What is THE Unity of THE Faith?

What if everything the Church has been striving for—unity, maturity, perfection—is not something we achieve but something God accomplishes?

What if the prayer Jesus prayed in John 17 was not a wishful hope but an unstoppable declaration of what will be?

What if the "unity of the faith" mentioned in Ephesians 4:13 is not a denominational merger or organizational alignment, but the climactic moment when every believer across all time stands perfected in Christ—knowing Him fully, like Him completely, with Him eternally?

Here's the truth bomb most churches won't tell you: Every human attempt to manufacture unity apart from God is not just futile—it's SIN. When humanity tried to unite themselves at Babel, God Himself came down and divided them. Why? Because unity built on human effort, for human glory, in human strength is rebellion—and when successful, it produces unlimited capacity for evil.

The unity God demands cannot be worked up, voted on, compromised into existence, or achieved through ecumenical councils. It can only be received as His sovereign gift.

This study presents a provocative thesis: THE Unity of THE Faith is not a process we manage; it is a destination God guarantees. It's not achieved through human effort, religious programs, or political compromise. It's accomplished entirely by the Triune God—planned by the Father, purchased by the Son, and perfected by the Spirit.

You'll discover that unity of faith mirrors nothing less than the unity of the Trinity itself. You'll see that it has cosmic implications—liberating creation and silencing every objection to the gospel. And you'll face the sobering reality that inclusion in this unity is a matter of eternal consequence.

This is not a call to "try harder" at church unity. This is an invitation to understand God's magnificent masterpiece—and to know whether you're included in it.

The stakes could not be higher. The truth could not be clearer. The invitation could not be more urgent.

A Comprehensive Biblical Study on God’s Ultimate Purpose for Humanity

The Questions My Research Addressed

1. What is “unity of faith” according to Scripture?

2. How is unity of faith achieved?

3. Who is responsible for causing/forming it?

4. What does it look like when it happens?

5. Is the Harpazo/Resurrection the fulfillment of unity of faith?

6. Can humans achieve unity of faith apart from God?

7. What are the results of unity of faith?

8. What does inclusion in unity of faith mean personally?

9. What are the consequences of exclusion from unity of faith?

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PART 1: THE PRIMARY TEXT - EPHESIANS 4:13

The Foundation

Ephesians 4:11-16 - “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

Breaking Down the Key Phrase: “Unity of the Faith”

Greek: (henoteta tes pisteos)

HENOTES = Unity, oneness, unanimity

- From HEN = one
- The state of being one
- Complete unity, not mere agreement

TES PISTEOS = “OF THE faith”

- The definite article “THE” is critical

- Not “a faith” or “faith in general”

- THE faith = the body of truth, the gospel, the revelation of Christ

- Or: THE faith = the collective trust of all believers in Christ

Two Possible Meanings (Both Valid):

Interpretation 1: Unity IN the faith

- All believers united in THE faith (the gospel, the truth about Christ)

- One body believing one truth

- Corporate agreement on who Christ is and what He’s done

Interpretation 2: Unity OF faith

- The faith itself becomes unified (all believers’ individual faith becomes one corporate faith)

- The collective trust of all believers becomes a single, unified reality

- Like individual stones becoming one temple

Both interpretations point to the same reality: ALL believers becoming ONE in Christ through one faith in one truth.

The Goal: “Until We All Attain”

Key word: “ATTAIN” (Greek: katantesomen)

- To arrive at, to reach, to come to

- Suggests a destination, a goal, an end point

- Not something we currently possess fully, but something we’re moving toward

“WE ALL” - Every believer, without exception

Three parallel goals:

Unity of the faith

Knowledge of the Son of God (full, experiential knowledge)

A mature man (corporate maturity, the whole body grown up)

The ultimate target: “The measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ”

- The full measure of Christ’s stature
- Complete maturity
- Corporate conformity to Christ’s image
- The body fully expressing the Head

The Process: How We Get There

Ephesians 4:11-12 tells us:

- Christ gives gifts (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers)

- Purpose: Equipping the saints for service

- Goal: Building up the body of Christ

- Until: We reach unity of faith/knowledge of Christ/mature manhood

Ephesians 4:15-16 describes the mechanism:

- Speaking truth in love

- Growing up into Christ (the Head)

- The whole body fitted and held together by what every joint supplies

- According to the proper working of each part

- Causes the growth of the body

- For building itself up in love

WHO DOES THE BUILDING?

