The Doctrine of One Faith (1)

The fifth of seven doctrinal truths in Ephesians 4:4-6 that form the very essence of Christianity and therefore unite all true believers is one faith.

First, there is the meaning of one faith, which refers here not to the act of believing, rather to the doctrines that one believes, that is, a system of truth. Paul is saying that true unity is based on common doctrine, that is, the system of truth that we all have in common. This doesn’t mean an entire system of theology on which we all can agree; that would be impossible. Rather it refers again to the unique revelation of God through Christ. Paul has, of course, dealt with this often here in Ephesians. Specifically, this body of truth is the very essence of the Gospel, the redemption by blood and salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. This one faith is clearly stated in Romans 1:16-17: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” This was the one faith that was virtually lost for centuries and restored to prominence in the Protestant Reformation. This is the one faith for which John Huss and countless others died for. This is the sola fide (faith alone) for which Martin Luther stood.

Also implicit in one faith is where this body of revealed truth is located, namely, the Scriptures. In other words, it is obviously the completed Scriptures that contain the record of “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). In fact, a basic acknowledgment of Scripture as the Word of God is automatic in salvation. Why? Because the person is saying, “I believe what the Bible says about sin, salvation, and the Savior.” Here is an acknowledgment of the Scripture being true in its revelation of Christ. As Paul also declared to Timothy, “The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (II Tim. 2:2). Those early Christians had a body of basic doctrine (the Apostles’ doctrine; cf. Acts 2:42) that they believed and committed to others.

So important is right doctrine, that Paul spoke of those who “resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith” (II Tim. 3:8) and instructed Titus to “rebuke [false teachers] sharply, that they may be sound in the faith” (Titus 1:13). We do not tolerate false doctrine or embrace false teachers; rather we rebuke them. Why? Because they have violated “the faith.” Among Paul’s last words, in fact, was that confidence that, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (II Tim. 4:7). May that be our testimony as well.

The Doctrine of One Lord (3)

We’ve been examining the fourth of seven doctrinal truths in Ephesians 4:4-6 that form the very essence of Christianity and therefore unite all true believers—one Lord.

Concluding our look at the meaning of one Lord, when we examine Scripture, we can only come to one of three conclusions about Jesus. He was either a liar, the biggest fraud who ever lived, or He was a lunatic because He ultimately died for His false claim to be God, or He was exactly what He said He was—Lord. Time and again He spoke of His equality with the Father (Jn. 5:23; 8:19; 12:45; 15:23).

To this we should also add that according to Jewish law, only God could forgive sins, but this is precisely what Jesus did in Mark 2:5: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” Once again the religious leaders were horrified and asked, “Doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?” (v. 7), to which the Lord Jesus asked, “Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?” (v. 9).

So, to answer that pastor’s statement we mentioned last time (“It’s too bad the Bible just doesn’t say, ‘Jesus was God”), that’s precisely what It does say. To the Jews’ ears, Jesus’ statements were just as clear as the words “Jesus was God” are to ours. They knew exactly what He was claiming, and they went berserk; likewise many are still doing so today because they refuse to admit Jesus was God. Paul well summed it up when he wrote to another pastor: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Truly we have unity in one Lord.

Second, there is the application of one Lord, which is, unity can only exist with a proper view of Christ. Christianity is Christ, so how we view Him is absolutely essential. As noted earlier, when used of Jesus in a confessional way, Lord clearly refers to His divinity. To argue that point is total folly and blatant apostasy.

Countless cults and false religions, for example, deny the Deity of Christ. To one cult, Jesus was not equal to Jehovah and was not God in human flesh but was rather a created being and was actually Michael the Archangel in his preexistent state, having a brother named Lucifer who rebelled against God. To another cult, Jesus—like all men, in fact—was a preexistent spirit who took his body at birth in this world; He is “set apart from the rest of us only by the fact that He was the first-born of God’s spirit-children.” Other cults illustrate why they are all defined as “a cult,” namely, because they deny the deity of Christ or in some way pervert that doctrine.

But all that is nothing new in Church history, but is simply a revival of the ancient heresy called Arianism. Arius, a 4^th Century parish priest in Alexandria, taught that Jesus was not coequal with God and was, in fact, a created being. A popular book called The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday, 2003) is another graphic example. While seemingly just another thriller novel set in the present-day, it has a hidden agenda that makes it far more. Starting with the murdered curator of a Paris museum, the hero and heroin of the story must decipher the clues left behind by the murdered man and thereby uncover an ancient and sinister plot. And what is this ancient secret? The supposed “true” story that Christianity has been trying to hide for 1,600 years, namely, that Jesus was just another man who actually ended up marrying Mary Magdalene.

