The holy spirit and oneness

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND ONENESS
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Ephesians 4:4 4There is one body and one Spirit, just
as you were calledto one hope when you were called;
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The SevenfoldUnity
Ephesians 4:4-6
T. Croskery
The apostle proceeds to state the nature and grounds of the unity which is to
be so carefully guarded. It has its basis in the factthat the Church is one, and
does not consistoftwo rival societies.
I. "THERE IS ONE BODY." The body with its many members and its many
functions is yet one. Similarly, "we being many, are one body in Christ, and
every one members one of another" (Romans 12:5); so that believers, no
matter how separatedby race, color, language, station, opinion, interest,
circumstance, experience, are members of this one body. The body cannot,
therefore, be an external visible society, but a spiritual body of which Christ is
the Head. It may not be so easyto realize this unity in the midst of the
multiplication of sects and denominations, eachwith its well-defined lines, of

doctrine and order, and eachmore or less sharply distinguished from its
neighbor. Yet there is still but "one body" -there is amidst accidental
diversities a substantialunity, a unity that covers all truly essentialelements.
The diversity arising from temperament, culture, habit, has had its due effect
in the development of truth; for some parts of the Church have thus given
prominence to some truth which other parts have allowedto fall into the
background. The beauty of the Church is manifest in this very diversity, just
as it requires all the hues of the rainbow to make the clear, white ray of
colorlesssunshine. The duty, therefore, of believers is to regard the
differences that keepthem apart, not as hindrances to loving intercourse, but
as helps to the fuller development of Divine truth and the fuller manifestation
of the mind of God to the Church.
II. "ONE SPIRIT." As in the human body there is but one spirit, with a single
vivifying power, so in the Church there is but one Spirit, animating all its
members, as the common principle of life. "Byone Spirit were we all baptized
into one body," and "were made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Corinthians
12:13). "We have accessby one Spirit unto the Father." There is, therefore,
no room for a conflicting administration. "There are diversities of gifts, but
the same Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:4); and therefore all sins againstunity are
sins againstthe indwelling Spirit. Sectarianordivisive courses have a
tendency to grieve the Spirit. Indeed, it is a mark of a separating apostasythat
it has not the Spirit (Jude 1:19). Let us remember that the one Spirit who
animates the body of Christ produces as his own choicestfruits - "love, joy,
peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance"
(Galatians 5:22). These are graces with a distinctly unifying tendency.
III. "ONE HOPE OF YOUR CALLING."
1. Its nature. Here it is not the thing "hoped for," as it is in Colossians 1:5 and
Titus 2:13, but the emotion of hope, the expectationof future good. All
believers have the same aspirations, the same anticipations of coming glory, as
the effectof the Spirit's indwelling. The hope is subjective.
2. Its origin. The hope is "of your calling." It springs out of the effectualcall
of the Spirit, who begets us to "a lively hope" (1 Peter1:3), being himself the

Earnestand Sealof the future inheritance. We naturally hope for what we are
invited to receive.
3. Its effect. Just as two strangers meeting for the first time on the deck of an
emigrant ship, both bound for the same new land, and purposing to pursue
the same occupation, are united by a common interest of expectation, so
believers are drawn togetherinto unity by a considerationof their common
hopes.
IV. "ONE LORD." As the Head of the Church, the supreme Objectof faith,
and into whose Name all saints are baptized. There are two ideas involved in
this blessedlordship - ownership and authority.
1. Ownership. Jesus Christ is not only Lord of all, but especiallyLord of his
own people. We are not our own, for we have been redeemed and bought with
a price (1 Corinthians 6:20), even with his precious blood. Forthis end he
both died and rose and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of
the living (Romans 19:4).
2. Authority. Therefore we are subject to him, ore' reasonto his guidance, our
conscienceto his precepts, our hearts to his constraining love. There is no part
of our being, there is no event of our lives, that is not subject to this authority
which brooks no rival. It is this subjection of all believers to one Lord that
marks the inner unity of the Church; for loyalty to a common Lord makes
them stand togetherin a common hope, a common life, a common love.
V. "ONE FAITH." Not one creed, though all believers do really hold all that
is essentialto salvation, but one faith in its subjective aspect, through which
the one Lord is apprehended. It is one in all believers, for they are all justified
in exactly the same manner, and it is in all a faith that "purifieth the heart,"
"workethby love," and "overcomeththe world." It is not, therefore, an
external unity that this faith builds up, but a union of a spiritual character,
wrought by the grace of God. This principle or grace of faith has a thoroughly
uniting tendency, because it brings us nearto the Savior, and the nearerwe
stand to him we stand the nearerto one another.

VI. "ONE BAPTISM." There is but one baptism, once administered, as the
expressionof our faith in Christ; one initiation into the one body by one Spirit
(1 Corinthians 12:13); one dedicationto the one Lord. All believers are
baptized unto the Name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. "As many as have
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all
one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:27, 28). Christendom owns but one baptism.
It has been remarkedas strange that the Lord's Supper - "the one bread" (1
Corinthians 10:17) - should not have a place among the unities, as it is
essentiallythe symbol of union among believers. But it differs from baptism in
two important respects:
(1) baptism is individual, the Lord's Supper is social;
(2) it is by baptism, spiritually regarded, we are carried into the unity of the
one body (1 Corinthians 12:13); it is by the Lord's Supper we recognize
continuously a unity alreadyaccomplished. Thus baptism is included among
the sevenunities, because it embodies the initial elements that enter into the
unity.
VII. "ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL, who is above all, and through all,
and in all." The unity of the Church finds its consummation at lastin him,
who originated the scheme of grace and from whom all the other unities are
derived. If God be our Father, then are we members of one family, brothers
and sisters in Christ Jesus, and are therefore bound to live togetherin unity.
The counselmay wellcome to us, "See that ye fall not out by the way"
(Genesis 45:24). All the unities are securedby the relation of God the Father
to the Church. He is "overall" its members, and therefore there canbe no
rival sovereignty. The Church "is the habitation of God through the Spirit."
He is "through all," in respectof pervading and supporting energy; he is "in
all," as the Source and Spring of constantlight and grace and goodness. There
is here no pantheism. Thus there are sevenunities, like so many distinct
obligations, to incline believers to the unity of the Spirit, which canonly be
preservedin the bond of peace. Believersought, indeed, to be of one heart and
one soul. - T.C.

Biblical Illustrator
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are calledin one hope of your
calling.
Ephesians 4:4
The sevenunities of spiritual life
T. T. Lynch.
1. "ONE BODY." Now the body is for our habitation, and it is for our action
upon the world around, and it is for our receptionof influences that the world
around exerts upon ourselves. The body is for habitation, for activity, and for
reception. If, then, in our own personalbody our spirit so dwells that all the
various organs work togetherfor a common end, which end is good, then our
body is what God designedit to be. And if in a group of persons the common
life actually resides in eachindividual, so that eachfor the rest works willingly
and earnestlytowards procuring a common good, then there is a "body." So,
if through our bodily frame we act wellupon the world, the use for which God
designedthe body is being fulfilled: and if our various senses are inlets of
wisdom and of happiness from the world without, then againthe use for
which God designed the body is being fulfilled. And if a group of men are
acting upon the world by their various individualities, combining by one
thought to promote one good, they are a body — the use God designedin
forming men into societiesis being fulfilled. So, too, if they are receiving from
without the various influences of knowledge and of happiness, they are as one
body — the use that God designed is being fulfilled. We notice then, again,
with respectto the body, that some of its members are more essentialto
existence than others, and yet they are all essentialto completeness of
existence. And one lastthing concerning the body we may say, which is this —
that though particular works require particular organs, or a connectionof
such organs, these are always bestdone when the generalhealth and aptitude
of the body are highest. Thus, if you have to work as a player upon

instruments of music, or work as a painter with colours and with the pencil,
the hand is requisite; but will it be merely the hand to which your excellence is
due? Certainly not. If there be no generalfineness of your senses,there cannot
be any peculiar excellence in your specialty. Whateverbe that specialty of a
man which requires a certain organor group of organs, his work will always
be of the best sort according to the generalhealth of his bodily sensibilities,
the generalharmony of his bodily powers. And so it will be in the works of a
spiritual society. Whateverwe require to be done, though it may, so to say,
need only a part of our organismto fulfil it, that will be best done when our
generalstate is healthiest. If we be full of bodily excellency, then any
particular work will be most excellent.
2. There is "ONE SPIRIT." Were there not one life in the root, the blade, and
the ear, there could be no progressionfrom the roottowards the full corn.
Were there not one life throughout the bodily frame, there could not be this
union of activities to promote common advantage. There is one life in each
thing that lives; nay, it could not be calledliving, were it not for this fact of
internal unity. Now, speaking ofourselves completely, and not of the animal
man merely, we saythat if there be a disturbance in the spirit, the unity of life
will show itself in the distress and groans of experience;but we say also, that
whateverwe do spiritually aright, whether it be to sing, to pray, to read, to
give gifts, to discuss, to advise, to study — whatsoeverwe do aright, the
benefit of the part will produce a blessing for the whole. Especiallyis the
Spirit called the Holy Spirit. Now, the first thing required of us in preparing
what is holy is separation;and the next thing is conjunction. The soul
disunites from the world, and comes into conjunction with the Lord God.
3. "ONE HOPE." "Ye are called in one hope of your calling." A happy
thought that is, that we are called. We have not in uncertainty come and
asked, Is there any heaven, and which is the way there? Is there any God, and
is He friendly? But there has come a callto us, and it is a call upwards. That is
the only call that is a sufficient one for men. It is the call to glory and virtue
that is a sufficing call for man. We are called, then; and as replying to the
Divine call, with our active feet and our ready hands, we partake in a hope.
Now, what is this hope? We hope for the redemption of the body, and the full
perfection of the spirit; and as we are already much interestedin one another,

