Interpretations

Ephesians 4:5: One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Why are there different Christian interpretations? Why is there infighting among believers who are supposed to be unified? If all Christians have the same Bible, and the same Holy Spirit, should not Christians be able to agree? To determine the Biblical answers, we look to:

• Historical Context: Written between A.D. 60-63, Ephesians 1:1 identifies the author of the Book of Ephesians as the apostle Paul.  Paul intended that all who long for Christ-like maturity would receive this writing. Enclosed within the Book of Ephesians is the discipline needed to develop into true children of God. Furthermore, a study in Ephesians will help to fortify and to establish the believer so he can fulfill the purpose and calling God has given. The aim of this epistle is to confirm and to equip a maturing church. It presents a balanced view of the body of Christ and its importance in God’s economy.  Perhaps more than any other book of the Bible, the Book of Ephesians emphasizes the connection between sound doctrine and right practice in the Christian life. Far too many people ignore “doctirne” and instead want to only discuss things that are “practical.” In Ephesians, Paul argues that doctirne is practical. In order to live out God’s will for us in our lives practically, we must first understand who we are in Christ doctrinally.

• Grammatical Usage: “One Lord” in the Greek is, “ei Kurio” meaning “a single sovereign, prince, chief” and, in context, referencing the Lord Jesus Christ and He alone; “One faith” in the Greek is, “mia pisti” meaning, “a single conviction, belief or basis of truth” in context meaning one act of trust in Christ, the same for all (Jew or Gentile), one way of being saved;  “One baptism” or “en baptisma” meaning, “one rite of immersion” and, in context, it is the result of baptizing (baptisma), while baptismo is the act. There is only one act of baptism for all (Jews and Gentiles) who confess Christ by means of this act, not that they are made disciples by this one act, but profess Christ publicly by this ordinance.

• Literal Application: [There is] only a single sovereign: the Lord Jesus Christ; [there is] an exclusive conviction of redeeming truth based upon the Lord Jesus Christ; [there is] but a single ordained rite of public profession by means of immersion identifying belief and acceptance in the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Contextual Interpretation: This passage emphasizes the unity that should exist in the body of Christ as we are indwelt by “one Spirit” (verse 4) who testifies to the truth of v. 5.  In verse 3, Paul makes an appeal to humility, meekness, patience, and love—all of which are necessary to preserve unity. According to 1 Corinthians 2:10-13, the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God (verse 11), which He reveals (verse 10) and teaches (verse 13) to those whom He indwells. This activity of the Holy Spirit is called illumination.
  As to our text, the basis of unity includes:

• One Lord: a reference to Jesus Christ, there is no better way of promoting unity among Christians (social activity and spiritual belief) than by reminding us that we have the same Savior. And when jealousies and heart-burnings arise; or when they are disposed to contend about trifles; when they magnify unimportant matters until they are in danger of rending the church asunder, when confusion has taken hold, we are reminded that we have one Lord and Savior and we should lay aside contentions, and be one again;

• One faith: the same belief. That is, either the belief of the same doctrines, or faith of the same nature in the heart. The word may be taken in either sense. I see no reason why it should not include both here, or be used in the widest sense. If so used, it means that Christians should be united because we hold the same great doctrines; and, also, because we have the same confidence in the Redeemer in our hearts and in the Holy Spirit who seals us to the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).  We have the same trust in Christ, therefore we should be one. We may differ in other attachments: in temperament, in pursuit, in professions in life and, of course, in our spiritual gifts; but we have a common faith making us ONE.  An absolute essential to unity of our faith is the illumination of the Holy Spirit as specifically cited in vv. 3 & 4 which has a direct bearing upon the correct interpretation of Scripture;

• One baptism: Having received Jesus Christ as personal savior, we are all baptized in the name of the same Father, Savior and Sanctifier. We have all in this manner been consecrated unto God, and devoted to his service.  This refers to the solemn act that is universally applied among the faithful — the act of consecration to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost via baptism, an outward act of obedience as both testimony to fellow believers and witness to unbelievers of our devotion to and for God. Given this act of devotion, we are truly one.

Disunity is a result of breaking with one (or more) of the points above.  In a perfect world, every believer would dutifully study the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15) in prayerful dependence upon the Holy Spirit’s illumination. As can be clearly seen, this is not a perfect world. Not everyone who possesses the Holy Spirit actually listens to the Holy Spirit. There are Christians who grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30). Ask any educator—even the best classroom teacher has his share of wayward students who seem to resist learning, no matter what the teacher does. So, one reason different people have different interpretations of the Bible is simply that some do not listen to the Teacher—the Holy Spirit, who underscores the unity of our faith.

• Scriptural Comparison: Following are some other reasons for the wide divergence of interpretations among those who teach the Bible:

