THE EIGHT ”ONES” FOR TODAY’S CHURCH

Ephesians 4:1-16 & 1 Timothy 2: 5-7

“ Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of the peace…..” v3

1. ONE BODY

“For He, Christ Jesus is our Peace, He makes both (Jews and Gentiles) one…… and should be reconciling both to the God in ONE BODY, through the cross, killing the enmity in it” Eph 2:13-18. 1 Cor 12 :14.

2. ONE SPIRIT

“ For in ONE Spirit we are all baptised, immersed into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and all are made to imbibe one Spirit” 1 Cor 12:13. It is the Lord who immerses in the Holy Spirit. John 1:33 Rom 8;9

3. ONE EXPECTATION.

“ …..TO WHOM God wills to make known what are the glorious riches of this secret among the nations, which is : Christ among you, a glorious expectation…” Col 1:26,27. Col 1:5. 1 Thess 4:13 -17.

4. ONE LORD

“…..For this Christ died, and lives, THAT He should be Lord of both the dead and the living” Rev 14:9

5. ONE FAITH.

Word: PISTIS meaning - Belief. The living Divinely implanted doctrine. “…. And the stability of your faith , belief in Christ. As then, you accepted Christ Jesus, the Lord be walking in Him….. being confirmed in the faith, belief according as you were taught,…….” Col 2:6,7.

Christ called Paul (Acts 9: 3-22), giving him an evangel, the good news (Romans 22:14,15) to complete the Word of God. Col 1:25 -28. So through his parenthetic epistles Romans to Philemon we have the doctrine and the deportment relevant to this present dispensation of God’s grace. A summary of this new revelation of Paul is given in Eph 3:1-13 and reviewed as to its results in Ephesians 4:7-16.

6. ONE BAPTISM

BAPTISMA Literally “DIPISH “ immersion. “ For as many as are immersed into Christ, put on Christ, IN WHOM there is no Jew nor yet Greek, no slave nor yet free, no male and female, for you all are one IN CHRIST Jesus . Gal 3:25-28. Gal 5:6 Col 3:11. Romans 8.

7. ONE GOD

One GOD and Father of all, who is over all and through all, and in all. The indwelling of God in the members of the body by and through the Holy Spirit of God. “Yet you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that God’s Spirit is in you” Romans 8:9-11
“Are you not aware that you are a temple of the God and the Spirit of the God is making His home in you? 1 Cor 3:16,17 Ephesians 2:22 “For there is ONE God and One mediator of God and mankind, a Man, CHRIST JESUS, the One giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for All (the testimony in it’s own seasons into which I (Paul) was appointed a herald and an apostle …. A teacher of the nations in knowledge and truth” 1 Tim 2: 5-7.

8. ONE MEDIATOR

1 Tim 2 ; 5-7 “’For there is ONE God and ONE Mediator of God and mankind, a man, CHRIST JESUS, THE One giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for All (the testimony in it’s own seasons) into which I (Paul) was appointed a herald and an apostle…. A teacher of the nations in knowledge and truth” 1 Tim2: 5-7. This passage is primarily intended to break down the bounds in which salvation had hitherto been confined. The testimony to the nations, committed to the apostle Paul is to the effect that Christ was not only the Son of David, to confirm the kingdom of Israel, or the Son of Abraham, to bring blessing to the faithful, but He is Adam’s greatest Son, a Man, and as such is the Mediator for the whole human race. Nor is Israel’s God limited to them: for there is only one God for all mankind. The Man Christ Jesus is giving Himself as a Ransom for all.

Paul was assigned this testimony for the present age: “All is of God, who conciliates us to Himself through Christ… 2 Cor 5: 18-21 .Behold! now is a most acceptable age! Behold ! Now is a day of salvation!” 2 Cor 6:1,2.

Conclusion

There is a notable comparison between the spiritual body of Christ and our physical bodies. Not only does the Head preside over the actions of the members of the body but only through it do the members receive sustenance and grow. Just as the nervous system unites the head to every individual member; so the Holy Spirit keeps each member of Christ’s spiritual body in touch with the Head and is dependant on Him for food and development. (Eph 2:21)