it is not simply the full redemption of our ownflesh and blood, and the full
perfection of our own individual limited spirit, that satisfies us, but we hope
for a wise and happy world; we hope for a full and abiding joy. We are all
calledto do good— all calledto be good;and it is quite certain that we can
never be satisfieduntil individually there be a perfect spirit in a harmonious
and healthful frame, and socially, also, there be a perfect spirit in a
harmonious and healthful frame. This is our hope, and it is a hope of which
we need not be ashamed.
4. "ONE LORD," — the Lord Jesus Christ. One Lord; but men have not been
at one in their thoughts of Him; they have not been at one in their conduct,
which they have professedwas governedby Him. This Lord has brought strife
into the world. Now, to reconcile opposedpersons is very hard, but to
reconcile opposedopinions much easier;for truths have no animosity to each
other; but persons, although their interests may be identical, are often, and
soon, and very, angry with one another. Now, we must seek to reconcile truths
in our own mind. Of course, as they are in the Divine mind which contains all
truths in eternalharmony, there is no reconciliationrequired; but it will
require much effort to make our little minds in some humble manner a
transcript of the bright Divine mind.
5. "ONE FAITH": by which we adhere to the one Lord. Faith is at once an
expressionof a weakness thatwe acknowledge, andof a strength which we
trust and receive. It is, then, our adherence to the one Lord, who in His
humanity gives us all necessaryexample and sympathy, and in His Divinity
sustains us with a fund of strength that can never be exhausted.
6. "ONE BAPTISM."The actions that pertain to baptism, like the opinions
that pertain to faith, are of comparatively little moment; but baptism itself is
essential, becauseit is the application of the purifying elementto the soul.
Now, there are two principal elements, the waterand the fire, that are applied
for purification; and surely any man who comes out of the water after
baptism, or has used the waterthoroughly in any way for baptism, may say to
himself, "This very waterthat cleansesme could drown me; this very water,
whose actionis so gentle, could sweep me away, as with a mighty rage." In its
gentle application, waterremoves impurities from us, as still capable of being

cleansed;but should we become utterly impure, instead of washing in the
wave to be made clean, we are washedawayby it, that the earth may be
cleansed.
7. Then we may speak lastof all of the "ONE GOD," — the one God and
Father of us all, who is over all in His creative love, who is through all in the
actions of His multiform but harmonious providence, and who is in us all,
making the body of the spiritual Church to be the residence of His own love
and truth. The Father of all: is the greatFatherhoodof God yet manifested to
the world? No, Is even His unity as the one Lord of creationmanifest to the
world? No. And are we approaching — for this is surely a suitable thought to
allow ourselves in the closing moments of this discoarse — to a time truly
catholic? Is societygetting more catholic, or more conglomerate;more of a
Church, or more of a medley? Are things becoming more in common; the
spirit becoming more truly holy?
(T. T. Lynch.)
Gospelunities
A. F. Barfield.
1. There is one body — the Church.
2. One Spirit — the Holy Ghost.
3. One hope — the resurrectionfrom the dead.
4. One Lord — Jesus Christ.
5. One faith — the Christian religion.
6. One baptism — Christian baptism.
7. One Godand Father of us all — the Lord God Almighty.(1) He is above all.
Then He is supreme. And because ofthis —
(a)He is worthy of our worship.

(b)He is worthy of all reverence in our worship.(2) He is through all. Then He
permeates all.(3)He is in you all. Then we may eachrealize Him. Conclusion:
If all this be true — then union should exist everywhere.
(A. F. Barfield.)
The unity of the Church
R. W. Dale, LL. D.
The Church is one. When the apostle wrote this Epistle there were societiesof
Christians — Churches — in Rome, in Corinth, in Thessalonica, in Philippi,
in Colosse, in Ephesus, in the cities and towns of Galatia, in the Syrian
Antioch, and in Jerusalem. There were less famous Churches in other cities.
They stoodapart from eachother; every separate Church had authority over
its own affairs, maintained its own discipline, electedits own bishops and
deacons, organizedits own worship. As yet there was no confederationof
these independent societies under any centralecclesiasticalauthority. Their
unity was not constitutedby an external organization, but by their common
possessionofthe Spirit of God, and it is therefore calledby the apostle "the
unity of the Spirit." He has spokenof the unity of the Church in the earlier
part of the Epistle. The exclusionof the paganraces from "the commonwealth
of Israel" had ceased;"the middle wall of partition" which separatedthem
from the sacredcourtin which the electnation had neareraccessto God had
been broken down. There was now one city of the saints, of which all
Christian men of every nation were citizens; one household of God in which
they were all children; one holy temple "built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus ChristHimself being the chief cornerstone," into
the sacredwalls ofwhich they were all built "for a habitation of God in the
Spirit." He has assertedthis unity in a still bolder form; for after speaking of
the glory of Christ, who sits at the right hand of God, "far above all rule, and
authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only
in this world but also in that which is to come," he described the Church as
"the Body" of Christ, the organ of His life and thought and will, "the fulness
of Him that filleth all in all." And now he returns to this greatconception. The

"Body" of Christ, he says, is "one";the "Spirit" of Goalwho dwells in it is
"one";and in harmony with this unity of the "Body" of Christ and this unity
of the "Spirit" who dwells in it, the great"hope" of all Christian men, of all
who have been calledinto the Divine kingdom and have obeyed the call, is
"one." There is "one Lord," only one — Christ Jesus the Prince and the
Saviour of men; "one faith" — not a common creed, but a common trust in
Christ for eternal righteousness andeternal glory; "one baptism," and one
only, the same rite by which Christ visibly claims men as belonging to the race
for which He died, and over which He reigns, is administered to all. There is
"one God and Fatherof all"; we all worship before the same eternalthrone,
and in Christ we are all the children of the same Divine Father; His
sovereigntyis absolute and supreme — He is "overall"; the powerof His life
penetrates the whole Body of Christ — He is "through all"; and His home is
in all Christians — He is "in all."
(R. W. Dale, LL. D.)
The communion of saints
William Reeve, M. A.
Believers in Christ are bound togetherin the ties of a holy brotherhood. Let us
look a little at the nature of this communion.
I. With respectto the CONDITION. "There is one Body and one Spirit"; and
the exercise ofthat Spirit and the execution of His office are the same in all —
to show them the things of Christ, that thus through Christ they may hold
communion with the Father. The whole Body of the faithful are joined
togetherin communion with the Fatherof spirits. They all meet at the same
throne; they all unite in one common feeling, and join in one common song of
praise.
II. Their PURSUITS. The Church is dispersedthroughout the world; it is
separatedby difference of language, rank, age, circumstances;but being
partakers off one Spirit and one faith, they are of one heart and one mind in
the gospel, andthey unite in the pursuit of God's glory.

III. Their ENJOYMENTS. Here againtheir hearts are one. Christ Jesus is the
centre of their joy.
(William Reeve, M. A.)
One Body and one Spirit
J. Eadie, D. D.
The Church or Body is one. There are not two rival communities. The Body,
with its many members and complex array of organs of very different
position, function, and honour, is yet one. The Church, no matter where it is
situated, or in what age of the world it exists — no matter of what race, blood,
or colour are its members, or how various the tongues in which its services are
presented— is one, and remains so, unaffected by distance or time, or
physical, intellectual, and socialdistinctions. And as in the Body there is only
one Spirit, one living principle — no double consciousness, no dualism of
intelligence, motive, and action — so the one Spirit of God dwells in the one
Church, and there is, therefore, no rivalry of administration, and there are no
conflicting claims. And whateverthe gifts and graces conferred, whatever
variety of aspectthey may assume, all possessa delicate self-adaptationto
times and circumstances, forthey are all from the "one Spirit," having unity
of origin and oneness of designand result.
(J. Eadie, D. D.)
The oneness ofChrist's Church
J. Eadie, D. D.
The real spiritual Church of the Redeemeris one Body. All the members of
that Church partake of the same grace, adhere to the same rule of faith, are
washedin the same Blood, are filled with the same hopes, and shall dwell at
length in the same blessedinheritance. Heretics and ungodly men may find
their way into the Church, but they remain really separatedfrom its

"invisible conjunction of charity." There may be variations in what Barrow
calls "lessermatters of ceremonyand discipline," and yet this essentialunity
is preserved.
(J. Eadie, D. D.)
The Church is not a material Body
J. Pulsford.
In contemplating this Body you must divest yourselves of a material idea.
What we callmatter is by no means essentialto living organisms. On the
contrary, it is essentialto the reality, unity, and permanence of a body that it
be not material. "There are celestialbodies, and bodies terrestrial." But the
celestialis much more strictly a body than the terrestrial. For a celestialbody
is incapable of decay, but an earthly body sooncollapses, andfalls into an
inorganic mass. A body may be material, or psychical, or spiritual. The
material is the lowest, and leastworthy of being calleda body. Strictly
speaking, matteris an apparition. It is essentiallydeficientof the higher
qualities of being, and consequentlycannot maintain its integrity. It is a dense
vapour that "appearethfor a little time, and then vanishes away." As our own
material body is a veil hiding anotherbody, in like manner, the material
universe is a covering upon a more glorious universe. The sanctuary, which
was so constructedas to be a figure of creation, had for its outmost covering
rough animal skins;but by lifting a series ofcoverings, you came to gold, and
within all was the Divine Presence. Peter, James, andJohn were permitted to
see that our Lord had, within His material body, a divinely luminous one,
which was His true body. We are calledto become citizens of the kingdom
which is the inner and true body of the universe. This is the kingdom of
heaven, which our Lord preachedand openedto men. Our souls live, move,
and have their being in this inner sphere. We are a part of it.
(J. Pulsford.)

