Ephesians 4 Part 5
Bible Study Time 10-16-05
Bible Study Time 10-16-05
In one of the Peanuts cartoons Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn’t. “What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus. “These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they’re nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.” “Which channel do you want?” asks Linus. Then, turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?”
In Ephesians, Chapter 4, the Apostle Paul tells us that we should endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and certainly one of the many splendors of God is the unity of the Spirit.
The concept of unity is very similar to the concept of integrity because integrity literally means completeness, and it refers to an integrated oneness. Because every aspect of the Spirit is fully integrated, the love of the Spirit is complete love, the joy of the Spirit is total joy, the peace of the Spirit is absolute peace. When we as individual believers walk in the Spirit, we attain a singleness of purpose and direction which results in personal integrity.
In Ephesians, Chapter 4, the unity of the Spirit is seen under a magnifying glass as Paul reveals that:
Ephesians 4:4-6 (NKJ)
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 (There is) one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Nowhere is the unity of the Spirit more clearly seen than in our present age. It is no coincidence that Paul begins his description of the unity of the Spirit by declaring that there is one body. In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul revealed that today Jesus Christ serves as the head over all things to the church which is His body. In Ephesians 2 he announced that today God is creating in Himself one new man from believing Jews and Gentiles.
This unity within the ranks of believers has not always been the case. About 2000 years before Christ, God called a man named Abraham and set him apart from the rest of the human race. God gave the land of Palestine to Abraham and promised that all the world would be blessed through one of his descendants. Later God narrowed the focus of that prophecy when He promised David that it would be one of his descendants who would establish an everlasting kingdom upon the earth.
Therefore, during the 2000 year period from Abraham to Christ, God’s program for man centered upon Abraham and his descendants. Even when Israel was carried away into captivity because of her sin, God did not forsake His promises to Abraham and David. There in a strange land the prophets all confirmed that God would someday fulfill all of the promises.
However, when the Lord Jesus came to fulfill those promises, He was rejected and killed. When He was raised from the dead, He was again rejected in spite of the many miracles, wonders and signs which were done by the apostles.
At the end of the Acts period, God temporarily set aside the promises contained in the covenants of Israel and revealed through the Apostle Paul the Church which is the Body of Christ. This did not at all frustrate the plan and purpose of God, for God had planned it all along. In fact, the calling out of the Church revealed the magnitude of the manifold wisdom of God.
Someday God will call the Church of our present age home to be with Christ in the glory, and then He will resume His dealings with Israel. After a time of great tribulation, the nation of Israel will be purified and then glorified as they inherit the kingdom which was promised to Abraham and David so many years ago.
But today, there is one body in which there is neither Jew nor Gentile. Today, there is no covenant which separates or differentiates between the nations of the world. God’s offer of salvation is open to all people everywhere regardless of one’s ethnic heritage. In spite of the fact that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, it is God’s will for all men to be saved and to come into the knowledge of the truth that Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and man, and whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.
It is vital that we recognize the one body of our present age and that this body is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. If we allow ourselves to think of the Church of God as a fragmented group of earthly organizations, we will have very little chance of keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
After announcing the one body of our present age, Paul announced with jubilation that there is but one Spirit. This was not to deny the fact that there are other spirit beings in the universe. Paul would later say in Ephesians 6 that:
Ephesians 6:12 (NKJ)
12 . . . we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
The spiritual power of demons is very real, but Paul knew that the Gentiles had come out of the spiritual quagmire of paganism. They knew all too well the horrors of demonic oppression. They knew what it was like to be held captive by a twisted, demonic religion which was based on a superstitious lust for power, pleasure and prestige. God had miraculously opened their eyes to the fact that their pagan religion was a religion of destruction and death.
Paul was rejoicing with them in the fact that there is only one Spirit who has the ultimate authority over all of the spirit world and that is the Holy Spirit of God. What a thrill it must have been for them to realize that the Spirit of God is decent and kind and pure and holy, and hopefully that is something that thrills our hearts as well.
The Lord Jesus spoke often with great enthusiasm about the coming of the one Spirit. He said that Spirit would work with singleness of purpose to draw all people to Jesus Christ. He referred to the Spirit as the Helper and said:
John 15:26 (NKJ)
26 " . . . when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
John 16:13-14 (NKJ)
13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
It was the Spirit of God who taught us about Christ, convicted us of our need for Christ, and then brought us to a personal faith in Christ. Then He sealed us in the Body of Christ and taught us of the one hope of our calling in Christ.
