Unity

“Keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in the one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” —Ephesians 4:3-6

One Body

THE Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was written from Rome where he was being kept under house arrest by the Roman government. Appropriately he opens chapter four of this epistle by referring to himself as a prisoner, not of Rome, but of the Lord. And he exhorts the saints at Ephesus, and everywhere, to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”—Eph. 4:1-3

No doubt Paul considered it necessary to give this advice, knowing that God was not any longer restricting his dealings to one particular nation, as he had during the Jewish Age. Now he was giving Gentiles an opportunity to serve him as well. This was a new arrangement that would continue throughout the length of the Gospel Age. Aware that this change was causing strife between Jewish and non-Jewish believers, Paul told them they were all one in Christ, and should recognize that the bonds of Christian unity relate to those called from every kindred and nation.

In verse eleven, he wrote that the church had been given apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man.”—Eph. 4:12,13

Of course he knew that the saints could never be perfect as human beings. Only Jesus was actually perfect. Notwithstanding, Paul says we should become mature, full-grown individuals in Christ. To accomplish this, he says, “Walk not as other Gentiles walk, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them.” Most of the Christians at Ephesus were Gentiles. Other non-Jews in that city knew nothing of Christ. “But ye [Ephesians, Gentiles] have not so learned Christ, if so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him.”—vs. 17

Here the apostle is trying to make Gentiles as well, regardless of nationality, see that they are all one. There is one body in Christ without respect to Jew or Greek, bond or free, male or female. “For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For the body is not one member, but many.”—I Cor. 12:12,14

The head of this body is Christ and the members are composed of those who are willing to be controlled by the head. Just as a human body has various members with differing responsibilities, this spiritual body is likewise composed of many different members. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:5) If all body members have this mind, none will ever say he has no need of another member.

“Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it.” (I Cor. 12:27, NIV) When working effectively together, this body can accomplish the objectives and purposes of its head, which includes the proclamation of the Gospel of the kingdom, and assisting each other to make their calling and election sure.

“So we being many are one body in Christ,” says Paul in Romans 12:5. Earlier he wrote, “Be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Rom. 12:2) As our minds are being transformed, we are becoming like our head. And so, like Jesus, we should “be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another.”—Rom. 12:10

Paul also said in his letter to the Ephesians that the apostles and teachers were given “for the perfecting of the saints … till we all come in the unity of the faith.” (Eph. 4:12,13) We must continue to grow up into our head, even Christ, “from which the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”—Eph. 4:16

One Spirit

The Greek word translated “spirit” is pneuma. Strong’s Concordance says the word means ‘a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition’.

‘Mental disposition’ is a good rendering of the word spirit in our text. All new creatures in Christ Jesus are to develop this very special mental disposition or state of mind. Paul writes: “Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ [this mental disposition], he is none of his.”—Rom. 8:9

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:5) He gives as examples of this mind such things as participating in the fellowship of the Spirit, being of one accord, having one mind, and developing love and concern for others. “Who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we [meaning new creatures in Christ Jesus] have the mind [disposition] of Christ.”—I Cor. 2:16

The mental disposition of Jesus was one of obedience to his Heavenly Father. The psalmist, speaking prophetically of Jesus, writes: “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” (Ps. 40:8) Jesus described his commitment to the Father by saying, “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”—John 5:30

Unless we have the spirit of obedience, nothing we do will please our Father. Samuel had to explain this principle to Saul, who thought he did not need to follow God’s commands: “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”—I Sam. 15:22

Jesus stands as an example of the greatest servant of all. He was always attentive to the needs of others without concern for himself. And he taught his disciples to do the same. He had a mental disposition of love. “We love him because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”—I John 4:19-21

As footstep followers of the Master, we must develop this one spirit, this mind or disposition of Christ, which desires to strengthen our brethren in love. We must be examples and show through God’s Word the right course of action. We must be sympathetic and have a listening ear. We must be peacemakers in the truest sense of the word. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”—Heb. 12:14

Bearing one another’s burdens is one way we can fulfill the requirements of this one Spirit. “We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves.” (Rom. 15:1) We bear one another’s burdens by giving a word of comfort in bereavement, or by financial aid and physical help when necessary. We do this so that we may be perfectly joined together. “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”—I Cor. 1:10

The Greek words translated by the phrase “perfectly joined together,” is used in the context of mending fishing nets. The Diaglott translation says, “knit together.” When we have the same mind, the same Spirit, we are joined together as a fishing net! What a wonderful illustration of the kind of unity that should exist among brethren.

One Hope

The call for the unity of the one hope of our calling, was expressed in the words of our text, written by Paul about thirty years after the crucifixion of Jesus. In less than ten years, Jerusalem would fall, and the brethren would feel a great loss. Knowing that their faith would be tested, this letter was meant to encourage and strengthen them to meet this hard experience.

