Obtaining Christian Unity In Today’s World
Lesson One - Christ In The Garden
What do you suppose would be on your mind if you knew you were going to die tomorrow? Would it be the Braves game? The household budget? The new car you want? Perhaps a new roof on the house? Probably none of these things would be even a consideration. Your mind would be on what was really important to you; husband, wife, children, friends, God. Probably you would pray a lot in those last hours. But what exactly would you pray for? Certainly whatever was the most important thing or things to you.
The gospel according to John records one of the last prayers Jesus ever prayed. Unlike the other gospels which give us a look at the life of Christ, John gives us a deeper insight into who Christ really was and how he felt. This study will be based on that which was most important to our Lord just prior to His death on the cross.
In His last prayers Jesus prayed a great deal for His disciples. In John 17:9 He prayed for His disciples that He then had. In verse twenty, however, He prayed for all those who would believe in Him. That means that if you are a Christian, one of the last things on the mind of Christ was you! You and I were the most important thing to Christ in His last few hours and the last thing on His mind in this world!
It is certainly comforting to know that Jesus prayed for me. But what exactly did He include in that prayer? In verses 21-23 we find that He prayed for the unity of all believers. Not some "agreeing to disagree" unity but a unity identical to His unity to the Father.
One might here ask, "On how many things do God and Christ disagree?" The answer is, of course, none. They are in perfect agreement on every issue; sin, worship, salvation, reverence, righteousness. They disagree on nothing and neither should Their disciples. I Cor. 1:10 states, "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."
In that same prayer (vs. 17) we find that we are sanctified (set apart for a holy purpose) by the Word. We will be looking in that word in this study to see what Christian unity demands.
Lesson Two - One God And Father
What a marvelous God we have! The Creator of all that is; the universe, our world, trees, fish, flowers! The Mighty God! The Giver and Sustainer of life! And above all else the only true and living God (Deut. 6:4-5).
Our next several weeks of study will be centered around the seven ones listed in Eph. 4:1-6 as we review the concept of Christian unity. As we saw in lesson one, Christ prayed for the unity of all believers. If we are ever to achieve the unity Christ wanted for us, we must have a basis for that unity. That basis is the Bible, the revealed will of God.
Christian unity demands that we believe in the one and only true God; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; The God of the Israelites in Old Testament times; the God of the followers of Christ in the new. For the Christian there can be one and only one true God.
There are several characteristics that one should consider as he reflects on God. We will view just a few in this article.
(1) He is the Creator and possessor of all that is. What powerful imagery is used by the psalmist in Psalm 33 where he states, ". . . For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast." (Ps. 33:6-9) God is the great Creator. In Psalm 50:7-12 we are reminded that " . . . the world is mine, and the fullness thereof." What a marvelous sustainer is the God of Heaven!
(2) God is above all - even Christ. This is clearly stated in Eph. 4:6. But undoubtedly this is not a unique passage. We are told in I. Cor. 15:27-28 that while everything has been placed at or under the feet of Christ, there is one exception and that is God Himself! I Cor. 11:1-3 further states that God is the head of Christ and Hebrews 1:9 reminds us that the Father is God not only to us but to Christ also. God is supreme!
(3) God demands obedience. Matt. 7:21 tells us that God saves only those obedient to His will. In John 14:21-23 we are reminded that if we love God we WILL obey Him. Those who teach that you are saved by faith only clearly go against the teachings of the New Testament (James 2:24).
(4) God directs our lives through His Word. John 17:17 reminds us that we are sanctified (set apart for a holy purpose) by the Word. It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps. 119:105). Truly our God is a marvelous God!
Lesson Three - One Lord
As we continue our study of Christian unity, we will be looking at the one Lord mentioned in Eph. 4:1-6. This one Lord is spoken of in I John 5:7 and is referred to as the Word. This concept was a general theme in the New Testament where in John 1:1-14 we are told the Word is God and that it became flesh and dwelt among us. That fleshly being was the Lord Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews also uses this description of the Lord in Heb. 4:12-14, strengthening this image of our Lord.
