Msgr. Beaulieu – Seven Unities

Ephesians 4:4-6 — Seven Unities

In the first three chapters of his Letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul explained that God had given the Church great spiritual riches so that she could lead the world into peace. Then, in that letter’s subsequent chapter, Paul declares that the first way that believers can show the world how to live in peace is by living in peace with one another. (Eph 4:4-6). Saint Paul marks out how to be at peace with those who share faith in Christ and does so by focusing on the seven unities, or key truths that, regardless of denominational differences, every Christian should have in common. Whether unity is sought within the Catholic Church or unity among various Christian denominations, the focus must be placed upon what is agreed upon or held in common rather than what divides fellow Catholics or Christian denominations. The seven unities are: church, Spirit, hope; Lord, faith in Christ (Eph 1:13), baptism; and one God that reveal the internal or external spiritual need for unity of faith in body, spirit, hope, Lord, faith, Baptism, and in God.

(1) The first element is one body. Paul means that there is one body of Christ. All people throughout time and around the world, truly classified as Christian, are part of that one body. The image of the body is one of Paul’s favorite ways to describe the Church, especially in 1 Corinthians 12. All parts make up the body, and all parts are necessary if the body is going to function properly. The same is true within the Church. You do not criticize a foot for not being a hand, nor an ear for not being able see. Each part has a unique function that is necessary for the body to work as a whole. So, rather than criticizing other members of the faithful or other churches, look at them as different members of the one body of Christ. Then, see what is unique about them, and how they are using their unique talents to do something you cannot do.

(2) All have one Spirit, the Spirit of God who lives in each of them. It is an error to say that some have the Spirit and others do not. All Christians have the Spirit within them and, within all believers in Christ, it is the same Spirit that is active. The Holy Spirit within each believer strives to get all who believe to live in unity with each other.

(3) The hope founded on Jesus Christ: Though now in heaven, Jesus promised that simply by believing in Him for the prospect of eternal life that He will bring those who do to heaven in order to spend eternity with Him. Now most people think of hope as a type of wishful thinking. The tendency is to think of hope as an uncertainty. However, hope can have different levels or degrees of certainty. For example, you may hope that the Patriots will win the Super Bowl this year, but they may not. Yet, you can also say, “I hope the sun comes up tomorrow,” and in that case, you would be nearly 100% certain that it will. So, while there are different degrees of certainty in hope, what causes the difference? What makes one thing we hope for more certain than another? The only factor that changes is the object of that hope. Certain hope is the hope placed in Jesus Christ. And since God does not and cannot lie, because Jesus always keeps His promises, the hope placed in Jesus Christ for eternal life is a certainty. There is no uncertainty because, Christ who is the object of that hope, He alone is completely trustworthy and reliable.

(4) There is only One Lord: Paul’s choice of the term, Lord, shows us that Jesus Christ is God, and therefore, the Master. If we all have the same Lord, the same Master, none of us will be getting orders from that Master mandating disagreement with each other. His commands will not contradict or cause disunity among His servants.

(5) One faith: All Christians have received eternal life in one way and only one way, through faith. All have entered through the narrow door of faith. This means that faith makes Christianity a level playing field. There are not some people who are Christian because they were really good people, and others who are Christian because they were born into a Christian family. Instead, all true Christians are Christian by faith alone. There is a wonderful element to cause unity because, since all are Christian by faith, then no one can boast about the origin of their individual salvation. I cannot look down on you because I became a Christian by being such a good person, and you, well, you just had to enter the realm of salvation by faith. No, all who believe in Christ came into faith, as beggars, asking for something that was never earned, getting something that you did not deserve.

(6) One baptism: By believing in Jesus for eternal life, one of the first things that happens to anyone is that the Holy Spirit comes in and lives within them. This baptism is related to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

(7) One God and Father of all (Eph 4:6): Paul reminds the Jewish and Gentile Christians in the Greek city of Ephesus that racial differences are impossible. There is one God and Father of all. Both Jew and Gentile have the same God. They do not worship different gods. They do not follow commands from different gods. It is the same God. The fact that He is the Father of all testifies to His love. He created all, and He cares for all just as any good father cares for his children. This attribute, though, above all of them, speaks of God’s control. No matter what things may look like, God is in control due to His transcendence and omnipotence. The fact that God is through all speaks of His care and providence. God the Father did not just set up the world and leave and, then, leave well enough alone. He is still involved and active in what He made protecting and providing through His immanence and omnipresence. The fact that the Spirit dwells in those who believe in Christ speaks of His presence. God is always near and eagerly wanting to deepen the relationship He has with all by means of His indwelling presence and personal relationship with all. He is the One God and Father of all.

Excerpted from http://www.redeeminggod.com. Jeremy Myers. “Seven Elements of Christian Unity (Ephesians 4:4-6).”