Jesus has only one church body and there is only one Holy Spirit. Therefore, all Christ’s followers have been called to one glorious hope for the future. “Hope”, in the common sense, is used in cases where we have no guarantee. We hope it doesn’t rain on our picnic, and we hope we’re not the last one picked up after soccer practice, etc.
Glorious hope, on the other hand, is an absolute guarantee that we will dwell with Jesus in Heaven for eternity because Jesus absolutely paid the price for us in full. Originally, God spoke directly to the Jews. The Jews, in turn, were supposed to share God with the world. But the Jews got selfish, not wanting to include others in the family of God. At a time of separation, segregation, and prejudice between Jews and non-Jews, Jesus enters the scene to remove the barrier at the ultimate cost of His life. There is now, therefore, no Jew nor Gentile but all have been purchased into one family, embraced in love by the same one Father.
Once we consider, and come to appreciate, the extremely high cost and value of our unity, we can’t help but preserve and protect this priceless and irreplaceable contribution to humanity. It is the heavy responsibility of Christians to keep that unity from being disturbed. Always keeping our focus on our glorious hope keeps every one of us united together in peace.
So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. -Ephesians 2:19-22 (NLT)
