Ephesians 4:5-6 (NIV): 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:5-6 (NIV) highlights the foundation of Christian unity by declaring, "one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all". These verses emphasize the shared spiritual foundations that connect believers under one God.
But, as we can see even before up to this present generation there are so many kinds of religion exist, with different ways of worship, denominations and doctrines and sad to say there is no unity.
Key Aspects of this passage:
One Lord: Refers to Jesus Christ the one and only savior of the world.
One Faith: Refers to the shared belief in the gospel and salvation through Christ alone.
One Baptism: Signifies the shared initiation into the body of Christ alone.
One God and Father: Emphasizes the supreme, omnipresent, and transcendent nature of God as the Father of all believers.
· Omnipotent (All-Powerful): God has supreme, unlimited power and is not limited by space, time, or physical laws. God is the creator of all things and can do anything that is logically possible.
· Omniscient (All-Knowing): God possesses perfect, total knowledge of the past, present, and future, including human thoughts. Nothing is hidden from or surprises God.
· Omnipresent (Everywhere): God is present in all places at all times
This means God is not restricted to one location and fills the universe, but is distinct from it
These verses are part of Paul's call to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, emphasizing that believers must be united by these central beliefs. And in order for us to be able to do these, first we must have a personal RELATIONSHIP with God. A personal relationship with God will help us to have a personal fellowship with him which is the most important in our spiritual growth. Unlike, when you want to know more about Jesus and first thing you’re doing is seeking the best religion, surely it could not help your spiritual growth. Do you know why? Religions are full of rules, rituals and more on justifications that are out from the truth. Religion always causes division while a personal relationship with God produces fellowship that will help every believer to grow spiritually with peace and unity through faith in Christ regardless of who you are.
Does religion help us to grow spiritually?
Religion: Focuses on rules, rituals, and "dos and don'ts". It is often viewed as man's effort to reach God through good works or traditions(justifications) and always causes division.
· Ephesians 2:8-9NIV-8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
· Isaiah 1:11 (NIV): "The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to me?' says the LORD. 'I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.'
· James 1:27NIV: 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Does personal relationship with God help us to grow spiritually?
Relationship: Focuses on knowing God personally, love, and grace. It is centered on the belief that God initiated the connection by faith through his son Jesus Christ. This is the only key for us to have an intimate fellowship with our heavenly Father as a united family who are born not of blood, not by religion, but being born of God.
· Revelation 3:20 (Intimacy): "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me"(ESV).
· John 1:12-13NIV: 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
· Galatians 3:28NIV: 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
· John 10:30NIV: I and the Father are one.”
· 1 Timothy 2:5NIV: For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,
· 2 Corinthians 5:17-21NIV: 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
My dear brothers and sisters we are not called by our Loving God to build a religion but we are called to be united in his name and to come together before him, in order for us to start building up a strong relationship that will empower our faith on him. Religion has nothing to do with our faith, but only our personal/intimate relationship with God through Christ Jesus who set us free from all our sins. Apart from him we can do nothing.
With humility,let's always be united and not divided in the body of Christ.We have only one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all, let's fixed our eyes unto him who is the author and perfecter of our faith.
Prayer:
Father God, we come before You, not seeking the constraints of religion or the approval of others, but desiring a raw, honest, and personal relationship with You. We surrender our lives to you for you are the way, the truth and the life. Blessed our hearts and minds specially the youth to know you more and have a personal/intimate relationship with you. Lead us always in your ways and let the spirit of peace that transcends all understanding dwell within us. As your children may you always help us to do the things that are pleasing and acceptable to you. Keep us be united in your name Lord and not be divided.Protect us oh God against the deceptive works of the enemy. In Jesus name, AMEN!
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