“I Knew a Man”

“It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:1-2).

In this context, Paul is affirming and defending his apostleship. In doing so, he recognized that “to glory,” or boast, was necessary to defend his office, but he stressed that it was not “expedient” or profitable. Paul found it distasteful, but he had no choice and was forced to do it.

Thus, he told them, “I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.” Visions are seen, and revelations are heard. Through visions, Paul, as an apostle, received direct revelation from the Lord. “Revelations” refers to an unveiling of truth from God. Paul had direct encounters with the Lord in which he saw and heard Him and learned things he did not know before. When Paul was saved on the road to Damascus, the Lord told him, “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee” (Acts 26:16).

The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Paul many times over the course of his ministry to make known to Paul “the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began” (Rom. 16:25). The mystery is the body of grace truth; it is the faith that God revealed for the current dispensation of grace. This was revealed to Paul first.

The mystery had been kept secret since the world began; to make this previously hidden truth known, the Lord appeared to Paul to reveal it to him. However, the mystery was not made known to Paul all at once. It was gradually unfolded to him through a series of revelations.

Twenty years into his ministry, when he wrote 2 Corinthians, Paul was still receiving visions and revelations from the Lord and was expecting more.

Paul’s Spectacular Vision

“And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
“How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
“Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities” (2 Cor. 12:3-5).

Speaking of visions and revelations, Paul elaborated on the most spectacular one of them all in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4. When Paul wrote of this vision, he switched to the third person to describe it because of his reluctance to boast about himself and his ministry. He did everything he could to relate the experience while taking the focus off himself.

Paul wrote, “I knew a man in Christ.” The “man,” of course, was Paul himself, and he added his blessed position and eternal identity: being “in Christ.” This encounter occurred 14 years before he wrote 2 Corinthians. This means it took place between Paul’s conversion and his first apostolic journey. More specifically, it occurred during Paul’s years of ministry in and around his hometown of Tarsus (Acts 9:30). Thus, Paul went from his home on earth to his home in heaven for a short time. Paul had kept quiet about this experience for 14 years, and only then did he humbly and reluctantly mention it to defend his apostolic credentials.

Paul wrote of this experience, “(whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;).” Paul did not know whether the Lord had transported him physically in his body, or if his experience had been out of the body, as a strictly spiritual experience. Paul said that only God knew for certain.

Whether in the body or out of the body, Paul wrote, “such an one [was] caught up to the third heaven.” That Paul was caught up to the “third heaven” tells us that he was taken to the abode of God Himself. The third heaven is where God’s throne room resides (Rev. 4:1-2). It is where the Lord ascended to and is where He is exalted at the right hand of God the Father (Col. 3:1). The third heaven is the place where believers who have died under grace are present and at home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).

Paul reiterated in 2 Corinthians 12:3, “And I knew such a man” and, for emphasis, affirmed for a second time, “(whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;).” Paul was undoubtedly overwhelmed by this heavenly experience, and, by way of his repetition, he reinforces the fact that he truly did not understand the mechanics of how it occurred.

However, what Paul did know for sure was “that he was caught up into paradise.” The third heaven and paradise are the same place and synonymous here. Paradise in the third heaven above, however, was not the same location that the Lord and the believing thief on the cross went to when they died. When Christ told that thief, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), this referred to Abraham’s bosom in the center of the earth (16:22). Our Lord spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth before He rose from the grave (Matt. 12:40).

Paul was “caught up,” and taken to the third heaven. The vision was all of God and something He chose to grant and do for Paul. God chose to declare to Paul the Church’s eternal position in heavenly places (Eph. 1:3; 2:6-7), and so God chose that Paul be caught up to those heavenly places for a time.

Paul wrote of what he had heard while he was there, not what he had seen. Concerning what he heard, Paul gave a vague description, stating that he “heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” Paul heard the language of the third heaven, and he understood what was spoken. “Unspeakable” means inexpressible or unspeakable on account of its sacredness. The words Paul heard were too sacred to be repeated. They were ineffable or too great and holy to be expressed in the common words of our earthly languages.

In 2 Corinthians 12:5, Paul, again in deference and humility, wrote, “Of such an one will I glory,” or on behalf of such a person and his experience, he would boast—while it was, in fact, Paul himself, writing of the experience impersonally, as if it had occurred to some other man he knew. Paul spoke for that man and boasted that he had something to boast about: that God had given him such a privilege and experience. “Yet of myself,” or when Paul did speak of himself, he would not boast of himself or glory in his accomplishments, but rather he would boast “in mine infirmities.” Paul then explained what he meant by that.

Christ’s Sufficient Grace

“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
“For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:7-9).

Paul was not immune to the danger of pride. He could have been “exalted above measure” due to the numerous appearances and abundance of revelations given to him by the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly he could have easily been prideful due to the spectacular vision of the third heaven that he described and experienced in verses 2-4.

