In the previous two chapters we covered the first half of the book of Ephesians, from chapter one through chapter three. In this chapter we will cover the first half of chapter four. This is one of the deepest and most mysterious portions of the New Testament.
Ephesians 4:4 begins, "One Body and one Spirit." We all know that this one Body refers to the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is something mysterious. No one can clearly understand it. Even with our physical body, there are many things that medical doctors cannot explain. Our physical body has its outward appearance, and it also has its inward and intrinsic parts. But within this wonderful body there is something even more mysterious; it is an abstract, invisible, and untouchable matter called life. No one can define life. Life is within the body, yet if we try to cut up the body to find this life, life is gone.
Although we cannot see life, every life has its expression. The plants and flowers in the Amazon River region of South America have many beautiful colors, shapes, and designs. Yet all of them come from small seeds. When the life in the seeds grows and blossoms, there are the marvelous expressions of life.
In the Body of Christ there is the divine life. This life is a life that is one with the Spirit. Hence, in Romans 8:2 Paul calls the Spirit "the Spirit of life." Life, the Spirit, and God are one. Life is the Spirit, and the Spirit is God. On the other hand, God is Spirit, and God is also life. This mysterious life as the Spirit is the intrinsic content of the Body of Christ.
When this life is expressed, we have the oneness of the Body. Oneness is something that is altogether impossible in human society. The United Nations was formed to help the human race to be united, but it has not accomplished its purpose. In the Body of Christ, we may be of different colors and races, but we all are one. We are not merely united as in a union; we are one as the Body of Christ. In a credit union the members are united together by money. But in the Body of Christ, we are made one through the one Spirit.
As human beings, we all tend to love some people and dislike others. The Chinese may not like the Japanese, and the Texans may not like the New Yorkers. Even among the Chinese, the Southerners may not like the Northerners. But in the Body of Christ, we all have become one. We love all the saints. The Spirit is the unique factor that unites us. Christ as the Spirit is the very oneness among us. We can have such a oneness because we have the Spirit. This is why Ephesians 4:3 calls this oneness "the oneness of the Spirit."