One
Ephesians 4:1-6
One God and Father of All
October 6, 2019 • Jovan Barrington
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” – Ephesians 4:3-6 (NIV)
ONE Baptism
September 29, 2019 • Jovan Barrington
Baptism means, to be immersed. We are to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Our unity is based on the theological oneness of God. Paul says in Ephesians 4:5 that there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. The one Lord is Jesus and the content of the one faith is the gospel Jesus (the one Lord and Savior). The one baptism is into the one Lord, Jesus(“in Christ”). We are immersed into Jesus and the Holy Spirit immerses us into the one body, the church (1 Cor 12:13). Baptism represents our union with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (the gospel) and being united with all who put their trust in Christ.
ONE Faith
September 22, 2019 • Jovan Barrington
Paul writes in Ephesians 4 that we maintain the unity of the Spirit. This is our calling as followers of Jesus. Believers are one in Christ and share one faith. The one faith is not the act of believing but what we choose to trust. There is only one thing that Christians choose to place their trust.
ONE Lord
September 15, 2019 • Jovan Barrington
So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
ONE Spirit
September 1, 2019 • Jovan Barrington
Since Jesus only has one body and the church of Christ forms his body together as one. It makes sense that there is only one Spirit for that one body. God is not divided and the body though having many parts is not divided as well. For in the Spirit we were all immersed into one diverse body. We are a new community in Christ with no separation due to wealth or race. The church is a Christ community where all drink from the same deep refreshing well of the Holy Spirit’s unity and power.
ONE Body
August 25, 2019 • Jovan Barrington
The triune God lives in union with himself. He is one. When God created everything, he made the earth, animals, and mankind one with him. When sin entered the world, division came with it. Through Jesus God gifts the earth with new creation and with the sending of the Holy Spirit mankind is brought into unity with God and with each other. We celebrate the oneness of God and the new creation of Jesus by maintaining the unity of the Spirit.