In Acts 4:12, soon after the start of the church, we find the Apostles teaching that it is only through Christ that one can be saved. Salvation is through the Lord and only through the Lord because there is only one Lord and that is Christ. If we are ever to achieve the unity that Christ prayed for and the unity Christianity is supposed to enjoy, then we must do so through Jesus, the Christ, the Lord, the Word.
At this point it will serve us well to look at some of the things the Lord does for us. We will have space for only a few but they should help us understand Christian unity a little better as we look at these characteristics.
1. The Lord provides all spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:1-3). They are given by God only to those in Christ. One cannot receive forgiveness of sins, sonship, eternal life, or any other spiritual blessing outside of Christ. He is the one Lord and in Him is found the only way to be reunited with the Father.
2. The Lord is our high priest (Heb. 4:14-16) and it is through His blood offering that we are able to come before the throne of grace and receive mercy.
3. The Lord is our advocate (I John 2:1) and as our advocate (lawyer) He constantly pleads our case as long as we walk in the light as He is in the light (I John 1:7).
The concept of Jesus as the Word provides the key for Christian unity. Unity can be found through and only through the revealed will of God as we allow the Scriptures to direct our lives (Ps. 119:105). Unity can never be found in a manual, creed, opinion, or preacher. It will be found in and only in the divine Word. John 17:17 says we are sanctified (set apart for a holy purpose) by the Word. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to deliver that Word (John 16:13) and we have it in the last testament of Christ. Only here can we ever hope to find unity.
Lesson Four - One Spirit
In this lesson on unity we will turn our attention to the one Spirit. This is, of course, the Holy Spirit, one of the members of the trinity (often referred to as the Godhead) consisting of Himself, the Father, and the Word. We find them mentioned many places together and see that they are one in nature and purpose, although they perform different roles in the carrying out of the will of God.
We find in I John 5:7 that these three, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit bear record in heaven. The record they bear, according to John, is that Jesus is the Christ. Certainly at the testimony of these three to the truth of anything all doubt is removed and it is beyond question. Jesus is Lord.
It is by the authority of these three that the gospel was preached and is preached throughout the world as the only true religion before God (Matt. 28:18-20). There are many religions available today to mankind but the one endorsed by the trinity is Christianity. All others are without authority.
The Holy Spirit has always been active in the world. He was active in creation (Gen. 1:2), in prophesy (Joel 2:28-30), in the conception of Christ (Matt. 1:20), and so on. It should be recognized by the church that He is still active today through the divine Word once for all delivered to the saints (John 16:13, Jude 3). While for a time the Spirit produced miracles through chosen men, such was to end and did so at the completion of the writing of the New Testament (I Cor. 13). But the power to save was never in the miracles, it is in the Word of God (Rom. 1:16).
There are several things the Spirit continues to do today through the Word. We will briefly discuss a few. (1) The Spirit calls us through the word (II Thess. 2:14). Many today are looking for a special calling. If we are to obtain Christian unity, we must recognize such is not the case. We are called by and only by the gospel of Christ. (2) The Spirit sanctifies us (sets us aside for a holy purpose) through the Word (John 17:17). We are not to be set aside by titles or position. In fact, such is condemned in Scripture. We are set aside by our lives as we live them in the manner directed by the Spirit through the Word. (3) The Spirit guides us through the Word (Ps. 119:105, John 16:13). Many wish to receive special directions from the Spirit. Such is not His way. For unity to be achieved we must all rely only on the written Word of God.
Lesson Five - One Body
Eph. 4:1-6 introduces us to four other ones which, added to the ones we have already discussed, provide the basis for Christian unity. They are one body, one hope, one faith, and one baptism. We will discuss them in this order.
