For a proper and practical expression of the church, we need to know the oneness of the church. The proper local church and the proper practice of the church depend on how much we know the church, and oneness is the foundation and the test of the practicality of the church life. If we can pass the test of oneness, then we are proper and right in our church practice. Therefore, in order to have a proper and practical church life, we need to be very clear about the oneness of the church.
What is the oneness of the church? The fourth chapter of Ephesians makes us very clear. “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (vv. 3-6).
The oneness of the church is the unity of the Spirit which is comprised of the Triune God. Here in Ephesians chapter four, the seven one’s are divided into three groups, and every group has one of the three Persons of the Godhead. In the first group, we see the Spirit, in the second the Lord, and in the third God the Father. In group one, there is the Body, the Spirit and the hope. Then with the second group we see the Lord, the faith and the baptism. And the last group contains God the Father. With the Spirit is the Body and the hope. With the Lord is the faith and baptism. Then there is God the Father of all who is above all, through all, and in all. The Godhead in three Persons is our oneness which is realized in the Spirit.
The oneness of the church is nothing but the Triune God, the very God in three Persons dispensed into us for the forming of the Body. It is quite interesting to notice that in these three groups, the Spirit is mentioned as the first, the Lord as the second, and God the Father as the third. This order is according to the formation of the Body, not according to the order of the Godhead. According to the order of the Persons of the Godhead, God the Father is first, then the Lord, and then the Spirit. But according to the formation of the Body in our experience, the Spirit is first, then the Lord, and then God the Father. This is because God the Father is the source, the Lord is the course, and the Spirit is the application. It is in and with the application of the Spirit that the Body comes into existence. Without the Spirit, it is impossible to have the Body.
When we have the Spirit, we are led to the Lord. And when we have the Lord, we have the source who is God the Father. This is the oneness of the church. It is nothing but the Triune God realized in the Spirit. Thus, the oneness of the church is the unity of the Spirit. The Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Spirit, and the Spirit is now in the Body. They are now four in one: the Father, the Son, the Spirit, and the Body.
How is all of this possible? How can the Triune God be one with the Body? It is only by faith and baptism. It is by faith that we get into the Lord and by baptism that all our oldness is ended. Faith brings us into Christ, and baptism brings us out of Adam. This is why we must believe and be baptized. It is by believing and being baptized that we are translated out of Adam and into Christ. We were born in Adam; so we were in Adam. But we were transferred out of Adam into Christ by believing and being baptized.
When we believe, we believe into Christ, and when we are buried in baptism, this burial terminates all our old relations. It is by these two things that we are in Christ and Christ is in us. Now in Christ we are one with the Triune God with a hope before us. Everything is accomplished; we only look forward to the hope. The hope is our future, our destiny, and our destination; it is the coming Christ or the coming of Christ. Christ is our hope, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). At His return, we will be glorified with Him and brought into His glory (Phil. 3:21; 1 Cor. 2:7; 1 Pet. 5:10).
This is the oneness. We are all really one in this-not one real Christian differs. We are all alike in the seven one’s. This is our oneness, and this oneness is the unity of the Spirit. The Spirit is the reality of this oneness.
Home | First | Prev | Next