- Christ gives the gifts (v. 11)

- Each part supplies (v. 16)

- The body causes the growth of the body (v. 16) - but this is Christ working through the body

- Building itself up (v. 16) - passive/reflexive, indicating Christ builds through the body

Bottom line: CHRIST builds. The body participates by yielding to His work.

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PART 2: JESUS’ TEACHING ON UNITY

The High Priestly Prayer - John 17

This is Jesus’ most comprehensive teaching on unity. It’s a PRAYER, not a command—showing that unity is something Jesus asks the Father to accomplish, not something we manufacture.

John 17:11 - “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.”

Key observations:

- Jesus PRAYS for unity (He doesn’t command us to create it)

- “That they may be ONE” - complete oneness

- “Even as We are” - the standard is the UNITY OF THE TRINITY

- Father and Son are the model for believers’ unity

John 17:20-23 - “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”

STAGGERING TRUTHS:

“That they may all be ONE”

- Not “that they would try to be one”
- Not “that they would work toward unity”
- But “that they MAY BE one” - actual ontological oneness

“Even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You”

- The Father is IN the Son
- The Son is IN the Father
- This is TOTAL, COMPLETE, PERFECT unity
- This is the standard for believers’ unity

“That they also may be in Us”

- Believers IN the Father and Son
- Participation in the divine life
- Inclusion in the Triune unity

“I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity”

- The Son IN believers

- The Father IN the Son

- Result: PERFECTED in unity

- Greek: (teteleiomenoi eis hen) = “having been perfected into one”

- Perfect passive participle = completed action with ongoing results

- This is ACCOMPLISHED unity, not aspirational unity

“So that the world may know”

- Unity is a WITNESS to the world
- The world will KNOW God sent Jesus
- The world will KNOW God loves believers
- Unity is evangelistic

What This Unity Looks Like According to Jesus

The Standard: Trinitarian Unity

The Father and Son are:

- Distinct persons (two subjects - “You” and “Me”)

- Yet absolutely one (“You in Me and I in You”)

- In perfect agreement (John 5:19 - “The Son can do nothing of Himself”)

- In perfect love (John 17:24 - “You loved Me before the foundation of the world”)

- One in purpose (John 10:30 - “I and the Father are one”)

- One in nature (John 14:9 - “He who has seen Me has seen the Father”)

Believers’ unity will mirror this:

- Distinct persons (we don’t lose individuality)

- Yet absolutely one in Christ (one body, one spirit)

- In perfect agreement (one faith, one truth)

- In perfect love (loving one another as Christ loved us)

- One in purpose (building the kingdom, glorifying God)

- One in nature (partakers of divine nature - 2 Peter 1:4)

The Mechanism: Christ IN Us

John 17:23 - “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity.”

Unity is not created by us trying to be unified.

Unity is created by CHRIST BEING IN US.

If Christ is in ALL believers, and we are ALL in Christ, then we are ALL in each other through Christ.

Illustration:

Imagine spokes on a wheel:

- The closer each spoke gets to the center (Christ), the closer the spokes get to each other

- If all spokes reach the center, they all touch each other AT the center

- We don’t unite by reaching toward each other, but by ALL reaching toward Christ

- When we all reach Christ, we find each other in Him

John 17:26 - “And I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

The Father’s love for the Son IN believers + the Son IN believers = UNITY.

Jesus’ Other Teaching on Unity

John 10:16 - “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”

ONE FLOCK, ONE SHEPHERD.

Not many flocks with one shepherd, but ONE FLOCK.

