The need for G.R.A.C.E in Christianity unity

Ephesians 4:1-3 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

Introduction
Jesus prays the following in John 17:18-21 "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.19 For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me."  The unity that Jesus prays for is based upon grace. Jesus desires a compound unity that is comparable to what is seen by analogy in the Trinity, by illustration in marriage and by comparison in the human body.  Ephesians 4:1-16 acts as a Divine commentary for unfolding Jesus' prayer.  As we study through Ephesians 4:1-16 today, we want to know what it takes to have g.r.a.c.e based Christianity unity.  Thus we will use the acronym g.r.a.c.e to walk our way through God's words in Ephesians 4:1-16.

G reat Effort.                     Ephesians 4:1-3 
Christian unity first of all takes great effort by those relying upon God's grace.  Ephesians 4:1 states the need to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling."  God both calls and commands the church to strive for unity.  Such a command is for the church as a whole, meaning that the great effort of Christian unity is going to require everyone.  Five words in Ephesians 4:2-3 explain how the church is to "walk out" the calling to Christian unity: 

a. "with all humility".  This speaks of what one writer refers to as an "inside to outside virtue that is produced by comparing ourselves to the Lord rather than other people."

b. "and gentleness". This speaks of strength under control or not trying to get our way.

c. "patience".  That is, longsuffering or willingness to not give up on one another but rather encourage one another to run the race of faith.

d. "showing tolerance".  In other words, bearing up one another or enduring one another.

e. "being dilligent".  This phrase in the original language speaks of the members urging each other to preserve and guard the growing unity of grace binding them together as a family of saints. (compare Hebrews 10:24-25)

As the old saying goes: "to be with the saints above, that will be glory, however to dwell with the saints here below, well that's another story."  We as Christians err in thinking that unity will just simply happen.  Much like sanctification on the individual level, Christian unity is both a "God-thing" and an "us thing".  Most churches and Christian people desire unity, however very few are willing to put forth the effort. The remainder of Paul's instructions on Christian unity derive from God-given graces that we must rely upon to achieve it.

Reliance upon the Triune God. Eph 4:4-6
God's grace is when God does for you what you could never for yourself.  The key word "one" is interlinked with the Triune God of grace and the seven-fold grace of unity:


a. "One body" - The church and its converted members were planned by the Father as a love gift for His Son. (John 17:9)

b. "One Spirit" - Without the Person of the Holy Spirit, no unity can take place

c. "One hope" - Without the hope of the Gospel, no one could hear the Spirit's voice calling them unto salvation.

d. "One Lord" - Without the Person and work of Jesus Christ, there would be no church nor unity to speak of in this passage

e. "One faith" - Without saving faith as the gift of God, no one would believe and be justified before God

f. "One baptism"1 - baptism here speaks of the ministry of the Spirit in joining the believer to Jesus Christ at saving faith, with the subsequent administration of water baptism acting as the sign and the obedient public declaration by the convert in pointing back to that experience. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)2  

g. "One God and Father" - The First Person of the Trinity who planned the church.  Without the Person of the Father, there would be no church to speak of needing unity.

So g.r.a.c.e based unity needs great effort and reliance upon the Triune God, but notice thirdly...  

Active Pastor Leadership  4:7-12
We see here the five-fold ministry given by the Lord Jesus Christ.  The main focus of interest for this post concerns the pastoral office, being that it is the most fully discussed of the the five offices listed here in Ephesians 4.  Passages such as 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 deal with the qualities of the Pastor while 1 Peter 5:1-3 deals more so with the purpose.  A Pastor functions to preach the Word, love the people and lead.  Only by the grace of the Lord can a pastor be a catalyst for unity. A church without pastoral leadership cannot expect to be equipped to unify together for the cause of Christ.  Jesus Christ has so given the office of Pastor to His flock to function as an "undershepherd" that is delegated authority to equip the saints to unify around the mission and majesty of Jesus Christ.  Insofar as the Pastor loves His Lord, His family, his people and the scriptures will determine how well He is able to be used of God to be a catalyst for unity.  So the unity desired by Jesus requires great effort, reliance upon the Trinity, active pastoral leadership and fourthly....

