1. God’s List Of Thinsg Of Which There Is Only One. Lesson # 13

2. 1. God had Noah preach that He was going to destroy the world with a flood, but no one listened. 2. Jesus taught that the gate to eternal life is narrow and the way is hard, and few will find it, while the gate to destruction is wide and the way is easy and many will enter into it, (Matthew 7:13-14). ESV Matthew 24:37-39 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. We know in advance Jesus' 2nd coming will be this way. God sent His only Son to tell us, and to show us how we can prepare ourselves. We all need to make sure that we will be among the "few" who go through the "narrow gate" and walk the "difficult, or hard path" that leads to eternal life. Now is the time to do this. ESV 2 Corinthians 6:2 For he says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

3. First, the Bible speaks of some things of which there is only one. These things are truly unique! Man cannot make a valid argument that can confute this information. Why? Because “God has spoken”! These things are set forth in Ephesians 4:1-6 and are seven in number. ESV Ephesians 4:1-6 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 1. The unity of the Spirit exists. 2. It is created by God and does not depend on people to “maintain” it for it to exist. 3. One can chose to participate in it or reject it, but neither choice creates or destroys it. 4. If one choses to participate, he must do so according to the instructions given as to how to be a part of this unique unity.

4. The night Jesus was betrayed, He prayed to His Father that His followers all be a part of the unity that existed between Himself and God. ESV John 17:20-21 "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. This is the “unity of the Spirit” that is spoken of in Ephesians 4:1-6. ESV 1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. If one will read 1 Corinthians, he will read of the many “issues” that kept the Corinthian Christians from sharing in the unity that exists between God and His Son. They were suing one another, were proud of their liberal mindedness in accepting a sinful member, such as a man who had his father’s wife. They were abusing the Lord’s Supper and spiritual gifts, were quarrelling about marriage and the resurrection. If these Christians would not accept the Apostle Paul’s instructions in this letter, then they would not share in the “unity of the Spirit” and would thereby be eternally lost. The seven things he lists are all a part of this unity. If one omits or changes anything about any of the seven things the Apostle lists here, he will not share in the “unity of the Spirit” which God created.

5. The Apostle said, “there is one body”. God must have wanted us to know that the one body is essential to the unity, since it is mentioned first. The “unity of the Spirit” depends on it. Just as our bodes have many members, so the body of Christ has many members. ESV 1 Corinthians 12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. Scripture informs us that the church of the NT is the “body of Christ”. ESV Ephesians 1:22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. In the Colossian epistle Paul again spoke of Christ’s body as being the church, when he wrote: KJV Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

6. The importance of the church being the body of Christ is realized when one understands that since there is only “one body” there is only “one church”. Thus in God’s eyes, if one wants to be a part of the unity that God has created, he must be a member of that one church that is designated by the “one body” of Christ.

7. The Bible identifies the one true church as the church Jesus came to build. He promised He would build His church on the bedrock foundation of His being the Son of God. ASV Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus, in referring to Peter’s confession that He was the Son of God, told the twelve that He would build His church on this “rock”; i.e., the rock foundation of His being the Son of God. Listen to Him: ASV Matthew 16:18 And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Jesus meant by “the gates of Hades” that the power of the hadean realm would not keep Him from fulfilling His promise to build the church. He knew He would die and that His body would go into the tomb and His sold go into the hadean realm. But He also knew He would be resurrected, and then He would fulfill His promise of establishing His church.

8. We can trace the fulfillment of this promise with the following: The church of Christ and the kingdom of Christ are synonymous. ASV Matthew 16:19 I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Mat 16:19 ASV) Later in Jesus’ ministry, speaking to a crowd: ESV Mark 9:1 And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." Thus, the kingdom was to come “with power” in the lifetime of some of the people to whom Jesus was speaking. After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to His Apostles and told them: KJV Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. The morning Jesus ascended, He had one last conversation with the Apostles ESV Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

9. Using Mark 9:1; Luke 24:49; and Acts 1:8 we learn: The kingdom was to come with power in the lifetime of those people. The Apostles were to wait in Jerusalem for the “power from on high”. The Apostles would receive power after the Holy Spirit came upon them. ESV Acts 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. ESV Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ESV Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. The last verse in this chapter informs us that “the Lord added to their number day by day those that were being saved. From Acts 2 forward, the NT always speaks of the church as being in existence. This church is the “one body” that is a part of “the unity of the Spirit”. If one wants to be a part of this unity, he must be a member of this church Jesus built.

10. There is one Spirit. This Spirit is the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of God that is spoken of in Genesis 1:2, ESV Genesis 1:2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. This Spirit “seals” one who becomes a Christian. ESV Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ESV 2 Timothy 2:19 But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." A Christian is “marked” by the life he lives. He “stands out” as being different from those who are not Christians. Jesus said you know them “by their fruits”, Mat. 7:20. This is the Spirit that lives in all Christians, ASV 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own;

11. Not only is this Spirit God’s “seal” on us, but He is also God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance of eternal life that He promises us, ESV 2 Corinthians 1:22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. The word “guarantee” translates a Greek word in the text that means “down payment” or “earnest money” given as a guarantee that the rest will be paid at a later time. Certainly one should understand that he cannot share in the “unity of the Spirit” if he does not posses the Spirit that God gives every Christian as His mark and guarantee.

