Out of Many, One

“”Wherein He hath abounded toward us all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ”.  Ephesians 1:8-12

E Pluribus Unum is the motto found on U.S. currency which is Latin for “Out of many, one”, a statement which represents one nation created by the thirteen colonies nearly 250 years ago.  The motto, when first issued, stressed the importance of unity among the various states which made up the union and also the unity among the citizens of America.  After all, it is called the “United” States, but recently our nation has become very divided among different groups who represent everything from preserving the life of the unborn and honoring God to the destruction of everything for which the U.S. has stood–life, patriotism, freedom, integrity, and respect for each other.  The main reason for this disunity is turning our collective back upon the great Unifier.  Jesus said, “…Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.”  Matthew 12:25).

The goal of “Out of many, one” did not originate with our founding fathers.  It was God’s plan all along to unify people into one person, Jesus Christ, through the death and resurrection of His Son in order that men and women could be made part of God’s family.  God did this because He loves His creation, but we became sinful, separated from Him, and would have been lost forever had it not been for His mercy.  If all that we received when we were born again was the forgiveness of our sins and a future home in heaven, spending all eternity with Christ, we would have to agree that we didn’t deserve such an outpouring of love, mercy, and grace.  However, God did not stop with what some call a “fire insurance policy” or, as more correctly defined, an unmerited promise of eternal peace and security, escaping the wrath of God that will surely come upon an evil world.  To the contrary, God gave us so much more.  In His wisdom and sound, righteous judgment, He has given us the Holy Spirit as a teacher, a helper, a comforter, a corrections officer, and a unifier.  Without Him, it would be impossible to live the Christian life.

God has done even more.  All people who have been born again are privileged to know the mystery of God’s will, that is, the reason that God sent Christ to die for our sins.  The majority of people who lived prior to Jesus’ first coming were not privy to God’s purpose for His creation.  There were some, like Abraham, Moses, David, and others who believed that God would send a Savior for the redemption of His people in due time.  Isaiah and David both wrote about a “suffering Savior” (Isaiah 53:1-9; Psalm 22) as if they had actually witnessed the crucifixion, but they both died generations prior to the advent of Christ.  Believers now have the advantage of looking back at the cross and having God’s written word so that there is no ambiguity as to the purpose of God regarding His creation.  He sent Jesus to die to pay the penalty for man’s sin so that when the right time shall come according to God’s timetable, Christ will gather His elect, all those both living and dead who received Him as Lord and Savior to be with Him for all eternity.

Believers have an inheritance to which to look forward–heaven, peace, contentment, and joy for all eternity.  This has been God’s plan since the beginning.  We don’t know how long it has been since God created the world and man.  Bible historians estimate that the world was created at least as far back as 10,000 B.C.  They also estimate that Abraham was born in 2161 B.C., which, based on that year, it has been about 2,000 years from Abraham’s birth until the birth of Christ, and some 2,000 years from Jesus’ birth util now.  To God, there is no distinction between past, present, and future.  He does everything according to His eternal timetable.  There are still many mysteries of God’s plan for humanity to which we are not privy, but He has revealed enough of His will to strengthen our faith and trust in Him to work out His will for His own glory and for the benefit of all those who belong to Him through Christ.

In John 17:20-26, Jesus prayed to the Father for all those who would come to know Him in faith.  He asked the Father to make all of us one in Him as He is One with the Father:  “I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou has sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.”  For this we should praise and honor Him now and for all eternity.  When we live to glorify God, then others will either be drawn to Christ by our faithful example and bring more glory to Him, or, if not, their own rejection of Christ will condemn them.  In these days of doubt, confusion, and evil, the line between believers and unbelievers is becoming more distinct.  Those who are on the Lord’s side need to stand ready to defend the honor of Christ because the days will only become more difficult for those who are born again.  But never fear.  The Lord will provide to all those who trust in Him.