Paul addressed them as faithful saints in Christ Jesus, and expressed his love for them when he wrote: “After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe.”—Eph. 1:15-19

Since the church at Ephesus consisted mostly of Gentiles, Paul went on to write: “Wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh … were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” (Eph. 2:11,12) The Greek word translated hope is elpis. Strong’s Concordance says it means ‘to anticipate (usually with pleasure), expectation, or confidence’. Webster’s Dictionary defines hope as ‘to cherish a desire with expectation of fulfillment’.

This special hope once reserved exclusively for Jews was opened to Gentiles with the conversion of Cornelius. Just before Peter was sent to Cornelius, he had a vision where God told him to kill and eat unclean animals. Peter did not understand this vision until he met with Cornelius and his family. Then he declared, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”—Acts 10:34,35

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians he talks about a mystery “which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:26,27) Note the phrase, “the hope of glory.” In one respect it is a continuation of a hope promised by God in the Garden of Eden. God spoke to Adam, Eve, and the ‘serpent’, saying: “Enmity will I put between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed. He shall crush thy head, but thou shalt crush his heel.”—Gen. 3:15, Rotherham

Here is the first glimmer of hope following the disobedience of our first parents. Hope is found from cover to cover in the Bible. God promises Abram that if he would leave his country and his kindred, and go to another land, he would be used by God to bless all the families of the earth. (Gen. 12:3) Abram complied, not because he wanted some personal blessing, but because of his sincere desire to have better conditions for the entire human race.

During the four thousand years following Adam’s disobedience, God continued to give glimpses of this hope in his Word—“times of restitution of all things,” as Peter described them, were “spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:21) And now, some six thousand years since God gave Adam and Eve that very first glimmer of hope in the Garden of Eden, all the world still lives in hope. The mother whose child dies in her arms, the husband who looses his wife prematurely, sickness, sorrow on every hand—all who experience these tragedies feel there has to be a better way. They may not know the truths of the Bible, but they hope tomorrow will be better than today.

Those who have come to understand God’s plan of salvation written in the Bible, see much hope: the hope of glory! They realize it is God’s purpose that the hope of blessings for the world of mankind come through the Christ—through Jesus and those of this age who have had Christ (the anointing) perfected in them. Faithful Christians, who will be with Christ in the heavenly phase of the kingdom, will have the privilege of lifting the entire world out of sin, sickness, and death. This is their strong motivation for serving God during this age despite the sacrificial aspects of doing so.

“When God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sore by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee … that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.” (Heb. 6:13,14,18,19) This hope is our anchor which sustains us when the winds of trouble and strife blow. Let us maintain that anchor—our hope of the kingdom for which we pray.

One Lord

The one Lord is Jesus Christ who gave himself a ransom for all and through whose death a hope of salvation is assured for all. But before he came to earth to accomplish this, he was in heaven, and so the scripture says: “In the beginning was the Word [Greek: Logos] … the same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.”—John 1:1-3

In writing to the Colossians, Paul said about the Logos: “Who is in the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature; for by him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him.”—Col. 1:15,16

Notice just how great our Lord was in his pre-human existence. He was “the beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14), and under the Father’s direction and employing his power, he created all things. Even though he had such high honor, he willingly sacrificed it all. “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death … that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Heb. 2:9) “Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.”—II Cor. 8:9

Reading further in Colossians: “He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (Col. 1:18) Although Jesus died as man’s redeemer, he was raised by his Father to a new life. We read that Stephen “looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.”—Acts 7:55

Through the eye of faith we can see this same scene—the wonderful one, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, exalted to the right hand of the Majesty on high! “According to the working of his [God’s] mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body.”—Eph. 1:19-23

Our Lord willingly gave up his position with the Father in heaven, to provide what no sinful human could—a ransom, a perfect corresponding price for the perfect life lost in Adam. Jesus was willing to sacrifice his life in God’s appointed way as an expression of God’s great love for fallen mankind. In his life on earth he manifested the character of God himself. He demonstrated that to know God is to love him, and to appreciate his principles of righteousness; and to love him is to serve him. Perhaps one of the greatest lessons we can learn from our Lord is his commitment to the service of others. From the very beginning, he dedicated himself to doing his Father’s will, not his own. “Let this disposition be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, though being in God’s form, yet did not meditate a usurpation to be like God, but divested himself, taking a bondman’s form, having been made in the likeness of men; and being in condition as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”—Phil. 2:5-8, Diaglott

Shortly before his crucifixion, his commitment to service was displayed when he washed the feet of his disciples. Though any of them would have been happy to wash his feet if he would have asked, none seemingly at that time felt a desire to wash anyone else’s feet. Even after his death and resurrection, Jesus continued to serve others. We see an example of this at the time when some of his disciples decided to go fishing. They had worked all night and were tired and hungry, but as the morning dawned they had caught nothing. A “stranger” on shore suggested they cast their net on the other side of the boat; they did so and it was immediately filled with a great number of fish. Instantly they recognized that it was the Lord. And what was he doing? Cooking fish over a fire! “Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.”—John 21:12

Through God’s grace we have been permitted to know Jesus Christ, our one Lord, the head of the church which is his body, and to realize that his service to the cause of righteousness is also ours. At the end of the millennium, when he turns the kingdom back to the Father, we will rejoice throughout all eternity that he will continue to be the head of the church in all things!