Commitment to Sound Doctrine. Ephesians 4:13-15
Doctrine is the vocabulary of faith and is the handmaiden of sound preaching, Christian conversation and Christ-honoring worship.  Just as Jesus spoke His words over the sea of Galilee to bring forth calm and still waters, the church needs to hear the voice of Christ preached by the scriptures and taught through sound Biblical doctrine to calm the periodic restless waves in the church.  1 Timothy 4:16 "Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you." 

What happens when the church abandons the grace of sound doctrine? The church forgets who she is and becomes a turbulent sea.  She forgets who she is and Whose she is and soon starts looking more like the world.  Contrary to what many may teach, when doctrine is abandoned in the name of unity, confusion and disharmony results. 

So g.r.a.c.e based unity in Christ's church requires great effort, reliance upon the Triune God, active pastor leadership, commitment to sound doctrine and one more important element, namely...

Emphasizing Body Life . Ephesians 4:16
Body life is essential, since it emphasizes the Spirit given gifts of believers.  Christian unity does not mean uniformity - where everyone is the same.  Unity rather implies diversity orbiting around and connected to a common point. The New Testament uses the imagery of "the body of Christ" to picture what it looks like when every member is doing their part and serving one another for His glory. (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; 1 Peter 4:7-11). Christians should be working toward the common goal of God's glory in Jesus Christ.  The pastor by himself cannot do it all, nor the deacons, nor only a handful in the church.  The call of "all hands on deck" is issued by the Captain of our salvation as He steers the mighty ship of the church militant through the sea of history.  The church is a living organism, a body, with Jesus Christ as the head. (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Colossians 1:18)  When the members of the church are functioning together as a body, "body-life" emerges, with the local church functioning as one person.  Soon the sweet aroma of Jesus Christ's love and truth is released and the community around takes notice. (2 Corinthians 2:14-17)   

ConclusionAs we close today's post, we have witnessed the following five ingredients necessary for the g.r.a.c.e based unity prayer for by Jesus:

1. Great effort.  Ephesians 4:1-3
2. Reliance upon the Trinity. Ephesians 4:4-6
3. Active pastoral leadership. Eph 4:7-12
4. Commitment to sound doctrine. Eph 4:13-15
5. Emphasis upon body-life. Eph 4:16

These are the five things necessary for Christian unity.

Endnotes:
1. Much like the American flag is a sign of the previously agreed upon formation of the United States by the founding fathers, water baptism is a sign of the previously founded salvation granted by God the Father through faith to the believer who was united by the Spirit to Christ in spirit baptism. (Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Romans 6:4-5) In water baptism the Christian is publically professing in obedience the wonderful salvation that was prior to the water baptism and privately received by faith in the heart. 

2. Much confusion abounds over the issue of baptism and can only be cleared up once we understand the scripture's teachings on "spirit baptism" and "water baptism", and how both constitute the "one baptism" spoken of by Paul.  Causally and subsequently connected to the Spirit's act of "spiritually baptizing" the believing sinner into Christ at salvation is the obedient re-enactment of that by means of one's public profession of faith in water baptism.  Water baptism is the symbol that is prescribed by Christ to point back to the Spirit baptism.  In scripture, a symbol or sign serves to signify a prior spiritual reality or experience of grace.  Therefore when the scripture says "One Baptism", there literally is only "one" in the sense that the water baptism is causally connected to the prior experience of saving faith, wherein the Spirit joins the believing sinner to Christ by Spirit baptism.  Water baptism does not impart saving faith nor the gift of the Spirit.  The Spirit Himself comes to the sinner in grace and in the gifting of faith the sinner responds by believing and repenting of their sins.  Water baptism is a subsequent, public declaration of prior saving faith. The Spirit joins me to Christ in His ministry of Spirit baptism, with the water baptism simply declaring that prior spiritual experience. 

