Have you ever had a pen pal? Someone you would write letters to and receive letters from? For some kids, this could be a grandparent or a friend they made at summer camp, but whatever the case, having a pen pal, especially for a child, was a test of patience. It usually took weeks from the time you sent off a letter until you finally received one back, if not longer. For Paul, many churches he established, and the leaders of those Christian communities, had in a sense become pen pals to him. In fact, given his current circumstances, it was the only way he could communicate with the outside world and give guidance to these newly formed church communities. While we have copies of the letters Paul wrote, we do not have copies of the letters that were sent to him. We can only make educated guesses as to the content of these letters based on the context of how Paul replied. We do know that every letter Paul wrote was either an answer or a reply to a question, a problem, or a confusing situation that was happening within one or many church communities. This particular letter was no exception. The Church in Ephesus was facing a rising dilemma along the coast of modern-day Turkey that many other churches in Asia Minor were also facing, that is, the problem of Gnostic Christianity, Christian Mystics, and specifically a dangerous "Christian" cult called the Nicolaitians. Each of these groups referred to themselves to the outside world as Christians, yet by their heretical beliefs and actions, they proved they were not actually Christians. The sect of the Nicolatians, named after their backslidden leader Nicolas, who was originally one of the seven of Acts 6, taught and promoted the ideas of fitting into and conforming to Roman culture as a form of self-preservation and a way to escape persecution through compromise. The Nicolatians would later participate in the idolatry of Emperor worship and immoral pleasure-seeking and promoted this lifestyle to other Christians in a way that perverted the grace of God. Many church fathers spoke out against them such as Peter, Jude, John, and Paul. The goal of the Nicolatians was to cause fractures, and divisions within the early church by promoting other counterfeit versions of Jesus, the Gospel, Salvation, spiritual experiences, church family, and ultimately the nature of God Himself. This is why Paul directly comes against their teaching by reaffirming in today's passage that there is only one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all. There are not many hopes or many paths to salvation. There are not many lords or many saviors. There are not many faiths or many baptisms. These ancient Gnostic ideas are alive and well in our world today and as popular as ever through universalist spirituality, progressive Christianity, deconstructionism, and forms of Christian Mysticism and modern Gnosticism. Though many claim to be Christian movements, their doctrine gives them away as nothing more than a heretical counterfeit. These modern beliefs echo ancient pagan ideas of secret higher knowledge, the revealing of mysteries only to a select few, and ultimately climbing some form of work-based ladder to find salvation within yourself. The same solution to these false gospels then is the same solution we should employ now, and it begins with having a united front in the face of false doctrine.

The section heading of this portion of scripture is "A call for unity" among God's people. Paul spent three previous chapters spelling out in glorious detail all that God has freely done for us. Now, because of that, he brings a call to live rightly as a response. Because of everything that Christ has done for you, this is what you should do in return. One thing we should do in return is to seek to live in unity and form a united front against all that would come against God's people and the local church as a whole. But how do we stay unified when we are being torn apart from the inside out? Unity in and of itself is neither good nor evil. People can be united in sin, in violence, or in a cause to commit genocide, or, people can be united around something noble and just. Paul urges the church to be unified and find common unity (community) around the person of Jesus. Not in superstition, good deeds, or religious factions, but only in the true and accurate gospel of Jesus Christ as the only way to God. The unity of the body will flow out of good, solid, sound, and biblical doctrine and theology. Health and strength are never found in ambiguity, confusion or compromise. Remember Paul's words and his warning as you go about your week. Allow it to be a gentle push for you to firm up in your own heart and mind what exactly you believe and why you believe it. When you are firm in your foundation of belief, the clever lies and deceptions that are whispered in your ear will easily be seen as the counterfeits they are.