Ephesians 4:4–6 speaks of those Christians as needing a unity in body, spirit, hope, Lord, faith, Baptism, and God. A note in the New American Bible identifies these seven unities as the basis, in reverse order, for later creeds. What do these unities mean in a person’s spiritual life?
They describe what is more and more normal as faith in Jesus Christ deepens among his disciples. Early Christians from a Jewish background, for example, found it very challenging to regard Christians from a gentile background as their sisters and brothers. These unities are the natural and overall effect of God’s grace within a group of Jesus’ followers.
