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TH E K ING ’S BUSINESS
with Jesus Christ and so with one another. He brings us to oneness o f love, love for Christ; oneness pf doctrine, the truth as it is in Jesus; oneness o f ambition, to serve Christ;' oneness o f hope, to be like Christ. We will never arrive at true unity by external /combinations and compromises. The Spirit is constantly bringing into unity those who bring themselves into. His control to be taught and led and molded. It is not ours to make unity, it is ours simply to “keep” the unity which the' Holy Spirit begets. We must, however, “give diligence” \ if this unity is .to be kept, for Satan is always on th'e alert to destroy if he can the unity o f believers. This unity is kept “ in the bond o f peace :” , peace binds men together, while war and controversy drive them apart. Tuesday, July 23 . Eph. 4 : 4 - 6 . Pqul here describes the unity into which the Spirit has already brought u s: “there is one body- (i. e., the church—the body of Christ, o f which the Spirit has made all believers members—cf. Rom. 12 :4, 5; 1 Cor. 12:12-27, R. V .), and one Spirit (i. e., the Holy Spirit whom all believers have alike received) * * * one hope of our calling; one Lord (i. e., Jesus Christ), one faith (i. e., faith in Jesus Christ crucified, buried, risen, ascended), one baptism (i. e., as the context clearly proves—vs. 7-12 when compared with 1 Cor. 12:13, 8-11, 28-30—the baptism with the Holy Spirit), one God and Father o f all.” All believers have all these things just mentioned, in common, how then can they be separated from one another. What do our differences amount to compared with these things in which we are one, made one by the Holy Spirit ? /Paul’s description o f God is worthy o f note and meditation. He speaks of Him as “God and Father of all (i. e., all believers, as the context clearly indicates—cf. John 1:12; Gal. 3:26. There is nothing here of the popular but empty heresy o f the univer sal Fatherhood o f God), who is over all (i. e., who supremely presides over all beliey,ers),i and Through all ( v e., carries
out His purpose through each and every one of His children), and in all” (i. e., lives in them—cf. John 14:23; 2 Cor. 6:16- 18; 1 John 4:12, 16; Eph. 2:22); Wednesday, July 24 . 'Eph. 4 : 7 , 8 . . Paul has ju$t spoken of the unity of all believers, he now speaks o f their diversity, diversity o f gifts and offices in the church. But this diversity o f gifts should not sep arate them, but ,bind them together in mutual service (cf. vs. 13, 16). “ Unto (more exactly, to) each one” is given his own particular gift wherewith he may serve the whole body, the church (cf. 1 Cor. 12:7- 10, 12, 14-27; Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Peter 4:10, 11). The grace was given to each-one “according to the measure o f the gift of Christ.” It was all a matter o f grace, of free gift, and each one’s gifts are measured by Christ’s all-wise and sovereign allotment (cf. 1 Cor. 12:11). Paul now quotes a Psalm (Ps. 68 ) in which the bestowal of gifts by Christ at His ascension was proph esied. It is'quite likely that the primary reference o f this Psalm was not to Christ and His ascension. It very probably cele brated some great triumph o f Jehovah through His people in connection with the sanctuary at Zion, but like many a proph ecy (and other portion o f Old Testament Scripture) that had an immediate refer ence and partial fulfillment in contempora neous history, it finds its full significance in Jesus Christ, and was so intended by the Spirit o f God who spoke through the human author. And Paul is right in his application o f it. The Holy Spirit, who is the author o f Old Testament Scripture, is the best interpreter o f it, and it is He who here interprets this Psalm through Paul. It was because Christ was to bestow gifts upon the church that the Spirit said through the Psalmist, “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto, men.” Here the bestowal, o f gifts by Christ is connected with His ascension. It was at His ascension that our Lord Jesus received the Holy Spirit for the church and poured Him .forth on the church (Acts
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