However, Paul was in no danger of becoming too impressed with himself due to a thorn in his flesh that was given to him, which reminded him of his limitations and kept him humble and grounded. The word “thorn” means a sharp stake, a pointed piece of wood, or a splinter. A sharp “thorn in the flesh” is painful. Paul is referring to a contant, painful physical affliction with this word picture.

What was Paul’s thorn in the flesh? It has been much debated, but it is impossible to say dogmatically what the thorn in the flesh was. All we can say for sure is that it was a painful affliction in Paul’s life. God has not revealed the precise nature of it, perhaps so that all afflicted believers throughout this age and in all places, who themselves have their own thorn in the flesh, may be encouraged and helped by Paul’s unnamed, yet painful experience. Thus, it is a good thing that we do not know, because no matter what our sufferings may be, we can apply the lessons Paul learned from his thorn and find the same comfort.

Paul regarded his thorn in the flesh as “the messenger of Satan” that was designed by the devil to “buffet” him. The Greek word translated as “buffet” means to strike with the fist or, more generally, to batter or maltreat violently. Paul’s thorn was painful and caused suffering; it was a tool of Satan to discourage and frustrate Paul.

There is a stark contrast between two of Paul’s experiences in this chapter: from paradise to pain. He experienced the blessing of God in the third heaven and then felt the buffeting of Satan on earth.

Satan’s design for the thorn of the flesh was to hinder Paul in the work of the Lord, but the Lord used it to further that work by keeping Paul humble and causing him to rely on the Lord and His grace.

Due to the pain and discouragement from his thorn in the flesh, Paul wrote, “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me” (v. 8). “Besought” means to beg or implore or entreat. In the intensity and constancy of his suffering, Paul drew near to the Lord, and three times Paul passionately prayed and begged the Lord to remove the thorn in the flesh.

This passage demonstrates that, with His change of dispensations, there was a change in God’s will and promises regarding prayer. Thus, what happened next was not, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matt. 21:22). To Paul’s first prayer, no answer came. To his second prayer, no answer came. To his third prayer, the Lord “said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). The Lord answered Paul’s prayer in a way that he did not expect. The Lord answered Paul’s prayer, but denied his request.

The Lord had a higher purpose for Paul’s thorn of affliction: to teach the apostle dependence on the Lord and the sufficiency of His grace. The thorn had driven Paul to recognize his insufficiency and weakness. In Paul’s state of suffering and inadequacy, the Lord promised that His grace was sufficient for Paul’s insufficiency because the Lord’s strength would be made perfect in Paul’s weakness. Instead of removing the thorn from Paul’s life, the Lord would give and keep giving His grace in it, and the grace that He gave Paul was sufficient to meet his needs. Rather than removing the burden as Paul has prayed and pleaded for, the Lord said that He would continually give Paul the grace to bear it.

“My grace is sufficient for thee.” This is the grace of God, a grace that comes in infinite and endless supply. It is a grace that is more than sufficient to meet our needs. God’s grace is a dynamic force. It is God’s love, kindness, and mercy in action. It is the power of God available to each believer. It is God’s provision for our every need.

“My grace is sufficient for thee.” Always in the present, God’s grace is sufficient and available to provide and strengthen us in our need. It is not that His grace was sufficient. It is not that His grace will be sufficient one day down the road. It is right now, at this moment, at all times, in the present, His grace is sufficient. It is always available. It is always enough.

“My grace is sufficient for thee.” God’s grace was more than adequate and fully sufficient to meet Paul’s needs. In dealing with our own thorn in the flesh, God’s grace is sufficient to hold us up, strengthen us, comfort and encourage us, bring us through any out of any and every type of trial and difficulty, and enable us in the end to triumph over it.

“My grace is sufficient for thee.” It was sufficient “for thee”—Paul—a member of the Church, the Body of Christ, who had a thorn of affliction. This promise of Christ to one member of the Body of Christ is true for every member. This promise made to one believer who had a thorn in the flesh is true for every believer who has any type of thorn. The “thee” means you. God’s grace is sufficient for you!

In your pain, suffering, and anxiousness, with your personal thorn, Christ is saying the same thing to you today: “My grace is sufficient for thee.”

The Lord told Paul, “for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Like Paul, when believers find themselves without strength, and we look to the Lord in faith for His aid, He faithfully provides His all-sufficient grace for His strength to be made perfect in our weakness.

The Lord wanted to display His grace and power in Paul’s life and ministry (1 Cor. 15:10). Through His almighty strength alone, the Lord wanted to make Paul truly strong. However, in order for the Lord’s strength to be received and worked in and through Paul, pride and selfconfidence needed to be worked out of his life. This took place through Paul’s thorn in the flesh, which brought him to a humble place of weakness and helplessness. When Paul turned to the Lord in faith, this allowed His strength to be made perfect in Paul’s weakness.

