One Body, One Spirit, One Lord
Ephesians 4:4–6
There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all.
Additional Reading Ephesians 4:1–6; Galatians 5:22–25
Devotional
Read Ephesians 4 slowly and notice one word appearing again and again:
One.
One body.
One Spirit.
One hope.
One Lord.
One faith.
One baptism.
One God and Father.
Paul points believers toward everything they share in Christ.
That is also what the Holy Spirit does.
The Holy Spirit continually points believers toward what they have in common. Satan continually points believers toward what separates them.
Our world constantly categorizes people.
Race.
Politics.
Economics.
Education.
Background.
Age.
Preferences.
Denominations.
Generations.
Personalities.
But the church has something greater than every difference:
Jesus Christ.
There is not a different Holy Spirit for every denomination.
There is one Holy Spirit.
There is one Lord.
There is one Gospel.
And there is one body of Christ.
This does not mean doctrine is irrelevant.
Biblical unity is never built by abandoning truth.
Truth does not bend because culture changes.
Truth does not become outdated because public opinion changes.
God's Word remains God's Word.
True Christian unity is therefore not:
“Nothing matters.”
It is:
“Jesus matters most, and God's Word is our authority.”
That kind of unity is supernatural.
Human beings naturally divide into tribes. The Holy Spirit creates a family out of people who might otherwise have very little in common.
The question becomes:
Which voice am I listening to?
The voice constantly reminding me of differences?
Or the Spirit who reminds me that every genuinely born-again believer belongs to the same Lord?
There is far more binding the body of Christ together than tearing it apart.
The things that separate us are not nearly as strong as WHO unifies us.
His name is Jesus.
Reflection Questions
Do I tend to focus first on what I have in common with other believers or on where we differ?
Have political, cultural, generational, or personal differences become more important to me than our unity in Christ?
Am I allowing the Holy Spirit to control my attitudes toward other Christians?
What fruit of the Spirit is most evident in my relationships? Which fruit needs the most growth?
How can I demonstrate biblical unity without compromising biblical truth?
Prayer
Holy Spirit, control my heart. Teach me to recognize what Christ has given His people in common. Keep me faithful to biblical truth while making me gracious, patient, and loving toward other believers. Make us one body centered upon one Lord. Amen.