That They May Be One: Part Two

(This is an exegetical article from Eph. 4:1-16 NASB. I have divided it into several parts. For the best reading, get out your Bibles and read the passage, then read these blogs. Enjoy!)


“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of your calling with which you have been called…being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”(Eph. 4:1-3 NASB)

In the original context, Paul was writing from a prison in either Caesarea or Rome, having been arrested for his evangelical pursuits of the Gentiles, or those who were not Jews. He explains earlier in his letter that this is the call, which Christ Himself had given to him; and furthermore, that Christ had disclosed a profound revelation of God’s ultimate design in sending Jesus to the cross: that both Jew and Gentile alike have equal access and reward in the kingdom of heaven. This was news to the Jews, for the popular view in that day was that the Jew had a special purpose in God’s eyes and the Gentiles were only secondary. In other words, there were two different Bodies of Christ, the more perfect Jewish Church and the lesser glorified Gentile church. This is the doctrine that Paul wanted to address.

But if you really think about it, are we so far estranged from this culture that we cannot grasp how we hold this very same mentality, just in a different form? Do we not believe that our certain denominations “have it right” and that others, somehow, don’t? Do not the Catholics and Protestants, Lutherans and Baptists, hold some kind of arms-length distance from each other thinking, “Oh, they believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but we know the proper form of worship…” We cannot read this text with our noses held high in the air, and scoffing at the bigotry of these first century Jewish Christians. We, the Church of the 21st century, struggle just as they did and we would be wise to listen to what our Gentile Apostle has to say to us regarding this dilemma.

“There is one body, one Spirit…one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all…” (vs. 4-6)

There is one body of Christ. Not two or three, not Gentile or Jewish, not Presbyterian and Assembly of God and Church of Christ; we are all one Body of Christ. We belong to a God who is God over all, in and through all things (ref. vs. 6).

Paul stresses the words one and all in this passage, much like the three Musketeers. Remember their chant? “All for One and One for All.” What was the message of their vow? That all would fight and die for the one; and the one, each individual Musketeer, would lay down his life for all of the others. The Musketeers had the right idea. They understood that, once they entered the service of the king, they were no longer individual Frenchmen, with skills, professions, lives, or ideals of their own; they resigned every part of their identity to form the one identity of the band of Musketeers that would serve each other for the sake of the throne.

Now, I do not believe that Paul is suggesting that we resign our individuality and personal preferences. In fact, he later discloses how vital our distinctiveness of character is a key component of Christ’s purpose in the church. (ref. vs. 11) However, what Paul is saying is that, once we take on the shed blood of Jesus, once we recognize Him as our Lord and King, we resign our individuality and divisiveness associated with sin, and we are united in the bond of Christ’s body; we are Christ’s Disciples and people of His Church.

Our purposes shift from glorifying self, to living for the God who is the All in All. We submit to the Truth that life is not about us, or our personal agendas and pursuits. It’s about Jesus; it’s about our God the Father who rules far above the Universe. It’s about serving our King and serving His people, our fellow brethren in Christ.