Source: https://www.gci.org/articles/the-call-to-unity-in-christ-ephesians-41-6/
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 13:27:46+00:00

Document:
Key text: “There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
Lesson objective: To understand that God has called his new covenant people (the church) to live out in a worthy manner our unity in Christ, which is expressed in early creedal formulas that are Trinitarian, gospel, and/or Christological in character. The high calling of Christ is not for the purpose of individual accomplishment and recognition, but to be team members serving the whole body for the edification of all.
Introduction: Creeds have been an important aspect of the life of the church from its beginning down to our very day. The early church formulated several of them and they are now part of Holy Scripture (e.g., 1 Corinthians 15:3-7; Philippians 2:6-11; 1 Timothy 3:16). Ephesians 4:4-6 is an early Trinitarian credo. These concise creedal formulas contain the fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith. These statements were most likely used on to instruct baptismal candidates on the essential matters of the faith. They were also used to help distinguish essential Christian beliefs from pagan and heretical teachings. In this way these creeds helped establish a belief system that helped believers tell the difference between orthodoxy and heresy.
This succinct format incorporates into creedal form at least 12 basic beliefs of the Christian church. This is one way of bringing unity to the body of Christ. Scripture itself sets certain creedal parameters to test if a belief is truly of the faith or not. More extensive statements are required to delineate other points and check against other heresies, and the church has formulated these as well. Yet, the simplicity of scriptural creedal formulas has a freshness all of its own, and they are indispensable in the outreach and missionary endeavors of the church.
When the church loses its focus, it also becomes competitive and political. The church competes for members, positions, programs and dollars. Power-plays become evident among its clergy, while members await the next scandal! Sometimes it seems that the church can’t tear itself down fast enough and bring down as many as it can on its way down. Obviously, this is not the way God planned it!
a. What does Paul urge his readers to do? v. 1. What does Paul mean by “calling”?
b. What four worthy mannerisms are mentioned? v. 2. Why these four?
c. What else does Paul ask them to do? v. 3. What does Paul mean by: “keep the unity of the Spirit”? Note: Paul is speaking of the fruit of Christ’s reconciling work on the cross, that is, the peace of his reconciliation to be lived out by the church in the here and now.
d. What three elements make up the first part of the creed? v. 4. What does each one mean, and in what way are they related to each other? See Ephesians 1:18; 2:14-18.
e. What is the second triad of the creedal formulation? v. 5. What does each one mean, and in what way are they related to each other? See Romans 6:3; 10:9.
f. What is the seventh part of the creed? v. 6. How is this one related to “one Spirit” and “one Lord”? See 1 Corinthians 8:6; 12:4-6.
1. Many contend that brief summaries of the Christian faith are only watered-down versions designed to attract everybody and anybody with no real convictions. Others say that longer statements of faith are designed to keep away as many as possible unless they think exactly alike, like an assembly-line church. What is your own assessment?
2. How well are you running the race of Christian maturity? Are you still at the starting gate? Or are you halfway there but out of breath? Or maybe you are on the last lap and stretching out for the finish line? See 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.
3. How many “believers” do you know who started out well but lost focus along the way? How does one get to that final lap and maintain his or her eye on the finish line? See Philippians 3:10-16.
God has called us to live in peace and unity as much as possible in this fallen world. While there is room for disagreement within the church on nonessential matters, the gospel truth of Christ’s reconciliation is the only basis for unity in this age or the next. Jesus has given his church an abundance of gifts. May every believer answer his or her calling and grow in love to the building up of the whole body. Amen.

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