Sins againstunity
Dr. Hedge.
All sins againstunity are sins againstthe Holy Ghost.
(Dr. Hedge.)
Union is strength
Bishop Trower.
If you considerhow it is that a hempen twine is made strong enough to draw a
loaded waggon, orto bear the immense strain of a ship as she rides at anchor,
you will see a significancythat perhaps did not occurto you before, in the use
which Holy Scripture makes of this work of human art as an emblem. It is
formed of many threads twisted togetherinto one cord, and these cords are
againcombined into one cable. Eachthread is in itself so weak, that a child
could break, or the slightestweight would burst it; but when the threads are
turned into one rope, their united strength is such as would have seemed
incredible. "A three-fold cord is not quickly broken." The truth is just before
us that union is strength. They who are weak and helpless singly are able to
produce a vast result, when they combine their powers. It was in order to
restrain His sinful creatures from carrying out what they had combined with
the intention of doing, that God frustrated the building of the towerof Babel,
and scatteredthem over the face of the earth, and He gathers togetheragain
His electpeople in one body in Christ, that by uniting their various energies in
one work, and for one end, they may strengtheneachother's hands, and
effectually "bruise under foot" the powers of darkness.
(Bishop Trower.)
Christian work promotes unity
Captain Moreton, to illustrate the concordthat came from union in work,
retailed the following incident he had heard from Mr. Macgregor(RobRoy).

He was walking one day on the southern English coast, andfell across some
seafaring men quarrelling about the way in which a button had been sewnon
one of their coats. Theywere on the point of coming to blows, when a cry was
raisedthat there was a ship on the GoodwinSands, and that the lifeboatwas
needed. Instantly the trumpery quarrel was at an end, and all were heartily at
work doing their bestto save their shipwreckedbrethren.
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
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 calledby the
preaching of the Gospel;through which ye have become the body of Christ,
instinct with the energy of the Holy Ghost.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/ephesians-
4.html. 1832.
return to 'Jump List'
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible

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 ofdifferent 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 feelthat it is one. Christ did not
come to redeem and save different churches, and to give them a different
place in heaven. He did not come to save the Episcopalcommunion merely or
the Presbyterianor the Methodistcommunions only; nor did he leave the
world to fit up for them different mansions in heaven. He did not come to save
merely the black man, or the red, or the white man; nor did he leave the
world to setup for them separate mansions in the skies. He came that he
might collectinto one community a multitude of every complexion, and from
every land, and unite them in one greatbrotherhood on earth, and ultimately
assemble them in the same heaven. The church is one. Every sincere Christian
is a brother in that church, and has an equal right with all others to its
privileges. Being one by the design of the Saviour they should be one in
feeling; and every Christian, no matter what his rank, should be ready to hail
every other Christian as a fellow-heir of heaven.
One Spirit - The Holy Spirit. There is one and the self-same Spirit that dwells
in the church The same Spirit has awakenedallenlightened all; convictedall;
convertedall. Whereverthey may be, and whoever, yet there has been
substantially the same work of the Spirit on the heart of every Christian.
There are circumstantial differences arising from diversities of temperament,
disposition, and education; there may be a difference in the depth and power
of his operations on the soul; there may be a difference in the degree of
conviction for sin and in the evidence of conversion, but still there are the
same operations on the heart essentiallyproduced by the same Spirit; see the
notes on 1 Corinthians 12:6-11. All the gifts of prayer, and of preaching;all
the zeal, the ardor, the love, the self-denial in the church, are produced by the
same Spirit. There should be, therefore, unity. The church is united in the

agencyby which it is saved;it should be united in the feelings which influence
its members.
Even as ye are called - see Ephesians 4:1. The sense is, “there is one body and
one spirit, in like manner as there is one hope resulting from your calling.”
The same notion of oneness is found in relation to eachof these things.
In one hope of your calling - In one hope “resulting from” your being called
into his kingdom. On the meaning of the word “hope,” see notes on Ephesians
2:12. The meaning here is, that Christians have the same hope, and they
should therefore be one. They are looking forward to the same heaven; they
hope for the same happiness beyond the grave. It is not as on earth among the
people of the world, where, there is a variety of hopes - where one hopes for
pleasure, and anotherfor honor, and another for gain; but there is the
prospectof the same inexhaustible joy. This “hope” is suited to promote
union. There is no rivalry - for there is enough for all. “Hope” on earth does
not always produce union and harmony. Two men hope to obtain the same
office;two students hope to obtain the same honor in college;two rivals hope
to obtain the same hand in marriage - and the consequence is jealousy,
contention, and strife. The reasonis, that but one can obtain the object. Not so
with the crownof life - with the rewards of heaven. All may obtain “that”
crown; all may share those rewards. How “can” Christians contend in an
angry manner with eachother, when the hope of dwelling in the same heaven
swells their bosoms and animates their hearts?
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. "Commentaryon Ephesians 4:4". "Barnes'Notes onthe New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/ephesians-
4.html. 1870.

The Biblical Illustrator
Ephesians 4:4
calling.
The sevenunities of spiritual life
1. One body.” Now the body is for our habitation, and it is for our action upon
the world around, and it is for our receptionof influences that the world
around exerts upon ourselves. The body is for habitation, for activity, and for
reception. If, then, in our own personalbody our spirit so dwells that all the
various organs work togetherfor a common end, which end is good, then our
body is what God designedit to be. And if in a group of persons the common
life actually resides in eachindividual, so that eachfor the rest works willingly
and earnestlytowards procuring a common good, then there is a “body.” So,
if through our bodily frame we act wellupon the world, the use for which God
designedthe body is being fulfilled: and if our various senses are inlets of
wisdom and of happiness from the world without, then againthe use for
which God designed the body is being fulfilled. And if a group of men are
acting upon the world by their various individualities, combining by one
thought to promote one good, they are a body--the use God designedin
forming men into societiesis being fulfilled. So, too, if they are receiving from
without the various influences of knowledge and of happiness, they are as one
body--the use that God designedis being fulfilled. We notice then, again, with
respectto the body, that some of its members are more essentialto existence
than others, and yet they are all essentialto completenessofexistence. And
one lastthing concerning the body we may say, which is this--that though
particular works require particular organs, or a connectionof such organs,
these are always bestdone when the generalhealth and aptitude of the body
are highest. Thus, if you have to work as a player upon instruments of music,
or work as a painter with colours and with the pencil, the hand is requisite;
but will it be merely the hand to which your excellence is due? Certainly not.
If there be no generalfineness of your senses,there cannot be any peculiar

excellence in your specialty. Whateverbe that specialtyof a man which
requires a certain organor group of organs, his work will always be of the
best sort according to the generalhealth of his bodily sensibilities, the general
harmony of his bodily powers. And so it will be in the works of a spiritual
society. Whateverwe require to be done, though it may, so to say, need only a
part of our organismto fulfil it, that will be best done when our generalstate
is healthiest. If we be full of bodily excellency, then any particular work will
be most excellent.
2. There is “one Spirit.” Were there not one life in the root, the blade, and the
ear, there could be no progressionfrom the root towards the full corn. Were
there not one life throughout the bodily frame, there could not be this union of
activities to promote common advantage. There is one life in eachthing that
lives; nay, it could not be calledliving, were it not for this fact of internal
unity. Now, speaking ofourselves completely, and not of the animal man
merely, we saythat if there be a disturbance in the spirit, the unity of life will
show itself in the distress and groans ofexperience;but we sayalso, that
whateverwe do spiritually aright, whether it be to sing, to pray, to read, to
give gifts, to discuss, to advise, to study--whatsoeverwe do aright, the benefit
of the part will produce a blessing for the whole. Especiallyis the Spirit called
the Holy Spirit. Now, the first thing required of us in preparing what is holy is
separation;and the next thing is conjunction. The soul disunites from the
world, and comes into conjunction with the Lord God.
3. “One hope.” “Ye are called in one hope of your calling.” A happy thought
that is, that we are called. We have not in uncertainty come and asked, Is
there any heaven, and which is the way there? Is there any God, and is He
friendly? But there has come a call to us, and it is a call upwards. That is the
only call that is a sufficient one for men. It is the call to glory and virtue that is
a sufficing call for man. We are called, then; and as replying to the Divine call,
with our active feet and our ready hands, we partake in a hope. Now, what is
this hope? We hope for the redemption of the body, and the full perfection of
the spirit; and as we are already much interested in one another, it is not
simply the full redemption of our own flesh and blood, and the full perfection
of our own individual limited spirit, that satisfies us, but we hope for a wise
and happy world; we hope for a full and abiding joy. We are all calledto do

good--allcalled to be good;and it is quite certainthat we can never be
satisfieduntil individually there be a perfectspirit in a harmonious and
healthful frame, and socially, also, there be a perfectspirit in a harmonious
and healthful frame. This is our hope, and it is a hope of which we need not be
ashamed.
4. “One Lord,”--the Lord Jesus Christ. One Lord; but men have not been at
one in their thoughts of Him; they have not been at one in their conduct,
which they have professedwas governedby Him. This Lord has brought strife
into the world. Now, to reconcile opposedpersons is very hard, but to
reconcile opposedopinions much easier;for truths have no animosity to each
other; but persons, although their interests may be identical, are often, and
soon, and very, angry with one another. Now, we must seek to reconcile truths
in our own mind. Of course, as they are in the Divine mind which contains all
truths in eternalharmony, there is no reconciliationrequired; but it will
require much effort to make our little minds in some humble manner a
transcript of the bright Divine mind.
5. “One faith”: by which we adhere to the one Lord. Faith is at once an
expressionof a weakness thatwe acknowledge, andof a strength which we
trust and receive. It is, then, our adherence to the one Lord, who in His
humanity gives us all necessaryexample and sympathy, and in His Divinity
sustains us with a fund of strength that can never be exhausted.
6. “One baptism.” The actions that pertain to baptism, like the opinions that
pertain to faith, are of comparatively little moment; but baptism itself is
essential, becauseit is the application of the purifying elementto the soul.
Now, there are two principal elements, the waterand the fire, that are applied
for purification; and surely any man who comes out of the water after
baptism, or has used the waterthoroughly in any way for baptism, may say to
himself, “This very waterthat cleansesme could drown me; this very water,
whose actionis so gentle, could sweepme away, as with a mighty rage.” In its
gentle application, waterremoves impurities from us, as still capable of being
cleansed;but should we become utterly impure, instead of washing in the
wave to be made clean, we are washedawayby it, that the earth may be
cleansed.