Thumbnail sketch of Sovereign Election and Human Responsibility

Acts 13:46-48 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’” 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

In yesterday's post we began talking about the practical benefits of the doctrine of God's elective purpose in the life of the Christian. Election stands as a Mount Everest in the teaching of scripture.  The picture above depicts Mount Everest as seen from a space craft orbiting earth.  We must remember that even if we can gain a big picture view of Sovereign election, we can never fully comprehend how it fits with human responsibility nor comprehend its intricacies.  As W.A Criswell, the famed Baptist Preacher of old notes, though we may fly over the mountain of God's Sovereignty and glimpse all of its sides, there is still the matter of what lies in the mountain and in the depths of the earth that we cannot see.  

In today's post we will do a quick fly over of an issue that always emerges when discussing Sovereign election - namely the other scriptural issue of human responsibility in salvation. The treatment below is more of a thumbnail sketch than a full treatment.  May you be blessed today as you read and study in God's word.

Election is the basis for the believer's calling an identity

In Psalm 105-106 we see what the Baptist Faith and Message calls "God's Purpose of electing grace" as the basis for Israel's calling and identity. Roughly 100 times is God's electing purpose of nations or salvation mentioned in the Bible, with three references to God's "chosen ones" in these two Psalms. (105:6,43; 106:5)  God's Sovereign purpose is mentioned concerning Moses as God's "chosen one". (Psalm 106:23)  Then of course with reference to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, we see God's purpose of elective grace at work in their lives. (Psalm 105:8-24) Interestingly Hebrews 11 mentions all of these men and notes that they all exercised true saving faith in the One who called them - hence human responsibility.    Article V of The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 explains what is going on in passages such as these: "Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. "  

Man alone is responsible for rejecting the gospel

So then, if anyone rejects the Lord and His offer of the Gospel and dies in their sins, who is to blame?  Scripture spells out pretty clearly that Israel was at fault for the consequences of their rebellion. (Psalm 106:6)  Mankind is responsible for the rejection of the Gospel. (Psalm 81:11-12; Romans 1:20-25) God is credited for the reason behind a person's freely choosing to believe the Gospel. (Acts 13:46-48, Ephesians 2:8-10)  So if God's purpose of Grace explains why anyone gets saved, then how is anyone able to believe and remain in their salvation? Psalm 105:1-15 and  Romans 15:4 tells us that by the word of God proclaimed in the Gospel do people believe and remain firm in their faith.  Romans 10:17 plainly states - "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."  

God's grace is the reason why anyone believes the Gospel

Upon such hearing, all those who call upon the name of the Lord in saving faith will be saved. (Romans 10:13) So then Who gets the credit? Jesus Christ in His grace and Word is the author and finisher of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2) Because of His grace, a person truly and freely believes and is justified by faith alone or credited with the righteousness of the Lord. (see Psalm 106:30-31)  You and I dear friend will never full comprehend how Sovereignty and human responsibility "fit together" in the realm of salvation.  We must affirm both because the Bible affirms both.  To deny one at the expense of the other or to mix both together in any measure will lead to an understanding different than the scripture.  All we know is that God's Sovereignty and human responsibility complement one another and do not contradict.  When we see either Sovereignty or human responsibility in the scripture, we can assume that the other is in close proximity. (compare John 1:12-13, John 6:37,44)

Conclusion
Only God can design a salvation wherein His Sovereignty and human responsibility are present without contradiction.  If anyone rejects the Good News of Jesus Christ, it is because of their doing.  Today thank God for your salvation.  Secondly thank Him for His Word which keeps you in His salvation.  Thirdly pray for your unsaved loved ones and friends that that they would respond by grace through faith and be saved to the glory of God.  

Sovereign Election Practically Considered

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 "But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Introduction

How can you and I be certain that our salvation is eternally secure? What lies behind the calling of a man or woman unto salvation or service? What comforts are to be found in the doctrine of election? Answering these three questions will frame our practical consideration of the Biblical doctrine of Divine election in today's post. As you will discover, God's elective purpose of grace is most practical because of the following three reasons:

1. God's elective purpose secures the believer's salvation

The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 defines the doctrine of election: "Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility. All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end."  

Ephesians 1:3-4 states most clearly God's elective purpose of grace and eternal salvation: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love"  In the original Greek of the verse, the last two words "in love" could just as easily be the ending of verse 4 as they are for the beginning of verse 5, meaning that the basis of God's elective purpose is His Eternal love. Such Eternal love issues forth from the combined efforts of the Triune God. 