What It All Means to Us Now

“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).

Sorrow, physical pain and suffering, disappointments, and failure all can bring the believer to that place of weakness and dependence on the Lord. But when we look to the Lord and depend on Him, we become a channel through which God’s power can flow freely and be perfected in us.

We are called to live by God’s grace through faith. Spiritual maturity comes through an acknowledgment of our weakness and our constant need of the Lord. The more we recognize our weakness and trust the Lord, the more God’s grace and divine power work through us.

As a result of all that happened in his life, Paul gained a new perspective. He saw and experienced the blessing of the Lord’s answer. He rejoiced that God had brought him to a place in his life to rely on the Lord’s grace and to see it at work. Thus, with conviction, Paul wrote, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9).

So thoroughly had Paul learned this concept that, rather than boasting in his accomplishments as an apostle, he boasted in his infirmities (vv. 5,9). And he had come to “take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake” (v. 10). Paul did so because he knew that when he was “weak” in those times, the Lord, by His grace, would provide the power that Paul needed, making him truly “strong.”

We see a number of dissimilar wordings within God’s Word. Some have seen them as contradictions in the Bible. We prefer the term “contrasts.”

The main reason for these differences is that God is setting forth two separate programs (intimated even in Genesis 1:1). The first deals with the earth and Israel. The other concerns the heavens and Christ’s Body Church. It was given to the Apostle Paul to lay out these differences. He is God’s “apostle of the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13).

PROPHECY: God’s program set forth in the Gospels and early Acts concerned a kingdom prepared “from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). That plan was something “which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21).

MYSTERY: But God’s program set forth by the Apostle Paul was a “mystery, which was kept secret since the world began” (Rom. 16:25). This plan was a “mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God” (Eph. 3:9). It presents a people chosen “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4).

CHRIST CAME FOR ISRAEL: Before Jesus’ conception, Mary was told He would be given “the throne of His father David” and that “He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever” (Luke 1:32,33). During His earthly ministry Christ declared, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). From Pentecost, Peter repeatedly reaffirmed this by preaching only to “Ye men of Israel,” to “all the house [people] of Israel” (Acts 2:22,36; 3:12; 4:10). Peter further declared that God exalted Christ “for to give repentance to Israel” (Acts 5:31). And Paul says, “that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision [Jews]” (Rom. 15:8).

CHRIST CAME FOR ALL: The Apostle Paul tells us, “there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him” (Rom. 10:12). “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing [charging] their trespasses [sins] unto them” (2 Cor. 5:19). Paul further declares that in Christ Jesus “there is neither Jew nor Greek” (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11).

PETER’S AUTHORITY: While on earth, Christ gave to Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Peter’s power included “whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19). In early Acts, Peter exercised this authority. Peter led in replacing Judas, explaining Pentecost, stating salvation, condemning deceivers, and receiving Gentiles (Acts 1:15ff; 2:14ff,37,38; 5:3ff; 15:7-11).

PAUL’S AUTHORITY: From heaven, the Lord later “appeared unto” Paul (Acts 26:15-19). Paul received his message “by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 1:11,12; Eph. 3:1-3). Paul often stressed his special authority. He magnified his office as “the apostle of the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13). Paul wrote that he “should not be ashamed” to “boast somewhat more of our authority” (2 Cor. 10:8). Believers are repeatedly commanded to follow Paul as he followed Christ (1 Cor. 11:1; Phil. 4:9; et al.). Then we read that Paul “withstood” and “blamed” Peter (Gal. 2:11ff). Peter (Cephas) saw that Paul had authority “unto the heathen” and “wisdom…hard to be understood” (Gal. 2:9; 2 Pet. 3:15-16).

JEWISH CHURCH: Israel under Moses was called “the church in the wilderness” (Acts 7:37,38). To “all ye the seed of Israel” the Lord says, “in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee” (Psa. 22:22,23). Hebrews quotes that Psalm “saying…in the midst of the church [congregation=church]” (Heb. 2:12). Christ and His apostles were not sent but unto “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:5,6; 15:24). His Jewish disciples are called a “church” in contrast to “an heathen” or Gentile (Matt. 18:17). At Pentecost, Peter spoke only to “the house of Israel” and “the Lord added to the church” which already existed (Acts 2:36,47). Peter said that “all the prophets…foretold of these days” (Acts 3:24).

BODY CHURCH: The Apostle Paul alone wrote of “the church, which is His [Christ’s] body” (Eph. 1:22,23). In God’s present church “there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek,” “there is neither Jew nor Greek…for ye are all one in Christ” (Rom. 10:12; Gal. 3:28). This Body Church was “the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations” (Col. 1:26 cf. Eph. 3:4-5).