7. Then we may speak lastof all of the “one God,”--the one God and Father of
us all, who is over all in His creative love, who is through all in the actions of
His multiform but harmonious providence, and who is in us all, making the
body of the spiritual Church to be the residence of His own love and truth.
The Fatherof all: is the greatFatherhoodof God yet manifested to the world?
No, Is even His unity as the one Lord of creationmanifest to the world? No.
And are we approaching--for this is surely a suitable thought to allow
ourselves in the closing moments of this discoarse--to a time truly catholic? Is
societygetting more catholic, or more conglomerate;more of a Church, or
more of a medley? Are things becoming more in common; the spirit becoming
more truly holy? (T. T. Lynch.)
Gospelunities
1. There is one body--the Church.
2. One Spirit--the Holy Ghost.
3. One hope--the resurrectionfrom the dead.
4. One Lord--Jesus Christ.
5. One faith--the Christian religion.
6. One baptism--Christian baptism.
7. One Godand Father of us all--the Lord God Almighty.
(a) He is worthy of our worship.
(b) He is worthy of all reverence in our worship.
The unity of the Church
The Church is one. When the apostle wrote this Epistle there were societiesof
Christians--Churches--in Rome, in Corinth, in Thessalonica,in Philippi, in
Colosse, in Ephesus, in the cities and towns of Galatia, in the Syrian Antioch,
and in Jerusalem. There were less famous Churches in other cities. They stood
apart from eachother; every separate Church had authority over its own

affairs, maintained its own discipline, electedits own bishops and deacons,
organized its own worship. As yet there was no confederationof these
independent societies under any central ecclesiasticalauthority. Their unity
was not constituted by an external organization, but by their common
possessionofthe Spirit of God, and it is therefore calledby the apostle “the
unity of the Spirit.” He has spokenof the unity of the Church in the earlier
part of the Epistle. The exclusionof the paganraces from “the commonwealth
of Israel” had ceased;“the middle wall of partition” which separatedthem
from the sacredcourtin which the electnation had neareraccessto God had
been broken down. There was now one city of the saints, of which all
Christian men of every nation were citizens; one household of God in which
they were all children; one holy temple “built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus ChristHimself being the chief cornerstone,” into
the sacredwalls ofwhich they were all built “for a habitation of God in the
Spirit.” He has assertedthis unity in a still bolder form; for after speaking of
the glory of Christ, who sits at the right hand of God, “far above all rule, and
authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only
in this world but also in that which is to come,” he described the Church as
“the Body” of Christ, the organ of His life and thought and will, “the fulness
of Him that filleth all in all.” And now he returns to this greatconception. The
“Body” of Christ, he says, is “one”;the “Spirit” of Goalwho dwells in it is
“one”;and in harmony with this unity of the “Body” of Christ and this unity
of the “Spirit” who dwells in it, the great“hope” of all Christian men, of all
who have been calledinto the Divine kingdom and have obeyed the call, is
“one.” There is “one Lord,” only one--Christ Jesus the Prince and the Saviour
of men; “one faith”--not a common creed, but a common trust in Christ for
eternal righteousness andeternal glory; “one baptism,” and one only, the
same rite by which Christ visibly claims men as belonging to the race for
which He died, and over which He reigns, is administered to all. There is “one
God and Fatherof all”;we all worship before the same eternal throne, and in
Christ we are all the children of the same Divine Father; His sovereigntyis
absolute and supreme--He is “over all”; the power of His life penetrates the
whole Body of Christ--He is “through all”; and His home is in all Christians--
He is “in all.” (R. W. Dale, LL. D.)

The communion of saints
Believers in Christ are bound togetherin the ties of a holy brotherhood. Let us
look a little at the nature of this communion.
I. With respectto the condition. “There is one Body and one Spirit”; and the
exercise ofthat Spirit and the executionof His office are the same in all--to
show them the things of Christ, that thus through Christ they may hold
communion with the Father. The whole Body of the faithful are joined
togetherin communion with the Fatherof spirits. They all meet at the same
throne; they all unite in one common feeling, and join in one common song of
praise.
II. Their pursuits. The Church is dispersedthroughout the world; it is
separatedby difference of language, rank, age, circumstances;but being
partakers off one Spirit and one faith, they are of one heart and one mind in
the gospel, andthey unite in the pursuit of God’s glory.
III. Their enjoyments. Here againtheir hearts are one. Christ Jesus is the
centre of their joy. (William Reeve, M. A.)
One Body and one Spirit
The Church or Body is one. There are not two rival communities. The Body,
with its many members and complex array of organs of very different
position, function, and honour, is yet one. The Church, no matter where it is
situated, or in what age of the world it exists--no matter of what race, blood,
or colour are its members, or how various the tongues in which its services are
presented--is one, and remains so, unaffected by distance or time, or physical,
intellectual, and socialdistinctions. And as in the Body there is only one Spirit,
one living principle--no double consciousness, no dualism of intelligence,
motive, and action--so the one Spirit of God dwells in the one Church, and
there is, therefore, no rivalry of administration, and there are no conflicting

claims. And whateverthe gifts and gracesconferred, whatevervariety of
aspectthey may assume, all possessa delicate self-adaptationto times and
circumstances, forthey are all from the “one Spirit,” having unity of origin
and oneness ofdesignand result. (J. Eadie, D. D.)
The oneness ofChrist’s Church
The real spiritual Church of the Redeemeris one Body. All the members of
that Church partake of the same grace, adhere to the same rule of faith, are
washedin the same Blood, are filled with the same hopes, and shall dwell at
length in the same blessedinheritance. Heretics and ungodly men may find
their way into the Church, but they remain really separatedfrom its “invisible
conjunction of charity.” There may be variations in what Barrow calls “lesser
matters of ceremony and discipline,” and yet this essentialunity is preserved.
(J. Eadie, D. D.)
The Church is not a material Body
In contemplating this Body you must divest yourselves of a material idea.
What we callmatter is by no means essentialto living organisms. On the
contrary, it is essentialto the reality, unity, and permanence of a body that it
be not material. “There are celestialbodies, and bodies terrestrial.” But the
celestialis much more strictly a body than the terrestrial. For a celestialbody
is incapable of decay, but an earthly body sooncollapses, andfalls into an
inorganic mass. A body may be material, or psychical, or spiritual. The
material is the lowest, and leastworthy of being calleda body. Strictly
speaking, matteris an apparition. It is essentiallydeficientof the higher
qualities of being, and consequentlycannot maintain its integrity. It is a dense
vapour that “appearethfor a little time, and then vanishes away.” As our own
material body is a veil hiding anotherbody, in like manner, the material
universe is a covering upon a more glorious universe. The sanctuary, which
was so constructedas to be a figure of creation, had for its outmost covering
rough animal skins;but by lifting a series ofcoverings, you came to gold, and
within all was the Divine Presence. Peter, James, andJohn were permitted to
see that our Lord had, within His material body, a divinely luminous one,
which was His true body. We are calledto become citizens of the kingdom

which is the inner and true body of the universe. This is the kingdom of
heaven, which our Lord preachedand openedto men. Our souls live, move,
and have their being in this inner sphere. We are a part of it. (J. Pulsford.)
Sins againstunity
All sins againstunity are sins againstthe Holy Ghost. (Dr. Hedge.)
Union is strength
If you considerhow it is that a hempen twine is made strong enough to draw a
loaded waggon, orto bear the immense strain of a ship as she rides at anchor,
you will see a significancythat perhaps did not occurto you before, in the use
which Holy Scripture makes of this work of human art as an emblem. It is
formed of many threads twisted togetherinto one cord, and these cords are
againcombined into one cable. Eachthread is in itself so weak, that a child
could break, or the slightestweight would burst it; but when the threads are
turned into one rope, their united strength is such as would have seemed
incredible. “A three-fold cord is not quickly broken.” The truth is just before
us that union is strength. They who are weak and helpless singly are able to
produce a vast result, when they combine their powers. It was in order to
restrain His sinful creatures from carrying out what they had combined with
the intention of doing, that God frustrated the building of the towerof Babel,
and scatteredthem over the face of the earth, and He gathers togetheragain
His electpeople in one body in Christ, that by uniting their various energies in
one work, and for one end, they may strengtheneachother’s hands, and
effectually “bruise under foot” the powers ofdarkness. (BishopTrower.)
Christian work promotes unity
Captain Moreton, to illustrate the concordthat came from union in work,
retailed the following incident he had heard from Mr. Macgregor(RobRoy).
He was walking one day on the southern English coast, andfell across some
seafaring men quarrelling about the way in which a button had been sewnon
one of their coats. Theywere on the point of coming to blows, when a cry was
raisedthat there was a ship on the GoodwinSands, and that the lifeboatwas

