What does "one God and Father of all" teach about Christian unity? Setting the Verse in Context - Ephesians 4:4-6 lays out seven “ones” that ground unity: “one body… one Spirit… one hope… one Lord… one faith… one baptism… one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all”. - The capstone is “one God and Father of all”; every other “one” stands on this foundational reality. One God: The Foundation of Unity - Scripture insists on a single, true God: • Deuteronomy 6:4 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.” • 1 Corinthians 8:6 – “yet for us there is but one God, the Father…” - Because there is only one God, there can be only one people of God. Competing deities would fracture allegiance; one God gathers every believer under the same sovereignty. - Unity, then, is not optional or organizational—it is theological. To divide where God is one is to deny His oneness in practice. Father of All: A Family Identity - “Father” language brings us from courtroom to living room. God is not merely the singular Creator; He adopts. • Malachi 2:10 – “Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us?” • Galatians 3:26 – “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” - Family ties supersede cultural, social, and ethnic lines: “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). - When believers see one another as siblings, rivalry gives way to responsibility, jealousy to joy, suspicion to support. Over All, Through All, In All: How God’s Presence Binds Us - “Over all” – His authority is universal; no faction can claim a private franchise on God. - “Through all” – He works His purposes through every member, gifting each for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). - “In all” – His Spirit indwells every believer equally; the same divine life flows in every branch of the vine (John 15:5). - Unity grows as we recognize the same Lord ruling above us, empowering through us, living within us. Practical Implications for the Church - Guard doctrine: Preserve the confession of one God. Error about God’s nature breeds division. - Celebrate diversity: Different cultures, gifts, and styles display the multifaceted work of the one Father “through all.” - Resist elitism: No believer ranks higher in the Father’s household; status is flattened at the foot of the cross. - Pursue reconciliation: Since the Father is “over all,” any estrangement among His children grieves Him and contradicts our family reality (Ephesians 4:31-32). - Engage mission together: One Father sends one family on one mission—making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19), an endeavor too large for isolated groups. Living Out Our Shared Fatherhood - Draw near to the Father daily; the closer we walk with Him, the closer we find ourselves to one another. - Speak and act as family: use words that build (Ephesians 4:29), share resources generously (Acts 4:32-35), bear burdens collectively (Galatians 6:2). - Reflect Jesus’ prayer: “I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one” (John 17:22). Our unity showcases the credibility of the gospel to a watching world. Ephesians 4:6 plants Christian unity firmly in the character of God Himself. We live as one because we belong to One. |
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