1. The Body is the Church (Eph 1:22-23, Col. 1:18, 24). Jesus said, ". . upon this rock I will build my church;" Whenever we discuss the body, we are discussing also the church, the one church that Christ built. If we are to have Christian unity in today’s world, we must all understand that there is only one church and that we must conform to the teachings of Christ in order to obtain entrance into that church.
2. Unity demands membership in that one church (Eph. 4:25, Eph. 5:30). There is no way one can be outside of Christ and His church and be in unity with true believers. The Greek term for church is ekklesia and means the called out. The church is called out of the world and sin and into the fellowship of Christ. Remember we are sanctified (set apart for a holy purpose) by the word (John 17:17). It is also by the word that we are called (II Thess. 2:14).
3. Jesus is the savior of the one body (Eph. 5:23). That means that we can only be saved if we are a member of His body, His church. It is the church, those called out of sin, that Jesus will return for and gather together to be presented to the Father (I. Cor. 15:21-24). One who fails to become a member of Christ’s body will be lost at Christ’s return. One cannot be saved outside the church.
4. Jesus is the head of the church (Eph. 5:23). If Jesus is the head of the church, and He is, then we in the church must obey Him to please Him (Luke 6:46, Matt. 7:21).
5. Jesus purchased the church with His blood (Acts 20:28). That being the case, He has total authority over our lives for we are His possession (I Cor. 6:19-20). To have true unity in Christ, all of us must obey His directions and follow Him in all things.
6. God makes a division between the righteous and the wicked, He has always done so and will do so one final time in the judgment (Matt. 25). If we are to teach and believe what Scripture teaches, we must teach the fact of the one church and that Christ is its savior.
Lesson Six - One Hope
In this lesson on Christian unity we will turn our attention to the one hope mentioned in Eph. 4:1-6 and see what place it plays in that unity. In order to do this we must first establish what hope really is and then what the Christian’s one hope is and then see how it relates to New Testament teaching concerning unity.
Let us begin by looking at the term hope. In the Random House dictionary we find that hope generally is considered to mean a feeling that what is desired is possible; to feel something desired may happen. Scripture does not use this term in such a manner. Therefore it is necessary to rethink what hope is so that we may see what God wants us to see. Hope, Biblically speaking, simply means expecting something to occur with great confidence. It is not some vague desire that something MIGHT happen but is an assurance that something WILL happen! Our hope (assurance) is such because it is based on our Lord Jesus Christ (I Tim. 1:1).
Understanding then that the Christian hope is in reality the Christian assurance, what do the holy writers have in mind? Simply, the one hope Christians share is the hope of the resurrection and eternal life with God (Acts 23:6, Acts 24:14-15, Titus 2:1). This is not some "great guess" or some "leap of faith" but is a confidence based on the promises of Christ (John 14:1-3) and the fact of His own resurrection (Acts 2:32-36, I Cor. 15:1-8). These combined, His promise and His demonstration, give the Christian an assurance that God will also raise him up on the last day.
At this point one needs to understand that hope is given to us through the Holy Scriptures (Rom. 15:4). It is through the Scriptures we learn of the promises and the great actions of our Lord and it is through the written word that we are sanctified (set apart for a holy purpose - John 17:17). One must be set apart by God if he is to have any hope at all. This is accomplished by a person submitting to the ordinances and commands of our God (Matt. 7:21-24).
Finally, hope provides us with great boldness. Romans 5:1-5 tells us that our hope "maketh not ashamed". If we truly believe God’s promises concerning a resurrection and eternal bliss in His presence, then we will not be ashamed of our Savior when confronted by the world. We will exercise the greatest power on earth, the gospel, in all we do (Rom. 1:16).
