One God

(Ephesians 4:4-7)

There is one stand out fact that pervades both Judaism and Christianity, and that is that they are both monotheistic religions.

That is, they both worship one God and this scripture reemphasises this fact. There is only one God and this scripture extends that knowledge even further.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. (Ephesians 4:4-7)

The knowledge contained in these few words opens up a great path to truth that has been shattered through the lies spread by the devil. It is the plan of the devil to destroy the people of God, and what better way than to destroy the fundamental truths about God. We must see through the lies and recognise that God is one and the truth of Jesus Christ will prevail.

One God

When we look at these words we see some things that smash some of the teachings of the modern church. There are teachings so deeply ingrained in the church that to suggest they may be in error will get many Christians’ backs up and is bound to get me labelled either as a nutcase or an heretic.

So be it. All I am doing is to look into the scriptures and see what they say rather than the teachings of churches that differ from the scripture, no matter how widely they are accepted.

So the first thing these words tell us is that there is one God and Father of us all who is in all and through all. They also tell us that there is one Lord and one Spirit.

This scripture treats all three of these as individuals, separate and distinct from all the others. It does not look upon them as a trinity or as “God in three persons” or “three faces of the one God,” but as separate and non-equal individuals. This is important because nowhere in the Bible does it refer to God as a trinity, and yet this teaching pervades the Christian church today as almost a universal truth.

The only truth that exists is what is written and the teaching of trinity is not written in the Bible anywhere.

Going back to the Jews for a moment, we know that they were and are still a monotheistic religion, that is, one God. The God of the Jews was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

We worship the same God as the Jews, albeit we also worship the Son of God who gave His all so that we could have a better salvation than was offered to the Jews under Moses.

Christianity has not changed the status of God. He was one God before, He is one God now, and that is what these scriptures are telling us.

One Faith, One Baptism & One Hope

Continuing on from the words above, this scripture tells us that there is one faith, one baptism and one hope.

But again, that is not what we see in the modern church.

The modern church is splintered into a countless number of groups, sects and organisations from the smallest home groups through to the largest denominations and evangelical organisations. And the basis of these divisions is differences in faith and the doctrines that support that faith.

We are taught in the Bible that there is only one foundation that can be laid, and that is the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. All Christian groups as a minimum have that in common and this belief is at the core of the one hope.

However, it is what gets built on the foundation of Jesus Christ that has caused these divisions. In some cases the foundation has been overlaid with lies and false teaching. In other cases there has been excellent teaching that aligns strongly with the truth of the Bible, and we see how these have moved people towards or away from the one faith.

As an example, one of the key issues that separates many churches in the one faith has to do with baptism.

Paul says in this section of scripture that there is just one baptism. He showed how important that one baptism is when he first preached the gospel to the new converts at Ephesus.

1 While Apol’los was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. (Acts 19:1-6)

These disciples had already been baptised under the ministry of John the Baptist. And yet, after Paul preached Jesus to them they recognised the baptism of Jesus was the one baptism. They were baptised again in the name of Jesus and into His death and resurrection, for this is the only baptism that has any meaning.

And in this one baptism are the seeds of the one faith for it is through baptism by faith that we take on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as our own so that we can receive the free gift of righteousness by faith, and be set free from the law and from sin. All of this takes place at baptism so it is critical that when we are baptised, we participate in the true One Baptism.

Many churches do not accept these teachings. They use baptism as some kind of initiation into the church. They baptise infants for which there is no Biblical or scriptural support. They even go so far as to say that baptism is optional and unnecessary, despite the fact that baptism was one of the three critical points in the Great Commission.

So is it any wonder that the one faith, based upon the truth, has been lost? And if that has been lost, what else has been lost in the modern church? What other things might Christians accept as the gospel truth but is built upon the shifting foundation of lies?

Finding the Way

So how do we navigate the murky waters that surround the modern church to find the one God, one Lord, one Spirit, one faith and one truth?

There is only one way and God the Father showed us what it was.

The Father did not speak audibly to man very often, but when He did, you can guarantee that it was important and that we should listen to what He had to say. One such occasion was during the event recorded that we know as the Transfiguration.

1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Eli’jah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli’jah.” 5 He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. (Matthew 17:1-8)

When Peter sought to put Moses (who represents the law) and Elijah (who represents the prophets) on the same equal footing as Jesus Christ, the Father intervened. He said, “Listen to Him!”

God the Father did not tell Peter to listen to all three of Moses, Elijah and Christ, but to listen to Jesus alone. And we see this emphasised when the disciples stood up that they were alone with Jesus only.

The method by which we will find our way through the murkiness of lies and half-truths is contained in the words of the Father. We must listen to Jesus.

Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life and there is no other path to God but through Him. It is thus essential that every person seek the fullness of all that God offers by finding the truth that is found only in Jesus who is the Way.

If we want to know the truth, we must look for it. Seek and you will find, Jesus told us. And these are not empty words, they are a promise.

So if we are to learn all that can be learned about the one faith, one Lord, one hope, one baptism and one God and Father of us all who is in all and through all, then we must seek for ourselves, not relying on the things we think we know, but seeking the truth as revealed by Jesus Christ to those who seek Him.

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