CONDITIONAL BLESSINGS if you obey were formerly promised to God’s people. God has Moses “tell the children of Israel…if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people” (Ex. 19:3,5). Later Israel was told “if thou shalt…do all His commandments… all these blessings shall come on thee…if thou shalt hearken unto…the LORD thy God” (Deut. 28:1,2,13). “But…if thou wilt not hearken…to do all His commandments…that all these curses shall come upon thee” (Deut. 28:15). In the Sermon on the Mount, blessing also depends upon what people do (Matt. 5:1-9; 6:14,15).

UNCONDITIONAL BLESSINGS belong to all true Christians today. The Apostle Paul declares that “God…hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). Even unspiritual believers are told “all things are yours” (1 Cor. 3:1,21,22). Now believers “are the children of God: And… heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16,17). “And ye are complete in Him” (Col. 2:10).

“A RANSOM FOR MANY”: This is what Jesus Christ said about the purpose of His coming and shedding His blood (Matt. 20:28; 26:28; Mark 10:45). That was what was prophesied in the Old Testament, that He would “bare the sin of many” (Isa. 53:12). Then the Book of Hebrews (to the Jewish people) says that Christ died “to bear the sins of many” (Heb. 9:28). While on earth Christ was “not sent but unto…Israel” (Matt. 15:24).

“A RANSOM FOR ALL”: The Apostle Paul tells us that “Christ Jesus…gave Himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5-6). This was only “testified in due time” through the ministry of Paul, “the apostle of the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13). Today God’s grace is extended directly “to all men” (Titus 2:11).

A GOSPEL WITHOUT CHRIST’S DEATH was preached during Christ’s earthly ministry. Jesus Christ and the Twelve “went throughout every city and village” of Israel “preaching the gospel” of the kingdom of God (Luke 8:1; 9:2,6). After over two more years of gospel preaching, Christ told those same Twelve that He would soon be delivered to those who would torture “and put Him to death: and the third day He shall rise again.” Yet “they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken” (Luke 9:43-45; 18:31-34).

THE GOSPEL IS CHRIST’S DEATH plus His burial and resurrection according to the Apostle Paul. He declares “the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved.” The gospel Paul received and delivered is “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

SAVED WITH WORKS: When asked what one must do to escape God’s coming wrath, John the Baptist told people to share, be honest, kind, and content with one’s wages (Luke 3:6-14). When asked what one must “do to inherit eternal life,” Christ on earth told the young ruler that he must keep the commandments and “sell all…and distribute unto the poor” (Luke 18:18-24).

SAVED BY FAITH ALONE: What did the Apostle Paul reply when asked by the jailer at Philippi, “what must I do to be saved?” “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30,31). In salvation, grace and works don’t mix (Rom. 11:6). Salvation is by grace through faith, “the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8,9).

WATER BAPTISM for salvation was practiced in the Gospels and early Acts. John the Baptist came “preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Luke 3:3). The resurrected Lord Jesus reaffirmed the necessity of water baptism to salvation when He commissioned the apostles saying, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Spirit-filled Peter at Pentecost repeated the same requirement to “all the house of Israel.” “Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:36,38).

SPIRIT BAPTISM alone puts the believer in Christ for salvation today. Does not God’s Word through Paul’s pen clearly say that “by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body”—the Body or Church of Christ? (1 Cor. 12:13). And in a passage where everything is spiritual are we not told that there remains only “one baptism” for today? (Eph. 4:3-6). That one is clearly Spirit baptism.

FORGIVE FIRST was the requirement for forgiveness in the Gospels. After the Lord’s Prayer, Christ explained, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not…neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6:12-15). When Peter asked how often to forgive, the Lord told of someone who did not, and incurred wrath and torment. Christ said this would likewise happen to all who did not forgive from the heart (Matt. 18:21-35). God’s people were to forgive others in order to be forgiven by God.

FORGIVE AFTER being forgiven is the rule given by the Apostle Paul. Believers are commanded to be “forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32). God already has “forgiven you all trespasses” (Col. 2:13). Therefore, Christians are to be “forgiving one another…even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye” (Col. 3:13). Believers today are to forgive others just as God has already forgiven them.

MANY BAPTISMS were practiced through most of the Bible. The Old Testament religious system required “divers washings [various baptisms, in the original Greek language]” (Heb. 9:1,10). The Jewish religion of Christ’s time held to the “washing [Gr., baptismos]” of many things (Mark 7:4,8). When John the Baptist came to “baptize…with water,” he also spoke of the Holy Ghost and fire baptisms (Matt. 3:11). Both Jesus and Peter at Pentecost taught water baptism as necessary to “be saved”—“for the remission of sins” (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). Later Peter water baptized Cornelius obviously after his salvation (Acts 10:43-48). Death and risking martyrdom are also called baptisms (Luke 12:50; 1 Cor. 15:29). Christendom today practices many different baptisms.

