TRUE UNITY

UNITY OF SPIRIT AND FAITH

Eph. 4:3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Eph. 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Rom. 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

18  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

1 Cor. 1:10 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.

It is noteworthy that the only references to Christian “unity” in the New Testament—in so far as the word itself is concerned—are here in this chapter. “The unity of the faith” (Ephesians 4:13) is vital, but so is “the unity of the Spirit.” There can be no real spiritual unity without doctrinal unity, and vice versa. In one sense, the two are synonymous, because sound doctrine includes the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and His “fruit” produced in the lives of true believers.

Unity of the faith is not achieved until we come to the knowledge of the Son of God, to perfection, to the fullness of the stature of Christ. Until then unity is a rare commodity in the Church today.

Eph. 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

<One> brings to mind the statement that "I" will build MY church. The ONE LORD is the OBJECT of the sinners faith, the ONE FAITH is centered upon the ONE LORD, and the ONE BAPTISM is of the Holy Spirit, Who always points Truth to the ONE LORD, (or maybe water) when the sinner becomes the Lord's which gives a new relationship when baptized. (If this speaks of water baptism then it tells us of the Trinitarian Godhead that it teaches.) This verse with the next is a Trinitarian statement.

Can we agree upon that? If not we will have to wait until we are all perfect as 1 Cor. 1:10 teaches, perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.