Eph 4:4  There is One – pt1

Eph 4:4  There is One – pt1

Eph. 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

Eph. 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

Eph. 4:3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

walk worthy of your calling

a calling of humility and gentleness towards all

being diligent to preserve the unity that the Spirit offers

This calling and unity does not blend with with the other religions of the world

it is not meant to.

This belief in Jesus Christ as Lord, stands alone and above all these man-made religions

It will contradict them, even cause friction

Eph. 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

Eph. 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Eph. 4:6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Apostles Creed from second century

(also called the Old Roman Creed)

I believe in God the Father almighty 

and in Christ Jesus His Son, 

who was born of Mary the virgin, 

was crucified under Pontius Pilate and buried, 

on the third day rose from the dead, 

ascended into heaven, 

sits at the right hand of the Father, 

from whence he came to judge the living and dead, 

and in the Holy Spirit, 

and the resurrection of flesh.

creeds are meant to unify people by unifying what they believe, unifying their purpose based upon that belief.

what happens when there are different beliefs, different creeds, 

you end up with different purposes 

(different convictions, different actions, different reactions)

in 56 BC, the Roman orator, Cicero would announce:

“We Romans are not superior to the Spanish in population, nor do we best the Gauls in strength, nor Carthaginians in acumen, nor the Greeks in technical skills, nor can we compete with the natural connection of the Italians and Latins to their own people and land; we Romans, however, outstrip every people and nation in our piety, sense of religious scruple and our awareness that everything is controlled by the power of the gods.”

He was not unique in saying this, rather he was merely repeating a matter or Roman public pride.

The Romans were deeply religious and their worship of their God’s was a central part of their daily life.

They took deities seriously. (statues, images, sacrifices, and even conversation about the God’s was more than common)
(however, each person may hold their personal beliefs about which God to appease that day and even what appeased them or angered them … including the commonly held notion that the God competed amongst themselves for power and attention)

The Romans were quite pious but very unrefined in common doctrine of these Gods.

as a matter of record, 

Greeks had the 12 olympians, but claimed 3,142 various gods

Rome started with 12 major gods in their parthenon, raised it to 70+

which then expanded to include countless more

the basic Roman premise was that if anyone was heard or seen praying to anything they called a god, it proved it so

while it was held true that each person had a divine spark within them, some “sparks” where held in higher regard than others

Emperor worship was widespread in Rome.

lets check into a biblical clash of the creeds

“Render unto Caesar” is the beginning of a phrase attributed to Jesus in the synoptic gospels, which reads in full, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (Ἀπόδοτε οὖν τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ).^{[Matthew 22:21]}

All three synoptic gospels state that hostile questioners tried to trap Jesus into taking an explicit and dangerous stand on whether Jews should or should not pay taxes to the Roman authorities. 

The accounts in Matthew 22:15–22 and Mark 12:13–17 say that the questioners were disciples of the pharisees and Herodians (jews who simply supported the rule of Herod) 

while Luke 20:20–26 says only that they were “spies” sent by “teachers of the law and the chief priests”.

Caesar’s Coin:

They anticipated that Jesus would oppose the tax, as their purpose was “to hand him over to the power and authority of the governor”.^{[Luke 20:20]} The governor was Pilate, and he was the man responsible for the collecting of taxes in Roman Judea. Initially the questioners flattered Jesus by praising his integrity, impartiality, and devotion to truth. Then they asked him whether or not it is right for Jews to pay the taxes demanded by Caesar. In the Gospel of Mark^[12:15] the additional, provocative question is asked, “Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

Jesus first called them hypocrites, and then asked one of them to produce a Roman coin that would be suitable for paying Caesar’s tax. One of them showed him a Roman coin, and he asked them whose head and inscription were on it. They answered, “Caesar’s,” and he responded: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s”.

The questioners were impressed. Matthew 22:22 states that they “marvelled” (ἐθαύμασαν); unable to trap him any further, and being satisfied with the answer, they went away.