1. Unbelief. The fact is that many who claim to be Christians have never been born again. They wear the label of “Christian,” but there has been no true change of heart. Many who do not even believe the Bible to be true presume to teach it. They claim to speak for God yet live in a state of unbelief. Most false interpretations of Scripture come from such sources.
   It is impossible for an unbeliever to correctly interpret Scripture. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). An unsaved man cannot understand the truth of the Bible. He has no illumination. Further, even being a pastor or theologian does not guarantee one’s salvation.
   An example of the chaos created by unbelief is found in John 12:28-29. Jesus prays to the Father, saying, “Father, glorify your name.” The Father responds with an audible voice from heaven, which everyone nearby hears. Notice, however, the difference in interpretation: “The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.” Everyone heard the same thing—an intelligible statement from heaven—yet everyone heard what he wanted to hear.
2. Lack of training. The apostle Peter warns against those who misinterpret the Scriptures. He attributes their spurious teachings in part to the fact that they are “ignorant” (2 Peter 3:16). Timothy is told to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). There is no shortcut to proper biblical interpretation; we are constrained to study.
3. Poor hermeneutics. Much error has been promoted because of a simple failure to apply good hermeneutics (the science of interpreting Scripture). Taking a verse out of its immediate context can do great damage to the intent of the verse. Ignoring the wider context of the chapter and book, or failing to understand the historical/cultural context will also lead to problems of accurate interpretation.
4. Ignorance of the whole Word of God. Apollos was a powerful and eloquent preacher, but he only knew the baptism of John. He was ignorant of Jesus and His provision of salvation, so his message was incomplete. Aquila and Priscilla took him aside and “explained to him the way of God more adequately” (Acts 18:24-28). After that, Apollos preached Jesus Christ. Some groups and individuals today have an incomplete message because they concentrate on certain passages to the exclusion of others. They fail to compare Scripture with Scripture.
5. Selfishness and pride. Sad to say, many interpretations of the Bible are based on an individual’s own personal biases and pet doctrines. Some people see an opportunity for personal advancement by promoting a “new perspective” on Scripture. (See the description of false teachers in Jude’s epistle.)
6. Failure to mature. When Christians are not maturing as they should, their handling of the Word of God is affected. “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly” (1 Corinthians 3:2-3). An immature Christian is not ready for the “meat” of God’s Word. Note that the proof of the Corinthians’ carnality is a division in their church (verse 4). Some of the characteristics of a carnal Christian are independence, self-confidence and self reliance.   A carnal Christian is ruled by self-centeredness, self-glory, self-exultation, self-love, self-pity and self-importance, self-ambition and pride. Everything he does, he does for show and to gain something for himself, even if it’s just the praise of men.  Carnal Christians are often talkative and flippant, always making themselves the center of attraction. They tend to use many words and look upon themselves as more advanced than others. As a result, they are often faultfinders. Working for the Lord is of the utmost importance to them; however, they feel that everything must be done in a hurry. They do not wait on the Lord for His direction and His answers nor are they consultative in their manner with fellow believers.. They walk by sight, not faith. They often are uncommonly gifted, have great talents and majestic personalities. The also may have large spiritual vocabularies. They are usually ambitious and want to attain glory for themselves. They seek spiritual discernment in light of worldly wisdom rather than depending upon the Holy Spirit to lead them. But, again, they do all of this to dwell upon their own superiority, rather than reaching out to others in the spirit of unity.  The key to discerning carnal from true spiritual intent is the fruit.  Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  The fruit of the Holy Spirit is in direct contrast with the acts of the sinful nature in Galatians 5:19-21, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
7. Undue emphasis on tradition. Some churches claim to believe the Bible, but their interpretation is always filtered through the established traditions of their church. Where tradition and the teaching of the Bible are in conflict, tradition is given precedence. This effectively negates the authority of the Word and grants supremacy to the church leadership.
8. Lack of doctrinal foundation.  In short, “doctrine” is defined as what we know and believe about God.  Some Christians view the word “doctrine” as almost a curse word. The thought process is essentially “doctrine is to be avoided because doctrine causes division among Christians, and God desires Christians to be united as it says in John 17:21.” While it is true that doctrine does cause division, if the division is due to a disagreement over an important biblical teaching, division is not necessarily a bad thing. Paul declares, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3). Titus 1:9–2:1 proclaims, “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it…But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.”  This is not to say that there is not room for diversity of thought in relation to matters of outworking the faith; it is to say that with respect to the cardinals (essentials) of the Christian faith there is only unanimity.  The Christian faith, more than any other, is based on doctrine. The doctrines of the deity of Christ (John 1:1, 14), the substitutionary sacrifice and blood atonement of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:18, 19), the resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:17), and salvation by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) are absolutely essential and non-negotiable. If any of these doctrines are removed or redefined, the faith is empty and void. If Christian doctrine is causing division on any of these points, so be it, as those who deny these doctrines need to be separated from.
9. Failure to perform decently and in order.  1 Corinthians 14:40 is the golden rule for organizing and conducting the work of the church.  The word “decently,” comes from a Greek root word that means honestly or in a seemly manner.  The word “order” in this same passage means an arranging, arrangement, a fixed succession observing a fixed time, due or right order, orderly condition.  Let all be done in order, regularly, without confusion, discord or tumult.  God is a God of order and peace, and He wants order and peace when the church comes together to worship, instruct, minister and fulfill the Great Commission.  The establishment and adherence to a Scripturally-based constitution and by-laws provides a local church clarity of roles and authority, procedures and policies thereby safeguarding the obligation to perform decently and in order.

Conclusion: Regarding essential doctrine, the Bible is abundantly clear. There is nothing ambiguous about the deity of Christ and His blood atonement, the reality of heaven and hell and salvation by grace through faith. On some issues of less importance, however, Scripture is less clear naturally leading to interpretations. For example, we have no direct biblical command governing the frequency of communion or style of music. Honest, sincere Christians can have differing interpretations of the passages concerning these peripheral issues.

Recognizing this dichotomy, we are to be dogmatic where Scripture is and avoid dogmatism where Scripture is not; striving to follow the model of the early church in Jerusalem: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). There was unity because they were steadfast in doctrine, conducting themselves in order, with love one for another. There will be unity in the church again when we get back to essential doctrine, orderly conduct, foregoing preferences, fads, and gimmicks that have crept into the church proving divisive given their very nature.