…The spheres of family life, social life, church life, and national life are all visible, and they impress us with a vivid sense of our unity, as brothers, neighbors, fellow church members, fellow citizens. But, to a true child of God, the invisible bond that unites all believers to Christ is far more tender, and lasting, and precious; and, as we come to recognize and realize that we are all dwelling in one sphere of life in Him, we learn to look on every believer as our brother, in a sense that is infinitely higher than all human relationships.
(List of 12 aspects of unity continued)
7. One building or temple (2:20, 22).
“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Corner Stone; in Whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:20, 22).
In this case with reference to the one foundation, etc., and one habitation of God through the Spirit.
8. Fellow heirs (3:6).
“That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His Promise in Christ by the Gospel” (Ephesians 3:6).
Co-heirs, participators of one inheritance.
9. Family (3:15).
“Of whom the whole family in Heaven and Earth is named” (Ephesians 3:15).
The Greek for “family” here is patria, tribe or race from one father — an amplification and expansion of the idea of one household.
10. One body and one Spirit (4:4).
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4).]
The septi-form of unity is contained in Ephesians
4:4-6: one body, one Spirit,one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father.
11. The bride, or wife (5:22-23).
12. The panoply (6:10-17).
All true believers are wearing the same armor, and panoplied in the same divine power.
.
…Our fellowship is thus with the Father, in Him, as close as His own fellowship.And our fellowship is also with all saints in heaven and on earth, oftime, past, present, and future. We all belong, in Him, to Him and to one another, and the more we know Him, the more we shall know and love all who are His and who are in Him.
…This is the one and only way to bring disciples permanently together.
All other plans for promoting the unity of the Church have failed. Let us live more and more in Christ, and then we shall and must live more and more in the bonds of a holy love and peace. It must be first of all the unity of the Spirit.
Part 2 of 2 , an excerpt of chapter 4 of In Christ Jesus, by A.T. Pierson (Originally published in 1898).
[1] 1 John 4:17
“Each of the four gospel narratives, the book of the Acts, all of the epistles of Paul and Peter, James and John, and Jude, with the mysterious Revelation of Jesus Christ, show us some new relation sustained by Christ Jesus to the believer, some new aspect of Christ ashis sphere of being, some new benefit or blessing enjoyed by him who is thus in Christ Jesus.” This public domain volume can be downloaded at http:/www.WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Text.Only/pdfs/In_Christ_Jesus_Text.pdf.