One

Introduction

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all (Eph. 4:1-6).

The importance of what Paul has written to the church at Ephesus in chapter 4 verses 1-6 is the continuing echo of what Jesus prayed for as recorded by John, My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (John 17:20-23). In the first three chapters of Ephesians we can learn that there is no way to live a life good enough to earn God’s acceptance. However, when we live in unity with God and each other, we become one with God through the Spirit of God.

The church today is failing miserably in fulfilling the call to oneness. If we look around we will see a world that deems the Bible as irrelevant. Those of us who claim to be Christians in general, and ministers specifically, have no reason to be self-righteous because the lack of oneness belongs to us even more today. That is why this section of Ephesians is so very important to understand. What does it look like to live in a way that would cause people to desire oneness? If we want people to know God and reach out to Him, they need to see His love displayed by believers through oneness. Ephesians 4:1-6 explains how we should and why we should strive for oneness.

Historical and Cultural Background

The city of Ephesus was a coastal city, and the capital of Asia. It was one of Asia’s great religious, political, and commercial centers. The prominent temple of Diana was located in Ephesus. This building had taken more than 200 years to build and was the center of Diana-worship that is recorded in Acts 19:23-41. As a massive temple it served as an appropriate illustration to Paul, when he wrote his letter to the Ephesians, of the true Church of Jesus Christ, the residence of the Holy Spirit.

Literary Context

Ephesians 4:1-6 is the point at which Paul makes a big turn in thought. In the first three chapters Paul describes the spiritual realities of those who have been chosen in Christ from the beginning (Eph. 1:4), who are fitted together (Eph. 2:21), and then become the residence of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:22). The pinnacle of chapter two being that God has knocked down the wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:14). Paul talks about this oneness as a mystery that has been hidden, but it is now revealed. This mystery is that the Gentiles are recipients of the gospel together with Israel, and are members of one body, and share together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Eph. 3:6). Paul says, “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 3:16). As Paul moves into chapter four, he changes from giving a description to providing a prescription. He goes from telling what God has done to what the church is supposed to do. Ephesians 4:1-3 describes the quality of behavioral expectations Paul has for those at Ephesus, and Ephesians 4:4-6 gives the motivation to behave this way.

Commentary and Application

The foundation of any church is being able to harmoniously integrate people from all walks who follow Jesus into something that is beautiful to those outside of the faith. However, this can be a huge hurdle as we are all sinful people. When the local church does achieve this representation of God’s grace, it does not point to how great we are, but to how great God is.

What qualities are needed to connect broken people together? Paul provides an answer in Ephesians 4:2 that comes in three parts. First, he tells us to be humble. This does not mean to think less of yourself than others, but to think of yourself less than you think of others. How can we possibly connect with others in this way? We continually compare ourselves with others, and try to put a positive spin on our own behavior. We constantly desire the approval of others. The humility of Jesus answers these problems. Jesus is the rightful owner of the spot in the middle of the universe, and it is amazing that He could be humble toward us (John 4). When we think about the humbleness exemplified by Jesus toward us, then, and only then, it will become easier to be humble-minded toward others (Phil.2:3-5). Second, Paul writes that we should be gentle. He does not indicate that this means passive or weak. The idea Paul is trying to convey is strength under control for a praiseworthy reason. How does gentleness work in relation to others? How do we get past forcing our will on the lives of others? Again we look at the example Jesus set for us. Jesus could have used His power to force people to bow at His feet, but He never did. Jesus always taught people in a powerful, yet gentle way, inviting them to follow Him (Matt.11:28-30). Therefore, we do not need to be afraid of being humble and gentle. God’s strength and power is sufficient for us. Paul also tells us to be patient. We need to make allowance for the faults of others. It does not mean “tolerant” in a post-modern sense, but it means the opposite of self-righteousness. We snub, ignore, disappoint, and let people down every day. If we need help to get past these faults, God will often give us gentle and not so gentle reminders. If anyone has the right to ignore someone it would be God. The Bible says that God cannot even look upon sin. Yet, He became as one of us, oneness, to humble Himself, gently teach others, and have enough patience to chose to die on a cross in our place. The kind of Christian oneness that impresses people with our God is a kinship in which people relate to one another with humility, gentleness and patience. And the crucial way we build this kind of oneness is by deepening our understanding of how Jesus loves us this way.

Paul gives us the “how to” relate to each other to help ensure those outside the family of God will want to join. However, now Paul answers the question so many ask. Why? Why should we strive for oneness? This brings us to the heart of the passage. The “ones” in Ephesians 4:4-6 start by giving us reasons why we can and should build solid oneness among believers. Paul starts with “One body.” He is referring to those of who are Christians being the visible manifestation of Jesus to a watching world. He moves on to “One Spirit.” The greatest thing Christians have in common is that we are filled with God’s Holy Spirit. “Our hope” is the fact that one day all Christians will spend eternity together. That should be motivation to get started enjoying one another now. Paul then writes that we all follow “One Lord.” If we have trusted Jesus Christ to be our savior, we have decided to follow God. If we are, as Christians, following God, it only makes sense that He will lead us the same way. The next “One” we encounter is foundational to all of the others. “One faith” tells us that we all have the same body of truth (the gospel), therefore, we have a measuring rod with which to discern what is true and right. This is followed by our publically professed faith in Jesus, and our confessed allegiance with Him through “One baptism.” Then just as we are children of our earthly parents, we become children of our “One God and Father.” The structure of the list of “Ones” sheds light on what we call the Trinity. We have God the Spirit bringing us together in one body. God the Son whose gospel message we believe, and then confess as Lord. The third part of this Trinity is God the Father, who is sovereign, and works His will in our lives. All that said, God calls us into a oneness, or a community of loving relationships.

Summary

This means more than practicing what you preach. It tells us that the ultimate reality is oneness with fellow believers. This takes us back to the beginning of this writing, and to John 17. We were created to be in oneness with each other as Christians. It also means that unless we are experiencing the oneness Jesus and Paul both describe, we are missing out on the most foundational purpose for which we were created. That purpose is to experience the love of God in a community of oneness. If we miss the oneness, we miss the joy of a right relationship with God. There is not one material thing in this world that can take the place of oneness within the body of Christ. At best, what the world has to offer will only be counterfeit joys that only make hunger for real relationships. At worst, those things of the world will blind us from ever finding the true joy of community and oneness. True oneness is being loved by God in community with other people who have the same love.

Works Cited

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.