4:1-6 The Unified Body of Christ Part I - Vital Christianity

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6splits.The one Spirit in our lives leads us to be one church, not a church with divisions andThe one hope in Christ, the return of the Lord to take His church to heaven, is a greaterreason for unity than any disagreements which might separate us.The one Lord is the One who died, rose again and will return to take us to be with Himforever. He is the sovereign Lord who reigns supreme in our lives.One faith is the body of truth given by Christ to the church. Jude calls it “the faith oncefor all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3).One baptism probably refers to the baptism of the Spirit, that act of the Spirit when heplaces the believer into the body of Christ at conversion (I Cor. 12:13). Baptism emphasizes theunity of Christian believers because they are baptized into one body, through one Spirit, by onefaith, in the one Lord Jesus Christ. Baptism does not guarantee this unity, but baptism signifiesthis unity in the one Lord. That is why Paul exhorted the Ephesians to “keep the unity of theSpirit through the bond of peace” (v. 3). If we do not keep the unity of the Spirit with our fellowbelievers in the body of Christ, we are contradicting what we confessed in our baptism.Our commitment to the one Lord and His church made in baptism should lead to unitydespite all temptations to divide.One God and Father speaks of God’s fatherhood and thus family to which all believersbelong. God’s purpose is to create a great family—the family of God. Jesus had prayed that Hisfollowers would be as united with each other as he was with the Father (Jn. 17:20-23).In the Old Testament, God’s family was the nation of Israel; in the New Testament it isthe Christian church. In the church the Spirit initiates (by regeneration) new believers into thechurch and begins to transform them into persons who love. God’s Spirit seals them so they willnot be lost, gives them gifts by which they may serve the church and so serve Christ. The Spiritguides and empowers the church on its world mission, fosters worship in the church, and alwaysreminds the church about Christ, her Head. In all of this, the Spirit is creating the church, acommunity of faith who share a common life. This is the fellowship created by the Spirit.In verse 6 Paul points to God’s sovereignty, that is, God is superior to and has power andauthority over all persons and things in the universe.
7APPLICATIONSpiritual unity is not something we manufacture, but something we already have inChrist. As fellow members of the body of Christ we are literally “blood brothers,” that is,brothers through the blood shed on the cross by our Lord. This is why we must protect our unityand nurture it.1. Humble yourself by putting others first and serving them.2. Gently reach out to people, especially those who are hurting.3. Show patience by enduring difficult circumstances and people.4. Have a peaceful attitude which will encourage others to have the same.This in turn will foster and thus maintain unity.5. Love fellow believers since it is the ingredient that lubricates the relationships in the body.NOTES1Warren Wiersbe, Be Rich (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), 93.
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Page 4 and 5: 4To be gentle is to possess that hu

4:1-6 The Unified Body of Christ Part I - Vital Christianity

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