I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so
that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches
of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the
surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in
accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He
brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated
Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and
authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not
only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in
subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the
church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
(Eph 1:18-23)
So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and
individually members one of another. (Rom 12:5)
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were
called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of
Christ's gift. (Eph 4:4-7)
Jesus Christ is the basis of our fellowship. We
are one body. We have are received One Spirit. We
hold One Faith. We have all been Baptized into One
Jesus. We have been made the children of One God and Father.
We do not all speak the same language, wear the same
clothes, live in the same nation, or eat the same earthly
food. Yet in Christ we have blood kinsmanship far deeper and
more certain than any earthly relationship. In the
New Testament, we did not refer to ourselves as Christians, but as
disciples of Jesus, as the Saints, and as the Brethren; for such we
are. We are of One Blood, that of our Lord and Savior.
We have been born again of One Spirit, God's Holy
Spirit. We partake of One Life and are One Body. We
have One Head, our Lord Jesus.
For even as the body is one and yet
has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are
many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free,
and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one
member, but many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a
hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the
less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not
an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the
less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the
hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell
be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in
the body, just as He desired. And if they were all one member, where
would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And
the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the
head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, it is much
truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are
necessary; and those members of the body, which we deem less honorable,
on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly members come
to have more abundant seemliness, whereas our seemly members have no
need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant
honor to that member which lacked, that there should be no division in
the body, but that the members should have the same care for one
another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if
one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are
Christ's body, and individually members of it. (1Cor 12:12-27)
Our earthly eyes may not behold our
oneness, and our carnal minds may not perceive our true unity, but we
who are born anew of the Spirit through the Blood shed by our Savior
are in fact One Body. It is not a unity of organization or
denomination. It is not a unity based on the common
confession of man made creeds. It is not a unity that the
world can see. But WE ARE ONE. Jesus is LORD!
But understand this. Unity is
only possible among true disciples. Those that are not committed to Christ, those who have not been born of the Spirit, will always bring division with them for they are of the world and not of the Body.
Do not be bound together with
unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness,
or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ
with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or
what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple
of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK
AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY
PEOPLE. Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE
SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will
welcome you. And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and
daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty.
Therefore, having these promises,
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2Cor 6:14-7:1)
"By this all will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