The text identifies the coin as a δηνάριον dēnarion,^[3] and it is usually thought that the coin was a Roman denarius with the head of Tiberius. The coin is also called the “tribute penny.” The inscription reads “Ti[berivs] Caesar Divi Avg[vsti] F[ilivs] Avgvstvs” 

“Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus”

did you catch the part saying “divine Augustus” ?

the Roman emperors were considered divine. the emperors of Rome were among the Gods of Rome

(they were God’s in the flesh)

any one who denied the deity of the emperor

anyone who said there was an authority above the emperor

was committing both treason and blasphemy that was punishable by death

For Jesus to say “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar and unto God, the things that are God’s”

was a very anti-Roman controversial reply, because 

He implied that Caesar was not God, and therefore not entitled to things meant for God

Toward the end of the first century, Emperor Domitian sent out a decree that all in his empire should worship him as “God the Lord.” Residents of the empire were ordered to come to the public square, burn a pinch of incense, and speak the words Caesar kurios, “Caesar is lord.” This act of devotion seemed little enough in light of the emperor’s divine power and benevolence toward his subjects. And refusal could result in imprisonment, confiscation of property, banishment, and even death. Christians, however, did refuse. They confessed a higher allegiance: Iesous kurios, “Jesus is Lord,” 

recalling Paul’s admonition, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9). 

            The persecution under Domitian is the background to the Book of Revelation and can be seen behind the letters to the seven churches. To the church in Smyrna, Jesus dictated this message: “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:9-10). This period of Christian suffering ended with Domitian’s death in 96, but the demand for false worship of emperors continued to be a source of persecution for Christians throughout the coming centuries.

It is against this backdrop of Roman god worship and Roman emperor worship that Paul writes:

Eph. 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

Eph. 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Eph. 4:6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Ironic that this passage intended to create unity within the body should create such division elsewhere

Matt. 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matt. 10:29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

Matt. 10:30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Matt. 10:31 “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

Matt. 10:32 ¶ “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.

Matt. 10:33 “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

Matt. 10:34 ¶ “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Matt. 10:35 “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW;

Matt. 10:36 and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.

Matt. 10:37 ¶ “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

Matt. 10:38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

Matt. 10:39 “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

earlier, in same passage:

Matt. 10:16 ¶ “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.

Matt. 10:17 “But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues;

Matt. 10:18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

Matt. 10:19 “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.

Matt. 10:20 “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

Matt. 10:21 ¶ “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

Matt. 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

what is it about Jesus that people hate ?

but why will they hate us just for saying we follow Him ?

does this sound like peace on earth ? (thousands die each year for following Him)   Why ?

the unity God speaks of here is only for believers (true followers of His Son)

God provides seven touchpoints of this unity (some are sources, while some are responses)

1. Body
   • while some think they may refer to the physical body of Christ, the epistle on the whole has already set the precedent that this body is referring to the Church (1:23, 2:18, 3:5-6.
   • Jews and Gentiles become one body of believers when they place their faith in the work of Christ at Calvary. They are no longer two entities but one.
   • so what’s up with denominations ? (do they create unity or division?)
     • its easy to understand why people would want to clump together over common beliefs but does this help refine what we believe and keep everything in mainline unity just to create comfort
     • does it foster communication or weak convictions?
2. Spirit
   • referring to the Holy Spirit mentioned in 2:18, 22. 
   • how does “one Spirit” mean unity?
     • Eph. 2:17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR;
     • Eph. 2:18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
     • Eph. 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
     • Eph. 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
     • Eph. 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,
     • Eph. 2:22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
3. hope
   • The noun ἐλπίς, “hope,” was discussed at 1:18 and was defined as eager expectation of the outworking of God’s plan. 
   • all things will be headed up in Christ (1:9) 
   • though the believers are presently seated with Christ, in the future they will be displayed in heaven as trophies of his grace (2:7). 
   • Further, they have been brought near to God, united into one body in Christ and reconciled to God (2:11–3:13). 
   • Before this they were without hope and without God in the world (2:12). 
   • Hence, there is the element of objective hope which is laid up for the believers (cf. Col 1:5; Rom 8:24)
   • Hope for believers is not the world’s “hope so” but the absolute certainty that God will deliver what he has promised. In this context the emphasis is on objective hope in line with many of the other elements in these three verses. 
   • Since both believing Jews and Gentiles have “one” hope, it would further support the concept of unity portrayed in these verses.
4. Lord
5. faith
6. baptism
7. God and Father of all