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THE SEVEN ONES

Ephesians 4:4-6

Victor M. Eskew

 

            When unity is being sought, there are two important factors that must be considered.  The first involves the attitudes of those seeing unity.  The second are the teachings that must be agreed upon by all who desire oneness.  Paul noted both of these things in Ephesians 4:1-6.  Verses 1-3, involve personal qualities needed for unity.  “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

            In verses 4-6, Paul turns his attention to the core doctrines that are essential for unity.  We often refer to these as “The Seven Ones.”  Listen to Paul’s list:  “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.”  It is interesting that Paul did not make faith in Jesus Christ the only aspect of unity.  He opposed this popular belief that men have today.  They tell us that the only doctrine upon which we need to unite is the face that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  All other doctrines to them are non-essential as far as unity is concerned.  This was not so with the apostle Paul.  He taught the church at Ephesus that there are seven core teachings upon which unity it to be based.  Let’s look briefly at these foundations of unity.

            Paul begins with “one body.”  In Ephesians 1:22-23, he defines this body for us.  “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”  The “one body” is the one church.  This is the church which Jesus promised to build in Matthew 16:18.  It is the one church to which the saved were added on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:47).  The term “body” is a beautiful description of the church.  Jesus is the head of the body (Col. 1:18).  Christians are diverse members of the body that carry out the mission of Christ on earth (1 Cor. 12:12-27).  It is interesting that Paul leads with this point.  Why?  Because the religious world does not understand the church.  They do not believe the church is important.  They do not believe in one church; they advocate for many churches.  As long as that is the case, the religious world will not be unified.  There are not many bodies.  “There is one body,” Paul proclaimed.

            Second, there is one Spirit.  There is only one third member of the Godhead known as the Holy Spirit.  The role of the Holy Sprit became a central focus once Jesus ascended to the right hand of God.  Jesus promised to send the Spirit to His apostle (John 16:7).  The purpose of the Holy Spirit was to reveal the truth to the Lord’s chosen ambassadors.  Jesus told the disciples:  “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 shew you things to come” (John 16:13).  The Holy Spirit came to the apostles on Pentecost Day following Jesus’ ascension to heaven (Acts 2:1-4).  They were filled with His power and began to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified (Acts 2:22).  They also wrote down the revelation they received from the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:3-4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).  Revelation was eventually completed (Jude 3).  Today, that truth is found in the pages of the New Testament of Jesus Christ.

            Third, there is one hope of our calling.  It is by means of the gospel men and women are called.  “Whereunto he called you by our gospel…” (2 Thess. 2:14).  Those who answer the call by submitting to the demands of the gospel are given a wonderful hope.  It is a hope that lies beyond this life.  It is a hope of resurrection (Acts 23:6) and eternal life (Tit. 1:2) in a place called heaven (Col. 1:5).  This hope empowers and inspires the believer.  He knows that one day his hope will come to fruition because his hope is anchored in the heavenly realm by Jesus Christ.  “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the vail; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made a high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec” (Heb. 6:19-20).

            Fourth, there is one Lord.  That Lord is Jesus Christ the Son of God.  Only Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).  There is salvation in none other (Acts 4:12).  Upon His resurrection from the dead, God made him “both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).  He was given all power in heaven and in earth (Matt. 28:18).  All those who believe in Him (John 3:16) and obey His commandments (Heb. 5:8-9) will be saved.  But, all those who doubt His claims and refuse to submit to Him will die in their sins (John 8:24). 

Fifth,    Paul asserts that there is “one faith.”  The faith is the system of faith.  It is the complete body of faith revealed in the New Testament.  There are not “many faiths” as men like to acknowledge.  In the first century, a great company of the priests were obedient unto the faith (Acts 6:7).  Jude told his readers to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).  When “the faith” came, it replaced the Law of Moses as the spiritual law for man.  Paul teaches us this in Galatians 3:23-25.  “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”  The New Testament is our law today (Rom. 8:2; 1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2).  It will be that system of faith that will judge men in the last day (John 12:48).

Sixth, there is one baptism.  It is interesting that this is found in the seven ones.  Again, we might ask:  “Why?”  It is interesting because man has diminished the importance of baptism.  In fact, many religious groups teach that one can be saved without ever being baptized.  If that is the case, why is found in the list of the seven ones of unity?  Paul says something man deems as unessential is vital.  It was Jesus who said:  “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…” (Mark 16:16).  Peter’s first sermon on the day of Pentecost included these instructions:  “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Chris for the remission of sins…” (Acts 2:38).  Saul of Tarsus was commanded to “…arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord “ (Acts 22:16).  These verses are very clear.  Baptism is necessary in the salvation process.  This baptism is an essential element in God’s plan for unity.  Perhaps Satan knows this, and it is why baptism had been made so controversial.

            Seventh, there is one God.  This one God is God the Father.  It is He who is above all.  In fact, He is the only God that exists in the Universe.  There are no other gods in the world (1 Cor. 9:4-6).  Others may be called “gods,” but they are made-up, false, counterfeit gods that were contrived in the minds of men.  They do not exist except in the imaginations of man and by the fabrications of men’s hands.  Jehovah God is the Creator of all things.  He is the Governor of the nations.  It is He who will be the Judge of all the earth on the last day.  Some would have us to believe that He does not exist.  However, “that which may be known of God is manifest in them…for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly see…so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19-20).  These individuals are fools according to the psalmist.  “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.  They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good” (Ps. 14:1).

            Seven pillars of unity exist in the religious world:  one body, one hope, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God.  Satan has exploited them.  Man has despised them.  And, we wonder why unity does not prevail in the religious world.  Dear readers, when we get the foundational elements right, unity will be found as long as men will maintain the proper dispositions for it to exist.  Our prayer is that all men will come to agreement on the seven ones of unity.  Then, may we all endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.