In Ephesians 4:3-6 Christ is revealed as the center of the processed Triune God for the Body of Christ. “Being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace: one Body and one Spirit, even 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.” The Father as the source is in Christ the Lord, who is the embodiment of the Father (John 10:38; 14:10; 17:21); the Lord is the Spirit, who is the reality of the Lord; and the Spirit is in the Body. In the Triune God the Father is the source, the Lord is the course, the means, and the Spirit is the transmission. The source is in the course, the course is in the transmission, and the transmission is in the Body.
In exhorting us to safeguard the oneness, the apostle Paul points out seven things that form the base of our oneness: one Body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. These seven “ones” are of three groups. The first three form the first group, that of the Spirit with the Body as His expression. This Body, having been regenerated and being saturated with the Spirit as its essence, has the hope of being transfigured into the full likeness of Christ. The next three form the second group, that of the Lord with faith and baptism that we may be joined to Him. The last of the seven forms the third group, the one God and Father, who is the Originator and source of all. The Spirit as the Executor of the Body, the Son as the Creator of the Body, and God the Father as the Originator of the Body—all the three of the Triune God—are related to the Body. The third of the Trinity is the first mentioned in Ephesians 4:4 through 6 because the main concern here is the Body, of which the Spirit is the essence and the life and life supply. The course is then traced back to the Son and to the Father.
In verse 5 Paul speaks of one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. This verse reveals Christ as the Lord to whom the believers are joined through faith and baptism.
It is significant that verse 5 does not say “one Son” but “one Lord.” In the Gospel of John it is the Son into whom we believe (John 3:16), but in the Acts it is the Lord into whom we believe (Acts 16:31). In the Epistles of John, the Son is for the imparting of life (1 John 5:12), whereas in the Acts, the Lord, after His ascension, is for the exercising of authority (Acts 2:36), a matter which concerns His headship. Hence, our believing in Him is related to both life and authority, for He is both our life and our Head. As the Head of the Body (Eph. 1:22), He is the Lord. Christians are divided because they neglect the Head; that is, they neglect the Lord’s headship and authority.
One Lord in Ephesians 4:5 refers to the Son in the Divine Trinity. Christ came to be our life (John 10:10), and He as our life became the element within us, that is, the element of the Body of Christ. Formerly, we were all in Adam, and our element was the element of Adam, the element of death. When we believed and were baptized, we were severed from Adam and were united with Christ. Consequently, we the believers have within us another life, a new element, that is, Christ as our life and our element. Hence, Christ the Lord is the element of the Body; He is the element that constitutes us to be the Body of Christ. From Christ as the element of the Body of Christ comes the Spirit as the essence and reality of the Body.
For us to be the genuine church as the organic Body of Christ, we must have the element of Christ. Although we have believed and been baptized, in actuality we may still remain in Adam and have Adam as the element instead of Christ. Therefore, in our daily living we must accept the operation of the cross that deals with our old man and natural life; we must let go of Adam and let Christ live in us. Only when we live by Christ and even live Christ will we be the genuine church as the Body of Christ, having Christ as our life and element.
Because Christ is the element of the Body of Christ, the living of the Body of Christ takes Christ as the Head, life, content, principal object, center, and goal (Eph. 5:23; Col. 3:4a, 11b; 1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 1:23; Phil. 3:14). Because Christ is all these things, we, the members of the Body, should take Christ as our Head, our life, our content, our principal object, our center, and our goal. Christ is the nature, the meaning, the expression, the capacity, and the function of the Body of Christ. When we take Christ as our Head, our life, our content, our principal object, our center, and our goal, we will give Him the opportunity to manifest the capacity and function of the Body within His nature. In particular, Christ is the center of the Triune God; the Body of such a Christ certainly takes Him as its Head. We, the members of the Body, should all be under the authority of Christ as the Head of the Body.