Lesson Seven - One Faith
The New Testament discusses in great detail the subject of faith. There is faith that saves (Eph. 2:8-9) and faith that does not save (John 12:42, Acts 26:27-28, James 2:19-20). In today’s world faith is generated by reading and believing God’s divine message (Rom. 10:17). The one faith mentioned in Eph. 4:1-6, however, is not the individual faith one may have but the system designed by God to be followed today. That divine message of hope in Jesus Christ, God’s plan of salvation, God’s plan of worship, and God’s design for a Christian life are all part of that system the Bible calls ‘the faith’. If we are to have Christian unity, we must accept and follow the teachings of Christ in all these areas. Let’s take a brief look at ‘the faith’ and see what Scripture says about it.
The old law was replaced by ‘the faith’ (Gal. 3:23-25). The purpose of the old law was to bring us to Christ. Once this was done, the old law was taken away and replaced by the law of Christ (Heb. 10:9, Col. 2:14). One cannot today please God by living under the old law. Today one must live under Christ to be acceptable to God.
All of ‘the faith’ has been revealed in the Holy Scriptures (Jude 3). There is no need for any other revelation from God and there has not been any since the Bible was completed around 100 AD.
One must examine himself to see if he is really a part of ‘the faith’ (II Cor. 13:5). One can be deceived and end up lost while believing everything is all right (Matt. 7:21-24).
One must be established in ‘the faith’ (Acts 16:5, Col. 2:6-7) and remain steadfast in ‘the faith’ (I Cor. 16:13, Acts 14:21-22, Col. 2:6-7) in order to please God.
One can depart from ‘the faith’ and be lost (I Tim. 4:1-6). While many today would teach that once you are saved you cannot be lost, clearly the Scriptures teach exactly the opposite (II Pet. 2:20-22). One must exercise care in doing God’s will if he hopes for a life in Heaven with our God.
We must work together ardently for ‘the faith’ (Phil. 1:27). It was the mission of Christ to seek and save the lost. As His bride, His mission must be our mission. (Luke 19:9-10).
Our unity is found in ‘the faith’, i.e. in the New Testament system which Christ established through the sacrifice of His life on Calvary’s cross. It is the Word that sanctifies us (John 17:17) and unifies us in Christ.
Lesson Eight - One Baptism
There are several baptisms mentioned in the New Testament. They are John’s baptism (Matt. 3:1-6), Holy Spirit baptism (Matt. 3:11), fire baptism (Matt. 3:12), and Christ’s baptism (John 4:1). By the time the letter to the Ephesians is written, however, (circa. AD 60) Paul tells us that only one baptism is in effect. Let’s discover which baptism Paul has under consideration in Ephesians so that we might better understand it in light of the idea of unity.
I. John’s baptism. This cannot be the baptism that is under consideration here. John was killed several years before Christ was and this is almost thirty years later. The baptism of John was no longer in effect at this time (Acts 19:1-7).
II. Holy Spirit baptism. This also is not under consideration here. This baptism is recorded only on two occasions, the apostles receiving it in Acts 2 and the house of Cornelius in Acts 10. Paul can be added to this list even though his is not specifically recorded since it is amply inferred in Scripture. III. Baptism of fire. From Matt. 3:12 and continuing we can recognize this to be referring to Hell and is yet future, to be experienced by the wicked after the judgment.
IV. Jesus’ baptism. This is the baptism under consideration in Eph. 4:1-6. It still continues today and will continue until the end of the world (Matt. 28:18-20). If we are to be one in Christ, if we are to have the unity Jesus prayed for, we must understand, teach, and practice the baptism of Christ. Let us briefly see what Scripture tells us about it.
1. It was performed by men (Matt. 28:18-20) and the element used was water (Acts 8:35-38). 2. It was a burial (Rom. 6:1-4) of the old man and a raising of the new. Immersion is the only form of baptism in Scripture and sprinkling is not authorized. 3. It was only for penitent believers (as was John’s - Matt. 3:5-8) and was for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16). It was not for infants since they are not guilty of sin (Matt. 19:13-15). The one being baptized knew its purpose and that it was necessary for one to be saved. 4. Those that gladly received the word were baptized and added to the church by God’s grace (Acts 2:41-47). 5. Baptism for the remission of sins was performed on all those who were added to the body of Christ (Acts 2:38-41, 8:12 & 38, 9:17-18, 10:47-48, 16:14-15 et.al. Gal 3:27).