This serves to illustrate a consistent practice of unbelievers, namely, they must distort history to deny truth. Why? Because history, as the old expression goes, is “His Story.” It is what God is doing in the world, what He is accomplishing. So to escape the plain truths of God’s Word, men must revise the facts, reinterpret events, and rewrite the history books. Another example in our day is the rewriting of American history. To escape the fact of America being founded on Biblical and moral principles, revisionist historians totally ignore the godliness of many of our Founding Fathers.

The Doctrine of One Lord (2)

Last time we began our look at the fourth of seven doctrinal truths in Ephesians 4:4-6 that form the very essence of Christianity and therefore unite all true believers—is one Lord.

Continuing our look at the meaning of one Lord, the Deity of Christ is an absolute cardinal doctrine of Christianity; without it, Christianity collapses of its own weight. But it’s also a doctrine that is clearly taught in Scripture without any ambiguity. I once heard a pastor say, “It’s too bad the Bible just doesn’t say, ‘Jesus was God’ and therefore clear up all the confusion.” I can’t express how that saddened me because it was based upon not only an ignorance of what we’ve just seen in the term one lord, but also of other statements in Scripture.

For example, one must always begin with John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Theologian Charles Ryrie well sums up the deep significance of this verse: “Before time began, Christ was already in existence with God. That is what is meant by the term ‘the pre-existent Christ.’ See Gen. 1:1 and 1 John 1:1. Logos [Word] means ‘word, thought, concept, and the expressions thereof.’ In the OT the concept conveyed activity and revelation, and the word or wisdom of God is often personified (Ps. 33:6; Prov. 8). In the Targums (Aramaic paraphrases of the OT) it was a designation of God. To the Greek mind it expressed the ideas of reason and creative control. Revelation is the keynote idea in the logos concept. Here it is applied to Jesus, who is all that God is and the expression of Him (1:1, 14). In this verse the Word (Christ) is said to be with God (i.e., in communion with and yet distinct from God) and to be God (i.e., identical in essence with God).”

In Revelation 19:14, the one on the white horse is “The Word of God,” the Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:14 declares, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Only the most dishonest or foolish “interpreter” would deny what these verses declare concerning Jesus Christ.

Besides the many confessions of Jesus as God by his followers—Peter (Matt.16:16-17), Martha (Jn. 11:27), Nathaniel (1:49), Stephen (Acts 7:59), and Paul (Acts 20:28; Heb. 1:8)—more importantly Jesus Himself claimed He was God. This silences those who argue, “Well, Jesus’ followers were deluded; they thought He was God, but He didn’t really claim deity.” One key passage is John 5:16-18, where Jesus had just healed a lame man on the Sabbath: “And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” While our culture might understand these words to mean, “Big deal. My father is working and I’m working. So what?” the Jews heard something far different. Based on their culture and traditions, what those religious leaders heard was this: “By using the term my Father instead of our Father, this man is claiming equality with God. This man is, in fact, claiming to be God.” And that is what enraged them.

The same thing happened on another occasion: “I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God” (John 10:30-33). The Jews knew exactly what Jesus was claiming to be. His statement, in fact, becomes all the more offensive to the Jewish ear because the Greek for “one” is neuter not masculine, which therefore means not one in person but one in essence or nature. Jesus was clearly saying that He was the same as God, and the Jews went berserk. We’ll take one more look at this next time.

The Doctrine of One Lord (1)

The fourth of seven doctrinal truths in Ephesians 4:4-6 that form the very essence of Christianity and therefore unite all true believers is one Lord.

First, there is the meaning of one Lord. Without question, this is the most pointed and the most important of all seven of these spiritual realities and demands careful study. It appears in the middle of Paul’s list and does seem to be the very heart of our unity. There truly is only one Lord—the Lord Jesus Christ Who is Savior, Master, and God incarnate.

How vividly this is demonstrated in Mark 12:28-34. A certain scribe came to Jesus and asked, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

The scribe responded with his own profound statement: “Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Seeing the scribe’s understanding, our Lord then said, “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” While the man was not yet in the kingdom, he was close. Notice specifically that he repeated everything Christ said except one Lord. He understood the importance of loving God; all that was left was to recognize Jesus Himself as Lord and believe and obey Him. As we’ll see in our application later, it’s amazing that the principle of Lordship in salvation is a big issue. Here is a vivid example of its importance.

The key to understanding this doctrinal reality is, of course, the term one lord. This is the pivotal term. The Greek behind lord is kurios. In early Classical Greek, while the word was applied to the gods, there was no general belief of a creator God. The word, therefore, was used in a broad way of someone who had power or authority. It was different in Eastern thought, however. To the Oriental mind, the gods were “the lords of reality.” By Jesus’ day, Eastern kings, such as Herod the Great (c. 73-74 B.C.), Agrippa I (10 BC.- AD 44), and Agrippa II (AD 27 - c. 100) came to be called lord. Most Roman emperors resisted such temptation, but others, such as Caligula (37-41 A.D.) and Nero (54-48) found it appealing. It was this very attitude of implied divinity that caused both Jews and Christians to refuse to use the term lord of the emperor.