When the Lord Jesus catches up the Church of the one body at the time of the rapture, He is not going to take only some of the believers and leave the rest on the earth to go through the tribulation period. No, all believers of our present age have the same hope. Whether living or dead at the time of the rapture, we will all be caught up to be with the Lord in heaven before the tribulation period. Our hope for the ages is to enjoy the exceeding riches of God’s grace in the heavenly places.
The nation of Israel, on the other hand, has the hope of the earthly kingdom. During the tribulation period, God will purify Israel and make her ready for the kingdom. Peter said that God called the nation of Israel with a special, or peculiar, calling. In I Peter 2, he said to Israel:
1 Peter 2:9-12 (NKJ)
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles . . .
Peter speaks of the time when Israel will serve as a nation of priests during the earthly kingdom. Hosea predicted the captivity of Israel and said that Israel would go through a period of time when God would no longer claim them as his own. But Hosea also said that there would come a day when Israel would return to the promised land, and at that time they would be called the Sons of God.
Peter was reminding his Jewish readers that they were a chosen generation, called to experience the fulfillment of that prophesy. He said, “You once were not a people, but you are now the people of God.”
When Peter said, “I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims” he was reminding them of the fact that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all sojourners in a strange land, even though that land had been promised to them as an everlasting inheritance. Peter was confirming to the Jews of the Dispersion that they had the same hope as that of Abraham even though they too were still sojourners in the land.
Paul, on the other hand, wrote to the believers of our present age, to the members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, and he said that we too are a special or peculiar people but not in the same sense as the Jews of the Dispersion. He wrote to Titus:
Titus 2:11-14 (NKJ)
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
(In our present age, the salvation of God has been revealed to all men.)
Titus 2:11-14 (NKJ)
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Paul’s focus was upon the present age, and he said that the blessed hope of the Church is the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Colossians 3:4 (NKJ)
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then (we) also will appear with Him in glory.
The Church which is the Body of Christ has a special calling separate and apart from Israel just like Israel has a special calling which is separate and apart from the Church which is the Body of Christ. Israel has an earthly calling, while the members of the Church are a heavenly people with a heavenly calling.
Philippians 3:20-21 (NKJ)
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Colossians 3:1-2 (NKJ)
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
The unity of the Spirit that we experience in our present age is truly a marvelous thing, for today all believers have this unique, heavenly calling as a member of the Church which is the Body of Christ. Today,
Ephesians 4:4 (NKJ)
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
Well, I’ve enjoyed studying with you this morning. I trust that today you will enjoy to the fullest the unity of the Spirit that is ours as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
http://www.peacechurch_ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch_fw.com/
In Ephesians, Chapter 4, the Apostle Paul tells us that we should endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and certainly one of the many splendors of God is the unity of the Spirit.
The concept of unity is very similar to the concept of integrity because integrity literally means completeness, and it refers to an integrated oneness. Because every aspect of the Spirit is fully integrated, the love of the Spirit is complete love, the joy of the Spirit is total joy, the peace of the Spirit is absolute peace. When we as individual believers walk in the Spirit, we attain a singleness of purpose and direction which results in personal integrity.
In Ephesians, Chapter 4, the unity of the Spirit is seen under a magnifying glass as Paul reveals that:
Ephesians 4:4-6 (NKJ)
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 (There is) one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Nowhere is the unity of the Spirit more clearly seen than in our present age. It is no coincidence that Paul begins his description of the unity of the Spirit by declaring that there is one body. In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul revealed that today Jesus Christ serves as the head over all things to the church which is His body. In Ephesians 2 he announced that today God is creating in Himself one new man from believing Jews and Gentiles.
This unity within the ranks of believers has not always been the case. About 2000 years before Christ, God called a man named Abraham and set him apart from the rest of the human race. God gave the land of Palestine to Abraham and promised that all the world would be blessed through one of his descendants. Later God narrowed the focus of that prophecy when He promised David that it would be one of his descendants who would establish an everlasting kingdom upon the earth.
Therefore, during the 2000 year period from Abraham to Christ, God’s program for man centered upon Abraham and his descendants. Even when Israel was carried away into captivity because of her sin, God did not forsake His promises to Abraham and David. There in a strange land the prophets all confirmed that God would someday fulfill all of the promises.
However, when the Lord Jesus came to fulfill those promises, He was rejected and killed. When He was raised from the dead, He was again rejected in spite of the many miracles, wonders and signs which were done by the apostles.
At the end of the Acts period, God temporarily set aside the promises contained in the covenants of Israel and revealed through the Apostle Paul the Church which is the Body of Christ. This did not at all frustrate the plan and purpose of God, for God had planned it all along. In fact, the calling out of the Church revealed the magnitude of the manifold wisdom of God.
