In Ephesians chapter four, Paul said Christians must endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit (unity based on what the Spirit revealed), being bound together in peace and love (Eph. 4:2-3), but unity and peace are destroyed when people deviate from what the Spirit revealed in the Bible. The Holy Spirit gave us the “seven ones” of unity (Eph. 4:4-6), and to be united we must all agree upon these critical criteria:
- “There is one body,” Christ’s one church for which He died (Eph. 4:4; cf. Matt. 16:18; Acts 20:28; Eph. 1:22, 23; 5:23; Col. 1:18). If you believe there are many kinds of churches acceptable to God that are different from the one church found in the Bible, we cannot be united, because God said there is only one church, and nobody has ever had the right to start a different one.
- “There is…one Spirit,” the eternal Holy Spirit who guided the inspired writers of the Bible into “all truth” (Eph. 4:4; cf. 3:5; John 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:9-13; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Heb. 9:14). The Spirit also gave the church in the first century A.D. miraculous power to confirm the Truth while it was being revealed (Zech. 13:1-3; 1 Cor. 13:8-12; Heb. 2:3-4). The Spirit saves and sanctifies through His Sword, the written Word of God, the Bible (John 17:17; Rom. 1:16; Eph. 6:17; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Jam. 1:18, 21; 1 Pet. 1:22-25). If you believe differently than what the Spirit plainly taught in the Holy Scriptures, we cannot be united.
- “There is…one hope,” “reserved in Heaven” for the faithful (Eph. 4:4; 1 Pet. 1:3-4; cf. John 14:1-3; Col. 1:5). If you believe otherwise, such as believing there are two hopes (that some will be eternally in Heaven and some will be eternally on earth), we cannot be united.
- “There is…one Lord,” the Lord Jesus Christ—the Son of God, the eternal and sinless one who died for the forgiveness of our sins. He was buried, but God raised Him from the dead, and He is now on God’s right hand as the one Mediator between God and men. He is the Christian’s interceding High Priest and Advocate who is also preparing a place in Heaven for the faithful. If you do not believe what the Scriptures teach about this one Lord, we cannot be united (John 8:24, 58; 14:1-6; Acts 13:30; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; Heb. 4:15; 7:25; 1 John 1:2; 2:1-6).
- “There is…one faith,” the New Testament Gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s system of salvation, which is the same for all men, whether Jews or Gentiles (Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; Rom. 1:5, 16; 6:3-5; 9:6-8, 24-26; 16:26; Gal. 1:23; 3:26-29; Jude 3). If you believe there is one system of faith for Jews and another for Gentiles, we cannot be united. If you believe the denominational concept that “you can have your faith, and I can have my (different kind of) faith,” then we cannot be united, because there is only one true faith, and God commands to “speak the same thing” with “no divisions” (1 Cor. 1:10-13; cf. Rom. 16:16-17). He also commands the faithful to “earnestly contend” for that one true faith (Jude 3; cf. Php. 1:17).
- “There is…one baptism,” which in the next chapter is called “the washing of water”—being immersed in water baptism for sanctification and spiritual cleansing (Eph. 4:5; 5:26; cf. Acts 2:36-41; 22:16; Rom. 6:3-5; Heb. 10:22; 1 Pet. 3:20-21). If you believe otherwise, such as believing there are two baptisms today (Holy Spirit baptism and water baptism), we cannot be united. If you believe that Holy Spirit baptism is today’s one baptism and that water immersion is no longer needed, we cannot be united (Matt. 28:18-20).
- “There is…one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” He is “the God of,” “the Father of,” and “the Head of” our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3; 1 Cor. 11:3). If you do not believe that God the Father is “above all” in authority, including being above Jesus and the Holy Spirit in authority, we cannot be united (Matt. 20:23; John 3:17; 13:16; 14:16, 26; 20:17; 1 Cor. 11:3; Heb. 1:8-9).
The Holy Spirit (through the Bible) speaks plainly about such matters as these “seven ones.” Let us make sure we are not causing sinful divisions by holding or teaching doctrines that are contrary to what the Spirit said (Rom. 16:17). Yes, false doctrine can cause one to be lost, even if he believes Jesus is the Son of God (Gal. 5:1-4; 1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Tim. 2:15-18, etc.). May we all “speak the same thing” with “no divisions” by speaking as God speaks and living as Christ lived (1 Cor. 1:10; cf. John 17:17-23; 1 Pet. 2:21-25; 4:11; 1 Jn. 1:6-2:6). May we also be patient with others and refuse to divide over matters of opinion or scruples. Doing all of this with love is how we will “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2-6, 15; cf. 1 Cor. 13:1-7; 14:33; 16:14; Gal. 5:6; 1 John 5:3).