Matthew 12:25 - “And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, ‘Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.’”

Implication: God’s kingdom will NOT be divided. It WILL stand. Therefore, unity is certain.

John 11:51-52 - “Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.”

GATHER TOGETHER INTO ONE - this is God’s purpose in Christ’s death.

Not just to save individuals, but to UNITE them into one.

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PART 3: PAUL’S TEACHING ON UNITY

Ephesians: The Unity Imperative

Ephesians 4:1-6 - “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

“Being diligent to PRESERVE the unity of the Spirit”

Critical observation: We don’t CREATE unity; we PRESERVE it.

The unity already exists because:

- ONE body
- ONE Spirit
- ONE hope
- ONE Lord
- ONE faith
- ONE baptism
- ONE God and Father

Seven “ones” - the perfect number of unity.

This unity EXISTS because Christ has made it so. Our job: Don’t break it.

Ephesians 2:14-16 - “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.”

WHO made them one? HE HIMSELF.
How? Through the cross.

Result: ONE NEW MAN (singular, not two reconciled men, but ONE).

This is ontological unity - Christ MADE us one, not aspirational unity - we try to be one.

Romans: One Body, Many Members

Romans 12:4-5 - “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

WE ARE one body (present indicative - it’s a current reality, not a future hope).

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 - “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

BY ONE SPIRIT WE WERE ALL BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY.

This is accomplished fact (aorist tense - completed action).

We didn’t baptize ourselves into the body. The Spirit baptized us.

1 Corinthians 12:27 - “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.”

YOU ARE - present reality.

Galatians: All One in Christ Jesus

Galatians 3:26-28 - “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS.

All distinctions that divide humanity are erased in Christ:

- Ethnic (Jew/Greek)
- Social (slave/free)
- Gender (male/female)

Not that these categories cease to exist physically, but they cease to create division spiritually.

WE ARE ONE.

Philippians: One Mind, One Love

Philippians 1:27 - “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

ONE SPIRIT, ONE MIND, STRIVING TOGETHER.

Philippians 2:1-2 - “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”

Same mind, same love, united in spirit, one purpose.

Philippians 2:5 - “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Unity of mind comes from having CHRIST’S mind (attitude).

Colossians: One Body, Perfected in Love

Colossians 3:14-15 - “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

LOVE is the perfect bond of unity.

Without love, there is no unity. Love binds everything together.

You WERE CALLED in one body - past tense, accomplished fact.

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PART 4: WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ACHIEVING UNITY OF FAITH?

The Clear Biblical Answer: GOD ALONE

Let’s trace the evidence:

1. God the Father Planned It

Ephesians 1:9-10 - “He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.”

GOD purposed to SUM UP all things in Christ.

Greek: (anakephalaiosasthai) = to bring together under one head, to unite

This is GOD’S purpose, GOD’S plan, GOD’S work.

John 17:2 - “Even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.”

The Father GIVES people to the Son.

2. God the Son Accomplished It

Ephesians 2:14-16 - “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one… so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man… and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross.”

THREE TIMES: HE made, HE might make, HE might reconcile.

John 11:52 - “And not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.”

Jesus’ death accomplished the gathering into one.

John 12:32 - “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

Jesus WILL DRAW all to Himself. Not “might draw” or “hopes to draw,” but WILL DRAW.

Colossians 1:19-20 - “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

THROUGH HIM to reconcile ALL THINGS.

3. God the Spirit Effects It

1 Corinthians 12:13 - “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”

The Spirit baptizes us into the body.

Ephesians 4:3-4 - “Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit.”

The SPIRIT creates unity. Our job: preserve what He creates.

2 Corinthians 13:14 - “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

The Spirit creates fellowship (koinonia - communion, participation, unity).

4. Humans CANNOT Create Unity

Can humans create unity of faith apart from God?

ABSOLUTELY NOT. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE.

Here’s why:

A. Humans Are Dead in Sin

Ephesians 2:1 - “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”

Dead people can’t do anything, including create unity.