“ONE BAPTISM” alone is now God’s rule (Eph. 4:5). That one baptism is a spiritual one “for by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13). The Apostle Paul also calls this baptism “the operation of God” (Col. 2:12). This one baptism happens the moment a person trusts Christ after hearing the gospel of salvation (Eph. 1:12,13).

BLESSING THROUGH ISRAEL’S RISE is promised the Gentiles in the Old Testament through early Acts. Isaiah prophesied that Israel will be given supremacy over the nations (Isa. 60:10-12; 61:6). From that position of priority Israel shall be a blessing to “all the nations of the earth” (Gen. 22:17,18; Zech. 8:13; Acts 3:25,26). The prophet further states that “the Lord shall arise upon thee [Israel].” Then “the Gentiles shall come to thy [Israel’s] light, and…rising” (Isa. 60:1-3). Jerusalem and the Jews will be the route whereby the nations come to God (Zech. 8:22,23). The Gospels confirm these prophecies (Mark 7:27; 11:17; etc.).

BLESSING THROUGH ISRAEL’S FALL, apart from Israel, is presently God’s program. Now “there is no difference between” Jew and Gentile before God (Rom. 10:12). The Jews rejected the Word of God Paul preached so “the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles” (Acts 13:45-47; 18:6; 28:25-28). It is through Israel’s “unbelief,” “blindness,” “casting away”; “through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:11-15,25,30).

ANSWERED PRAYER was guaranteed by Jesus Christ in the Gospels. To His disciples He promised “every one that asketh receiveth” (Matt. 7:8). “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matt. 21:22). “And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do….If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13,14).

UNANSWERED PRAYER is seen in the Apostle Paul’s life. Concerning his “thorn in the flesh” Paul wrote, “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee…” (1 Cor. 12:8,9). God’s Word further tells us that “we know not what we should pray for as we ought” (Rom. 8:26). And that God “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20). Would you rather have whatsoever you ask, or exceeding abundantly above all that you ask or even think?

GOD’S SPIRIT COULD LEAVE believers in other ages. “The Spirit of God came upon” men for specific tasks. So it was with careless Samson and King Saul (Judges 14:6,19; 1 Sam. 11:6). God’s Spirit also came upon godly men such as Moses and King David for their appointed work (Num. 11:17,29; 1 Sam. 16:13). The Spirit came upon Jesus Christ when He began His earthly ministry (Mark 1:10). But “the Spirit of the LORD departed from” such as Samson and Saul (Judges 16:20; 1 Sam. 16:14). Even David begged God, “take not Thy Holy Spirit from me” (Psa. 51:11).

GOD’S SPIRIT STAYS in believers today from salvation onward. When someone trusts Christ as Savior, he is “sealed with that Holy Spirit” (Eph. 1:13). Everyone who is truly saved possesses the Holy Spirit, for God’s Word declares, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9). By “the Holy Spirit of God…ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).

ALL HEALED: While on earth Jesus Christ healed all who came to Him and sent His disciples to do likewise (Matt. 10:8; 15:30,31). After His resurrection, He said His followers were to “lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:18). After Pentecost all the sick who came to the apostles “were healed every one” even by Peter’s shadow (Acts 5:15,16). Later “God wrought special miracles” through the Apostle Paul, even healing at a distance by handkerchiefs (Acts 19:11,12).

MANY UNHEALED: But later Paul himself remains unhealed though he prayed to be healed (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Paul tells Timothy to take a little wine as medicine for his stomach because he’s often ill (1 Tim. 5:23). Another co-worker is left behind sick by Paul (2 Tim. 4:20). Paul clearly states that the whole creation now has continuing pain, including even believers who “have the firstfruits of the Spirit”—all together who wait for the future redemption of the physical body (Rom. 8:22,23).

TONGUES A SIGN: Isaiah prophesied that God would speak to His people Israel with “another tongue” (Isa. 28:11,12). At Pentecost, “Jews…out of every nation under heaven” heard the disciples “speak with other tongues” (Acts 2:4-6). “Jews and proselytes…” heard “them speak in our tongues,” that is, native languages (Acts 2:8-11). The Apostle Paul wrote that “the Jews require a sign” (1 Cor. 1:22). He urged mature understanding and then quoted what Isaiah wrote. He concluded that speaking with other “tongues are for a sign” to unbelieving Jewish people (1 Cor. 14:20-22).

TONGUES TO STOP: Paul regarded tongues as the least of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:28-31; 14:19). Tongues were prominent in the most unspiritual New Testament church (1 Cor. 3:1-4). Thus, it is not surprising to read Paul’s statement: “whether there be tongues, they shall cease” (1 Cor. 13:8). Instead, for the present time “now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three” (1 Cor. 13:13). God has presently cast away Israel, the sign people, in blindness (Rom. 11:15,25). Thus, the very purpose for tongues has ceased.

