FRIDAY 27th
Ephesians 4:1-6
NIV (vv4-6) – ‘There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.’
ESV (vv4-6) – ‘There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.’
The word ‘one’ appears seven times here in these verses, and taken in the whole implies that there is only ONE plan, or ONE purpose that God has, and it is all wrapped up in what he has done in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. It speaks of the ‘uniqueness’ of the Christian faith.
From out of his one plan, he sent his one (and only) Son, to provide the one (and only) means for redemption, through the Cross, to create through this one (and only) body, the Church. The reverse of this means that there is no plan B, that is, there is no other means of redemption, no other way into heaven, no other body of people on earth that are Gods redeemed people. This means that in our multi-faith and religious world then every other way will lead to a dead end in more ways than one, lead to still being dead in sin and lead to eternal death cut off from God.
This should remind us of the importance of world evangelisation, for so many consider that they are on the right path through the religion they follow, yet they are heading toward destruction.
Let us look today at some Scriptures that speak more of this ‘uniqueness’
BODY
Ephesians 2:15–16
‘. . . that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross. . .’
Romans 12:4–5
‘For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.’
See also Pauls teaching in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
SPIRIT
1 Corinthians 12:13
‘For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.’
Ephesians 2:18
‘For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.’
HOPE
Ephesians 1:18
‘. . . having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.’
Hebrews 6:11–12
‘And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.’
Romans 8:24–25
‘For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.’
LORD, GOD AND FATHER
Zechariah 14:9
‘And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one.’
1 Corinthians 8:6
‘. . . yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.’
FAITH
Romans 4:16–25 through to Romans 5:1-2
‘That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, I have made you the father of many nations—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, So shall your offspring be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness. But the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.’
BAPTISM
Galatians 3:27–29
‘For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.’
Romans 6:3–4
‘Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.’