EPHESIANS: ETERNALLY ENCLOSED IN GOD’S PLAN

Part XI: Promoting Godly Unity In Our Beliefs

(Ephesians 4:4-6)

I. Introduction

A. Paul wrote Ephesians to encourage believers of God’s work to edify the Church regardless what happened to him in his imprisonment (Ryrie St. Bible, KJV, 1978, p. 1672: “Intro. to the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians”).

B. Ephesians 4:4-6 thus records Paul’s admonition that his readers might promote godly unity in their beliefs for the edification of the Body of Christ (as follows):

II. Promoting Godly Unity In Our Beliefs, Ephesians 4:4-6.

A. Without a conjunction to set them apart from the activity of preserving experiential unity in the Church, Paul listed the seven theological elements of unity centered on the three Persons of the Trinity that comprise the bases for the spirit of unity that is to exist in the body of believers (Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 633).

B. The first basis of experiential unity in the church is that there is one Body, one universal church, v. 4a; Ibid.

1. There are many local churches of true believers, as there were many local churches in Paul’s era (Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica, etc.), so the “one Body” of necessity refers to the universal true Church.

2. This truth is the basis of our view of “open communion,” that any believer who visits our local church regardless if he is not a member of our church can participate in the Lord’s Table (1 Cor. 11:17-26)!

3. This truth also provides a basis for fellowship with other godly believers in other local churches, missionary organizations, etc., who hold to the same Biblical beliefs as we do (cf. Galatians 2:7-10).

C. The second basis of experiential unity in the church is that there is one Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:4b; 2:22.

D. The third basis of experiential unity in the church is that all believers are called in one hope of their calling (Ephesians 4:4c), namely, “all believers have a common hope regarding their future with God (cf. 1 Peter 1:3; 3:15), a confidence that began at the time when they were ‘called’ to salvation (Eph. 1:4, 18; 2:7; 4:1)” Ibid.

1. This truth presents a logical basis for experiential unity in the church: if every believer in the Church universal was called of God at salvation to the hope of being with every other believer in heaven in eternity, it only follows that unity on earth before that time should be a priority!

2. However, there is a necessary balance to this truth in the important doctrines of experiential separation:

a. Believers are to be separate from apostates and from those who teach a false Gospel (Galatians 1:8-9), what is “first degree” separation, but they must also separate from believers who violate the first degree separation requirement above, a step known as “second degree” separation (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:6).

b. Believers must separate from those who profess to know Christ but have been found guilty in the local church of excommunicable sins that are named in 1 Corinthians 5:11 and Titus 3:10.

c. Believers must also separate from abusive professing believers for their own protection, 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

E. The fourth basis of experiential unity in the church is that all believers have one Lord Jesus Christ, Eph. 4:5a. This truth automatically sets the true Church apart from universalism or from ecumenical entities that teach that salvation is by faith not only in Christ, but also in other saviors, lords or human personalities.

F. The fifth basis of experiential unity in the church is that all believers have a personal faith in Christ, v. 5b; Ibid. This truth forms the basis for our belief in a “regenerate church membership,” that we need to be sure that those who become members of our Church can unquestionably testify that they have put their personal faith in Christ for their own salvation from sin and hell. (cf. John 1:12)

G. The sixth basis of experiential unity in the church is that all believers have one baptism by the Holy Spirit whereby they were put into the universal Body of Christ, Eph. 4:5c; 1 Cor. 12:13; Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to Eph. 4:5.

H. The seventh basis of experiential unity in the church is that all believers have one God and Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in them all, Ephesians 4:6. “The fourfold use of ‘all’” according to this context means that “‘all’ refers to ‘all believers,’ not ‘all mankind’” as is taught in errant Liberal Theology (Ibid.). “God is the Father ‘of’ all who believe; they are His children (John 1:12; Gal. 3:26). And He is ‘over’ all them as their Sovereign. He lives ‘through’ them and manifests Himself ‘in’ them” (Ibid.).

Lesson: The theological bases of the experiential unity of believers are that there is one Body of Christ, one Holy Spirit, one hope of their calling, one Lord, one personal faith in Christ, one spiritual baptism and one God and Father of all believers, Who is over all believers, Who is through all believers and Who is in all believers.

Application: May we realize the theological bases of our unity that we might uphold experiential unity in the Body.