UNDER MOSES’ LAW: The Lord gave “the law which Moses set before the children of Israel” to “keep and do” (Deut. 4:44; 5:1-3). If the “house of Jacob” obeyed, they would “be a peculiar treasure… above all people” (Ex. 19:3-5). God promised Israel “life and death, blessing and cursing” in accord with their obedience to the law’s commands (Deut. 30:10-20). Christ on earth was “made under the law” (Gal. 4:4). He did not “come to destroy the law…but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17). Under the “new covenant with…Israel,” God will put His “law in their…hearts,” and they will “do them” (Jer. 31:31-33; Ezek. 36:26,27).

NOT UNDER THE LAW: Gentiles never were under the law of Moses and were exempted when the issue arose (Acts 15:5,19-24; 21:24,25). The Apostle Paul declares that God’s people today “are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14,15). “My brethren, ye also are become dead to the law” (Rom. 7:4). That old covenant has been “done away,” “abolished” (2 Cor. 3:6-14). “Christ is the end of the law…to every one that believeth” (Rom. 10:4).

TITHING ORDERED: Abraham and Jacob gave to God “tithes” or “a tenth part of all” (Gen. 14:20; 28:22; Heb. 7:2). “The Lord commanded Moses for…Israel” that the tenth shall be “holy unto the LORD” (Lev. 27:30-34). The priests had “a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law” (Heb. 7:5 cf. Num. 18:21). A second and third tithe was paid for festivals and the poor (Deut. 14:22-29). The “sons of Jacob” robbed God when they withheld “tithes and offerings” and were cursed or blessed according to their tithing (Mal. 3:6-10).

TITHING OMITTED: About giving, the Apostle Paul speaks “not by commandment” (2 Cor. 8:8), for “the law of commandments” is today “abolished” (Eph. 2:15). The believer now is to give “as God hath prospered him” (1 Cor. 16:2). “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” The amount is up to the giver, but God promises to bless accordingly as one gives (2 Cor. 9:6-8).

COMING TO EARTH: Throughout the Old Testament, God’s people looked for the Lord to come and “stand at the latter day upon the earth” (Job 19:25; Zech. 14:4). In the Gospels and early Acts this same hope was in view—that Jesus Christ would come back to earth and set all in order (Matt. 24; 25; Luke 18:8; Acts 1:11; 3:20). And the hope after the future horrors of the Book of Revelation is the Lord’s return to smite and rule the nations of the earth (Rev. 19:11-16).

COMING IN THE AIR: But the Apostle Paul’s letters present the Body of Christ with a heavenly hope. All believers during this present age “shall be caught up [raptured] together…to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thes. 4:17). Moreover believers today are told they have a heavenly citizenship (Phil. 3:20; Eph. 2:6). They are blessed “with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).

Pastor A. W. Tozer (1897-1963) wrote the following: “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”¹

The unity of the Spirit is manifested in the Church when we look to our “one Lord” (Eph. 4:5). God desires, and the Apostle Paul consequently beseeches (Eph. 4:1), that we look to the standard of the unity of the Spirit and those truths to bind our hearts together. In doing so, this unity of truth unites us according to what God is doing today under grace. The unity of the Spirit is God’s foundational truth for the oneness in the Body of Christ.

Guard the Doctrine

“Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).

The term, “Endeavouring,” in the original Greek, means to make every effort, to labor, to be earnest and diligent. Thus, the Church is beseeched to make every effort in earnest “to keep the unity of the Spirit.” Paul does not teach the Church to create or make unity amongst its members but to keep the unity of the Spirit which has been graciously given.

The term “keep” means to guard, to preserve, to give careful attention to. The unity of the Spirit is a doctrinal unity. Doctrine, the proper understanding of God’s Word, is what is to unite the Church and bind it together. Paul exhorts the Body of Christ to make every effort to guard and stand fast in the seven foundational doctrines necessary for the unity of the Spirit. Preservation of this unity of the Spirit is to be the diligent and earnest concern of the members of the Church.

It is the unity “of the Spirit” because it is truth from His Word, the Word that the Spirit inspired. It is the Spirit Who enlightens us to these truths and, under them, it is He Who can bring the hearts of believers together.

We are to earnestly labor to guard this unity “in the bond of peace.” The unity of doctrine has its origin in the Holy Spirit; believers who bond by guarding and uniting under the Spirit’s truths do so in the peace of the Spirit and by His enablement (Col. 3:15).

One Body

“There is one body…” (Eph. 4:4a).

To preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, we need to know the truths that are to unite us in the Church, and to understand them according to the mystery revealed to Paul for the current dispensation of grace (3:2). There are seven “ones” in verses 4 through 6 that are true of all believers under grace. The unity of the Spirit is a unit; it is seven, yet one. All seven of its planks dovetail seamlessly with each other.