B. Humans Have No Faith Apart from God

Ephesians 2:8 - “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

Faith itself is a gift. We don’t create our own faith, let alone unity of faith.

C. Humans Cannot Know Christ Apart from Revelation

Matthew 16:17 - “And Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’”

Peter’s confession came from the Father’s revelation, not human insight.

1 Corinthians 2:14 - “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

CANNOT understand - absolute impossibility apart from the Spirit.

D. Humans Are Inherently Divided

Genesis 11:1-9 - The Tower of Babel

Humanity’s attempt to create unity apart from God resulted in DIVISION (confusion of languages).

Galatians 5:19-21 - “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these.”

The flesh produces DIVISION (enmities, strife, dissensions, factions).

E. Unity Requires Love, Which Humans Cannot Generate

1 John 4:19 - “We love, because He first loved us.”

Our love is a response to His love. We don’t originate love.

Romans 5:5 - “And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Love is POURED OUT by the Spirit. We don’t produce it ourselves.

5. Human Attempts at Unity Apart from God = Sin

Genesis 11:4-6 - “They said, ‘Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’ The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The LORD said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.’”

Human unity apart from God:

- Is for OUR name (self-glorification), not God’s name

- Is based on rebellion against God’s command (He said “fill the earth”; they said “let’s not be scattered”)

- Results in UNLIMITED capacity for evil (“nothing will be impossible for them”)

God’s response: DIVIDE them (confuse their language).

Attempting to create unity apart from God is REBELLION.

James 4:4 - “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Worldly unity (unity based on shared rebellion) = enmity with God.

Summary: Who Is Responsible?

100% GOD.

- Father planned it (Ephesians 1:9-10)

- Son accomplished it (Ephesians 2:14-16, John 11:52, Colossians 1:20)

- Spirit effects it (1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:3-4)

- Humans receive it by grace through faith (both gifts)

- Humans preserve it by walking in love (Ephesians 4:3)

- Humans CANNOT create it (dead in sin, lack faith, cannot understand spiritual things)

- Human attempts apart from God = SIN (Babel, worldly unity)

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PART 5: WHAT DOES UNITY OF FAITH LOOK LIKE WHEN IT HAPPENS?

The Current Reality: Partial Unity

We currently have unity in POSITION (we are one body in Christ), but not yet in full EXPERIENCE (we still disagree, divide, compete).

1 Corinthians 13:12 - “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”

NOW = in part
THEN = fully

There is a “NOT YET” aspect to unity of faith.

When Unity of Faith is Fully Manifested

Based on Ephesians 4:13, unity of faith is fully realized when:

1. We All Attain to It

- Not some, but ALL believers
- Complete corporate reality
- No one left out

2. We Have Full Knowledge of the Son of God

- Not head knowledge, but experiential knowledge (epignosis)
- Face-to-face encounter (1 Corinthians 13:12)
- Perfect understanding of Christ

3. We Become a Mature Man

- Corporate maturity (not just individual maturity)
- The whole body grown up
- Full stature

4. We Reach the Fullness of Christ

- The full measure of Christ’s stature
- Complete conformity to His image
- The body fully expressing the Head

What Will This Look Like Practically?

Based on Scripture, when unity of faith is fully manifested:

A. Perfect Agreement on Truth

Philippians 2:2 - “Make my joy complete by being of the same mind.”

No more theological disputes, denominational divisions, doctrinal disagreements.

All will know the truth perfectly because all will know Christ perfectly (and He IS the truth).

B. Perfect Love

John 13:35 - “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

No more jealousy, competition, criticism, judgment between believers.

Perfect love like the Father’s love for the Son.

C. Perfect Peace

Ephesians 4:3 - “The unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

No more conflict, strife, division, hostility.

Peace among all believers, reflecting the peace between Father and Son.

D. Perfect Joy

John 17:13 - “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.”

Corporate joy, shared joy, overflowing joy.

The church rejoicing together in perfect harmony.

