In Ephesians 4:3, Paul admonishes the brethren to endeavor “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Then in the next 41 words (35 in Greek), Paul gives the guidebook for attaining and maintaining unity. We refer to it as “the seven ones.”
One of the seven, is “one Spirit” (Ephesians 4:4). This is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3,4), the third person in the Godhead (John 14:26).
“One Spirit” is “unity in revelation.” We have one revelation from one source. Please take the time to stop and read 1 Corinthians 2:9-13. Note what Paul emphasizes in these verses: (1) it takes a revelation to know God; without it man cannot know “the things of God” (Jeremiah 10:23), (2) God revealed them to inspired men by the Spirit that they might know “the things” freely given to them by God, (3) the revelation was communicated by words, and (4) the Holy Spirit selected the words, which “things” the inspired men took and spoke, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches. but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual “things” with spiritual.
The work of the Holy Spirit in revelation is not limited to the New Testament. The same Spirit Who guided the apostles and inspired men of the N.T. functioned similarly in the O.T. (1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Samuel 23:2; Hebrews 3:7-11).
Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to the apostles (John 14:16,26; 15:26). Jesus said, “when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-15). Note (1) the “Spirit of himself would not originate any truth; His was the work of revelation, not origination” (Guy N. Woods); (2) He would guide the apostles into all truth – that is the full, complete revelation of God unto man. The revelation of the Holy Spirit was written down (Ephesians 3:3). It has been once for all delivered (Jude 3; 2 Timothy 3:16,17). The Bible is God’s complete and final revelation to man. There is no such thing as continuous revelation today.
Friends, if we will take what the one Spirit has revealed, teach it, and walk by it without addition, without subtraction, and without modification, then we can have the unity of the Spirit and achieve that for which our Lord prayed (John 17:20,21).
— John Priola