First, Paul wrote that there is “one body.” The “one body” is defined in Ephesians 1:22-23, “And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, Which is His body.…” There are many different churches and denominations in this world, but there is only one true Church. That one Church is the “one body,” the Church, the Body of Christ.

The Body of Christ is a living, spiritual organism, made up of members who are in Christ and have life eternal in Him. From Paul forward, all who have trusted the gospel of grace, that Christ died for our sins and rose again (1 Cor. 15:3-4) are members of the one Body. The “one body” is made up of believing Jews and believing Gentiles who are one in the one Body (Eph. 2:14-16).

The one Body is unique to the epistles of Paul. No other writer of Scripture mentions the Church, the Body of Christ. It was a truth unknown before Paul. The “one body” is the Church of the present dispensation of grace.

As we read through the seven points of the unity, we find that Satan has attacked it at each point. As for the one Body, we find that many confuse Israel with the one Body, making us “spiritual Israel” and so claiming her promises, rather than recognizing the uniqueness of the Church and our own promises in Christ.

One Spirit

“…and one Spirit…” (Eph. 4:4b).

Second, Paul wrote that there is “one Spirit.” The truth of the “one Spirit” and His current working in the dispensation of grace is to be a unifying doctrine for the Church. The one Spirit, the same Holy Spirit, indwells every member of the Church (1 Cor. 6:19), which is the one body, and that makes us one (Eph. 2:22).

At the moment of salvation, the one Spirit baptizes, or He identifies us as a member of the one body (1 Cor. 12:12-13). The Spirit is also the seal of all who believe the gospel of grace. He is the seal of all in the Church (Eph. 1:13). Thus, He joins us to the Church and makes us members of the one body and members of one another forever (Rom. 12:5).

Along with strengthening our inner man (Eph. 3:16), empowering our service, and producing His fruit in our lives (5:9), the “one Spirit” enlightens us to His Word (1 Cor. 2:9-14) and what it means to our lives. He can illuminate in detail what the unity of the Spirit means in each of its seven elements.

Here too, Satan has attacked the doctrine concerning the one Spirit. Beliefs concerning His working today are the source of much division and disunity. Although His working has changed, many attempt to perform the miraculous sign gifts of the Spirit during the Acts period, signs and miracles that were part of the early Church and Israel’s program.

One Hope

“…even as ye are called in one hope of your calling” (Eph. 4:4c).

Third, Paul wrote that there is “one hope of your calling.”

We are members of the same Church, the one body, and we each are indwelt by the same Spirit, and all of us in the Church have the same hope. Every member of the Body of Christ is called to one sure destiny: heaven.

Under the prophesied program of Scripture, Israel has an earthly hope and calling: a promised land and a glorious kingdom on earth with Christ their King ruling over them. However, for the one body, Ephesians 2:6 informs the Church that God “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in HEAVENLY places in Christ Jesus” (cf. Col. 1:5). Our one hope and calling is to live and reign in Christ in the glories of heaven forever.

Satan has attacked this part of the unity of the Spirit as well, because many are confused about their future hope. There are many who think our hope and calling is God’s kingdom on the earth. There are others who think we’ll go to heaven for a while and then come back for the Kingdom. Still others believe we will live in the new Jerusalem on the new earth for the eternal state.

However, God wants His Church joined in heart and mind in understanding the “one hope of your calling,” not their calling, the calling that is for post-Tribulation, believing Israel on the earth. God wants “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling” (Eph. 1:18) for the Church, which is an eternal home in heaven.

One Lord

“One Lord…” (Eph. 4:5a).

Fourth, Paul wrote that there is “one Lord.” Our one Lord is the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Lordship indicates authority. Christ is the truest and highest Authority of all (Phil. 2:9-11; 1 Tim. 6:15). He is our Sovereign Master and Ruler. The same Lord is over all the one body (Eph. 1:20-23).

Ephesians 5:23 states that “Christ is the Head of the Church: and He is the Saviour of the body.” The “one Lord” is our living Head. Today, in His exaltation, He has sovereign authority over the one body, the Church. He rules and reigns supreme over it. As our Head, He leads, guides, and governs it, infusing it with His life, power, and wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30). Regarding our Lord, Paul wrote, “In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7). Our Lord is our Savior Who redeemed us by His shed blood, and now we are His. He has the right to rule over us as our Lord and Savior (2 Cor. 5:15). Spiritual oneness in the Church results when we put focus and praise upon our one Lord.

The unity of the Spirit as it relates to our “one Lord” is to follow and obey Him according to what He is doing today in the dispensation of grace. Satan has attacked the doctrine of the “one Lord” as He ministers today in that so many attempt to follow the Lord according to His teachings for Israel under the law with the earthly kingdom “at hand” (Matt. 4:17; 10:7). “One Lord” in the unity of the Spirit means the Lord in His current, heavenly ministry under grace. The Church is led by the “one Lord” as we follow and apply His instructions for the Church, under grace, which He has revealed in the pages of Paul’s epistles.