needed. Instantly the trumpery quarrel was at an end, and all were heartily at
work doing their bestto save their shipwreckedbrethren.
Copyright Statement
Text Courtesyof BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Exell, JosephS. "Commentary on "Ephesians 4:4". The Biblical Illustrator.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tbi/ephesians-4.html. 1905-
1909. New York.
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were calledin one hope of
your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
One body ... This is the spiritual body of Christ, the church, made up of Jews,
Gentiles, all people and even includes the savedwho no longerlive on earth.
And one Spirit ... The reference to the third personof the Godheadseems to
anticipate "Lord" (Ephesians 4:5) and "God" (Ephesians 4:6). In any case,
the Spirit here is that being called"the Holy Spirit" in the New Testament,
who like Christ and like the Father, dwells in Christian hearts.
One hope of your calling ... This is the hope of eternal life in Christ. There is
simply no other lesserthing that may correctly be defined as the "one hope"
of Christians.
One faith ... is thought to refer to the Christian religion and not the subjective
trust/faith of individual Christians. Wesleysaidit refers to "the universal

church";[9] and there is no doubt that the meaning of subjective trust/faith
usually read into this word is frequently not in it at all. However, Hendriksen
has a convincing analysis indicating that it is trust/faith Paul had in mind. He
wrote:
The fact that "faith" is mentioned immediately after "Lord," and is
immediately followedby "baptism," all in a very short sentence, wouldseem
to indicate that all three are a very closelyknit unit.[10]
This therefore carries the full impact of Mark 16:16, where Christ said, "He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." The Lord and faith and
baptism are all in a very short sentence there, faith and baptism appearing as
coordinates in both passages.Furthermore, this understanding of the passage
has the advantage of explaining why there is no reference to the Lord's
Supper, an omissionwhich is very puzzling to many commentators:
Why does he not also include the Lord's Supper?[11]
"Baptism" means "spirit baptism," basedon the fact that Paul does not refer
to the Lord's Supper here in this list of unities.[12]
It is often askedwhy no reference was made here to the other greatsacrament
of the gospel(the Lord's Supper).[13]SIZE>
Foulkes pointed out the explanation by Westcott, which is doubtless correct.
He said, "The apostle is speaking ofthe initial conditions of the Christian life,
whereas the Holy Communion belongs to the support and development of the
Christian life."[14]For the same reason, Christhad no need to mention the
Lord's Supper in Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved." The fact that hinders many from seeing this is that they have failed

properly to discern that baptism is one of the divinely imposed preconditions
of salvation.
One baptism ... The reasonwhy many commentators make this mean Holy
Spirit baptism, the earnestof the Spirit, the Pentecostaloutpouring, etc., is
cited above. The obvious meaning of the passageis Christian baptism; that is,
the baptism which is the initiatory rite of admittance into the Christian
religion. As Bruce said, "If 'one baptism' here had meant Spirit-baptism to
the exclusionof waterbaptism, it would have been associatedwith `one
Spirit,' and not with `one Lord'."[15]
THE ONE BAPTISM
No less than sevenbaptisms are mentioned in the New Testament(for
enumeration of these, see my Commentary on Hebrews, Hebrews 1:1-2). The
statementhere that there is "one" means that only one pertains to the
Christian life in the present dispensation. There cannot be any escape from
the conclusionthat this is the baptism of the Great Commission, as given by
both Mark and Matthew. That Christ would have mentioned a baptism in
that context which is not the "one" baptism is unthinkable. Furthermore, it
has just been pointed out that "Lord ... faith ... baptism" in this passage
answers perfectlyto Mark 16:16. The one baptism is therefore the one that
the church itself is commanded to administer and that destroys any notion to
the effectthat baptism in the Spirit or by the Spirit is meant; because there
has never been a church since the times of the apostles that could baptize
anyone in the Holy Spirit, the same being something God promised that he
would do (Matthew 3:11). The "one baptism" is the one Christ commanded
his followers to administer to "all nations" (Matthew 28:18-20). A comparison
of the post-Reformationwritings with that of the wisestscholars ofantiquity
starkly reveals the bias toward Luther's invention of salvation by "faith
only," which mars the exegesisofmany writers in this later period.
[9] John Wesley, op. cit., in loco.
[10] William Hendriksen, New TestamentCommentary, Ephesians (Grand
Rapids, Michigan: BakerBook House, 1967), p. 187.

[11] Ibid.
[12] Willard H. Taylor, BeaconBible Commentary, Vol. 9 (Kansas City,
Missouri:BeaconHill Press, 1965), p. 205.
[13] Francis Foulkes, op. cit., p. 113.
[14] Ibid.
[15] F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Ephesians (Old Tappan, New Jersey:
Fleming H. RevellCompany, 1961), p. 80.
Copyright Statement
James Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. All other rights reserved.
Bibliography
Coffman, James Burton. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". "Coffman
Commentaries on the Old and New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/ephesians-4.html. Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
There is one body,.... The church; in what sense that is a body, and compared
to one; see Gill on Ephesians 1:23. It is called "one" with relation to Jews and
Gentiles, who are of the same body, and are reconciledin one body by Christ,
and are baptized into it by the Spirit; and with respectto saints above and
saints below, who make up one generalassembly;and with regardto separate
societies;for though there are severalparticular congregations, yetthere is
but one church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven; and
saints of different ages, places, states, andconditions, 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 Christ is sole
King and lawgiver, and a kingdom divided againstitselfcannot stand; they
are one economicalbody, one family, they are all brethren, and should not fall
out by the way.
And one Spirit; the Holy Spirit of God, who animates, quickens, and actuates
the body: there is but one Spirit, who convinces of sin, enlightens, regenerates,
and makes alive; who incorporates into the body, the church; who comforts
the saints;helps them in their accessto God through Christ; makes knownthe
things of Christ to them, is a spirit of adoption, and the sealand earnestof the
heavenly glory; and the considerationof this should engage to unity, because a
contrary conduct must be grieving to the Spirit of God, unsuitable to his
genuine fruits, and very unlike the true spirit of a Christian: and by one spirit
may be meant the spirit of themselves, who, as the first Christians were,
should be of one heart, and of one soul, of the same mind, and having the same
affections for one another; which sense is favoured by the Syriac and Arabic
versions;the former rendering the words, "that ye may be one body and one
spirit", making this to be the issue and effectof their endeavours after union
and peace;and the latter reads them as an exhortation, "be ye one body and
one spirit"; that is, be ye cordially and heartily united in your affections to
one another:
even as ye are calledin one hope of your calling; that is, the glory hoped for,
and which is laid up in heaven, and will be enjoyed there, to which the saints
are calledin the effectualcalling, is one and the same: there are no degrees in
it; it will be equally possessedby them all; for they are all loved with the same
love, chosenin the same head, and securedin the same covenant; they are
bought with the same price of Christ's blood, and are justified by the same
righteousness;they are all equally the sons of God, and so heirs of the same
heavenly inheritance; and are all made kings and priests unto God, and there
is but one kingdom, one crown, one inheritance for them all; and the holiness
and beatific vision of the saints in heaven will be alike;and therefore they
should be heartily affectedto one another here on earth, who are to be
partners togetherin glory to all eternity. So the Jews sayF16,that in the world
of souls, all, small and great, stand before the Lord; and they have a standing

alike;for in the affairs of the soul, it is fit that they should be all ‫,םיוש‬ "equal",
as it is said Exodus 30:15, "the rich shall not give more".
Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernisedand adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". "The New John Gill Exposition
of the Entire Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/ephesians-4.html. 1999.
Geneva Study Bible
4 [There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are calledin one hope of your
calling;
(4) An argument of greatweightfor an earnestdisplaying of brotherly love
and charity with one another, because we are made one body as it were of one
God and Father, by one Spirit, worshipping one Lord with one faith, and
consecratedto him with one baptism, and having hope of one selfsame glory,
unto which we are called. Therefore, whoeverbreaks charity, breaks all of
these things apart.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Beza, Theodore. "Commentaryon Ephesians 4:4". "The 1599 Geneva Study
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/gsb/ephesians-4.html.
1599-1645.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
In the apostle‘s creed, the article as to THE CHURCH properly follows that
as to THE HOLY GHOST. To the Trinity naturally is annexed the Church, as
the house to its tenant, to God His temple, the state to its founder [Augustine,
Enchiridion, c. 15]. There is yet to be a Church, not merely potentially, but
actually catholic or world-wide; then the Church and the world will be co-
extensive. Rome falls into inextricable error by setting 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 mentioned here,
so the “Lord” (Jesus), Ephesians 4:5, and “Godthe Father,” Ephesians 4:6.
Thus the Trinity is againsetforth.
hope — here associatedwith “the Spirit,” which is the “earnestof our
inheritance” (Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 1:14). As “faith” is mentioned,
Ephesians 4:5, so “hope” here, and “love,” Ephesians 4:2. The Holy Spirit, as
the common higher principle of life (Ephesians 2:18, Ephesians 2:22), gives to
the Church its true unity. Outward uniformity is as yet unattainable; but
beginning by having one mind, we shall hereafterend by having “one body.”
The true “body” of Christ (all believers of every age)is already “one,” as
joined to the one Head. But its unity is as yet not visible, even as the Head is
not visible; but it shall appear when He shall appear(John 17:21-23;
Colossians 3:4). Meanwhile the rule is, “In essentials,unity; in doubtful
questions, liberty; in all things, charity.” There is more real unity where both
go to heavenunder different names than when with the same name one goes
to heaven, the other to hell. Truth is the first thing: those who reach it, will at

last reachunity, because truth is one; while those who seek unity as the first
thing, may purchase it at the sacrifice oftruth, and so of the soul itself.
of your calling — the one “hope” flowing from our “calling,” is the element
“IN” which we are “called” to live. Instead of privileged classes,as the Jews
under the law, a unity of dispensationwas henceforth to be the common
privilege of Jew and Gentile alike. Spirituality, universality, and unity, were
designedto characterize the Church; and it shall be so at last (Isaiah2:2-4;
Isaiah11:9, Isaiah11:13; Zephaniah 3:9; Zechariah14:9).
Copyright Statement
These files are a derivative of an electronic edition prepared from text
scannedby Woodside Bible Fellowship.
This expanded edition of the Jameison-Faussett-BrownCommentary is in the
public domain and may be freely used and distributed.
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.;Fausset,A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on
Ephesians 4:4". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfb/ephesians-4.html. 1871-8.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
One body (εν σωμα — hen sōma). One mystical body of Christ (the spiritual
church or kingdom, cf. Ephesians 1:23; Ephesians 2:16).
One Spirit (εν πνευμα — hen pneuma). One Holy Spirit, grammatical neuter
gender (not to be referred to by “it,” but by “he”).