Turning to the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), kurios appears over 9,000 times, some 6,156 of which translate the Hebrew YHWH (Yahweh, Jehovah), thus reemphasizing the meaning of divinity.

In the New Testament, then, kurios appears 717 times, the majority of which occur in Luke’s Gospel and Acts (210) and Paul’s Epistles (275). The reason for this, of course, was that they both wrote for readers who were dominated by Greek culture and language and who, therefore, understood the deep significance of this word in implying deity.

Finally, while lord is sometimes used as simply a title of honor, such as Rabbi, Teacher, Master (Matt. 10:24; cf. Lk. 16:3), or even a husband (I Peter 3:6), when used of Jesus in a confessional way, it without question refers to His divinity. The confession Kurios Iēsous (Lord Jesus) is rooted in the pre-Pauline Greek Christian community and is probably the oldest of all Christian creeds.

Early Christians unarguable recognized Jesus as God, as Paul wrote to the Philippians: “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (2:11, emphasis added). Even more significance, when Thomas saw the risen Jesus, he called Him, “My Lord and my God” (Jn. 20:28, emphasis added). As we’ll see in our next installment, even salvation is based on a confession of Jesus as Lord, as Divine (Rom. 10:9-10).

The Doctrine of One Hope

The third of seven doctrinal truths in Ephesians 4:4-6 that form the very essence of Christianity and therefore unite all true believers is one hope or our calling.

First, there is the meaning of one hope. As we studied back in 1:18, the Greek behind hope does not picture uncertainty, such as a wish or want, as it does in English. Rather it speaks of absolute assurance and rest in that assurance. There is, therefore, one hope, one certainty to which the true Believer looks: the return of Jesus Christ for His Church. Our calling refers to our calling to salvation, and the final hope, the final certainty of that salvation is the return of our Savior.

There are differing main views of the Second Coming of Christ: Amillennialism, Post-Millennialism, and Premillennialism. While there are very important differences in these views, they all do have one thing in common: all of them hold that Jesus Christ WILL return. That is really what matters most. Why? Because that is what Scripture says. As Revelation 19:11-16 record: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Then, in the last chapter of the Bible, we read twice our Lord’s promise: “Behold, I come quickly” (Rev. 22:7, 12), and then read it again intensified in verse 20, “Surely I come quickly.”

That is our one hope, our certainty. As Paul wrote to the Colossians, “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. 1:27). Christ is, indeed, the only glory we should ever seek and the one hope to which we look.

Second, the application of one hope is that unity exists with a proper view of Christ’s return, that is, that He will return to the Earth as the Scripture says. One well-known cult, for example, teaches that Christ returned invisibly in 1914 and set up His kingdom in Heaven, but this is in direct contradiction to Scripture. At Christ’s ascension, two angels in the form of men announced, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). The Lord’s coming, then, will be a visible kingdom on Earth, not an invisible Kingdom in Heaven.

This brings up the question, “What about those who don’t agree on their view of Christ’s return? Can a Premillennialist, for example, possibly fellowship with an Amillennialist?” There is today much unnecessary division here. Some who believe one view would not even consider fellowshipping with someone who holds another. But can this possibly honor the Lord? Is that “[keeping] the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?” (v. 3). I, for example, am convinced that Premillenialism is correct. I believe without question that the reference in Revelation 20:4 and 6 to those who will “[live] and [reign] with Christ a thousand years” refers to a literal earthly Kingdom that will last 1,000 years. But at the same time, I can still fellowship with a brother in Christ who believes that the Kingdom is spiritual not literal. While I certainly think he is wrong and is missing a great blessing, what matters most is that we both know that our Lord is coming back to take us to glory. That is what matters.

The Doctrine of One Spirit

The second of seven doctrinal truths in Ephesians 4:4-6 that form the very essence of Christianity and therefore unite all true believers is one Spirit.

First, the meaning of one Spirit can only be the Holy Spirit of God, the third member of the Trinity, who regenerates the sinner and then indwells, enlightens, equips, and empowers the believer. So vital is the Holy Spirit in living the Christian life that Paul mentions Him a dozen times in Ephesians (1:13; 2:18,22; 3:5,16; 4:3,4; 4:30; 5:9,18; 6:17,18). While we could add several to the list, let’s briefly note seven major ministries of the Holy Spirit to the Believer (I encourage to read each verse in your Bible). What is the Holy Spirit doing in your life?