One Faith

In our theme text, the word faith has the thought of doctrine or belief. We also call it the truth. Paul says, “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” (Rom. 10:17) Thus we conclude that real faith requires a knowledge and understanding of the Word of God.

Jude used this word in much the same way: “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (vs. 3) It was Jesus who had delivered that faith to the saints. And throughout the two thousand years since, faithful Christians have worked to uphold and to contend for it.

In the fifth chapter of Revelation, consternation is expressed because no one could open a certain book and loose its seals. Then a Lamb appeared, took the book and opened its seals, and as a result a new song was sung. (Rev. 5:9) When our Lord Jesus came to present himself as man’s savior, all God’s preordained agencies began to cooperate together in the grand work of a new age—the Gospel Age. Only then did the Scriptures begin to harmonize to reveal their combined testimonies, and a new song was sung that had never been heard before. It was a new faith, a new doctrine.

Here is that doctrine: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”—Rev. 5: 9,10, New International Version

This is a beautiful description of the high calling—a doctrine which speaks of a call to Christians to participate with Christ in reigning over the earth. This is a vital feature of the “faith once delivered unto the saints.” But there is more to this faith. The scripture continues, saying, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength.” (vs. 12) It is not just that he was slain, but that through the power of his Heavenly Father, he was resurrected as well.

Our faith in the high calling rests upon the redemptive work of Jesus at his first advent. How important it is to know this, that he was the means of our justification, sanctification, and glorification, and provided footsteps in which to walk to achieve our goal.

Another strain of this song of faith is restitution: “I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!”—Rev. 5:13,14, NIV

Faith’s foundation is contained in these doctrines. It is what unifies us in the truth. We understand and believe in the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. We believe in the redemptive work, the ransom provided by our Lord when he died on the cross. And we believe that the wonderful object of this work is the restitution of all things.

Sadly, this foundation for faith became progressively distorted after the apostles fell asleep, and the devil actively worked to change truth into error. Many subsequent chapters in Revelation, looking down the corridors of history, prophesied that this would happen. Yet throughout the entire time of this Gospel Age there have been those who have refused to deviate from the clarity of the one faith, or to destroy the strain of its wonderful harmony.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul outlined this faith in much the same way as delineated in the description given to us in Revelation. He wrote: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” (Eph. 1:3,4) It is not that we have individually been chosen or predestinated before the world was created, but that the standards we must meet have been established from the beginning—to be holy and without blame before him in love. He continues: “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” (vs. 5) What a beautiful summary of the high calling! The Heavenly Father proposed to develop his own divine family which would reflect his character.

Paul then again continues to tell us the means of accomplishing this: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence.” (vss. 7,8) Here we are informed that our relationship as sons in this prospective divine family is based upon the fact that Jesus gave his life as the ransom, and that forgiveness of sins came through his blood.

And lastly, he informs us of God’s objective in our calling, that “in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: in whom also we have obtained an inheritance.” (vss. 10,11) Here is a statement of restitution—the gathering of all things, in heaven and in earth, back into harmony with God through Christ.

Paul ends by summing up the aggregate understanding of these great truths as the “Gospel of our salvation” (vs. 13), which forms the “sure foundation” of our inheritance (vs. 14) with the saints in light. This inheritance is the basis for our unity of faith, that one faith. Let us diligently follow the advice of Paul when he said, “Speaking the truth in love, may [we] grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.”—Eph. 4:15

One Baptism

Baptism was experienced by Israel as soon as they left Egypt. “All our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” (I Cor. 10:1,2) This set them apart as a nation to be God’s special people. If they had been faithful to the covenant they made with God, they would have inherited all the special blessings he had promised them. They would have been God’s “peculiar treasure” or “own possession.”—Exod. 19,5, KJV, RSV

However, much of the time Israel did not value their relationship with God and so their privileges were taken from them. Peter, writing to spiritual Israel, comprised of both Jew and Gentile, said, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people [God’s own people, RSV].”—I Pet. 2:9

John the Baptist went to the Jewish nation preaching a baptism “of repentance” (Luke 3:3), but forgiveness of sins was something he could not provide. Nevertheless John told of a better baptism to come: “I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh. … He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”—Luke 3:16

What John prophesied concerning, was the baptism of the Holy Spirit which began in the upper room at Pentecost. It was something never before offered to the Jews, but for the past two thousand years Christians from all nations have been baptized into Christ and have received the Holy Spirit. Like the nation of Israel who were baptized into Moses, Christians also make a covenant with God to do his will and are set apart to be God’s special people. If faithful to their covenant, they will inherit the special promises God has for those who love him.

