Truth On Tough Texts
Truth On Tough Texts
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.
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.[1]
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.
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.
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.[2] 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 pleroō, 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 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.[3] 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.
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.
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