What seven “ones” does Paul cite in support of his theme of the unity of the church? What point is he seeking to make with this list? (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Paul’s list of seven “ones” has a poetic feel to it and may echo a hymn of affirmation used in Ephesus. The list begins by mentioning two “ones” together: “There is one body” (referring to the church as the body of Christ, Ephesians 4:12, Ephesians 4:16; Ephesians 1:23; Ephesians 5:23, Ephesians 5:29-30) and “one Spirit” (Ephesians 4:4). The third one is the “one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4; compare Ephesians 4:1).

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The list then offers three more elements, “one Lord” (a reference to Christ), “one faith” (meaning the content of what Christians believe, Ephesians 4:13; Colossians 1:23; Colossians 2:7; Galatians 1:23; 1 Timothy 4:1, 1 Timothy 4:6), and “one baptism” (compare Ephesians 5:26) before concluding with an extended description of God as “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all, and in all” (Ephesians 4:6, ESV).

What is Paul communicating through this poetic description of God the Father? By virtue of His being “Father of all,” God is the Creator. The rest of the sentence describes how, once the world is created, God relates to “all things,” to everything that He made. Paul is not dabbling in the heresies of pantheism (which identifies nature with God), or panentheism (which argues that the world is included in God’s being, though it does not exhaust that being). He is rather proclaiming the transcendence (“who is over all”), active rule (“who is … through all”) and immanence (“who is … in all”) of God.

Note carefully two ideas about the unity of the church (Ephesians 4:1-6). First, unity is a spiritual fact, rooted in these seven “ones,” a reality to be celebrated (Ephesians 4:4-6). Second, this unity requires our zeal to nurture and grow it (Ephesians 4:3). There will often be cause to weep at our failings in actualizing this unity. However, whatever our failings, we should rejoice in the work of God-in-Christ in unifying the church, rejoicing in the theological reality of the “unity of the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:3). Doing so will empower us to return to the hard work of advancing this unity, but with fresh conviction that in doing so we are accomplishing God’s own work.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Read Ephesians 4:1-16. How does Paul encourage believers to nurture the unity of the church?

Paul begins the second half of Ephesians (chapters 4-6) with a stirring call to unity, but in two major parts. First, in Ephesians 4:1-6 he asks believers to nurture “the unity of the Spirit” by exhibiting unity-building virtues (Ephesians 4:1-3), a call he supports with a poetic list of seven “ones” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

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Second, in Ephesians 4:7-16, Paul identifies the victorious, exalted Jesus as the Source of grace in people who lead in sharing the gospel (Ephesians 4:7-10) and describes how they, together with all church members, contribute to the health, growth, and unity of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16).

As the chapter begins, Paul invites Christians to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1, ESV). He used the verb walk in the figurative sense of to behave, or to live (see Ephesians 2:2, Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 4:17; Ephesians 5:2, Ephesians 5:8, Ephesians 5:15). When Paul refers to their calling, he refers to the call to Christian faith (Ephesians 1:18; Ephesians 2:4-6, Ephesians 2:13). Paul urges believers to practice a unifying behavior that reflects God’s ultimate plan (Ephesians 4:9-10). He begins that emphasis here with his call to practice virtues that lead to unity (Ephesians 4:1-3), such as humility, gentleness, and patience.

Let’s look at each term.

Paul elsewhere explains the term humility, in Ephesians 4:2 (ESV; lowliness in NKJV), by adding the idea to “count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3, ESV). Humility, then, may be understood not as a negative virtue of self-deprecation (see Colossians 2:18, Colossians 2:23) but as a positive one of appreciating and serving others.

Gentleness (Ephesians 4:2, ESV, NKJV) may be explained as “the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance” and also means “courtesy, considerateness, meekness.” — Frederick Danker, ed., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), p. 861.

Finally, patience (ESV; compare longsuffering, NKJV) is being able to bear up under provocation or trials.

These qualities, then, all gather around the theme of turning away from self-importance and, instead, focusing on the value of others.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read  for This Week’s Study: Ephesians 4:1-16; Philippians 2:3; Psalm 68:18; Acts 2:1-47; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 1 Corinthians 12:27-30; Isaiah 5:4.

Memory Text: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12, ESV).

One of Aesop’s fables is called “The Belly and the Feet.” It goes like this: “The belly and the feet were arguing about their importance, and when the feet kept saying that they were so much stronger that they even carried the stomach around, the stomach replied, ‘But, my good friends, if I didn’t take in food, you wouldn’t be able to carry anything.’ ” — Lloyd W. Daly, Aesop Without Morals (New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1961), p. 148.

Paul, however, used the human body to make a spiritual point. For Paul, the human body — and the church as the body of Christ — is composed of various parts with differing abilities, all of which must work together for the body to be healthy. In Ephesians 4:1-16, Paul redeploys the body metaphor that he used so effectively earlier (Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31). Christ is now the Head of the body, supplying the body with “gifted” people who help unify the body, with each part — each church member — contributing its abilities to the whole.

Paul’s picture of a healthy, unified body helps us understand God’s goal for us: to be parts of a fruitful church united in Christ.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 12.

Sunday–>

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The Mission program of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is an opportunity for us to understand the needs of others and share in supporting them. Please click on the image below to watch the Mission Spotlight presentation for this week: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byu_FArgAk0&w=560&h=315]

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Fighting With Scripture: Part 3

By Andrew McChesney

That night, Almira woke up after having another nightmare, and she resolved to go to the Seventh-day Adventist church the next Sabbath. But in the morning, she thought, “I’m not a Christian. I can’t go there.” The following night, she had another nightmare, and she struggled again over what to do. On Sabbath, she went to the Adventist church.

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After several weeks, Almira’s parents found out that she was attending the church every Sabbath, and they forbade her from going. Other relatives heard and implored her not to go. Neighbors saw her walking to the church on Sabbaths and purposely came out of their apartment buildings to scold her. Going to church became a deeply unpleasant battle every Sabbath. But Almira enjoyed worshiping at the church, and she kept on going. She was learning about Jesus and finding peace in Him.

But at home the evil presence persisted. The spirit kept coming at night. Almira began to pray out loud, “In the name of the blood of Jesus Christ, protect me from Satan so I can sleep.” She prayed the prayer every night for three months. The prayers dispelled the spirit, but she remained scared.

She told the Adventist pastor about her fears, and he suggested that she also read the Bible out loud. Whenever she sensed the spirit, she opened her Bible to Isaiah 43:1-28. She especially liked the promise, “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: ’Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.’ . Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life” (Isaiah 43:1-4, NKJV).

She also found comfort in Isaiah 49:24-25, which says, “Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the righteous be delivered? But thus says the Lord: ’Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, And I will save your children.’”

One night, she confessed all her sins out loud to Jesus. After that, she slept better than she had in a long time.

Finally, Almira stopped being afraid. When she read the Bible and prayed, the spirit always left. She realized that even though the spirit was stronger than her, Jesus was stronger than them both.

Read more about Almira next week. Thank you for your mission offerings that help spread the gospel in Russia and around the world.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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