In Ephesians 4:44There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (Ephesians 4:4) we read these clear and definite words: “There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.” This precious truth, so dear to God, was revealed to Paul from a risen Christ in glory. Paul taught it to all those believers to whom he ministered, but it is most clearly brought out in Ephesians, a book that gives us the highest blessings of the believer. To be joined to a risen Christ, as our Head in heaven, and to be part of His body on earth is a privilege that was never known before the present dispensation of grace, nor will such a privilege be accorded to any others after the church is called home. Not only is it a signal honor to be chosen, as believers, to be members of His body, but also it is a truth supremely precious to Christ. That is why His voice from heaven said to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus (when he was intent on arresting and killing believers), “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” (Acts 9:44And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Acts 9:4)). Any act against believers was felt by the Lord Jesus because His own body was being touched.
No doubt this truth was well-known and acted on in the days of the apostles. Paul mentions it in almost all of his epistles, the truth being developed most fully in Ephesians. However, it was not long before this truth, among others, was abandoned, and before he was taken home, Paul had to say, “All they which are in Asia be turned away from me” (2 Tim. 1:15). History tells us that shortly after this, much of the truth that Paul had taught was practically given up, and human arrangement took the place of the authority of God’s Word. For many centuries the truth of the one body was scarcely recognized, much less acted upon practically.
The Recovery of This Truth
Nearly two hundred years ago, it pleased God to raise up men who recovered and preached this truth again, and a real work of God in souls caused many believers to come out of the systems of men and to gather simply as members of the body of Christ. They saw that the body of Christ was universal and not bounded by national, racial or denominational restrictions. Once more the privilege of being members of the body of Christ was enjoyed and acted on. Many believers took hold of this truth and appreciated its significance, even though they frequently remained in systems that did not display this truth practically.
As time went on difficulties arose, and as often happens, the truth was distorted in two different directions. Another has expressed the problem well: “Satan is busy, seeking to lead us to one side or the other — to destroy the largeness of the unity of the body, or to make it mean looseness in practice and doctrine. We must not fall into one in avoiding the other.” On the one hand, it is a wonderful privilege to recognize the whole body of Christ and that every true believer is a member of it. God’s Word does not recognize membership of assemblies or groups — only members of the body of Christ. To come together on that ground is the broadest possible ground on which to gather, and the Spirit of God gathers on no other ground. In spite of all the failure that man has brought in, the blessed truth remains, “There is one body.” Nothing can change this, for it is a unity established and kept by God Himself.
The Need to Purge
From Vessels to Dishonor
On the other hand, there is a need in these last days to separate from that which is not according to the Word of God. We are told in 2 Timothy 2:21 that a man must “purge himself from these,” referring to vessels to dishonor. We must separate from what dishonors the Lord, for His claims and His glory must come first in our lives, whether individually or collectively. Even a true believer may connect himself with what is not according to God’s Word, and in separating from what dishonors the Lord, we of necessity separate from the believer too. This makes the pathway for faith a narrow one, for there are still many today who are like “all in Asia” and who have turned away from Paul’s doctrine.
In mentioning this need for balance, it is important to notice that separation is here connected with the “house” aspect of Christianity; at first it was called the house of God, but now in 2 Timothy 2 it is simply called a “great house.” Separation is not connected with the truth of the one body, for, as we have seen, it is a unity made and kept by God Himself. We cannot separate from the body of Christ, although we may not act responsibly as members of the body; that is, we may not keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. However, responsibility and walk are connected with the house of God, and it is in this connection that we must separate from vessels to dishonor.
The Right Balance of Truth
How then can we balance the truth and avoid the ditch on either side of the road? I would suggest that we need to remember that the same verse that tells us “there is one body” also says “and one Spirit.” We are living in the days when the Spirit of God is here on earth, indwelling each true believer individually and dwelling among believers collectively as the house of God. It is the Spirit that formed believers into one body on the day of Pentecost, and it is the Spirit of God that acts today to save souls, bringing them into that one body. If there is a unity of the body that cannot be broken, there is also a unity of the Spirit that continues to exist today, in spite of the failure of man. It is in this unity of the Spirit that we are called to walk. It is not enough merely to recognize that we are all members of one body; the Spirit of God is here so that we may practically act on this truth. It is the Spirit of God who is the interpreter of Scripture, so that we are not entitled to our own interpretation of it. It is the Spirit of God that is willing to make us “likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Phil. 2:22Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (Philippians 2:2)). It is the Spirit of God that will enable us to “walk by the same rule” and “mind the same thing” (Phil. 3:1616Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. (Philippians 3:16)). It is the Spirit of God that will make it possible for us to “be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus,” that we may “with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:5-65Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5‑6)).
The Spirit does not need to be prompted or encouraged to do this; it is His function. But how often our own wills and our own thoughts get in the way! Then human arrangement takes over, for as the power of the Spirit declines in our hearts, man seeks to cover his failure with human energy. Some go to the extreme of sectarianism, losing the sense of the largeness of the unity of the body, while others fall into looseness and dishonor the Lord. Both extremes have contributed to the ruin of the church and have distorted the precious truth of the one body. The result is seen in our day — a day similar to the days of the judges in Israel, when “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:2525In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25)).
The Unity of the Spirit
It does not need to be this way. We should not expect that everything will come back together as it was in the early days of the church; nevertheless, the Spirit of God is still here, and there is a unity of the Spirit in which we can walk. It involves constant self-judgment, for self will always want to get in the way. “The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these things are opposed one to the other, that ye should not do those things which ye desire” (Gal. 5:1717For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (Galatians 5:17) JND). For this reason Paul told the Ephesians to use “diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace” (Eph. 4:33Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3) JND). There is no need for this diligence when God’s purposes and blessings are spoken of, but when it is our practical walk, diligence is most necessary. If the flesh is continually judged and kept in the place of death, the Spirit of God is free to lead us (and every other believer) into that unity which is according to the truth of God as revealed in His Word. In spite of the “perilous times” of these last days, God can give us the grace to walk in that unity.
W. J. Prost