Quite literally the Christian can say that they have been loved by God from all eternity (Ephesians 1:1-6), that Christ's cross is the grounds for such love (Ephesians 1:7-12) and that their salvation began the moment they believed by the grace brought to them by the Spirit, believed (Ephesians 1:13-14).  Election places the believer's security not in their activity, but God's Sovereign choice.  

2. God's elective purpose comforts the believer

In 2 Thessalonians 2 we see the teachings of the rapture of the church and the second coming of Jesus Christ.  We also see what is perhaps the most detailed description of what will be the arch-enemy who will rise up at the end of history to challenge Christ and bring havoc to the earth - namely the anti-Christ.  Undoubtedly the Christians at Thessalonica were unsettled in their hearts over rumors that the Lord had come, and they were wondering how they were going to persevere to the end.  Paul comforts them in 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 with what is perhaps the clearest definition of God's elective purpose of grace - "But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." To remind the reader that God's elective purpose does not cancel out human responsibility, notice what Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 - "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us." God's choice is the source of His calling on everyone who freely chooses to believe and follow the Lord.  As 1 John 4:19 reminds us: "We love Him because He first loved us."  Because God is for you, dear Christian, you will persevere to the end.  God has pledged He will see you though, because He has chosen to see you through to the end and into eternity. (Philippians 1:6)  So, God's elective purpose of grace is the security of salvation and brings great comfort to the Christian, but notice one more reason why Sovereign election is so practical...

3. God's elective purpose is the foundation for the believer's calling

God tells Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5 that He had chosen Him and set him apart in his mother's womb.  How could God "know" Jeremiah before he was even conceived in his mother's womb? Unless we consider the Biblical teaching on such truths as Divine election and God's prior choice to lovingly know Jeremiah whom He saw in His mind, the passage will make no sense.  God's Sovereign choice of Jeremiah was a decision made by God before Jeremiah was conceived. Furthermore, the elective purpose of grace was to be the basis for Jeremiah's calling as a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:6-19) Undoubtedly Jeremiah responded to God's call and in turn chose to heed God's voice and be His mouthpiece.  Because of God's elective purpose of grace, Jeremiah would persevere to the end and serve God faithfully for over 50 years in a ministry that was among the most harsh mission fields recorded in the Bible.  In summary, God's choice was the source of His calling which in turn positioned Jeremiah to freely choose to serve as God's prophet. 

Conclusion

So in seeing the practical considerations of God's elective purpose of grace, we have noted the following:

1. God's elective purpose secures the believer's salvation

2. God's elective purpose comforts the believer

3. God's elective purpose is the foundation for the believer's calling

Redemption's Actor and the certainties He supplies for Christians

Hebrews 10:19-22a "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near..."

Why is it so important to consider the Actor of salvation Jesus Christ? Why are the actions which he performed on the cross and from the empty tomb crucial? Why are the activities He is performing right now at the Father's right hand so fundamental to the Christian's confidence in salvation? Hebrews 10:19-25 gives us three certainties that Jesus Christ's activity of salvation gains for believers. 

1. Guaranteed Confidence before God. 
Hebrews 10:19-20

2. Grand Representation with God. 
Hebrews 10:21

3. Getting to know and serve God. 
Hebrews 10:22-24

1. Guaranteed Confidence before God.  Hebrews 10:19-20
The word "therefore" is the writer's way of summarizing the purpose for what he just wrote in Hebrews 8:1-10:18.  As you read that portion of Hebrews, you discover that Jesus' mission of coming to earth was to inaugurate the New Covenant redemption that would replace the Old Covenant system. (Hebrews 8) In establishing that basis, the Lord Jesus Christ acted on our behalf as our Perfect sacrifice as pictured in the tabernacle. (Hebrews 9:1-11)  Furthermore, He accomplished great benefits that would be applied to all who by grace through faith believed on Him. (Hebrews 9:12-28) 

The tabernacle/temple imagery is employed by the writer to prove that Jesus Christ acted as both sacrifice and sacrificer, perfect offering and priestly offerer, effective human representative and Eternal Son. By inaugurating the New Covenant in Hebrews 8 and by acting and accomplishing what was needed to guarantee our confidence before God in Hebrews 9, we see in Hebrews 10:1-18 how He did so - by way of assuming onto His person a second nature, a human nature through the virgin birth. Such an activity is how Jesus Christ came to be the Supreme actor of our salvation.  He did for us what we could not do, bore the punishment that should had been ours and provided salvation and the basis for confidence that we did nothing to earn.  Christ alone is our great confidence before the Father. So by focusing on the Actor Jesus Christ, we discover that His activity guarantees confidence before God.  But notice next...

