I.　We need to see the uniqueness of the Body of Christ:

A.　There is one Body in the universe—Eph. 4:4a; 2:19; 1 Tim. 3:15; Eph. 5:23-25; 2:15; Col. 3:11; 1 Cor. 12:12.

B.　The oneness of this Body is kept and expressed by each local church in its locality—Acts 8:1a; 13:1a; Rev. 1:11.

II.　We need to see the base of the oneness of the church:

A.　The base of this oneness is the seven factors of our Christian faith—Eph. 4:4-6, 13:

1.　The first factor is the one Body for the corporate expression of Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God.

2.　The second factor is the one Spirit as the essence of the Body of Christ.

3.　The third factor is the one hope of glory for the redemption of our body.

4.　The fourth factor is the one Lord as the element of the Body of Christ.

5.　The fifth factor is the one faith, uniting us to Christ.

6.　The sixth factor is the one baptism, separating us from Adam and the Adamic world.

7.　The seventh factor is the one God and Father, overshadowing us, taking care of us, and being with us.

B.　The base of this oneness is the oneness of the Spirit—4:3.

C.　The base of this oneness is the oneness of the Divine Trinity—John 17:21-22.

D.　The base of this oneness is the oneness for which the Lord prayed:

1.　This oneness is in the Father's name by the eternal life—vv. 6-13.

2.　This oneness is in the Triune God through sanctification by the holy word—vv. 14-21.

3.　This oneness is in the divine glory for the expression of the Triune God— vv. 22-24.

III.　The practice of the oneness is the one accord—Acts 1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 15:25; Rom. 15:6.

IV.　The apostle exhorted us to keep the oneness of the Spirit—Eph. 4:1-3.

V.　Division is heretical, sectarian—Gal. 5:20b-21a:

A.　It dismembers the Body of Christ and is repulsive in the eyes of the apostles— 1 Cor. 1:10-13a; 3:3-4; 11:17-20.

B.　The apostles were strong in condemning the heresies, denying the person of Christ in His divinity or in His humanity—1 John 2:22; 4:2-4; 2 John 7, 9-11; 2 Pet. 2:1.

VI.　The apostle charged us to deal with the divisive, sectarian ones—Rom. 16:17; Titus 3:10.