In one hope (εν μιαι ελπιδι — en miāi elpidi). The same hope as a result of
their calling for both Jew and Greek as shownin chapter 2.
Copyright Statement
The Robertson's WordPictures of the New Testament. Copyright �
Broadman Press 1932,33,Renewal1960. All rights reserved. Used by
permission of Broadman Press (Southern BaptistSunday SchoolBoard)
Bibliography
Robertson, A.T. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". "Robertson's Word
Pictures of the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rwp/ephesians-4.html.
Broadman Press 1932,33.Renewal1960.
Vincent's Word Studies
d The connectionwith the preceding verses is as follows:I exhort you to unity,
for you stand relatedto the Church, which is one body in Christ; to the one
Spirit who informs it; to the one hope which your calling inspires; to the one
Lord, Christ, in whom you believe with one common faith, and receive one
common sign of that faith, baptism. Above all, to the one God and Father.
Body - Spirit
The body is the invisible Church, the mystical body of Christ: the Spirit, the
Holy Spirit. Πνεῦμα spiritis never used in the New Testamentof temper or
disposition.
Even as

To the facts of one body and one Spirit corresponds the factof their calling in
one hope. Compare Colossians 3:15.
In one hope of your calling ( ἐν μιᾷ ἐλπίδι τῆς κλήσεως ὑμῶν )
In, not by. Their calling took place in the one hope as its moral element or
sphere, since they were called to fellowshipwith Christ who is the one object
and the one inspirer of hope. Compare called in peace, 1 Corinthians 7:15; in
sanctification, 1 Thessalonians4:7(Rev.). Hope here is not the objectbut the
principle of hope. The phrase hope of your calling signifies hope which is
characteristic ofGod's call to salvation, and is engenderedby it. See on
Ephesians 1:18.
Copyright Statement
The text of this work is public domain.
Bibliography
Vincent, Marvin R. DD. "Commentaryon Ephesians 4:4". "Vincent's Word
Studies in the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/vnt/ephesians-4.html. Charles
Schribner's Sons. New York, USA. 1887.
Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
calling;
There is one body — The universal church, all believers throughout the
world.
One Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father — The ever-blessedTrinity.
One hope — Of heaven.

Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website.
Bibliography
Wesley, John. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". "JohnWesley's Explanatory
Notes on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/ephesians-4.html. 1765.
Abbott's Illustrated New Testament
One body; meaning the church, that is, the community of believers.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Abbott, John S. C. & Abbott, Jacob. "Commentaryon Ephesians 4:4".
"Abbott's Illustrated New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ain/ephesians-4.html. 1878.
Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
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 calledin one hope of your calling. We
are calledto one inheritance and one life; and hence it follows, that we cannot
obtain eternallife without living in mutual harmony in this world. One Divine

invitation being addressedto all, they ought to be united in the same
professionof faith, and to render every kind of assistanceto eachother. Oh,
were this thought deeply impressed upon our minds, that we are subjectto a
law which no more permits the children of God to differ among themselves
than the kingdom of heaven to be divided, how earnestlyshould we cultivate
brotherly kindness! How should we dread every kind of animosity, if we duly
reflectedthat all who separate us from brethren, estrange us from the
kingdom of God! And yet, strangelyenough, while we forget the duties which
brethren owe to eachother, we go on boasting that we are the sons of God. Let
us learn from Paul, that none are at all fit for that inheritance who are not one
body and one spirit.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Calvin, John. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". "Calvin's Commentary on
the Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/ephesians-
4.html. 1840-57.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are calledin one hope of your
calling;
Ver. 4. In one hope of your calling] That is, unto one inheritance, which we all
hope for. Fall not out therefore by the way, as Josephchargedhis brethren.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". John Trapp Complete
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/ephesians-
4.html. 1865-1868.
Sermon Bible Commentary
Ephesians 4:4
I. Considerthe unity or oneness ofthe Church as setforth by the unity or
oneness ofthe body. "The body is one," says the Apostle. Notwithstanding the
severallimbs of which it is composed, one life animates the whole. The parts
mutually subserve one another. They instinctively feel that they belong to one
another; that they owe to one anothermutual help and support. And so, too,
the Church is one—one mysticalbody, as we callit—having one Author,
which is God, and one Head, which is Christ, and one informing Spirit, which
is the Holy Ghost;having one country towardwhich all its members are
travelling, which is heaven, one code of instructions to guide them thither,
which is the word of God, one and the same band of enemies seeking to bar
their passage, whichare the world, the flesh, and the devil; having the same
effectualassistancesin the shape of sacraments and other means of grace to
enable them to overcome these enemies, and of God's goodfavour to attain
the land of their rest.
II. But, secondly, as in the human body there is unity, so there is also variety,
diversity, multiplicity, or whateverelse we may please to call it. The Church is
most truly a body in this sense also:that its different members have different

functions to perform, all these being assignedto them by God; and then, and
then only, it makes equable and harmonious growth.
III. Considerthe lessons whichwe may derive from these truths. (1) We are
members of a body. Let us never forgetthis. It is only too easyto do so. Do not
let us yield to the temptation which would lead us to separate ourselves, if not
wholly, yet in part, from the body of Christ, and to setup a selfish
independent life of our own. (2) If we are thus members one of another, many
are the debts which as such we owe the one to the other. We owe eachother
truth, love, honour. Let us ask of God a tenderer, livelier, more earnestsense
of the sorrows, needs, perplexities, distresses,fears, trials, of our brethren.
R. C. Trench, Westminsterand Other Sermons, p. 152.
References:Ephesians 4:4.—J. G. Rogers, ChristianWorld Pulpit, vol. iv., p.
380;Preacher's Monthly, vol. iv., p. 211.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Nicoll, William R. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". "Sermon Bible
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/sbc/ephesians-
4.html.
Expository Notes with PracticalObservations onthe New Testament
The apostle having exhorted the Ephesians to a strict unity and concord
amongstthemselves next proceeds to enforce his exhortation with several
arguments; and there are no fewerthan sevensummed up in the three verses
now before us.

1. Says the apostle, there is one body, that is, one universal church, whereofye
are all members.
2. There is one Spirit, by which ye are all animated and enlivened, and
therefore keepthe unity of the Spirit.
3. There is one hope of eternal life, by which we are all excited. Our
inheritance in heaven is the same;God doth not give one a double portion, or
a parti-coloured coatabove another; but it is calledan inheritance in light,
because allalike are partakers of it, and sharers in it: the saints have all one
hope, therefore should have all but one heart.
4. One Lord Jesus Christ, the head of his church, the Saviour of the body, one
whom we all profess to serve and obey: Be ye therefore one, for your Lord is
one.
5. There is one faith: that is, either one grace offaith whereby we believe, or
one doctrine of faith which is believed; ye all believe in one and the same
Saviour, and are justified by him after one and the same manner; therefore be
ye also one; one in affectionas well as one in belief.
6. There is one baptism, one door by which we all enter into the church; both
Jew and Gentile, bond and free, rich and poor, they are all one in Christ
Jesus, and by one Spirit baptized into one body.
7. One Godand Father of all things. And of all persons in Christ, whom we all
expectone and the same salvationfrom. And this God is transcendently above
all, and over all: his eye penetrates and pierces through you all, and he is in
and among you all, as in his holy temple; therefore such as endeavourto
divide you, do as much as in them lies to divide God himself that dwells in
you.
This then is the sum of the apostle's argument: Seeing ye are all members of
one body, partakers of one Spirit: expectants of one hope, having one Lord
and common Saviuor, one faith and belief, one and the same baptism in the
name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and one and the same God and
Father in Christ; seeing you are one in all these particulars, be one among
yourselves, and endeavour to keepthe unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

From the whole learn, That so many are the obligations, so strong the bonds
and ties, which lie upon all the members of the church to be at unity among
themselves, of one judgment, and of one heart; that such as violate these
bonds, and culpably divide and separate themselves from communion with
their brethern, Christ looks upon them no longer as members of his body, but
as having rent and torn themselves from it.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Burkitt, William. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". ExpositoryNotes with
PracticalObservations onthe New Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wbc/ephesians-4.html. 1700-
1703.
Greek TestamentCriticalExegeticalCommentary
4.] Lachm., joining ἓν σῶμα κ. τ. λ. as far as ἐν πᾶσιν, with what has gone
before, makes these words hortatory: ‘as one Body and one Spirit, even as,
&c.’Certainly the reference to ἡ κλῆσις ὑμῶν seems to tell for this. But, on
the other hand, it is very unlikely that the Apostle should thus use ἓν σῶμα
and ἓν πνεῦμα, and then go on in the same strain, but with a different
reference. I therefore prefer the common punctuation and rendering. (There
is) (better than ‘ye are,’ which will not apply to the following parallel clauses.
The assertionofthe unity of the Church, and of our Lord in all His operations
and ordinances, springs immediately out of the lastexhortation, as following it
up to its greatprimal ground in the verities of God. To suppose it connected
by a γάρ understood (Eadie) is to destroy the force and vividness with which
the greatcentraltruth is at once introduced without preface)one Body (reff.:
viz. Christ’s mystical Body. τί δʼ ἔστιν, ἓν σῶμα; οἱ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης

πιστοί, καὶ ὄντες κ. γενόμενοι κ. ἐσόμενοι. πάλιν καὶ οἱ πρὸ τῆς τοῦ χριστοῦ
παρουσίας εὐηρεστηκότες, ἓν σῶμά εἰσι. Chrys. But these last hardly sensu
proprio here) and one Spirit (viz. the Holy Spirit, who dwells in, and vivifies,
and rules that one body: see ch. Ephesians 2:18; Ephesians 2:22; 1
Corinthians 12:13 al.: not as Chrys., ἓν πν. καλῶς εἶπε, δεικνὺς ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ
ἑνὸς σώματος ἓν πνεῦμα ἔσται, ἢ ὅτι ἐστὶ μὲν σῶμα εἶναι ἕν, οὐχ ἓν δὲ πνεῦμα·
ὡς ἂν εἴ τις καὶ αἱρετικῶνφίλος εἴη· ἢ ὅτι ἀπʼ ἐκείνου δυσωπεῖ, τουτέστιν, οἱ
ἓν πνεῦμα λαβόντες, καὶ ἐκ μιᾶς ποτισθέντες πηγῆς οὐκ ὀφείλετε διχονοεῖν·ἢ
πν. ἐνταῦθα τὴν προθυμίανφησίν), as also ( τὸ καθὰ οἱ ἀττικοὶ χρῶνται, τὸ δὲ
καθὼς οὐδέποτε, ἀλλʼ ἢ τῶν ἀλεξανδρέων διάλεκτος, καθʼἣν ἡ θεῖα γραφὴ
γέγραπται. Emm. Moschop. a Byzantine grammarian, cited by Fabricius, vi.
191. See also Phryn. p. 426, and Lobeck’s note:and Ellic. on Galatians 3:6) ye
were calledin (elemental—the condition and sphere in which they were called
to live and move, see reff. Mey. referring to Galatians 1:6, takes the
instrumental sense:see there) one hope of (belonging to: you were calledin it
as the element, see above:it is then an accidentof the κλῆσις. Or perhaps it
may be the genitive of the causa efficiens, ‘whichthe calling works,’as Ellic.
Cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:6, μετὰ χαρᾶς πνεύματος ἁγίου)your calling:
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Alford, Henry. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". Greek TestamentCritical
ExegeticalCommentary.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hac/ephesians-4.html. 1863-
1878.
Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament

Ephesians 4:4. ἓν σῶμα καὶ ἓν πνεῦμα, one body and one Spirit) In the
Apostles’Creed, the article relating to the Church properly follows the article
relating to the Holy Spirit.— καὶ ἓν, and one) Spirit, Lord, God and Father:
the Trinity; comp. the following verses.— ἐν μιᾷ ἐλπίδι, in one hope) The
Spirit is the earnest, and therefore the hope of the inheritance is joined with
the mention of His name.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bengel, JohannAlbrecht. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". Johann Albrecht
Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jab/ephesians-4.html. 1897.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
There is one body; i.e. the church of Christ, Ephesians 1:23:see Colossians
3:15.
And one Spirit; the self-same Spirit of Christ in that body by which all the
members live and act, 1 Corinthians 12:11,13.
Even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one inheritance in heaven, to
the hope of which ye are called, Colossians1:12.
Hope, for the thing hoped for, as Colossians 1:5: see 1 Peter1:3,4.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentaryon Ephesians 4:4". Matthew Poole's English
Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/ephesians-4.html. 1685.
Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament
One body; the church, the body of Christ, of which all true believers are
members.
One Spirit; one Holy Spirit dwelling in the hearts of all, and animating all.
One hope; hope of heaven, through faith in the divine Redeemer.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Edwards, Justin. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". "Family Bible New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/fam/ephesians-
4.html. American TractSociety. 1851.
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
4. ἔν σῶμα καὶ ἔν πνεῦμα. ‘As the body is one so also is the spirit.’ The unity of
the body is takenas an axiom, and the unity of the spirit, on which attention is
being concentrated, is shown to be a necessarycorollary. Cf. Ephesians 2:16;
Ephesians 2:18.

καθὼς καὶ ἐκλήθητε ἐν μιᾷ ἐλπίδι τῆς κλήσεως ὑμῶν. St Paul has already
calledattention (Ephesians 1:18) to the hope implied in a callfrom God. Here
the thought is that of the unifying power of a common goal. Different as the
manner of the different ‘callings’may be, and various as are the conditions in
which the call of God finds a man, yet the end is one. The hope is the hope of
the glory (Colossians 1:27;Romans 5:2) at once present and future.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
"Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". "Cambridge Greek TestamentforSchools
and Colleges".https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cgt/ephesians-
4.html. 1896.
John Eadie's Commentary on Galatians, Ephesians, Colossiansand
Philippians
(Ephesians 4:4.) ῝εν σῶμα καὶ ἓν πνεῦμα—“One body and one Spirit.” The
connectionis not, as is indicated in the Syriac version-Keeping the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace, in order that you may be in one body and one
spirit. Others construe as if the verse formed part of an exhortation—“Be ye,
or ye ought to be, one body,” or keeping the unity of the Spirit as being one
body, etc. But such a supplement is too great, and the simple explanation of
the ellipsis is preferable. Conybeare indeed renders—“Youare one body,” but
the common and correctsupplement is the verb ἐστι. Kühner, indeed (§ 760,
c), says that such an asyndeton as this frequently happens in classicGreek,
when such a particle as γάρ is understood. Bernhardy, p. 448. But the verse
abruptly introduces an assertatoryillustration of the previous statement, and
in the fervent style of the apostle any connecting particle is omitted. “One
body there is, and one Spirit.” And after all that Ellicott and Alford have said,

the assertatory(rein assertorisch, Meyer)clause logicallycontains an
argument-though grammatically the resolution by γάρ be really superfluous.
Ellicott, after Hofmann, gives it as “Rememberthere is one body,” which is an
argument surely to maintain the unity of the Spirit. The idea containedin
σῶμα-the body or the church-has been alreadyintroduced and explained
(Ephesians 1:23, Ephesians 2:16), to the explanations of which the reader may
turn. The church is described in the secondchapter as one body and one
Spirit- ἐν ἑνὶ σώματι-ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι; and the apostle here implies that this
unity ought to be guarded. Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Colossians1:24.
The church or body is one, though its members are οἱ πανταχοῦ τῆς
οἰκουμένης πιστοί. (Chrysostom.)There are not two rival communitie s. The
body with its many members, and complex array of organs of very different
position, functions, and honour, is yet one. The church, no matter where it is
situated, or in what age of the world it exists-no matter of what race, blood, or
colourare its members, or how various the tongues in which its services are
presented-is one, and remains so, unaffected by distance or time, or physical,
intellectual, and socialdistinctions. And as in the body there is only one spirit,
one living principle-no double consciousness,no dualism of intelligence,
motive, and action-so the one Spirit of God dwells in the one church, and
there are therefore neither rivalry of administration nor conflicting claims.
And whateverthe gifts and graces conferred, whatevervariety of aspectthey
may assume, all possessa delicate self-adaptationto times and circumstances,
for they are all from the “one Spirit,” having oneness oforigin, design, and
result. (See on Ephesians 4:16.) The apostle now adds an appeal to their own
experience-
καθὼς καὶ ἐκλήθητε ἐν μιᾷ ἐλπίδι τῆς κλήσεως ὑμῶν—“evenas also ye were
calledin one hope of your calling.” καθὼς καί introduces illustrative proof of
the statementjust made. The meaning of this clause depends very much on
the sense assignedto ἐν. Some, as Meyer, would make it instrumental, and
render it “by;” others, as Grotius, Flatt, Rückert, and Valpy, would give it the
meaning of εἰς, and Chrysostomthat of ἐπί. Harless adopts the view expressed
by Bengelon 1 Thessalonians 4:7, and thinks that it signifies an element-
indoles-ofthe calling. We prefer to regardit as bearing its common
signification-as pointing to the element in which their calling took place-in una

