Ephesians 4:4
4 There is one [heis] body, [soma] and [kai] one [heis] Spirit, [pneuma] even as [kathos] [kai] ye are called [kaleo] in [en] one [mia] hope [elpis] of your [humon] calling; [klesis] KJV-Interlinear
4 There
is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your
calling; NASB
One body, is a reference
to the collective group of believers in Christ.
There is only one Christianity, not several recognized denominations or
organizations or groups.
The many protestant, Catholic
and other groups in this world, pursue many different forms of worship, rites, rituals,
even beliefs, many of which the Bible does not even teach, but have been adopted
and redefined for the convenience of a given group. Some pursue things for their financial benefit,
while others pursue various beliefs for their popularity or member drawing
appeal. Still others cling to rigid
ritual, or ceremonial, or beliefs handed down from former generations. Still others pursue beliefs that enhance lust
driven patterns.
So, the cafeteria of
religions is big, and the choices are many.
And all of them are wrong.
There is but one
Christian faith, one body or family of God, namely those who have believed in
Christ. There is no other way to enter into
Gods family, but by a one-time expression of faith or belief in Christ.
There is only one Spirit,
which is the Holy Spirit. He serves all
the same, and does not serve various groups with different policies or
patterns.
The Holy Spirit serves in
a silent and unseen capacity. There is
no possession, no ceremonial or emotional reactions resulting from the
Spirit. There are no overt manifestations
resulting from ones interaction with, through, or by the Spirit.
Even salvation, your
calling and the hope of that calling, is unique and of one nature.
There are not many ways
to be saved. There are not many ways of
access to God.
No one can earn
salvation, no works can be applied to deserve salvation.
Works are false. Sincerity is false. Good deeds are false. Rituals are false. Adherence to membership rules is false. Being in any group or organization that
implies that they are the chosen, is false.
There is only one way of
salvation and that is through the non-meritorious thought, which is faith in Christ,
or believing in Christ. That thought or
belief, ‘Father, I believe in Jesus Christ,’ is the one and only expression or
method of gaining salvation for oneself.
It is a form of prayer, the only prayer that the unbeliever can express
and have heard by God. The Father is the
target and recipient of all prayers.
Belief, is a non-meritorious thought whereby the individual cannot claim
credit for their belief, thus arrogance is eliminated from the salvation process.
Salvation takes but a
moment, or the length of time it takes to express this single thought or
belief. And salvation is in effect a
re-birth, or a new birth into the spiritual life, which the unbeliever did not
have until they believed in Christ.
And yet there are many
groups that for whatever reason, believe that they can find something that will
take away their salvation, because God has somehow overlooked something, and that
they need to keep on earning their way into heaven.
Salvation is
permanent. Once saved, always
saved. There is nothing that a person
can say or do to lose their salvation. Salvation
is a new birth. You cannot unborn
yourself. Once born, always born.
E-Books, E-Book Reader
Your Comments
Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Subscription Options
