Secrets to the Unity of the Seven Ones

Secrets to the Unity of the Seven Ones

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul describes the unity that believers are to have in seven “ones.”

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 (Ephesians 4:4–6 NIV84).

The seven “ones” are:

  1. One body
  2. One Spirit
  3. One hope
  4. One Lord
  5. One faith
  6. One baptism
  7. One God and Father of all

Let’s examine each of these in detail:

  1. One body refers to the body of true believers. This group is also described in Scripture using other symbols, such as the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25–27), the heavenly sanctuary/temple built out of living stones with Christ, the Chief cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4–8), the holy city (Revelation 21:9–14). We describe this in detail in our magazine The Wedding of Christ to His Bride: Preparing the Church for the Second Coming.

The point Paul is making is that the one body of believers is composed of those who have been reborn to have new hearts and right spirits, who have the character of Christ reproduced within. These people are not defined by denomination, attestation to a certain creed or fundamental list of beliefs, or by ritual or ceremony. They are defined by Christlike character and unity with God in heart, mind, soul, and spirit. These individuals are connected via the Holy Spirit to Jesus and receive from Jesus His life so that it is no longer their old fear-based sinful selves living, but Christ living in them (Galatians 2:20). We only become part of the one body by surrendering our hearts/minds/selves to Jesus, dying to the old me-first way, and being recreated to love God and others more than self by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

  1. One Spirit refers to God the Holy Spirit, the one and only Spirit that Jesus promised would come and apply into our hearts and minds His victory, His righteousness, His perfection, making effectual His victory in us individually (John 16:5–15).

And once this happens, once our spirits have been cleansed, renewed, recreated by the Holy Spirit, we then come into the unity for which Jesus prayed:

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (John 17:20–23 NIV84, emphasis mine).

When we receive the one Holy Spirit, our fear, selfishness, me-first drives are replaced with love for God and others and we experience a unity that is inherent in our faith. Our spirits are cleansed to have “one” “team spirit,” one spiritual attitude of love and trust and, thus, we can say with Paul,

Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit (1 Corinthians 5:3 NIV84, emphasis mine).

We, by the one indwelling Holy Spirit, experience one united spirit of love for God and others.

  1. One hope refers to our only hope of salvation—Jesus Christ our Savior.

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield (Psalm 33:20 NIV84).

Why is there only one hope? Because Jesus is the only remedy to our sin condition:

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken (Psalm 62:5, 6 NIV84).

The Bible describes our one hope in other metaphors:

  • Narrow path versus wide path (Matthew 7:13)
  • One gate into the sheep pen (John 10:1–42)
  • One mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5)

And what do we hope to receive through/from Jesus? Healing, renewal, cleansing, removal of all guilt, shame, sin, and death:

We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:2, 3 NIV84, emphasis mine).

  1. One Lord, of course, refers to God, to having no other God before our Creator God, to loving the Lord our God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength (Exodus 20:3; Luke 10:27). But I believe it has special reference to we humans recognizing God the Son, Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior—that while we worship God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in their triune perfection, we recognize Jesus as our Lord in a special, functional, objectively distinct way that the Father and Spirit are not. Specifically, we recognize that Jesus is not only fully God, but He is God who became fully human and is our new head of humanity, our second Adam, our Liege and Lord, the representative head of our species in the courts of heaven, reigning on the divine throne (Hebrews 2:14; 4;15; 5:8, 9; 1 Timothy 1:9, 10; 1 Corinthians 15:47). Thus, Jesus is our Lord, Liege, Champion, and King who sits on David’s throne (Luke 1:32, 33; Romans 1:3). Jesus reclaims Earth and all its domain from the infection of sin and restores this creation back into unity with the unfallen sinless universe and forever stands as our Sovereign leader and governor of not only all of heaven, but specifically of Earth. He is Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords! Jesus is not only our Creator, our God, our Savior—He is our human Champion, Liege, and Lord—the representative of humanity in God’s presence reigning upon God’s throne!
  2. One faith means more than our personal saving faith in Jesus; it means a common understanding, belief, trust, and confidence in God and His designs for life that leads to common motives, goals, and similar practices. When we are “one body” indwelt by the “one Spirit” and have a unified spiritual attitude focused on our “one hope” and honor our “one Lord,” we experience the transformation of our hearts and minds and become more like Jesus. We love what Jesus loves and hate what Jesus hates, and we gain wisdom, discernment, and understanding of the operations, principles, and methods of God. We come to understand God’s character and His design laws for life, and we choose to align ourselves with Him. We mature into a common faith because life as God created it is built on common principles—God’s design laws for life. People who understand and appreciate the laws of health and want to have healthy bodies do common things and have a common shared appreciation for life, health, and the principles of healthy living. They build community exercise facilities and come together to support each other in their common goal of living healthier lives. Likewise, when we have God’s love and truth operating in our hearts, we have a common faith with everyone who knows God for themselves (John 17:3) and worships God as Creator, and we build worship facilities and come together to exercise our faith to live healthier, Christlike lives.
  3. One baptism refers to the one and only baptism that is required for the salvation of every single person—the baptism—immersion—of the heart, mind, and soul into the Holy Spirit, where we die to the old sinful, fear-based, selfish self and arise with a new heart and right spirit cleansed and reborn to love God and others more than self.

