You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.
4 There is
one[heis] body,[soma] and[kai] one[heis] Spirit,[pneuma] even as[kathos][kai] ye are called[kaleo] in[en] one[mia] hope[elpis] of your[humon] calling;[klesis] KJV-Interlinear
4 There is
one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your
calling; NASB
One body, is a reference to the collective group of believers in Christ. There is only one Christianity, not several recognized denominations or organizations or groups.
The many protestant, Catholic and other groups in this world, pursue many different forms of worship, rites, rituals, even beliefs, many of which the Bible does not even teach, but have been adopted and redefined for the convenience of a given group. Some pursue things for their financial benefit, while others pursue various beliefs for their popularity or member drawing appeal. Still others cling to rigid ritual, or ceremonial, or beliefs handed down from former generations. Still others pursue beliefs that enhance lust driven patterns.
So, the cafeteria of religions is big, and the choices are many. And all of them are wrong.
There is but one Christian faith, one body or family of God, namely those who have believed in Christ. There is no other way to enter into Gods family, but by a one-time expression of faith or belief in Christ.
There is only one Spirit, which is the Holy Spirit. He serves all the same, and does not serve various groups with different policies or patterns.
The Holy Spirit serves in a silent and unseen capacity. There is no possession, no ceremonial or emotional reactions resulting from the Spirit. There are no overt manifestations resulting from ones interaction with, through, or by the Spirit.
Even salvation, your calling and the hope of that calling, is unique and of one nature.
There are not many ways to be saved. There are not many ways of access to God.
No one can earn salvation, no works can be applied to deserve salvation.
Works are false. Sincerity is false. Good deeds are false. Rituals are false. Adherence to membership rules is false. Being in any group or organization that implies that they are the chosen, is false.
There is only one way of salvation and that is through the non-meritorious thought, which is faith in Christ, or believing in Christ. That thought or belief, 'Father, I believe in Jesus Christ,' is the one and only expression or method of gaining salvation for oneself. It is a form of prayer, the only prayer that the unbeliever can express and have heard by God. The Father is the target and recipient of all prayers. Belief, is a non-meritorious thought whereby the individual cannot claim credit for their belief, thus arrogance is eliminated from the salvation process.
Salvation takes but a moment, or the length of time it takes to express this single thought or belief. And salvation is in effect a re-birth, or a new birth into the spiritual life, which the unbeliever did not have until they believed in Christ.
And yet there are many groups that for whatever reason, believe that they can find something that will take away their salvation, because God has somehow overlooked something, and that they need to keep on earning their way into heaven.
Salvation is permanent. Once saved, always saved. There is nothing that a person can say or do to lose their salvation. Salvation is a new birth. You cannot unborn yourself. Once born, always born.