spe, as the Vulgate. 1 Corinthians 7:15; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Winer, § 50, 5.
Sometimes the verb is simply used, both in the present and aorist(Romans
8:30; Romans 9:11; Galatians 5:8), and often with various prepositions. While
ἐν represents the element in which the calling takes effect, ἐν εἰρήνῃ, 1
Corinthians 7:15; ἐν χάριτι, Galatians 1:6; ἐν ἁγιασμῷ, 1 Thessalonians4:7 :
ἐπί represents the proximate end, ἐπ᾿ ἐλευθερίᾳ, Galatians 5:13; οὐκ, ἐπὶ
ἀκαθαρσίᾳ,1 Thessalonians4:7 : εἰς depicts another aspect, εἰς κοινωνίαν, 1
Corinthians 1:9; εἰρήνη- εἰς ἥν, Colossians 3:15;εἰς τὸ θαυμαστὸναὐτοῦφῶς,
1 Peter2:9 -and apparently also the ultimate purpose, εἰς περιποίησιν δόξης, 2
Thessalonians 2:14;εἰς βασιλείαν καὶ δόξαν, 1 Thessalonians 2:12;τῆς
αἰωνίου ζωῆς εἰς ἥν, 1 Timothy 6:12; εἰς τὴν αἰώνιοναὐτοῦ δόξαν, 1 Peter
5:10; other forms being εἰς τοῦτο, 1 Peter2:21; εἰς τοῦτο ἵνα, 1 Peter3:9 -
while the instrumental cause is given by διά ; the inner, διὰ χάριτος, Galatians
1:15; and the outer, διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, 2 Thessalonians2:14. The following
genitive, κλήσεως, is that of possession—“inone hope belonging to your
calling.” See under Ephesians 1:18, on similar phraseology. The genitive of
originating cause preferred by Ellicott is not so appropriate, on accountof the
preceding verb ἐκλήθητε, the genitive of the correlative noun suggesting what
belongs to the calland characterizedit, when they receivedit. The “hope” is
“one,” for it has one object, and that is glory; one foundation, and that is
Christ. Their call- ἡ ἄνω κλήσις (Philippians 3:14), had brought them into the
possessionofthis hope. See Nitzsch, System. § 210;Reuss, Théol. Chrét. vol. ii.
p. 219. “There is one body and one Spirit,” and the Ephesianconverts had
experience of this unity, for the hope which they possessedas their calling was
also “one,” and in connectionwith-
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Eadie, John. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". John Eadie's Commentary on
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jec/ephesians-4.html.
PeterPett's Commentary on the Bible
‘There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of
your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Fatherof all, who
is over all, and through all, and in all.’
It may well be that this sevenfoldlist was regularly recitedin some form in a
recognisedcreedin Christian gatherings. It gives the impression of a
repetitive statement.
‘One body.’ Paul now stressesthat the oneness ofHis people is basedon the
oneness ofthe bases fortheir faith. Thus ‘one body’ is not just a bald
statement, it has in mind the One body of our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified on
the cross, in which we are united with Him in His death and resurrection
(Ephesians 2:16). We are one body because we are united in the One body (1
Corinthians 10:16-17;Romans 6:4-6), the body of His flesh through death
(Colossians1:21).
‘One Spirit.’ Compare Ephesians 2:18;1 Corinthians 12:13. We are made
alive, indwelt and sealedby the One Spirit. He is not divided and we too
should not be. We should share His aims and purposes. How can we divide the
One Spirit?
‘One hope of your calling.’ We have all been calledby God and all share the
same confident hope. Therefore, with our hope one, our aims should be one.
For our calling is not only in relationship to ourselves it is in relationship to
the whole of God’s people. We are togethera part of His overallpurpose.
‘One Lord.’ No overlord would be satisfiedto have his armies bickering under
his command. He wants them to be working togetherfor the good of the
whole. That is why coalitions do not work so well, there is not one overall lord.

So our Lord also demands that we love one another and work togetheras one
in loving obedience to Him.
‘One faith.’ Our faith is basedon the testimony of Jesus Christ. We thus share
the same faith on primary matters, the same essentialteachings. These
essentialtruths are important and were carefully guarded by the early
church. Without them a man is not a Christian. So our oneness must be on the
basis of basic Scriptural truth.
‘One baptism.’ All see in baptism the same essentialtruth of having received
the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:47). And see in that one baptism the outward symbol
of being baptised in the Spirit into the body of Christ, into oneness with Him
in His death and resurrection. Thus baptism should be expressing unity with
all who have been baptised into Christ.
‘One God and Fatherof all, Who is over all, and through all, and in all.’
There is One Who is overall, the One from Whom every Fatherhoodin
Heaven and earth is named (Ephesians 3:14-15), Who is Father of all His
children, Who works through them, and Who dwells with and in them by His
Spirit (John 14:23). Thus are we all one family and should maintain family
unity under His Fatherhood.
So eachof the sevenaspects offaith point to our oneness, whichHe desires
will be the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The sevenare divisible into three groups eachof which centres on a member
of the Godhead. The Spirit was the One Who effectually calledus and
implanted our hope within us, the Lord taught us our faith and supplies the
Spirit testified to in baptism (John 14:16; John 15:26;John 16:7), the Father
is over all. Compare 1 Corinthians 12 4-6 where there are diversities of gifts
but the same Spirit, diversities of ministrations but the same Lord, and
diversities of workings but the same GodWho works all things in all.
Other conjunctions are discernible. One body (first) with one Father
(seventh). One Spirit (second)with one baptism (sixth). One hope (third) with
one faith (fifth), with one Lord central.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Pett, Peter. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". "PeterPett's Commentary on
the Bible ". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pet/ephesians-
4.html. 2013.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
4. There is—The italics show that these words are supplied by the translators.
Like the “for” supplied by Eadie, they weakenthe sense. Thus far Paul has
been preparing the Ephesians for the unity; he now points to the high centres
of unity their Christianity presents, and abruptly exclaims, One body, one
faith, etc. Seventimes is the word one repeatedto show them how perfect is
their ideal oneness.
One Spirit—Forming the higher soul of the one body. It is the infinite Spirit so
animating all their finite spirits as to centralize them into one body, and give
that body life and power.
One hope—The single blessedhope in Christ, by which they joyfully
anticipate a glorious eternity.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Whedon, Daniel. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". "Whedon's Commentary
on the Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/ephesians-
4.html. 1874-1909.
Expository Notes ofDr. Thomas Constable
Sevenelements of unity follow that unite believers in the church. Believers
should remember them when tempted to break unity. Again all three
members of the Trinity are in view and play a part in this process.
"Paulnow gives the basis [for unity] by explaining in more detail how
elements of the Christian faith revolve around the three persons of the
Trinity. Unity is stressedby the sevenfolduse of "one" (eis, mia, en)." [Note:
Hoehner, Ephesians , p513.]
The one body is the church, the universal body of believers in the present age (
Ephesians 1:23; Ephesians 2:16; Ephesians 3:6). The one Spirit is the Holy
Spirit who indwells the church as a whole and every individual believer in the
church ( Ephesians 2:22;1 Corinthians 12:13). The one hope is the hope of the
future that eachChristian has and the whole church has (cf. 1 Peter 1:3; 1
Peter3:15). This hope beganwhen God calledus to salvation ( Ephesians 1:4;
Ephesians 1:18; Ephesians 2:7; Ephesians 4:1). These identifications seem
clearfrom their occurrences elsewhere in the epistle.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Constable, Thomas. DD. "Commentaryon Ephesians 4:4". "ExpositoryNotes
of Dr. Thomas Constable".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/ephesians-4.html. 2012.
Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Ephesians 4:4. There is. This is properly supplied, since we have here, not an
exhortation, but a motive. ‘For’ is not inserted; the argumentative force of the
passageis obvious without it
One body, i.e., the mystical body of Christ, the invisible Church. The existence
of this as a unity is a motive for preserving the unity of the Spirit among
Christians. The force of this motive is weakenedby taking the term as exactly
equivalent to ‘church,’ and such an explanation inevitably leads to false
notions of the unity of the Church, and to unwise methods of preserving it.
One Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who is the life of this body, yet distinct from it.
The term should not be weakenedby any reference to the human spirit. In the
New Testamentit never means temper or disposition.
As ye were also called, etc. ‘Were called’ points to the time when they became
Christians; what occurredthen correspondedwith the fact that ‘there is one
body, and one Spirit,’ enabling them to recognize this fact. The
correspondence is better suggestedby joining ‘also’(not ‘even’) with the verb.
In one hope of your calling. ‘In’ points to the elementin which the calling took
place;the ‘one hope’ is not that which is hoped for, but our hope, which is
one, because it has one objectand source. ‘Of your calling’ may mean either
that the hope resulted from the calling, or belongedto it, as characteristic of
it. The latter is perhaps preferable.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Schaff, Philip. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". "Schaff's Popular
Commentary on the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/scn/ephesians-4.html. 1879-
90.
The Expositor's Greek Testament
Ephesians 4:4. ἓν σῶμα καὶ ἓν πνεῦμα: There is one body and one Spirit. This
is not to be taken as part of the exhortation, ἐστέ or γίνεσθε being understood
(Calv., Est., Hofm., etc.); for that would not be consistentwith the following
εἷς κύριος, εἷς θεός. It is a positive statement, made all the more impressive by
the lack of γάρor any connecting particle, and giving the objective ground, or
basis in fact, on which the walk in lowliness, meekness, long-suffering and
loving forbearance is urged, and of which it should be the result. The σῶμα is
the whole fellowship of believers, the mystical body of Christ (cf. Ephesians
2:16; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 10:17; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Colossians
1:24). The πνεῦμα, as in Ephesians 2:18, is the Holy Spirit who is in the
Church and in whom we are “baptised into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13).
The idea that this greatsentence means only that we are to be united so as to
be one body and one soul, though supported by Calvin, is out of harmony with
the largerscope ofthe following verses, and in any case stands or falls with
the view that this verse is part of the exhortation.— καθὼς καὶ ἐκλήθητε ἐν
μιᾷ ἐλπίδι τῆς κλήσεως ὑμῶν: even as also ye were calledin one hope of your
calling. καθὼς (late Greek for the καθά, καθό, καθάπερofthe Atticists and the
earlier writers;cf. under Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 3:3 above)illustrates and
enforces the unity as something entirely in accordancewith their calling, the
καί marking this as a secondthought suggestedby the first. The ἐν may be
instrumental (so Mey., referring to Galatians 1:6), the point then being that
the calling came by means of one hope, viz., that of the Messianic salvation.

But it is rather = in, expressing the ethicaldomain or element in which the
calling took place (Ell.). The κλήσεως is the gen. of origin or efficient cause, =
the hope originatedor wrought in you by your calling, as in Ephesians 1:18
(Ell., Mey.); rather than the gen. of possess., = the hope belonging to your
calling. The fact that, when they were called out of heathenism, one and the
same hope was born in them, is a fact in perfect keeping with the unity of the
Christian body and the unity of the Divine Spirit operating in it, and the one
confirms and illumines the other.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Nicol, W. Robertson, M.A., L.L.D. "Commentary on Ephesians 4:4". The
Expositor's Greek Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/egt/ephesians-4.html. 1897-
1910.
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
In one hope of your vocation. The three greatreasons that we have to love one
another are containedin this verse, because we have but one body, of which
Christ is the head. We are all animated by the same spirit, viz. the Holy Ghost,
who is given to us all, and we all live in the same hope of eternal happiness.
(Calmet)
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