He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5 NIV84, emphasis mine).

Every person saved through history—Enoch, Elijah, Moses, Daniel, the apostles, the martyrs, you, and me—are saved only as we experience the cleansing and renewal of heart and mind by the working of the Holy Spirit. We must die to sin and be reborn to love God and others more than self. This is only possible because of Jesus Christ, who provides the new heart and right spirit—who as a human overcame and developed a perfect, sinless, righteous, human character, heart, and mind and offers these to us as a free gift. It is the Holy Spirit that takes the victory of Christ and reproduces it in us, such that, as Paul said, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20 NET).

The water baptism is a public ceremony that acts out the submersion of our hearts and minds into the cleansing waters of the Holy Spirit, where we leave behind the old sinful person and arise to a new and righteous life. But H2O doesn’t cleanse from sin, nor do ceremonies—the only baptism that saves is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The thief on the cross who accepted Jesus as Savior and whom Jesus confirmed is saved did not participate in the water ceremony, but he did experience his heart and mind cleansed by the Holy Spirit. This is the one true baptism.

But does this mean that the water ceremony is unimportant and we don’t need to do it? No—the ceremony is important. It is part of the process of solidifying into our being the rebirth that we have already experienced from the Holy Spirit. How it actually works is that the baptism of the Holy Spirit causes the heart to be cleansed and the person to be reborn into a new life in Christ—this occurs first. Then, with their new heart, the new believer wants to take a stand for God and follow His healing instructions and directions. And to mature and grow in godliness requires more than mere verbal declarations; we must also choose to live out and apply God’s truths to our lives. So in order to heal, grow, and be transformed, the new convert must choose to live out God’s principles. By choosing to align ourselves with God in behavior and practice, we solidify into our beings the new motives and commitments. Thus, the public act of being baptized in water is not only a witness to others, but it reacts upon us and solidifies our commitment and resolve to stay faithful.

  1. One God and Father of all confirms that our God is love. For love cannot exist in a singularity but requires an other. We have in this text our one Lord Jesus Christ, our one Holy Spirit, and the reality of who God is as our God of love would be incomplete without the confirmation of our One Father of all. Thus, we have our united faith in our one triune God of love. And each member of the Godhead has chosen amongst themselves to take on different roles and responsibilities in carrying out different functions in how they relate to each other. You can read more about this here: Trinity—More Questions.

When we experience Jesus, recognizing Him as our “one” Lord—the Word made flesh, the truth and the life of God given to us—we accept His testimony that if we have seen Him, we have seen the “one” Father, the lies of Satan are cast out, and we are won to trust. We open our hearts in the “one” faith and experience the “one” baptism, the immersion of our entire being in the cleansing power of the “one” Spirit, and we are reborn to be “one” in spirit with all others who have been reborn, and we are part of the “one” body of believers whose “one” hope is in Jesus Christ. And our one hope will not be disappointed, because…

“we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:2, 3 NIV84, emphasis mine).

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Testimony 27

Your teachings about our heavenly Father have changed my life. Thank you sooooooo very very much! I know He’s doing some serious healing in my heart and life and I look forward to each new day to learn something new about Him and to just hear you speak about Him. Thank you, forever.

Nancy S.

