Seven Foundations of Fellowship: There is One God
Introduction
What is one of the key truths about God that can bring a diverse group of believers together in unity? For the past six weeks we have studied the “Seven Ones” - the foundations of fellowship found in Ephesians 4. Each one of these qualities expresses the keys of faith that can overcome differences and divisions to bring the church
together as one. The list ends with One God - a truth that unites all of the “ones” and draws them together in an appropriate conclusion.
Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Paul led into this list with this appeal: that we “keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (vs 3).
There is One God.
The Old Testament and New Testament affirm this truth.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
Mark 12:29-30 When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, He replied, “The most important one…is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
Almost all of Christendom is united in the truth that God exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This unity of the three into one has been called “the trinity.” Though the term ‘Trinity’ isn’t in Scripture, it simply reflects a truth clearly seen throughout the Bible: God is one, yet exists in three persons—Father, Son, and Spirit.” The three members of the Godhead each play different roles in God’s eternal purpose.
Today our focus is on God as our Father.
1. He Relates To Us (Father) (“one God and Father of all… )
In Ephesians Paul writes “God our Father” over and over again.
Eph. 1:2 – “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Eph. 1:3 – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms
with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
Eph. 1:17 - “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ”
Eph. 2:18 - “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
Eph. 3:14-15 - “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ”
Eph. 5:20 - “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
What does it mean to you that God is your loving heavenly Father? This passage teaches that God relates to us, and in Him we find unity and peace.
2. He is Close to Us
The Bible has many names and descriptors for God. He’s called the everlasting God, a consuming fire, the Almighty, the Most High, the Ancient of Days. Perhaps the one that touches our heart is “Father”.
“The word ‘Father’ evokes in most people powerful images and feelings—some full of love and comfort, others of pain and absence. But Jesus invites us to call God ‘Abba’—a word of tender closeness, not cold distance.” — Henri Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son
Galatians 4:6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”
Bayles: The word Abba is an Aramaic word that would most closely be translated as “Daddy.” It was a common term that young children would use to address their fathers. It signifies the close, intimate relationship of a father to his child, as well as the childlike trust that a young child puts in his “daddy.”
Romans 8:15-16 “…The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
1 John 3:1 says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
Since we’re all children of God, that means we’re all family and we should treat each other that way. So first, God is an Abba God—a Father to us all.
3. He is Greater Than Us (“who is over all…” or “above all”)
God is transcendent. He is greater than, more than, above and beyond all that is or was or ever will be.
We are finite and limited in our abilities, thoughts, and in our time of existence, but in contrast to us, God is infinite and limitless in His thoughts and abilities.
Isaiah 55:9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Job 26:14 “And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can
understand the thunder of his power?”
Bayles: Even today with our ever-expanding knowledge of the universe and the atom, we’re still just seeing the outer fringe of God’s works. … Through all eternity, we will look upon Him and marvel at the endlessly creative, wonderfully gracious, uniquely righteous, timelessly beautiful, unsearchably glorious, infinitely loving, amazing God who is over and above all!
He Relates to us… is close to us…is greater than us…
4. He is With Us Always (God “is through all and in all”)
God is actively present and pervasive in all of his creation.
God is Transcendent - beyond us in every way.
God is Immanent - very very near.
This speaks to God’s availability and accessibility to every person, in every place, at every point.
Psalm 139:7-8 “Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”
God really is everywhere. We call it omnipresence.
James 4:8 “Come near to God and he will come near to you….”
Tim Keller wrote in his book The Prodigal God: “God is not merely a king or a judge—he is a Father who runs to us with compassion. That changes the relationship from fear to love, from distance to closeness.”
Conclusion
1. So we say with Paul: there is one God and Father of all—above us, among us, and within us—and because of Him, we are one.
2. “The greatest tragedy is to live as though we are fatherless—when the very heart of the gospel is that we are the beloved sons and daughters of God.” Brennan Manning – Abba’s Child
3. Paul gives us these seven strong truths to bind believers together: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all.
4. As we bring this series to a close, if you don’t already know God as your Abba Father, I want to encourage you to seek him today. Reach out to him and you’ll find that he isn’t far from you. If you need some help drawing near to him, I’d love to help. You can pull me aside after church, call me at home, or better yet, come forward while we stand and sing.
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Discussion Questions
1. What is one quality you’ve always admired in a good father figure?
2. Why do you think Paul ends this list of seven with “One God and Father of all”? What role does God’s fatherhood play in our unity as believers? How can our shared relationship with one Father influence the way we treat one another in the church?
3. In what ways do you find it difficult (or easy) to relate to God as “Abba” or “Daddy”? What might help you grow in trust and closeness to Him?
4. How does the image of adoption help you understand your identity in Christ?
5. The sermon mentioned God's transcendence (He is greater than us) and His immanence (He is near to us). How have you personally experienced both aspects of God?
6. How can remembering God’s greatness help you when you face doubt, fear, or suffering?
7. Read Psalm 139:7–8 and Acts 17:27–28. What do these passages teach us about God’s presence?
8. What difference does it make in your daily life to know that God is above all, through all, and in all?
9. What else did you want to talk about today?
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Some of the resources I used in this series
One: Unity in the Spirit - sermon series by Scott Bayles
https://sermoncentral.com/sermon-series/one-unity-in-the-spirit-sermon-series-from-scott-bayles-23779
There Is One - sermon series by Roger Hasselquist
https://sermoncentral.com/sermon-series/there-is-one-sermon-series-from-roger-hasselquist-23269
Seven Ones Equal Unity - sermon series by David Owens
https://sermoncentral.com/sermon-series/7-ones-equal-unity-sermon-series-from-david-owens-23678
Bruce, F. F. The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians. Eerdmans, 1984.
Copeland, Mark. The Significance of Being a Christian. https://executableoutlines.com/topical_series/significance-being-christian/sig_03.html
Fox, Michael. Complete in Christ. Xulon Press, 2007.
Hutchens, Gary. What Is Faith Not? http://www.churchofchrist.com/articles/what-is-faith-not1987045
Liefeld, Walter L. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: Ephesians. InterVarsity Press, 1997.
Ferguson, Everett. The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today. Eerdmans, 1996.
Simpson, E. K. Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians. Eerdmans, 1977.
Stott, John. the Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Ephesians. InterVarsity Press, 1979.
Wright, N. T. And Michael F. Bird. The New Testament in Its World. Zondervan, 2019.
