who produces unity in the first place
destroys any possibility of unity. Again, as we examined
back in verse 3, “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace.” It is the Holy Spirit Who
produces unity. If we, therefore, do not possess the
Holy Spirit, how can there be unity in the Body?
Tragically, there
are Evangelicals today who advocate unity with political
bodies as well as liberal denominations and even false
religious groups for the sake of social ends. But this
blatantly contradicts the doctrine of one
Spirit. There can be no unity,
and therefore no glory to God, when we join with those
who do not possess the Holy Spirit of
God.
III. One Hope
(v.
4c)
The
Meaning
The Greek behind
hope here
(elpis) does not picture uncertainty, such as a
wish or want, as it does in English. Rather it speaks of
absolute assurance and rest in that
assurance. There is, therefore, one hope, one
certainty to which the believer looks: the return of Jesus
Christ for His Church. Our calling refers to
our calling to salvation, and the final hope, the
final certainty, of that
salvation is the return of our
Savior.
To apply this
principle, there are, of course, differing views of the
Second Coming of Christ: Amillennialism, Post-Millennialism, and
Premillennialism. While there are very important
differences between these views, they all do have one
thing in common: all of them hold that Jesus Christ
WILL return. That is
really what matters most. Why? Because that is what
Scripture says. As Revelation 19:11-16
records:
And I saw heaven opened, and
behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth
judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire,
and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name
written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was
clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is
called The Word of God. And the armies which were in
heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine
linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a
sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations:
and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he
treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his
thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF
LORDS.
Then, in the last
chapter of the Bible, we read twice our Lord’s promise:
“Behold, I come quickly” (Rev. 22:7, 12), and we then
read it again intensified in verse 20, “Surely I come
quickly.”
That is our
one hope, our certainty. As Paul wrote to the
Colossians, “To whom God would make known what is the
riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles;
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).
Christ is, indeed, the only glory we should ever seek
and the one hope to which we
look.
The
Application
Applying that truth
we should see that unity exists with a proper view of
Christ’s return, that is, that He will return to
the Earth as the Scripture says. Jehovah’s Witness, for
example, teaches that Christ returned invisibly
in 1914 and set up His kingdom in Heaven, but this is in
direct contradiction to Scripture. At Christ’s
ascension, two angels in the form of men announced, “Ye
men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this
same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven” (Acts 1:11). The Lord’s coming, then, will be a
visible one to earth,
not an invisible one in
heaven.
This brings up the
question, “What about those who don’t agree on their
view of Christ’s return? Can a Premillennialist, for
example, possibly fellowship with an Amillennialist?”
There is today much unnecessary division here. Some who
believe one view would not even consider fellowshipping
with someone who holds another. But can this possibly
honor the Lord? Is that “[keeping] the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace?” (v. 3). I, for example, am
convinced that Premillenialism is correct. I believe
without a shadow of a doubt that the reference in
Revelation 20:4 and 6 to those who will “[live] and
[reign] with Christ a thousand years” refers to a
literal earthly Kingdom that will last 1,000 years. I am
thoroughly persuaded that as every other number in
Revelation is a literal number, so are the six instances
of 1,000 in Revelation 20. At the same time, however, I
can still fellowship with a brother in Christ who
believes that the Kingdom is spiritual not literal.
While I certainly think he is wrong and is missing an
enormous blessing, what matters most is that we both
know that our Lord is coming back to take us to
glory.
Dr. J. D.
Watson
Pastor-Teacher
Grace Bible
Church
NOTES
[i]
Warren Wiersbe, Be Rich:
Ephesians.
[ii] 1:13; 2:18,22; 3:5,16; 4:3,4;
4:30; 5:9,18;
6:17,18.
[iii] Jehovah’s Witness publication,
Let God Be True, p.
108.
