She BelongsSample

A Part of the Whole

How would you define "oneness" as it pertains to the body of Christ?

I recently talked with a woman who grew up in church. She bristled at the thought of oneness. To her, oneness had been communicated in a way that required her to fit into the same mold as everyone else. She believed that to be a follower of Jesus, she had to look the same as every other Christian, drive the same car, wear the same clothes, have the same color hair, and raise the same number of children. Because she wasn’t exactly the same as everyone else, she felt discouraged and like she didn’t belong.

This, however, is not the definition of "oneness" we find in the Bible. According to Ephesians 4:4-6, because we share one Spirit, one Lord, and one God and Father, we need nothing more to be one as a body of Christ.

The oneness Paul describes in Ephesians 4 is something we receive when we come into fellowship with God through Jesus. Jesus extends to us the invitation to leave our alienated life of sin, shame, and brokenness and to join with the body of Christ. This isn’t a demand or a required responsibility of our faith. It’s a gift from God.

Jesus demonstrated this idea of oneness when He called His twelve disciples. The disciples had their differences. Some were fishermen; one was a tax collector, another a revolutionary. Some were brothers; some were strangers. What we know is, they were not the same. They came from different places and had different experiences, but they all came to the same One.

Jesus prayed for them (and for us), “Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:11, ESV). Because of Jesus, we have been reconciled to God through one faith. Because of Jesus, we have been united into one body

Our willingness to be one with the body of Christ impacts not only our lives but also the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Consider for a moment who may be helped, strengthened, encouraged, and equipped as you choose to engage with and belong in the body of Christ.