Grand representation with God. Hebrews 10:21
Hebrews 10:21 states - "and since we have a great priest over the house of God".  What the writer of Hebrews does, in typical Jewish fashion, He revisits the same material he just covered in greater detail, including scripture that he may had written earlier.  The background of the High Priest's office is used by the writer of Hebrews to describe Jesus' role as the High Priest of His people.  Because He ever lives to make intercession and mediation for us, we have nothing to fear before our Heavenly Father. (1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1-2) Jesus functions as the believer's High priest, however He does so not in the order of Aaron's priesthood (for Jesus in His humanity was descended from the tribe of Judah), but rather in the order of Melchizedek.2  Now as fascinating as it is to read the writer of Hebrews comparison of Jesus and Melchizedek, we want to know why Jesus Christ alone provides such great representation?  

1. Full Deity in human flesh represents the believer. (Hebrews 1-2)

2. Fully Faithful to represent the believer. (Hebrews 3-4)

3. Forever qualified to represent the believer (Hebrews 5-7)

4. Final act secures representation for the believer (Hebrews 8-10)

No Grander Representative is there for sinners to be saved and for saints to be secure than Jesus Christ.  By focusing on Jesus Christ, the actor of salvation, we have seen how His activity secures the certainties of guaranteed confidence before God and grand representation with God. But now let's notice one last certainty here in Hebrews 10:19-25..

Getting to know and serve God. Hebrews 10:22-25
Behold the three commands that the writer issues forth to believers: "Let us draw near" (Hebrews 10:22); "Let us hold fast our confession of hope without wavering" (10:23) and "let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds" (10:24-25).  God's commands are rooted in the certainties he supplies.  Those three commands could not had been carried out consistently in the Old Covenant.  No one could draw near to God when they wanted to, nor could they hold fast to their confession with unwavering confidence nor was the worship environment as conducive for encouragement.  We as Christians take for granted all that has been accomplished by Jesus Christ. The privilege of getting to know and serve God  is spelled out by these three commands in the three main activities that are made possible by Christ's finished work:

A. We know and serve God by prayer. (10:22)

B. We know and serve God by the scripture. (10:23)3


C. We know and serve God together as a church. (10:24-25)

The confidence we have to know and serve God by prayer, the word and going to church to be with God's people is fed by and made possible by the Actor of our salvation, Jesus Christ.  

Conclusion
So by focusing on the Actor Jesus Christ, we discovered that His activity gains three certainties for the believer: guaranteed confidence before God; grand representation with God and getting to know and serve God. 

Endnotes:
1. The writer of Hebrew appears to be not only including what he just covered in Hebrews 8:1-10:18, but more so taking the reader back to Hebrews 1:1-7:28.  What is so significant about having such a great high priest? What is a high priest? In ancient Israel the people of God were represented by priests at the tabernacle and later on temple systems.  The head priest was called the "High Priest" and his office was inaugurated with the installation of Aaron, Moses brother, in Leviticus 8. Only the High Priest could enter into the most holy place of the tabernacle/temple once a year.  It was in that most holy room that the High Priest would bring the blood of a bull or goat and sprinkle it on the mercy seat, the lid of the ark of the Covenant.  This action signified that the people and the tabernacle system were cleansed and fit for use before God for another year.  

2. Melchizedek's mysterious identity (Genesis 14) is shown to had been none other than an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 5-7) 

3. Unless you and I as Christians are daily and regularly in the scriptures, we will not be able to consistently hold fast. It is the scriptures that ties us to Christ and His truth and prevent us from being blown around by every wind and wave of error. (Psalm 119:11; Ephesians 4:12-15; James 1:6-8, 22-25)