Title: One Faith/Ephesians 4:1-6
Faith that becomes one in content / Ephesians 4:1-6
“I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, striving to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-6)
The theme of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was "One World, One Dream". The same is true of our religious life. Being one is important. Satan is trying to divide, but the Holy Spirit is the spirit of grace that units us. In today's verse, the expression 'one' appears repeatedly. “The body, the Spirit, the calling, the hope, the Lord, the faith, the baptism, and God” are one. You must strive hard to keep this one thing. Then, what is the unity of faith that Paul emphasizes?
First, it is the faith that strives to keep the unity of the Holy Spirit. Those who live in the Holy Spirit have the mystery of living in union with the Lord Jesus Christ. God guides the saints with the Holy Spirit so that they can live a beautiful and blessed life of faith as children of God and the pure bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the powerful Spirit of the Lord who unites us in the will of God. The power to live as a person of united faith in the Word of God comes from the Holy Spirit. Being one is so important. History can only happen when we become one. Jesus is the Son of God who lived a life of complete oneness in God the Father. This is the grace and glory of being a son.
Second, it is the faith that lives according to the calling in one hope. Today's sermon is full of words about calling. The life of faith is to confess that there is a "call with a calling" and that "we are called in one hope of a calling". The way to fulfill this calling is to live in a way that is worthy of that calling. 2 Timothy 2:3-4 says, “You shall suffer with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus; no one who goes as a soldier gets entangled in his life, so that he may please those who have enlisted him as a soldier.” This is one hope toward the calling.
Saints! In this holy calling and hope, I pray that all the members of the Holy Lord who are united by one Spirit and who are called with one body through one baptism and one faith will open their hearts wide and walk the path of one faith together. . Amen.