12. The “one hope” that belongs to the “unity of the Spirit” is the hope of salvation that also belongs to every Christian. ESV Colossians 1:23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. This “hope” is that hope of heaven spoken of in the gospel! ESV Colossians 1:5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, The Apostle Peter blesses God for giving Christians this hope, ESV 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, If one does not share in this unique hope, not only does he not share in the “unity of the Spirit”, but the Bible informs us that he is not even saved! ESV Romans 8:24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

13. “One Lord”. This is the Lord Jesus Christ. The phrase “the Lord Jesus Christ” is used in 63 passages in the NT. We will only use one such passage here, but it is very informative. ESV 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. The “victory” spoken of here is the Christian’s victory over death and the grave! Our Lord Jesus Christ is the One who said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” ESV John 14:6. Who could possible expect to get to heaven not sharing in this “unity of the Spirit” which has Jesus Christ as a part of it?

14. “One faith”. The consequences of there only being one faith are informative indeed. The Bible has so much to say that pertains to this, but only a small part of what is said can be presented in this short lesson. The word “faith” is used in the ESV of the Bible 278 times. I will just list some thoughts associated with “faith” in the NT. We walk by faith, not by sight, 2 Corinthians 5:7 Whatsoever is not of faith is sin, Romans 14:23 Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, Romans 10:17 It is not possible to please God without faith, Hebrews 11:6 This one faith was completely delivered to the saints in NT times, Jude 1:3 Certainly if one is to share in “the unity of the Spirit”, he must believe and practice this one faith. If he does that, he will believe and worship like the Christians did in NT times. But today, there are people who call themselves Catholic Christians, Methodist Christians, Baptist Christians, etc., etc.

15. The phrase “in the faith” is used in 12 different passages in the NT: Acts 14:22, disciples are encouraged to continue in the faith. Acts 16:5, here, churches were strengthened in the faith. 1 Corinthians 16:13, Christians are encouraged to be watchful and to stand firm in the faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5, Christians are commanded to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith. They are to “test themselves”. This is done by comparing their lives with the instructions given in the faith, which is the Word of God. Colossians 1:23, teaches Christians to continue in the faith. Colossians 2:7, one is to be “established” in the faith; i.e., firmly grounded! Titus 1:3, Paul instructs Titus to “rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith”.

16. Listen to Jesus as He condemns those who thought they were right, but learned too late that they were wrong, ESV Matthew 7:22-23 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.‘ What is so pathetic about this situation is that these people cannot correct their error. It is too late! If one wants to share “in the unity of the Spirit”, he must be “in the one faith” that helps to make up this unique unity.

17. “One baptism”. At one time there were multiple baptisms. The Israelites were baptized unto Moses in the sea, 1 Cor. 10:1. There was the baptism or John, Acts 19:3. There was Holy Spirit baptism, Luke 3:16. And finally, there was baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, Acts 2:38. This last one is the baptism that used to make one a disciple of Christ, ESV Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, This baptism puts one into the body of Christ. There are three NT scriptures that inform us how one gets into the body of Christ, which is His church. All say that one is baptized into Him. ESV Romans 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ESV Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ESV 1 Corinthians 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-- and all were made to drink of one Spirit. One must be baptized with this baptism if he wants to share in the unity of the Spirit.

18. One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Here we have the seventh “one” that Paul uses in this passage, but this time he adds two additional phrases to the first phrase, giving us three in this verse. He comes to the first member of the Godhead, and reveals some wonderful things about Him. First, He is not just the God, but is the God and Father. This informs us that Paul is speaking of the Ephesian Christians. He is “their” God and Father! And of ALL of them! The word “all” is plural in the Greek throughout this verse! So, He is the God and Father of “each and every one of them”. The definite article at the beginning of the rest of the verse is translated “who is” in most English versions, but in the Greek it would be translated “the one who is…” This makes it much more definite. It’s almost like “pointing a finger at a person and saying, “he’s the one”. He is the God and Father that is over all! Again, all is plural! He is over every Christian. If any person refuses to be in complete submission to this God, then he is not included in the number of the “all” spoken of here. That does not mean that God is not over the rebel too. But He is not “over him in the sense spoken of here”. The sense spoken of here is that of God being this person’s “God and Father”. God is not the God of a rebel. He is not the father of one who is willfully disobedient.

19. Jesus said those people were children of the devil, John 8:44. He is also “the God and Father who is through all”, again plural, indicating Christians. The sense is that God works through the agency of people. Their hands are His hands, so to speak. Any who refuse to do the works of God, are thereby excluded from having a part in this “all”. But, that does not keep the “all” from existing. This group continues to exist, even if you or I do not have any part in or among them. The final phrase completes the grand thought so that nothing is lacking. This God and Father is He who is “in all” His children. Again, “all” is plural, showing that each and every one is inhabited by none other than this God! These three prepositions “over, through, in” cover the relationships that the God- Father has with His children as set forth by Paul in this passage. Not to be overlooked is the fact that there is only “one such God-Father” and again, He exists whither or not anyone submits so as to have these relationships with Him. In the sense spoken of here, He is only “over, through and in” those who do submit to Him. If a person fails to participate in any one of the seven items Paul has specified as making up the “unity of the Spirit”, then that person does not share in any fellowship with the Spirit, and he should know that he will be turned away by Christ at the last great day of judgment when he hears Him say, “depart from me, you workers of lawlessness”. None of us need to allow that to happen. We can all prevent it from happening by taking advantage of God’s Plan to Save Man, now, while we have time to obey it.