1. The Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner (Jn. 3:3-6; Titus 3:5; II Pet. 1:4). 2. The Holy Spirit gives the Believer assurance of salvation (Rom. 8:15-16; see also Jn. 10:27-9 and Rom. 8:35-39). 3. The Holy Spirit indwells the Believer, no matter how immature that believer might be (I Cor. 6:15-19; 12:11-13). 4. The Holy Spirit strengthens the Believer (Eph. 3:16). 5. The Holy Spirit illumines and teaches the Believer (I Cor. 2:12, 14; Jn. 14:26; 16:13-14). 6. The Holy Spirit infills the Believer and empowers him for service (Eph. 5:18; Acts 1:8). 7. The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of Christ-like character in the Believer (Gal. 5:22-23).

Second, the application of one Spirit. The pointed application of this spiritual reality is that this one spirit is the energy of unity and fellowship. In thirty years of ministry I have seen some tragic examples of a lack of unity. I am convinced that the reason for this is a failure to allow the Spirit of God to rule. I am not doubting anyone’s salvation, but I am doubting that we are allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us. If we divide over some silly thing, we have just denied the “unity of the Spirit” (v. 3) and have fractured the body of Christ.

On the other hand, a rejection of this truth makes unity impossible. If one examines any cult or false religion, he finds the total absence of the idea of the personal indwelling and empowering presence of God through the Holy Spirit. One well-known cult, for example, teaches that the Holy Spirit is not a part of the Godhead. Both the personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit (which is defined as “the invisible active force of Almighty God which moves His servants to do His will”) are denied. So, as Romans 8:9 declares, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” A rejection of the one spirit of God who indwells every believer, and Who produces unity in the first place, destroys any possibility of unity. Again, as we examined back in verse 3, “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” It is the Holy Spirit Who produces unity. If we, therefore, do not possess the Holy Spirit, how can there be unity in the Body?

Tragically, there are Evangelicals today who advocate unity with political bodies as well as liberal denominations and even false religious groups for the sake of social ends. But this blatantly contracts the doctrine of one Spirit. There can be no unity, and therefore no glory to God, when we join with those who do not possess the Holy Spirit of God.

The Doctrine of One Body

As we began last time, doctrine is the basis of unity and Ephesians 4:4-6 list seven spiritual realities that unite all true believers. Contained in these seven principles is the very essence of Christianity, that is, its foundational truths. Each of these in-turn has two emphases: its meaning and its application. The first basis is one body.

First, the meaning of one body can only be one thing—the Universal Church, the Body of Christ, the Church as an organism, to which Paul has referred several times in this letter.

There are many other references to this in Scripture. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said He would build His Church” (singular), not “churches” (plural). While before his conversion Paul no doubt persecuted individual churches, he recounts in I Corinthians 15:9 how he persecuted “the church,” that is, the entire Body of Christ. That is why the Lord Jesus asked, “Why persecutest thou Me?” (Acts 9:4), that is, My Body, all believers. Later in Ephesians 5:25, Paul also declares that Christ gave Himself for “the church,” that is, the entire Body. That Body was formed on the Day of Pentecost and includes every true believer. He emphasized the same truth to the Romans: “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another” (Rom. 12:4-5).

So there is one body, not many. There is not one church that is for Jews, another for Gentiles, another for men, another for women, another for Caucasians, another for Negroes, and another for Asians. There is one, a single unified Body of Jesus Christ, of which all believers are part. As we studied carefully back in 2:14-18, God has made us all one. Shame on us if we build back any walls that He has broken down.

One word of caution is in order here. A common teaching in today’s pragmatic atmosphere is that only the Universal Church is important. This emphasis tears down and de-emphasizes the Local Church, which is, in fact, actually more important in some ways. The Local Church is the Church as an organization. More precisely, it is the local assembly of believers, organized according to Scriptural guidelines, that carries out all outward ministry. The Local Church is God’s instrument for working in the world today, and each is to carry out all ministry. That is why Paul founded Local Churches. Each is for God’s people to gather for worship, exercise their gifts, and equip them for service. As Paul makes clear later in Ephesians 4:11-16, God has given certain men “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” and this obviously takes place in the local church, as is also made plain in the book of Acts. Paul likewise wrote to Timothy, the pastor of a Local Church, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (I Tim. 2:15 with context). So as we will see, the Local Church is the training ground for ministry.

Second, the application of one body is that the Universal Church is a basis of unity and fellowship. One example of those who don’t accept this principle are certain denominations (or some groups who refuse to be even called a denomination) who maintain that their local assembly, along with other local assemblies who agree with them, are “The Church.” In this view, no one else is part of the Church, no matter what they believe. That is, of course, an arrogance that is hard to fathom. Biblically, no earthly denomination or group can be called “The Church.” Every true believer who is in agreement concerning the unique revelation of God through and in Jesus Christ is part of Christ’s Body. Any other attitude destroys unity and any possibility of fellowship.