Lesson Nine - The Oneness of God
Scripture tells us in I John 5:7, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one". As we continue our study on the subject of unity we must understand the unity of God if we are ever to really understand the unity of Christians. Let us begin by seeing what the oneness of God is not!
Not One In Person: There are some today that would have us believe that God is one person playing three different roles. This is patently absurd. In Matt. 3:16-17 we find the record of the baptism of Christ. After His baptism, the Holy Spirit descends on Him and the Father from heaven speaks concerning His pleasure in the Son. In this text there are three distinct persons present, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. Further, we can look at Matt. 4:1 where the Spirit leads Christ and in Gal. 4:4 where God sent the Son. One cannot send Himself any more than He can lead Himself. There are three distinct beings in the Trinity.
In John 17:11 we find that Christ prays that the twelve be one even as He and the Father are one. Surely He did not mean they were to be one person. In verses 20-23 He prayed that all disciples might be one. Again this could not be one in person but one in some other way.
Not One In Rank: God is the head of Christ (I Cor. 11:1-3). In fact, God (the Father) is the God of Christ (Matt. 27:46, Heb. 1:8-9). Christ prays to the Father and lives to obey Him. God has made Him head of all things. Everything and everyone are subject to Him, even the Holy Spirit. The only one Christ is not over is the Father (I Cor. 15:27-28).
We find that not everyone who has been or is a disciple of Christ has held the same rank. There have been apostles, prophets, elders, deacons, and such that have held positions of authority while still being ‘one’ (Eph.2:19-22, Eph. 4:11-16). Again, it must be in some other way that the Trinity and the disciples are one.
One in Agreement: It is in agreement that God, Christ and the Spirit are one (I John 5:7-8) and it is the same way that disciples are to be one (I Cor. 1:10). In fact, since we are to be one as God and Christ are one and we are to be one WITH them, we must all speak the same thing and practice the same thing to please God. We do this by following God’s recorded will (John 17:17, Ecch. 12:13). There is no other way!!
Lesson Ten - One Plan, One Outcome
There is a fable told about the time when Christ returned to heaven after His resurrection. All the hosts of the skies rejoiced as they welcomed Him home from His mission. One angel asked, "How do you plan to teach the world so they might be redeemed?" Jesus responded, "I have left my message with faithful men so that they might teach others until all may hear and obey my message." Puzzled, the angel then asked, "What is your plan if this method should fail" to which Christ responded, "I have no other plan." In our final lesson on unity we will discuss God’s one plan.
Preach The Gospel: It is clearly God’s plan that mankind teach mankind (II Cor. 4:1-7). The gospel commission was given to the apostles (Matt. 28:18-20) and passed on by them to others (II Tim. 2:2) so that they in turn could pass it on to others. Scripture says the church went everywhere preaching (Acts 8:4) and so should the church today (II Tim. 4:1-2).
Preach The Whole Gospel: Paul stated that he declared all of the counsel of God (Acts 20:26-30) and therefore was innocent from any man’s blood. But many today do not teach all that God teaches in His word. If we ever hope to have unity, we must declare all of God’s word.
Preach the whole Gospel Everywhere: There are some today that feel religion is only for the selected few. Not so! God said to teach all nations and that He is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35).
The Gospel Includes All of God’s Plan: Don’t take my word for it. Get a good concordance and read every scripture with the term ‘gospel’ in it. Your eyes will really be opened!
We will be Judged by the Gospel and Rewarded accordingly: In John 12:48 we find that we will be judged according to the Word (gospel). In Matt. 7:21-24 we find we will be judged according to our obedience. The outcome is simple: Obey God and receive eternal bliss, disobey and be eternally lost. So says God’s word. If we are to please God and have unity, this is what we must teach.