Paul instructed the church in Ephesus to be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). He then went on to explain the reason for unity and the basis of it.
Our unity must be based upon the following:
- One body – This refers to the church which is Christ’s body (Ephesians 1:22-23). There are not many churches (denominations). There is one church and it belongs to Christ.
- One Spirit – The Holy Spirit worked in revealing the word of God (John 16:13) and confirming the word with various gifts and miracles (1 Corinthians 12:7-10; Hebrews 2:4). The fact that there is one Spirit means that there is only one source of revelation.
- One hope – We hope and strive for an eternal home in heaven with God (John 14:2-3; Matthew 25:46), not a paradise here on earth or any other temporal thing.
- One Lord – This is Jesus Christ (Acts 2:36). As Lord, He has the authority to rule and direct us (Matthew 28:18-20).
- One faith – This is more than just a belief in Christ. The one faith is the body of teaching – the word of God – that produces faith in us (Romans 10:17). It is “the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3).
- One baptism – This is a burial in water for the remission of sins (Acts 8:36; Romans 6:3-4; Acts 2:38; 22:16).
- One God and Father – There are many gods that men serve; but there is only one true, living God.
Unity of the Spirit is good and pleasant for Christians. But it must be as described above. We must not expand the bounds of fellowship in order to have unity with those in sin and error. In the same way, we must not refuse to have fellowship with others who do not conform to our opinions and preferences.
Let us strive for and preserve the unity that God desire us to have.
