by Kevin V. Rutherford

It is a great blessing and honor to be able to be a Christian. John wrote, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God (1 John 3:1)!" Christians (children of God) are those who are in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12). The body of Christ is the church (Ephesians 1:22, 23). Only those who are in the church which Jesus Christ established are enjoying the blessings that are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

When we consider the great honor bestowed upon us to be able to be Christians we must think seriously about our responsibility. If we are going to wear the name of Christ and be a part of God's family then we must behave accordingly. We must not act in such a way that will cause people to associate evil things with Christianity. In other words, we must walk worthy of the calling with which we have been called (Ephesians 4:1). Paul told the church at Corinth that one must walk "with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3)." It is the last statement that I want us to pay particular attention to in this article. Christians who are walking worthy are those who are "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Unity in the Lord's church is a vital concern. The Lord prayed earnestly that His followers would be united (John 17:17-21). The unity for which He prayed was one based on the truth (John 17:17). This is unity among those who believe in Christ through the inspired Word (John 17:20). With the Bible as our standard we can have unity in doctrine such as exists between the Father and the Son (John 17:21).

When Paul wrote about unity in Ephesians chapter four he talked about seven "ones" upon which unity is built (Ephesians 4:4-6). It is important for anyone interested in true Biblical unity to examine these seven ones. These are what must form the basis of Christian unity. We will look at just three in this article.

First of all there is one body. The body is the church (Ephesians 1:22, 23). Therefore there is only one church. The only church approved by God and the Bible is the one established by Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18, 19). He had the authority to establish His church because He is the Son of God (Matthew 16:18). No man can claim to be the only begotten Son of God, therefore no man has the authority to establish a church. The church which belongs to Christ is the church of Christ (Romans 16:16). Only those who are in the church (body) will be saved (Ephesians 5:23). The unity which Christians must have is not a unity with the denominations of men. It is a unity among those who are members of the Lord's church.

The second "one" mentioned is the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One who has given us the Word of God (2 Peter 1:21; John 14:23; 16:13). Men inspired by the Holy Spirit recorded in writing the words which God wanted preserved (1 Corinthians 2:13). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit works through that Word which He has revealed (Ephesians 6:17). Therefore, the unity of the Spirit is unity based upon the Word of God. No other standard will do. True unity cannot be had with those who refuse to recognize and accept the authority of the Scriptures.

Another of the "one's" mentioned here is the "one faith (Ephesians 4:5)." The faith is that body of faith which Jude says was once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). It is a reference to the New Testament. The New Testament is the faith. It is the standard of faith, which produces faith (Romans 10:17). Any true unity among true believers must be based upon the New Testament. The New Testament gives us God's pattern for the church and consequently God's pattern for unity (Romans 6:17).

Walking worthy of Christianity involves the effort to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3)." The unity which God requires of His followers is one which is based solely upon the Word of God, and it is one found only in His one church. Unity between the one church and the denominations of men is therefore a sin. Those brethren within the Lord's church today who are advocating unity with the Christian Church, and with any man made religious body, are not walking worthy of the calling with which they were called.