One Faith

“…one faith…” (Eph. 4:5b).

Fifth, Paul wrote that there is “one faith.” The one faith is the body of truth for this current dispensation of grace (3:2). This faith explains each plank of the unity of the Spirit. The faith is that which Paul calls “the revelation of the mystery” (Rom. 16:25 cf. Eph. 3:9), and it had “been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints” (Col. 1:26).

This faith explains the truth of the “one body,” the Church under grace made up of all who have trusted the gospel of the grace of God, both Jew and Gentile without distinction. This “one faith” explains how the “one Spirit” works and operates under grace, and the Holy Spirit, in turn, enlightens believers to the “one faith” in His Word. The “one faith” also explains the “one hope,” the hope of heaven for the one body. The “one faith” teaches us about the “one Lord” as well and His ministry at God’s right hand as the Head of the Church, and the one faith is His direct will that He revealed for the Body of Christ. The “one faith” is the body of grace truth found in the letters of Paul, and the Church is called to unite under the “one faith” for this age.

The “one faith” reveals the gospel of salvation for the current dispensation of grace: the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). This gospel for today is faith alone in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9), that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. At the moment of salvation, of personal faith in the “one Lord,” the “one Spirit” by the “one baptism” places believers into the “one body” and gives them the “one hope” of heaven.

Satan hates the “one faith” and has viciously attacked it. The works gospel of the kingdom is often mixed with the gospel of the grace of God. And the faith for the Church is often confused with what Israel was called to believed and the teachings concerning the law and the earthly kingdom.

One Baptism

“…one baptism” (Eph. 4:5c).

Sixth, Paul wrote that there is “one baptism.” The word “baptism” refers to thorough and complete identification. It means to be identified with, joined to, and united perfectly with.

In Paul’s epistles, we often see the prepositional phrase of “in Christ” and “in Him” (Eph. 1:1,3,4,10). It is through the one baptism that a person is placed into Christ and spiritually united with Him, and is so thoroughly and completely identified with Him that the Word of God says that we are actually and truly, in all reality, “in Christ.”

It is the “one Spirit” Who carries out the one baptism under grace. Every believer in the gospel of grace has experienced the one baptism. Although we don’t see or feel it, the moment we trust Christ as our personal Savior, we are baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ. Through the one spiritual baptism, the believer is identified completely with and united eternally to Christ and is placed into the one body. As 1 Corinthians 12:13 says, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one Body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free….”

The “one faith” teaches that the “one baptism” by the “one Spirit” places us into the “one body,” and joins us eternally to the “one Lord.” Due to that irreversible, inseparable union, we have “one [heavenly] hope” and an eternal relationship with the “One God and Father of all.”

This one glorious, divine baptism unites us with Christ and with His finished work. Paul teaches in Romans 6:3, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?” The moment we believe the gospel of grace, the Holy Spirit unites us with Christ and with His death, burial, and resurrection. This being so, we have newness of life in Christ (v. 4), and we are complete in Him (Col. 2:10).

We can clearly see how Satan has attacked the subject of baptism. Probably more than any other thing, baptism has divided the Church. However, God would have the Church united by the one spiritual baptism into Christ. To rectify the confusion and arrive at the truth regarding the one baptism, we must look to the “one faith” for today to define it.

One God and Father

“One God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:6).

Seventh, Paul wrote that there is “One God and Father.”

In the unity of the Spirit, Paul has taught that there is “one Spirit,” or God the Holy Spirit, and there is “one Lord,” or God the Son. Completing the Trinity in the unity of the Spirit, Paul tells us there is “One God and Father of all.” The unity of the Spirit involves all three members of the Godhead and the working of God under grace.

Verse 6 refers to God the Father and His relationship to all the “one body.” The “all” in this verse refers to “all” the body; it is what is common to all the Church. That is, God is the Father “of all” the Church. As believers, God is our Father, and such is our personal relationship with Him. God is “above all” and over the Church; we are one people under one Sovereign. God works “through all” the Church (Phil. 2:13), and He dwells “in…all” the members of the one body.

The unity of the Spirit teaches us that we are all part of the same Church, which is the one body, and the one Spirit dwells in every member of that one body. Every member of the one body has the same heavenly hope, and we each have one Lord. We all have one faith to stand for and live by, and we are joined to the body, to each other, and to Christ and His finished work by the same glorious baptism. And in that one body, we all alike bow in worship and have a relationship with the one God and Father, Who is above us all, through us all, and in us all.

May each of us retain an abiding understanding and awareness of “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

^{1. Quoted from A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine, Goodreads, accessed November 29, 2025, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/369949-has-it-everoccurred-to-you-that-one-hundred-pianos.}