 

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I had a lot of pressure, as a pastor’s kid, to conform and be “good.” I was good at being “good.” I thought my life was going along well until it all started falling apart and I could not figure out why! In my search for “why is this happening to me, God?” I came across your book, “Could it be this Simple,” and God started revealing to me the many distortions I held about His character, His principles, and how He has designed His universe to operate. I remember thinking, “Wow, I have had this all backwards.” I was happy and angry all at the same time. Happy to have the light of truth break through the darkness, revealing a wonderful, beautiful way of understanding God and His plan for His children, and angry, because I felt deceived and cheated by the church, my family, and myself!

My heart thrills when I listen to your bible study lessons. Literally I have gone from death to life. It is a journey I look forward to every day, as God reveals areas this distortion affects. Praise GOD! I will ever be grateful to God for this ministry and your cooperation with the Spirit!

Karen S., Portal, AZ, USA

 

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[This ministry is the] biggest blessing I have ever received! Your DVDs and lessons could not have come at a better time in my life. I have experienced in the past year many difficulties that, if it wasn’t for this wonderful view of God that I have discovered through this ministry, I would not have been able to respond in love and forgiveness. My heart is being transformed everyday by the Calvary-looking God you teach. Hallelujah!! I have tears in my eyes as I write, because my life has taken a complete turn from where I was heading.

I am from Central America. Most of my family is scattered in different parts of the world and all have the same view of God that I had growing up; a distant, exacting, and ready-to-punish-us-with-tragedy type of God. So, I have been translating lessons for my family and, to my surprise, they have also been sharing them with others! I can already see the difference. My brother has often said, “Thank you for sharing, I have never heard it this way!” My other family members are taking an amazing turn from a message of “repent or burn” towards a loving God, pleading to us that we won’t reject him because he loves us eternally.

Bless you for all you do.

Sofia S., Ashfield, MA, USA

 

Testimony 60

Just watched watched lesson 10 in the 1st quarter 2021 bible study classs on Isaiah. I want to thank you for your intellectual spirituality; it’s not an oxymoron! From the point of view of a teacher I also enjoy seeing how much personal pleasure you clearly take in not just tasting, but feasting on God’s word – it reminds me of Jeremiah not being able to hold it in! It makes me smile that your cup is so full and overflowing that you make it to Tuesday’s lesson (on a good day). It just goes to show the richness of God’s Word.

God bless the Come and Reason Team from our church here in Great Britain.

Andrew H., Great Britain

 

Testimony 37

Hearing Dr. Jennings’ presentations in person came at a pivotal moment in my spiritual journey that began about nine months ago, when the fault lines inherent in my belief system began to crack under questions that most reasonable people end up asking about God and His nature. These were questions I couldn’t find answers to, and they shook my faith. I was unable let it go any longer and be satisfied. My Christian experience became distant. I was afraid; the fear in me rose like thorns, pushing me away from Jesus. And then someone heard my questions and introduced me to this ministry, and my life has totally changed.

I can tell you that this new, “present truth” message is far grander and life-changing than when I shifted from being an agnostic and then a nominal Christian. It has radically altered my worldview, because it reveals a God that makes sense. It is a revolution. I believe that Dr. Jennings’ message is the final message that must go to the world. If any message could be called “righteousness by faith,” as abused as that term is by the right and the left, this is that message, because Jennings’ biblical message identifies a God who is different, whose character isn’t an impossible contradiction.

I walk this path now without fear. I see people differently, and the Holy Spirit burns in my heart. Many call Dr. Jennings’ message false and compromising, but it isn’t false, because I’ve seen the fruits within my mind and body. It is not compromising, because in this message is the only road to holiness that makes any sense. No longer do I behold a pagan god who is always angry and suspicious. Instead, I behold a God who is freeing and loving, always working for our good, and giving me every reason to love my enemy even to my own death, just as Jesus pleads with us. God is good.

Anthony L., CA, USA

 

Testimony 49

I came into the church at 21, but that is as far as it went. I was so confused about what love is. I couldn’t find it in the bible, because I am not a person that can read between the lines. I have no logic. I have read many, many books; trying to figure out the crux of the matter. They were helpful, but something was still missing. I have become very frustrated to the point of crying out to God, “Where can I go?”  I needed some basics.

I found two books, written by Timothy Jennings, MD, to be very helpful. God showed me that I had lived my whole life in fear. I didn’t even see it. Now, I do. God is so good.  I discovered the “The Remedy”  Dr. Jennings new book, “The God-Shaped Heart!” Oh, I was so excited, I purchased them right away.

