Ephesians 4.1-10 (3)
Pray Psalm 48.1-3.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised
In the city of our God,
In His holy mountain.
Beautiful in elevation,
The joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King.
God is in her palaces;
He is known as her refuge.
Sing Psalm 48.1-3.
(Cwm Rhondda: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah)
Great is God, now greatly praise Him in the city of the LORD!
Holy she, His lovely mountain, great and glorious by His Word!
God her King is great within her, He, her Stronghold ever sure!
He, her Stronghold ever sure!
Read Ephesians 4.1-10; meditate on verse 6.
Meditate on “one”.
Preparation
1. How many “ones” are in this passage?
2. What is the ultimate “one”?
Meditation.
Paul gives us some practical foci to guide our work of maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This brief “litany of ones” is meant both to keep the Ephesians on course with the Lord and to direct their work of building unity.
First, we have to overcome the idea of “our church”, as if it were the only church that matters. We and our church are part of the one Body of Christ, which is indwelt and shaped by the one Holy Spirit. Within that framework, we share one hope—though we practice that hope within a variety of callings—namely, that we will see Jesus face to face and be like Him.
Only One is Lord, and it’s none of us. There is only one true faith; we must not try to adjust it to the temper of the times, whatever that may be. One baptism will suffice us; don’t be baptized a second time.
And we all have one God and Father. He is over all because He exists outside it all; yet, at the same time, He is through all and in all things (“you all” is not in the original Greek). Thus, we should seek Him in all the things He has made, including each of our fellow believers and their churches.
Oneness—unity—matters. We must not neglect it or downplay its importance.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
In Ephesians 4.1-3 Paul has addressed several questions:
How are we to live in our Personal Mission Field? According to God’s Law and Word.
What Power do we access to live out our good works? The Holy Spirit.
Where do we do these good works? Wherever we are.
For Whom do we obediently serve others in unity? The Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
When do we do this? Always.
And Why were we saved? To live as one—in unity—to be a show of grace for others.
There is one:
Body
Spirit
Hope
Lord
Faith
Baptism
God (Eph. 4.4, 5).
One God of all, above all, through all, and in all (Eph. 4.6).
“The LORD our God, The LORD is one!
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and
shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
when you walk by the way,
when you lie down, and
when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and
they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deut. 6.4-9).
And this will never change.
The LORD our God will always be One, and He will always want His people to live by His Laws.
He will always be our hope, our calling, our love, and our life.
“Pray remember what I have recommended to you, which is, to think often on God,
by day, by night, in your business, and even in your diversions.
He is always near you and with you: leave Him not alone.
You would think it rude to leave a friend alone who came to visit you:
Why then must God be neglected?
Do not then forget Him,
but think on Him often,
adore Him continually,
live and die with Him;
this is the glorious employment of a Christian.
In a word, this is our profession;
if we do not know it, we must learn it” (Brother Lawrence, 1689).
The substance of our entire life, and the purpose of our unity, is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Reflection
1. Why is working for oneness so important to a community of Christians?
2. What can you contribute to the oneness of your church?
3. How can the divine Trinity help you to keep focused on working for oneness?
It cannot but be our duty to cherish holy unity, which is bound by so many ties. Faith, and baptism, and God the Father, and Christ, ought to unite us, so as almost to become one man. All these arguments for unity deserve to be pondered, but cannot be fully explained. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Ephesians 4.1-6
Pray Psalm 42.4-11.
Pray that God will revive you in your soul, that He will cleanse and renew you today and every day, and that He will give you the strength you need in your soul to serve Him faithfully in everything you do.Sing Psalm 48.9-14.
(Cwm Rhondda: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah)
For Your grace and lovingkindness we proclaim Your matchless worth!
As Your Name is, great and boundless, let Your praise fill all the earth.
Let Your people sing rejoicing for the judgment of Your truth;
for the judgment of Your truth.
Walk about the blessèd city, see her beauty, see her power.
Count her ramparts, filled with glory, look on every mighty tower.
Tell her glory to the nations: God will guide her evermore;
God will guide her evermore!
T. M. and Susie Moore
Want to learn more about growing stronger in your soul? Check out our ReVision series, “Strong Souls”. Click here to download all the installments in this important study.
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we begin to look at what the Scriptures say about justice. This week in our Read Moore podcast we wrap up our readings from the book, To Know Jesus. Our Crosfigell teaching letter continues our study of the life of Brigit, a contemporary of Brendan. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
