We have seen that the church is the Body of Christ and the house of God, the vessel through which God can be expressed in the universe. The expression of the Body of Christ, the house of God, is local, and there is only one expression in each locality. On the one hand, the administration of each church is local; on the other hand, all the churches are one with regard to their move, having the common goal of upholding God’s testimony on the earth.
It is not sufficient for us to realize only this; we need to know the oneness of the church. The oneness of the church is also the unity of the church. However, we do not like to use the term unity because the church is one from the beginning; there is no need for the church to be united. If we use the word unity, we are implying that there was a time when the church was not one. Hence, we prefer to use the term oneness to describe the church. The word oneness can be applied to something that is produced out of one source, one origin, and according to one principle. Therefore, it is not only permissible, but it is appropriate to say that the church is one because the source, origin, nature, and principle of the church are all one. The church is truly something that is one. The church cannot be two and cannot be divided; once the church is divided, it is through. We must preserve the nature of the oneness of the church.
We will consider the oneness of the church in the following six points.
Everything that is related to the church is one. Whenever the church loses the oneness, it immediately is divided and falls apart. The church comes out of the Triune God; hence, the source of the church is one. The church is produced by the Triune God entering into man to be his life; hence, the producing of the church is one. The nature of the church is the Triune God coming into man as life; hence, the nature of the church is one. The principle that is produced out of this nature must also be one. The administration of the church is one regardless of where the church is expressed. In the universe the church has only one fellowship. The testimony of the church is also one. Every aspect of the church is one. Therefore, the church is altogether a matter of oneness.
Ephesians 4:3-6 speaks of seven ones: one Body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. These seven ones are all concerning the oneness of the church. The Body is the focus of the seven ones. The Body is produced from people who have one faith. Through this faith, the content of what we believe, we receive the Lord and eternal life, and we are saved. In the Gospel of John this is the faith through which we believe into the Son and receive eternal life (3:15). In the book of Romans it is the faith by which we are justified (5:1). This faith does not refer to whether we believe in pre-tribulation rapture or post-tribulation rapture or whether we should keep the Sabbath. These things are not the faith; they are merely views and opinions. One person may believe in the pre-tribulation rapture, and another person believes in the post-tribulation rapture. One person may believe in keeping the Sabbath, but another person may not believe in keeping the Sabbath. These are merely views and opinions. There is only one faith that causes man to be justified and saved and to receive God as life. Hence, the Bible calls it “one faith.” As long as a person is saved, this faith is in him regardless of whether he believes in a pre-tribulation or post-tribulation rapture or whether he believes in keeping the Lord’s Day or the Sabbath.
The Body is also the result of one baptism. This baptism is not a matter of being immersed or sprinkled but of being baptized into the name of the Lord and being buried together with Him. Through baptism, those who have believed into the Lord have died, been buried, and resurrected with the Lord. Hence, they have been delivered from everything that is of the old creation. Through one faith we enter into the new creation, and through one baptism we are delivered out of the old creation. Through one faith we become the new creation in Christ, and through one baptism the old creation in Adam is terminated. Through one faith and one baptism we are transferred out of Adam into Christ.
When we receive the Lord and are put into Him through one faith and one baptism, we receive the Spirit. The Lord, the Spirit, and God are one. Thus, we receive the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Spirit, and the Spirit enters into us (John 14:17). When we receive the Spirit, we receive the Son who is in the Spirit, and we also receive the Father who is in the Son. With regard to order, the Father comes first, the Spirit comes last, and the Son is in the middle. With regard to the Triune God’s reaching us, the Spirit comes first. When we receive the Spirit, we receive the Son, and when we receive the Son, we have the Father.
Through one faith and one baptism, we have received one Spirit, one Lord, and one God, and this produces the one Body. The one Body is the church. The church is produced in this way. The one faith and one baptism are the history of the one Body; they are accomplished facts. However, the Body is not something merely from the past. The Body also has a glorious future, that is, a hope. This one hope is to enter into glory, to be the same as the Triune God. Therefore, our hope is also one.
Each of the seven ones is indispensable to every believer. Believing in a pre-tribulation rapture or post-tribulation rapture or keeping the Sabbath or the Lord’s Day does not matter because they do not affect our salvation. However, if we lack any of the seven ones, we are not saved. We must have the faith that causes us to be saved and the baptism that delivers us from the old creation. We must receive the Spirit, the Lord, and God who make us part of the Body. We must also recognize this Body and admit that the future of the Body is the hope of glory. If we are short in any one of these seven points, there is a problem with our salvation.
These seven ones are the very elements that constitute the church: one faith, one baptism, one Spirit, one Lord, one God, one Body, and one hope, to enter into glory. The elements that constitute the church are all one. Its history is one, and its future is one. Its inner life is one, and its outer form is one. Since everything concerning the church is one, the church is one. When we see this, we will understand why we should never do anything that would cause the church to be divided. Whenever the church is divided, the church is destroyed.