One, and Only One

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

“How many times do I have to tell you?” As a kid, how many times did you hear that one? As my Dad would say, “If I’ve heard it twice, I’ve heard it once.” (I think he got that from Yogi Berra.)

One—Unity. When God designed the “church,” He did so with unity in mind. Everything about the church is based on the unity of the believers. Paul understood it so well. When he wrote to the Ephesian Christ followers, he spoke about that oneness. In fact, in three verses in chapter 4, he used the word “one” seven times [4-6].

How many bodies are there? One.

How many Spirits are there? One.

How many hopes are there? One.

How many Lords are there? One.

How many faiths are there? One. 

How many baptisms are there? One.

How many Gods are there? One.

Now, any thinking person would say, “Wait a minute, there are many gods, many faiths, many spirits, etc,” and they would be right. But there is only ONE that matters. 

Let’s take the Body of Christ for example. How many Bodies of Christ are there? There isn’t a Baptist body, and a Methodist body, and a Calvary Chapel body, and a non-denominational body. Likewise, there isn’t a Covenant body, and a Pentecostal body, and a Calvinist body. Furthermore, there isn’t a U.S. body, and a Chinese body, and and African body. There is only one Body of Christ, THE Church!

Listen to this description by Paul to the Galatian Christ followers: “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise” [Galatians 3:28-29]. 

The simple truth of Scripture is that if you are a Christ follower, you become one with every other Christ follower. Individually, we must live as a temple of the Holy Spirit [see 1 Corinthians 6:19], but collectively, the Holy Spirit is building a dwelling place for God, and each of us is part of the structure: “And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit,” Paul told the Ephesian Christ followers” [2:22].

Why are we one and only one? Because the One Spirit, who placed us [baptized] into the One Body [of Christ] dwells in us. He has given us one and only one hope at our calling, eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All Christians are part of the same Body, with the same Spirit.

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6