Saturday, August 10, 2013

Ephesians 4:6 -- God's Sovereignty and The Church's Unity

I have been studying Ephesians 4. Paul is stressing the unity of the Church since the death of Christ unified the Gentiles and the Jews into one body. Paul describes God the Father in Ephesians 4:6 --
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:6, ESV)
Peter O'Brien in his commentary on Ephesians makes the following observations:
God’s universal sovereignty and presence are set forth as the climactic ground for the unity of the Spirit that believers are to maintain. His universal rule is being exercised to fulfill his ultimate purpose on unifying all things in Christ. The unity of the church is the means by which the manifold wisdom of God is being displayed to the universe. The church is the eschatological outpost, the pilot project of God’s purposes, and his people are the expression of this unity that displays to the universe his final goal. (O’Brien, p. 285-286)
God the Father is using the unity of the Church, made possible by the death and resurrection of His Son and is enabled by the indwelling Holy Spirit, to display His manifold wisdom to the universe. We all have a vital role in the church to pursue unity.

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