“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!”
Today’s world is saturated with those who desire to be the next leader. Indeed, the airwaves are constantly being interrupted with a commercial for the next person who should be in charge of our country, county, or city. For some, the insecurity bred by this democratic process can be overwhelming and frightening.
Thus, the simple phrase one Lord brings a wealth of peace. We do not have to endure annoying political campaigns or be anxious through an electoral process. We do not have the uncertainty of the unknown. Our head, our leader, our ruler is already identified and installed in power. God has already determined our head of state, thus freeing us, as citizens of heaven, to devote ourselves to service for our Sovereign.
However, to an Ephesian mind living in a Greek-Roman culture, one Lord (Eph. 4:5) had an even deeper meaning. Paul goes to great lengths to paint the backdrop for his statement. The Ephesians had been heading down a raging river destined to end in a spiraling waterfall of certain death (Eph. 2:1-3). Then God mercifully stepped in and transported them to the land of the living and seated them in an eternal position with the Lord (Eph. 2:4-6). Paul goes on to reveal that they were no longer aliens and strangers but had been made fellow heirs with God’s covenant people (Eph. 2:11-13). Furthermore, the Lord satisfied a document that had them on death row (Eph. 2:14-17). They were now integrated into a brand new institution composed of two main people groups: Hebrews and non-Hebrews (Eph. 2:19-22). They had a new name: the church; they had a new purpose: to display God’s wisdom in this venture; they had a new goal: to glorify God; and they had a new leader: the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:8-20).
By all of these glorious truths, Paul highlights the quality and preciousness of the unity that typifies this new organism. Having done so, he calls us to walk worthy of it. He exhorts our character to be consistent with it. He encourages us to maintain the unity that fundamentally belongs to the peoples the Lord has joined into one new spiritual building (Eph. 4:1-3). This is why Paul cites seven key facets of oneness, and the phrase one Lord just so happens to be fixed like a fulcrum in the very center of this septet (Eph. 4:4-6).
One
There are three things, then, to consider in the phrase one Lord. First is the concept of singularity. This is communicated by the use of the word one in the context of a discussion on unity. The Spirit of God is drawing our attention to focus upon a single person. There are not two or three or more leaders in the body of Christ. We only have one head.
There is nothing more frustrating in bureaucratic government than the chore of locating the appropriate authority to deal with the problem you face. It seems that each administration’s director points to a different jurisdiction that you must wade through in order to answer your question. In contrast, it is exceptionally uncomplicated to have one Lord. No searching for the right department chief; there is only one recipient for all queries, prayers, intercessions, confessions, and compliments. Perhaps we have failed to realize just what an organizational blessing this one Lord status really is for His heavenly citizens.
Structuring the church so that all power and authority reside in one person demands an eminently qualified individual. What an incredible blessing to the church that she has as her leader the only person perfectly qualified for such a role! We have the best there is, and He is already serving in the position of one Lord. We have to confess that the provision of One fully qualified for that role bespeaks God’s grand wisdom and foresight when He designed the church.
Lord
The second consideration of the phrase one Lord is that it stresses the aspect of His place: He is, after all, Lord. The use of this particular title denotes Christ’s authority by virtue of His ownership. He bought the church with His own blood and therefore has the right to conduct business as He sees fit (1 Cor. 6:19b-20). There are to be no other voices in matters of state. We do not use prayer as a means of lobbying the head of state to compromise. We do not coerce Him to our way of thinking or policymaking. He is not on our side as if one of the infantry. Rather, we are directly under His authority.
Joshua experienced a similar epiphany when He met the pre-incarnate Christ on the battlefield the night before Jericho was taken. He asked the Angel of the Lord whose side He was on. The Angel’s answer corrected Joshua’s foggy thinking. “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come” (Josh. 5:14). Joshua immediately behaved himself in a manner consistent with a warrior in the presence of one with a higher rank. He appropriately verbalized the disposition of a humble and lower-ranking soldier (Josh. 5:14b-15). So should we respond when the title Lord is uttered in Paul’s treatise on unity. There is no other stance we can assume.
Response
The final point of consideration is our reaction to the title. Since there is a singular focus upon unity in the context of the passage, the questions must be asked: Are my attitudes and actions adding to or detracting from our Lord’s position in our meetings? Is my attitude serving as a valued tool in building up God’s people or a wrecking ball that demolishes the Lord’s building blow by blow? Are my words the kind that plant emotional seeds which sprout into division, or do I defuse problems by serving as a dead-end of information? Do I redirect other members of the body to first go to the person that is perceived to have been offended—face-to-face and soul-to-soul as the Lord counseled his disciples (Mt. 18:15)? Additionally, am I intimidating in my opinions to the point of pressuring others to follow me as lord, rather than the only one with the title Lord? Am I marring my attachment to the head by covertly thinking that I really know the best course of action for the dilemma the elders are pondering? Do I feel my insights are profound enough to provide the needed wisdom for everyone else? Could I possibly demonstrate behavior consistent with Diotrephes that reveals a desire for personal preeminence rather than Christ’s preeminence (3 Jn. 9)? Simply put, is the one Lord who possesses all authority truly free to exercise it in my personal or corporate existence?
He is the only one who has the right to that claim. May we voluntarily lay ourselves down as Joshua did, and offer our undivided devotion to our one Lord. If He is not afforded that place, we might one day discover that He is not in the assembly at all, but outside, knocking (Rev. 3:20).