Ephesians 4:4

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; In the apostles' creed the article as to THE CHURCH follows that as to THE HOLY SPIRIT. To the Trinity naturally is annexed the Church, as the house to its tenant, to God His temple, the state to its founder (Augustine). There is yet to be a Church, not merely potentially, but actually Catholic: then the Church and the world will be co-extensive. Rome sets up a mere man as a visible head, antedating that consummation which Christ, the true visible Head, at His appearing shall first realize. As the "SPIRIT" is here, so the "LORD" (Jesus), , "GOD the Father," . The Trinity is again set forth. HOPE - associated with "the Spirit," the "earnest of our inheritance" ...

4._There is one body. _(139) He proceeds to show more fully in how complete a manner Christians ought to be united. The union ought to be such that we shall form _one body and one soul. _These words denote the whole man. We ought to be united, not in part only, but in body and soul. He supports this by a powerful argument, _as ye have been called in one hope of your calling. _We are called to one inheritance and one life; and hence it follows, that we cannot obtain eternal life without living in mutual harmony in this world. One Divine invitation being addressed to all, they ought to be united in the same profession of faith, and to render every kind of assistance to each other. Oh, were this thought deeply impressed upon our minds, that we are subject to a law which no more permits the children of God to differ among themselves than the kingdom of heaven to be divided, how earnestly sho...

1-6 Nothing is pressed more earnestly in the Scriptures, than to walk as becomes those called to Christ's kingdom and glory. By lowliness, understand humility, which is opposed to pride. By meekness, that excellent disposition of soul, which makes men unwilling to provoke, and not easily to be provoked or offended. We find much in ourselves for which we can hardly forgive ourselves; therefore we must not be surprised if we find in others that which we think it hard to forgive. There is one Christ in whom all believers hope, and one heaven they are all hoping for; therefore they should be of one heart. They had all one faith, as to its object, Author, nature, and power. They all believed the same as to the great truths of religion; they had all been admitted into the church by one baptism, with water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, as the sign of regene...

Verse Ephesians 4:4. THERE IS _ONE BODY_] Viz. of Christ, which is his Church. _ONE SPIRIT_] The Holy Ghost, who animates this body. _ONE HOPE_] Of everlasting glory, to which glory ye have been called by the preaching of the Gospel; through which ye have become the body of Christ, instinct with the energy of the Holy Ghost....

THERE IS ONE BODY - One church - for so the word “body” means here - denoting the body of Christ; see the notes on Romans 12:5; compare notes on Ephesians 1:23. The meaning here is, that as there is really but one church on earth, there ought to be unity. The church is, at present, divided into many denominations. It has different forms of worship, and different rites and ceremonies. It embraces those of different complexions and ranks in life, and it cannot be denied that there are often unhappy contentions and jealousies in different parts of that church. Still, there is but one - “one holy, catholic (i. e., universal) church;” and that church should feel that it is one. Christ did not come to redeem and save different churches, and to give them a different place in heaven. H

EXPOSITION PRACTICAL PORTION OF THE EPISTLE. EPHESIANS 4:1 CHURCH PRINCIPLE OF GROWTH AND PROGRESS; THE CHURCH A BODY. EPHESIANS 4:1 I THEREFORE. Inference not only from last chapter, but the whole Epistle. Paul's interest in the Ephesians led him to a double application of the great subject which he had expounded: (1) to ask God on their behalf that he would bestow on them the full measure of the blessing to which of his grace they were entitled ...

THERE IS ONE BODY,.... The church; in what sense that is a body, and compared to one, Ephesians 1:23. It is called "one" with relation to Jews and Gentiles, who are of the same body, and are reconciled in one body by Christ, and are baptized into it by the Spirit; and with respect to saints above and saints below, who make up one general assembly; and with regard to separate societies; for though there are several particular congregations, yet there is but one church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven; and saints of different ages, places, states, and conditions, are all one in Christ Jesus, who is the one, and only head of this body: and this is an argument to excite the saints to unity of Spirit; since they are, as one natural body is, members one of another, and therefore should not bite and devour one another; they are one political body, one kingdom, over which Chri...

Ephesians 4:1. _I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;_ It is a loving call. Walk lovingly. It is the condescension of God that called you. Be, therefore, lowly. It is God in tenderness who has loved you. Be, therefore, meek, «forbearing one another in love.» Ephesians 4:3. _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._ Therefore, strive for unity. Woe unto those who divide believers that rob

II. THE PRACTICAL MANIFESTATION IN THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER (4-6) 1. Walking worthy of the Calling CHAPTER 4:1-6 _ 1. The walk in lowliness and meekness (Ephesians 4:1)_ 2. Keeping the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3) “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the calling wherewith ye are called.” This marks the beginning of the second part of the epistle. it is obvious then, to walk worthy as a Christian, one has to know the calling wherewith God has called us. This calling, as we have seen, is revealed in the first three Chapter s. The first exhortation is to walk “with all lowliness and meekness.” He does not speak of doing some great work, or to seek special gifts and special power. Lowliness and meekness are to be manifested by t

GOD'S CALLING INVOLVES A UNITY OF LIFE. The writer, appealing to his imprisonment, beseeches his readers to walk in a fashion worthy of their calling, _i.e._ in humility, gentleness, and forbearance, putting up with one another in love. They must be careful to observe steadfastly the oneness of the Spirit (who is at work in them, and who holds them together) in a common bond of peace. The Spirit is one even as the Body is one, even as their calling involves one common hope, even as there is one Lord, one loyalty, one baptism, and one God, the supreme and ever-present Father. EPHESIANS 4:3. Literally to watch, to keep your eyes on, the oneness of the Spirit. Ephesians 4:4. The writer does not here, as in...