E. One Corporate Consciousness

1 Corinthians 12:26 - “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”

Perfect empathy, perfect sympathy, perfect identification with one another.

When the body functions as ONE, what affects one affects all.

F. Perfect Function

Ephesians 4:16 - “From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

Every part functioning perfectly.
No dysfunction, no failure, no sin.
The body operating as Christ intended.

G. Glory Revealed

Romans 8:18-19 - “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.”

The glory currently hidden will be REVEALED.

Colossians 3:4 - “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

The glory of Christ will be manifested IN and THROUGH the unified body.

H. The World Will Know

John 17:23 - “I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”

Perfect unity will be such a witness that the world will KNOW:

- God sent Jesus
- God loves believers
- The gospel is true

I. Christ Presented to the Father

Ephesians 5:27 - “That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”

The church as a spotless bride, presented to Christ.

Jude 24 - “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy.”

Standing in God’s presence, blameless, with great joy.

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PART 6: IS THE HARPAZO/RESURRECTION THE FULFILLMENT OF UNITY OF FAITH?

The Question Explored

Is the Rapture (Harpazo) and the resurrection of all believers the moment when unity of faith is fully realized?

SHORT ANSWER: YES, it appears so.

The Evidence

1. The Resurrection Completes Us

Romans 8:23 - “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”

We currently have the Spirit (first fruits), but we await bodily redemption.

Philippians 3:20-21 - “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

Bodies transformed to conform to Christ’s glorious body.

This is when we reach “the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

2. The Rapture Gathers All Believers Into One

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 - “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”

TOGETHER - all believers, from all time, gathered as one.

ALWAYS with the Lord - permanently united in His presence.

3. We Will All Know Fully

1 Corinthians 13:12 - “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”

THEN = at the resurrection/return of Christ

At that moment:

- We will see face to face

- We will know fully (perfect knowledge)

- Perfect knowledge = unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:13 - “unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God”)

4. We Will All Be Like Him

1 John 3:2 - “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

When He appears = the Rapture/Second Coming

We will be like Him:

- Glorified bodies
- Sinless nature
- Perfect conformity to His image

All believers will be LIKE HIM = all believers will be LIKE EACH OTHER.

Perfect unity.

5. The Church Presented as One Bride

Revelation 19:7-8 - “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”

ONE BRIDE (singular, not multiple brides).

The corporate church presented as ONE unified entity.

6. All Believers Gathered in One Place

John 14:2-3 - “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

WHERE I AM, THERE YOU MAY BE ALSO.

All believers in ONE PLACE (the Father’s house), with Christ.

Geographic unity symbolizing spiritual unity.

7. The Prayer of John 17 Fully Answered

John 17:24 - “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

At the Rapture/Resurrection:

- All believers WITH Christ
- WHERE He is
- SEEING His glory

Jesus’ prayer fully answered.

8. Perfect Knowledge = Unity of Faith

The progression in Ephesians 4:13:

Unity of the faith

AND the knowledge of the Son of God

TO a mature man

TO the measure of the fullness of Christ

These are not four separate goals but four descriptions of ONE reality.

When we have perfect knowledge of Christ (at the resurrection, when we see Him face to face), we will have unity of faith.

You cannot have perfect knowledge of Christ and disagree about Christ.

Summary: Yes, the Harpazo/Resurrection = Fulfillment of Unity of Faith

At the Rapture/Resurrection:

- All believers gathered TOGETHER (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

- All believers WITH CHRIST (John 14:3, 17:24)

- All believers SEE Him face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12, 1 John 3:2)

- All believers KNOW Him fully (1 Corinthians 13:12)

- All believers LIKE Him (1 John 3:2, Philippians 3:21)

- All believers ONE BRIDE (Revelation 19:7)

- All believers PERFECTED in unity (John 17:23)

This is the moment when “we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

THE Grace Awakening

THE Grace Awakening Study Guide

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THE GRACE AWAKENING for Those Left Behind

The American Remnant - Left Behind Plan