Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - ONE

ONE

“that they may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in you; 

that they also may be one in Us… 

(John 17:21)

The plea that the Christian church should be unified seems to basically have gone unheeded throughout history. The multiple denominations give evidence as to how small differences in various aspects of ministry have resulted in large fractures in the oneness of Christian life. But the plea still remains - that we should be one with the Godhead.

The Bible relates the ways in which we should come together over those means which tend to drive us apart. In spite of our differences, we are all part of one entity.

One body. We, who belong to Christ, are all part of His one body and our differences should compliment each other, not cause separation, as the parts of the human body are all needed to make us work properly.

One spirit. If we are all part of the same body, then we should all be acting under the same spirit, the Holy Spirit, the only one we should listen to.

One hope. We should work together as and for one body under the direction of the one Spirit because we all have the same hope as to what awaits us some day in Christ.

One Lord. Because if you have only one body, and only one Spirit, then there must be only one Lord over it all. This belief ensures that there is that one hope at the end provided that…

…One faith is adhered to. There may be many ways in which that faith may be celebrated but in essence it comes down to having that one unifying belief which is required of all.

And one baptism which unites us all even though the manner of baptism may vary, the meaning remains the same, the message is unchanged; the acceptance of… 

…One God over us all. 

As Paul put it:

 

There is one body and one Spirit… 

one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 

one God and Father of all… 

(Ephesians 4:4-6) 

If we could accept these points and not quibble over other less significant details, then perhaps we would be closer to achieving that situation in which Christ wanted us to be; that is united “one in Us…as You, Father, are in Me and I in You.” (John 17:21)

Perhaps something to which we should all give more thought.