Someday God will call the Church of our present age home to be with Christ in the glory, and then He will resume His dealings with Israel. After a time of great tribulation, the nation of Israel will be purified and then glorified as they inherit the kingdom which was promised to Abraham and David so many years ago.
But today, there is one body in which there is neither Jew nor Gentile. Today, there is no covenant which separates or differentiates between the nations of the world. God’s offer of salvation is open to all people everywhere regardless of one’s ethnic heritage. In spite of the fact that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, it is God’s will for all men to be saved and to come into the knowledge of the truth that Jesus Christ is the one mediator between God and man, and whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.
It is vital that we recognize the one body of our present age and that this body is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. If we allow ourselves to think of the Church of God as a fragmented group of earthly organizations, we will have very little chance of keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
After announcing the one body of our present age, Paul announced with jubilation that there is but one Spirit. This was not to deny the fact that there are other spirit beings in the universe. Paul would later say in Ephesians 6 that:
Ephesians 6:12 (NKJ)
12 . . . we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
The spiritual power of demons is very real, but Paul knew that the Gentiles had come out of the spiritual quagmire of paganism. They knew all too well the horrors of demonic oppression. They knew what it was like to be held captive by a twisted, demonic religion which was based on a superstitious lust for power, pleasure and prestige. God had miraculously opened their eyes to the fact that their pagan religion was a religion of destruction and death.
Paul was rejoicing with them in the fact that there is only one Spirit who has the ultimate authority over all of the spirit world and that is the Holy Spirit of God. What a thrill it must have been for them to realize that the Spirit of God is decent and kind and pure and holy, and hopefully that is something that thrills our hearts as well.
The Lord Jesus spoke often with great enthusiasm about the coming of the one Spirit. He said that Spirit would work with singleness of purpose to draw all people to Jesus Christ. He referred to the Spirit as the Helper and said:
John 15:26 (NKJ)
26 " . . . when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
John 16:13-14 (NKJ)
13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
It was the Spirit of God who taught us about Christ, convicted us of our need for Christ, and then brought us to a personal faith in Christ. Then He sealed us in the Body of Christ and taught us of the one hope of our calling in Christ.
When the Lord Jesus catches up the Church of the one body at the time of the rapture, He is not going to take only some of the believers and leave the rest on the earth to go through the tribulation period. No, all believers of our present age have the same hope. Whether living or dead at the time of the rapture, we will all be caught up to be with the Lord in heaven before the tribulation period. Our hope for the ages is to enjoy the exceeding riches of God’s grace in the heavenly places.
The nation of Israel, on the other hand, has the hope of the earthly kingdom. During the tribulation period, God will purify Israel and make her ready for the kingdom. Peter said that God called the nation of Israel with a special, or peculiar, calling. In I Peter 2, he said to Israel:
1 Peter 2:9-12 (NKJ)
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles . . .
Peter speaks of the time when Israel will serve as a nation of priests during the earthly kingdom. Hosea predicted the captivity of Israel and said that Israel would go through a period of time when God would no longer claim them as his own. But Hosea also said that there would come a day when Israel would return to the promised land, and at that time they would be called the Sons of God.
Peter was reminding his Jewish readers that they were a chosen generation, called to experience the fulfillment of that prophesy. He said, “You once were not a people, but you are now the people of God.”
When Peter said, “I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims” he was reminding them of the fact that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all sojourners in a strange land, even though that land had been promised to them as an everlasting inheritance. Peter was confirming to the Jews of the Dispersion that they had the same hope as that of Abraham even though they too were still sojourners in the land.
Paul, on the other hand, wrote to the believers of our present age, to the members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, and he said that we too are a special or peculiar people but not in the same sense as the Jews of the Dispersion. He wrote to Titus:
Titus 2:11-14 (NKJ)
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
(In our present age, the salvation of God has been revealed to all men.)
Titus 2:11-14 (NKJ)
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Paul’s focus was upon the present age, and he said that the blessed hope of the Church is the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Colossians 3:4 (NKJ)
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then (we) also will appear with Him in glory.
The Church which is the Body of Christ has a special calling separate and apart from Israel just like Israel has a special calling which is separate and apart from the Church which is the Body of Christ. Israel has an earthly calling, while the members of the Church are a heavenly people with a heavenly calling.
Philippians 3:20-21 (NKJ)
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Colossians 3:1-2 (NKJ)
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
The unity of the Spirit that we experience in our present age is truly a marvelous thing, for today all believers have this unique, heavenly calling as a member of the Church which is the Body of Christ. Today,
Ephesians 4:4 (NKJ)
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
Well, I’ve enjoyed studying with you this morning. I trust that today you will enjoy to the fullest the unity of the Spirit that is ours as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
http://www.peacechurch_ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch_fw.com/
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