I can get rid of most of my books, because “The Remedy” brings the Love of God out so clearly, even I can’t miss it. Now, I want to sit and read my Bible. Wow, what a revelation! It is just simply Awesome! I am so grateful to Jehovah Almighty for hearing my prayer for more understanding! I am so encouraged!

Jackie S.

 

Testimony 30

God lead me to your book “The God-Shaped Brain” while I was searching for another book about the brain and then to your interview about your book on HeartWise Ministries [where] I found out about [Come And Reason Ministries]. I’m now devouring the webcasts of your Bible studies. I have been so greatly blessed and I thank God so much for your courage to speak the Truth in love no matter what. Listening to you contrast the two opposing systems (laws) and digging deep to unearth the hidden treasures in the Bible makes me so incredibly happy and I feel very blessed to be part of your Bible Study Group although I live far away. I am just so excited that there is a group of people that is spreading the Truth about the character of God and it saddens me how few realize what our Father in Heaven is really like.

Kessy B., Australia

 

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I got the book “Could It Be This Simple?” a few months ago and the reading was wonderful and I was fascinated. I lent the book to a friend at work. She is having a difficult time and the book is helping her to find Jesus and I found this very exciting. She has asked me questions and I can see her life changing.

H. S., Australia

 

Testimony 47

I can’t even begin to thank you and your ministry enough for introducing me to the Truth about a loving and merciful God! I have my daughter and her in-laws to thank for sharing with me “The God-Shaped Brain” as well as your website. I listen to the Bible study class lessons on my daily walk. May God continue to bless your thirst-quenching ministry!

Liz H., Port Angeles, WA, USA

 

 

Testimony 2

I continue to enjoy your lessons every week. The more that I research your conclusions, the more I am convinced that the Holy Spirit has lead you to distill out the essence of human redemption. Thank you for your courageous stand for the truth.

S. G., TX, USA

 

Testimony 43

Two years ago I stumbled upon your book, “Could It Be This Simple,” and then found “The God-Shaped Brain” videos on YouTube, your bible study class, and the ‘Come And Reason’ mobile app. I shared your book with a friend and after nine months of showing love, patience, and kindness this person has been changed by the love of God, too. The same love that healed me, I now express to other women in tangible ways, such as to a Baptist woman with high anxiety and childhood trauma. She was extremely happy and relieved when I shared about the so-called “judgment of God” and burning in hell. She had no desire to serve a God that was so harsh. I have repeated the phrase dozens of times to her. “What we believe has power over us, but we have power over what we believe…”

This message that you are sharing has changed my life. I will continue to serve other women and bring this message of God’s healing love to their lives by sharing your books, YouTube videos, and The Remedy Bible app. Keep up the good work. Don’t be discouraged. God is doing a mighty work in and through this ministry!

Jill L., Midwest, USA

 

Testimony 13

I borrowed “Healing The Mind” DVDs from a friend and showed them at my home for a small gathering of women friends. Neither of my friends are Adventist, but they both enjoyed and embraced the messages you taught. In fact, one of the ladies prayed out loud in our group and that was the first time she had ever had public prayer.

J.B. ,Dalles, OR, USA

 

Testimony 28

I have been following your Bible study class for about a year now. I must say I am impressed with how your ministry has grown. I took it upon myself to listen to all your lesson podcasts from the past and they have both enriched me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I have learnt a lot from this class. I have also noticed how the class has grown in spiritual strength. One of the things that benefited me is that now I am not afraid of God. I use to be, but now it has melted away. The second thing is that you helped me to have a real life relationship with God. Now He is my friend that was always there and I love having him with me all the time. Thirdly, because of this class, it inspired me to take over and lead a class. I have called it “Let Us Reason Together,” adapting your inquisitive style and creating a class of free thinkers.

T. Banda, Malawi, Africa

 

Testimony 11

I would love to have a copy of “Healing the Mind” DVDs to have in my therapy office. I enjoy having clients check out materials to enhance their therapy experience. I have sat under Dr. Jennings’ teaching at an American Association of Christian Counselors convention and respect his work greatly.

K.B., LA, USA

 

Testimony 10

I personally download and listen to each of Come And Reason Ministries Bible study class lessons and PDF study notes to use when teaching my class. Really appreciate the class especially when Dr. Jennings is teaching. Thank God there are persons like him doing His work and traveling to share His beliefs.

B. L.M., North Plains, OR, USA