One Lord, one faith, one baptism….

Ephesians 4:5

What is the ‘one faith’ of which Paul is speaking?  When we speak of faith we want to draw a distinction between ‘having faith’ and ‘the faith.’  In this context, Paul is referring to the ‘one faith,’ not the act of having faith.  We may refer to what Jude describes as ‘the faith which was once delivered to the saints.’  This clarifies for us that this ‘faith’ is the whole body of belief regarding our relationship with God as He describes it.  Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness.’  Abraham bears the title, ‘The Father of the Faithful.’  All the saints of God, from the very first statement of the Gospel in Genesis, have kept ‘the faith,’ that is, they have believed God and therefore embraced Christ.  The ancients looked forward to Christ.  We look backward to the Person and work of Christ in His fulfillment of the Law in precept and in penalty.  The people of God, who lived when Christ walked the earth, looked to Him and embraced Him as ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life.’  This is the ‘one faith,’ of which Paul is speaking.  It revolves around the Person and work of Christ.  It admits of no other way for us to have a relationship with God, according to His Own testimony.  This is that faith to which all the saints of God have adhered.  Simply put, it is Christ Alone for salvation.  This faith enables us to understand our origins and our destiny.

O God of truth, we rejoice that You have delivered unto us
the faith which we have most certainly believed.
We praise You that by it, we see Christ, receive Him,
and proclaim Him.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

One Lord, one faith, one baptism….

Ephesians 4:5

‘Jesus Christ is Lord,’ according to the Scripture.  The Apostle Paul makes this remark in Philippians where he discusses at length the exaltation of Christ.  Earlier in Ephesians he referred to ‘Christ Jesus our Lord.’  In this reference, Paul is perpetuating what has been the stated belief of the people of God for centuries.  David articulates it in clear terms when, he says in Psalm 110, ‘the LORD said unto my Lord, sit on my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’ The hallmark of the Body of Christ is that Christ is the Living Head and, as such, He is Lord.  When Paul comes to make definitive statements about what he believes and proclaims, he is not shy about the position of Christ as the one Lord.  This separates us, in a de facto way, from any belief system which does not acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord.  We cannot say it less assertively without denying Christ.  Christ is our All-in-All.  He has spanned the gulf between us and God.  He has presented Himself as God and man.  He has fulfilled all the Law as our Substitute.  We cannot but honor Him to Whom we owe everything.  Along with all the saints and angels, we declare unequivocally that Jesus Christ is the one Lord.

High King of Heaven,
we rejoice that You rule overall.
We praise You that Christ is King and God and Savior
and Our Lord, for ever and ever.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling….

Ephesians 4:4

The One Spirit of the one Body of Christ is the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity.  He is the Chief Executive Officer of redemption.  He is that same Holy Spirit who has been regenerating, granting repentance, bestowing the gift of faith, effectually calling, indwelling, and filling all of the redeemed from the beginning.  He is that Holy Spirit Who ‘renews us in the whole person after the image of God and enables us to die more and more unto sin and to live unto righteousness.’  It is the Spirit Who enables us to ‘walk not according to the flesh.’  It is the Spirit Who guides us into all truth and Who takes the things of Christ and shows them unto us.  He is ‘the Spirit of Christ’ and as such, without Him, we are not Christ’s.  Therefore everything that is of Christ comes to us in practical reality, by the work of the Spirit.  The more clearly we understand the work of the Spirit, the more thankful we will be for Him and the more convinced we will be of His inherent value.  Beyond all these ministries He exercises toward us, we will value Him for the intercession He offers for us, ‘with groanings which cannot be uttered.’  We are blessed above measure to have this Holy Spirit, the One Spirit of the Body of Christ.  He is integral to all we are in Christ.

Our Good and Gracious God,
we rejoice in Your Holy Spirit.
We praise You that He effectively applies unto us
every element of redemption that we might be complete in Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling….

Ephesians 4:4

Between Christ and His people there is an indissoluble union.  The Scripture uses the analogy of the head and the body.  Later on in this chapter, Paul will make reference to this analogy.  For the moment, let us concentrate on the various ways by which we may identify this ‘one body’ of which Paul is speaking.  All that Paul has written thus far has brought us to the place where we can understand that ‘one body.’  God chose these people in Christ before the foundation of the world.  He predestinated them unto the adoption of children.  He purposed their redemption.  Christ purchased their redemption by the totality of His work.  The Holy Spirit has applied unto them the redemption purchased by Christ.  He has granted unto them regeneration, repentance, given them faith to believe and sealed them.  He has done this work in all ages and in a multitude of kingdoms, nations, and tribes.  Therefore, ‘there is one body,’ it is all of the redeemed of all ages, the Church of Jesus Christ which He promised to build.  This body transcends time, culture, race and denomination.  It is a body which consists of ‘a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues.’  We must take this broad view of the Body of Christ that we may, as a result, embrace all who are His.

Our Holy and Wise God,
we rejoice that You have worked thus far to gather
all Your people into one Body.
We praise You that You will continue to work until
all the ransomed Church of God are saved to sin no more.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

…endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:3

We do not easily achieve or maintain unity.  We often desire and may work diligently for it, yet find that various factors work against it.  Paul writes to encourage the Ephesians in ‘endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’  Where do we desire unity?  We desire it in our various relationships.  We desire unity in our home, in our work, in our community, and in our world.  Will it ever truly become a reality?  Sadly, it will never come to be within this scene of time under the current regime.  Having said that, where is there true unity, and how does it come to be a practical reality?  When Christ becomes central to our thinking and the subsequent behavior which follows from it, we begin to encounter a unity which is otherwise unobtainable.  The scene in Revelation, where the ‘great multitude’ gathers around the Throne, is one of great unity.  All eyes are upon Christ and all glory goes to Him.  The exaltation of Christ in our lives personally, corporately, communally, and globally is ultimately what will bring the unity that our hearts desire.  As we look to Christ and follow Him together, we will see in our relationships the unity which only looking to Him will bring.

Our Glorious Living Christ,
we rejoice that as the Head of the Church,
You unify Your people who have become Your Body.
We praise You that the day is coming
when God shall answer Your high priestly prayer
and make us all one.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning