Ephesians 4:3–6

Context

Tradition holds that Ephesians is a letter Paul wrote from prison, though some scholars attribute it to a disciple of Paul. Chapters 1–3 explain how Jews and Gentiles have been made one body in Christ, and from chapter 4 onward the letter exhorts readers to live in a manner consistent with that reality.

Ephesians 4:1–2 urges believers to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called," forbearing one another with lowliness and meekness. Verse 3 calls them to keep the unity that the Spirit has already brought about "in the bond of peace," that is, with peace as the band that holds them together. Verses 4–6 then set forth seven "ones" as the ground for that unity. Because verse 7 and the verses that follow go on to speak of the diversity of gifts, the unity described here is distinct from uniformity.

Interpretation

• Trinitarian reading: Many commentators note the sequence of the Spirit (v. 4), the Lord (v. 5), and God the Father (v. 6). On this basis they read the passage as grounding the unity of the church in the triune God (Trinity).
• Evangelical and conservative reading: This reading places weight on the word "keep." Unity is not something human beings newly create but something the Spirit has already given, and it is preserved on the basis of a common "faith," that is, shared doctrinal content. Accordingly, this reading gives priority to unity of confession over institutional union.
• Reading within the ecumenical movement: This reading holds that the one body should also be manifested in the visible form of the church, and it cites the passage as one of the grounds for dialogue and cooperation among denominations.

Debates and Issues

• "One baptism" and rebaptism: This phrase bears on the question of whether denominations recognize one another's baptisms. There is a practice whereby people who were baptized as infants are baptized by immersion when they join a Baptist church. Denominations that practice infant baptism regard this as contrary to the principle of one baptism. Baptists respond that it is not a second baptism, since they do not consider a baptism received before a person's own profession of faith to be biblical baptism (see Baptism and Immersion and Infant Baptism Debate).
• "One baptism" and Spirit baptism: Against the Pentecostal view that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a distinct experience subsequent to conversion, some appeal to this passage to argue that there is only one baptism. Pentecostals hold that the baptism in this passage refers to water baptism.
• Translation and manuscripts: In verse 6, the phrase rendered "unifies all" in the Korean Revised Version corresponds more closely in the original Greek to "through all" (as in the KJV). For this reason the New Korean Standard Version and other translations render it "through." Some later manuscripts add "us (you) all" at the end of the verse.

In the Korean Church

The passage is frequently used as a sermon text on the theme of unity at gatherings of multiple churches, such as interdenominational events and united Easter services. Some preachers also deliver sermon series that take up the "seven ones" one at a time.

Related Passages

• John 17:20–23
• Ephesians 2:14–17
• 1 Corinthians 12:13
• 1 Corinthians 8:4–6
• 1 Corinthians 1:10