Unity as Trinity Life

Seven years ago the tennis player Andy Murray won Great Britain’s first Wimbledon title. And at the time they haven’t won this title for seventy-seven years. So after the match he was interviewed, and he gave an interesting response when he was asked how he felt about winning. Ofcourse, he said he felt great. But he then he humorously said, “When I lose I’m English and when I win I’m Scottish”. And weeks later I bumped into an acquaintance of mine, and congratulated him on the title. But then he added, “But did you hear what he said at the interview?” I, by this time forgot, but he reminded me that he said, “When I lose, I’m English and when I win I’m Scottish”. My acquaintance then said that the player divided Great Britain by saying that. Meaning to say that, when Great Britain wins both England and Scotland wins. And when Great Britain loses, both England and Scotland loses. And this is the way their unity works. There is a bigger picture to their unity that needs to be kept.

Here in these verse, Paul points our attention to the ultimate picture, image, example, and life of unity. For him, unity in the church is at its core trinitarian. Verse 4 says, There is one Spirit. verse 5 says, There is one Lord. And verse 6 says, there is one God and Father. He mentions each persons of the Trinity individually. To show that even though there is difference between the person of the Trinity. Yet there is unity. This is the reason Paul emphasizes the word “one” seven times. One body, one spirit, one hope. And one Lord, one faith, one baptism. And one God and Father. He is not only stressing why unity must be kept among the body of Christ as they in Christ. He is also emphasizing how unity is the very attitude of the God-head for the church to copy. In other words, if unity is the inner workings of the Triune God. Then church body can be without it. For a local church to exist without unity is for them to exist without the very life of the three divine Persons.

Paul’s thinking about the Trinity is not isolated to these verses. All through the first half of his letter to the Ephesian church his thinking about the Trinity comes through. In chapter 1 he says, the Father blessed the church before the foundation of the world by election. Therefore, in Christ the Son they are chosen, adopted, and forgiven. And that the Holy Spirit is the deposit guaranteeing the church’s inheritance in Christ. And in chapter 2, he says that the church is alive in Christ and raised with him. And that this is the result of his message of peace to both Jew and Gentile. And that’s a message of peace that gave them access to the Father. And also a message of peace made a reality by the Holy Spirit. The at the end of chapter 3:14-15. Paul closes the chapter with a prayer. For this reason I kneel before the Father…he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. The point is that, a divided church is not only a church that fails to get along with one another. But they are also a church who fails to bring glory to the unity that exist among the Father, Son, and Spirit.

And this is where many believers get it wrong. Many Christians think too superficially about church unity. Although they believe unity involves loving one another: that is, by even regularly speaking the truth in love to one another; in humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love. Yet, they struggle to grasp and accept that unity is a divine reality that is existent independent from them. And therefore a failure to keep, cultivate, and preserve unity in the church is really a failure to create a sense of heavenly unity in community on earth. In this way, people make the Father look hateful, the Son vengeful, and the Spirit spiteful. Instead of making the Father look loving, the Son forgiving, and the Spirit comforting.

In John 16, the Lord Jesus promises the Holy Spirit as Comforter. And says that he is a gift both he and the Father sends. John 16:15 says, All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” So whatever the church receives in the Spirit has the blessing and approval of both the Father and Son. If the church is full of love, it’s the reality and presence of all three Persons. If full of joy, it’s a reality and presence of all three Persons. And  if unity, it’s a reality and presence of all three Persons. Meaning, no member, visitor, guest preacher, pastor, council member or bishop unites the church. The church stands united under the oversight and generosity of the God-Head. That is why the church’s decision on unity should never first and foremost be in relation of what they think of others. A church should consider their unity firstly based on how it makes God looks. Then their treatment of others will have a natural overflow. So you and I are to one another the reality of the unified life in the Trinity.

Notice in verses 3-4. keep the unity of the Spirit…one Spirit. This is an entirely different approach to how the Bible usually talks about the Trinity. The order normally starts with the Father, then the Son, and then the Spirit. For example, the Great Commission says, Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19). But Paul is not here aiming at the order of the Trinity. Instead, he is pointing out that the Spirit takes the unity found in the Trinity. And makes it the unity of the church.

Notice how Paul emphasizes their calling in one Spirit as a calling to one hope and one body. He says in verse 4. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called. In other words, the one Spirit on the day of the believer’s call to salvation called them into the one body of Christ – the church. And called them into the one hope in Christ. Therefore, within the innerworkings of the believer’s call to salvation is the Spirit weaving the believer into the thread of church life and trinitarian life. The Spirit breaks the believer’s unity with the world. And places them safely in the trinitarian life. And no longer do their hope lie outside Christ and his people. But only in him and together with them. In this way, to be “In the Spirit” means to live in unity with others and within God. Paul goes as far as saying, it means to be baptized in the Spirit. He says in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, talking about the church’s unity within diversity. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Unity by salvation, in the one body of Christ, with one hope for Christ, is to be baptized in the Spirit.

Luke records in Acts 4:31-32. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…and were one in heart and mind. Unity is a baptism and continuous filling with the Spirit. Thus the person who lives in division is not living a Spirit-filled life. Which is why the Charismatics is wrong to think of being Spirit-filled as only experiences. Because a united church is as church filled with the Spirit. And a church divided is a church without the Spirit. Many believers still think of the Holy Spirit in a by-the-way kind of fashion. They start with the Father and with the Son. Even more than that, they do not think of the Spirit in relation to unity. That it is the Father and Son who made the Spirit available to implement church unity. And it is the Spirit who in return brings the believer into the united life of the God-Head. For this reason, the work and presence of the Holy Spirit for unity cannot be replaced with the captivating personality of a pastor. Neither can it be replaced by people’s subjective experiences labeled as unity. The Bible is clear, that unity is at its core a baptism of the Holy Spirit into one body and for one hope as people who are called.

Verse 5 says, one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

Romans 10:12. For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.

Luke says in Acts 4:12. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

 

1 Corinthians 1:13. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

 

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.

 

Deuteronomy 4:35 says, The Lord is God besides him there is no other.

Deuteronomy  6:4 says, Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one.

1 Corinthians 8:1-6 says, There is no God but one, the Father from whom all things come and for whom we live.

Look at verse 3, Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Or as the ESV says, Be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.