Real Christian baptism has nothing to do with water, though water immersion has symbolic importance. Note Paul’s words: “Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death.” (Rom. 6:3,4) Jesus, when he was baptized, offered to die a sacrificial death. This he willingly carried out in his life and in the end literally laid down his life doing the will of his Heavenly Father. But he carried out his ministry, in the hope of a glorious resurrection which also he received, and to which he afterward gave ample testimony. Those who are baptized into Jesus also agree to die a sacrificial death. But they do not remain dead in the sense that they too are given a hope of sharing in Jesus’ resurrection. “As Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.”—Rom. 6:4,5

The outward symbol of baptism in Jesus’ day was the complete immersion of a person in water. Lowering a person under water beautifully illustrates the burial of earthly hopes and life. Raising the person out of the water illustrates his new life with heavenly goals.

Near the end of Jesus’ ministry, the mother of James and John came to him with a request: “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.” (Matt. 20:21) Jesus had a question of his own which he asked the two men: “Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” (vs. 22) Jesus had been baptized by John in water several years earlier, but we see this was only a symbol of his real baptism, the giving up of his will and living a life of sacrifice. The complete laying down of his earthly life in death was still future. James and John, when asked this question by Jesus, said, “We are able.” They probably did not know at that time all that was involved in such an answer. But by faith they showed their willingness to give up their own wills and follow their Master into death. By God’s grace, faithful Christians since that time have similarly answered, “We are able.”

The one baptism is that of sacrificial death. Our Christian life begins when we consecrate ourselves to God, offering up our will and accepting his will for us. We are immersed into water as a symbol of being baptized into his death, and are raised to walk in newness of life, in the likeness of his resurrection. This is the great hope of the Gospel Age!

One God

The phrase, “one God and Father of all,” indicates that God is unique, one of a kind. He is from everlasting to everlasting. The same thought is intrinsic in God’s name, the one he told to Moses before Moses was to lead the Israelites out from Egypt. “God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM; and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” (Exod. 3:14) The Hebrew word meaning ‘to be’ is used here. We are to understand that God IS, always WAS, and always WILL BE. And in this respect, he is unique in the universe.

After the Israelites left Egypt, they entered into an extraordinary covenant relationship with God. They understood their God was unique: “Unto thee it was shown, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.” (Deut. 4:35) With this knowledge, Israel could make the declaration of the oneness of God that stood as a hallmark of the Jewish faith: “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.”—Deut. 6:4

This concept of one God and Father of all is the foundation belief of our faith and our hope also. It is a precept that has been declared by the prophets, by our Lord Jesus, and by the apostles. And we have been given a most remarkable privilege of understanding our God through their declarations. “To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” (I Cor. 8:6) Natural Israel never received such a promise. The one hope of the high calling was made possible only after the ransom sacrifice of Jesus had been accomplished.

It is by his mighty power that God brings us into this relationship. The entire sixth verse of our theme scripture reads: “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” This is the same God who declared through Isaiah: “Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.” (Isa. 57:15) This is our Heavenly Father, the one God above all. Of course we would expect him to dwell in the high and holy place, but how reassuring to our faith to learn he also dwells with those of a contrite and humble spirit.

A good example of how God dwells with those of a humble spirit can be seen in Jesus, who laid down his life in sacrifice and has been raised to the right hand of God. The same promise is offered by God to those who would follow Jesus’ example, who would accept the one hope of their calling and the one baptism. If faithful, they will become one with their Lord and one with the Father. Note the words of Jesus’ prayer: “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me … that they all may be one; as thou Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.”—John 17:11,21

The Ephesians text says that God is “through all and in all.” If we submit ourselves fully and completely to do his will, then he can act and operate through us. By the channel of the one Spirit, the Holy Spirit, we will be guided in the knowledge of God’s will for us. Eventually we will be brought into “the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, … unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”—Eph. 4:13

This fullness was first observed in Jesus, “for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.” (Col. 1:19) Now this same opportunity is offered to the church: [Christ is] the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.”—Eph. 1:22,23

So we see that the church is also to be filled with the fullness of the one God and Father of all. And after the operation of the kingdom when all mankind will receive the promised blessings, “Then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.”—I Cor. 15:28

Surely it is the desire of all sincere Christians to have the same unity of thought, purpose, and objective with the Father as Jesus had. Surely this is the essence of all unity.

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

His love has no limit; His grace has no measure;
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

| Home Page | Table of Contents |