# One Hope, Not Two

*Ephesians 4:4 -- The Sevenfold Unity*

**Strength:** Strong | **Tone:** Excellent | **Topic:** Salvation

## Doorstep Question

> "In Ephesians 4:4-6 Paul lists seven things that unite all Christians -- one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. Your own Bible says that. So which of those 'ones' actually means 'two'?"

## JW Claim

There are two classes of Christians with two different hopes. The 144,000
anointed have a heavenly hope, while the 'great crowd' of other sheep have
an earthly hope to live forever in paradise on earth. The 'one hope' of
Ephesians 4:4 refers only to the heavenly hope shared by the anointed
class -- it was written to first-century Christians who were all anointed.

## Strategy

1. Read Ephesians 4:4-6 together from their own NWT. Let them see the sevenfold unity in black and white: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God.
2. Ask the devastating question: 'If "one hope" really means two hopes, then does "one baptism" mean two baptisms? Does "one Lord" mean two Lords? Does "one faith" mean two faiths?' The logic of the two-hope doctrine destroys the entire passage.
3. Point out that Paul is writing to 'preserve the unity of the Spirit' (v. 3). A two-class system with different destinies is the opposite of unity -- it is division by definition.
4. If they say this was only for the anointed, note that the letter is addressed to 'the holy ones who are in Ephesus' -- the entire congregation, not a select few. And Paul says they were 'all baptised into one body' (1 Corinthians 12:13).

## Key Insight

The sevenfold unity of Ephesians 4:4-6 is an all-or-nothing package. If 'one hope' actually means two hopes, then 'one baptism' means two baptisms, 'one Lord' means two Lords, and 'one faith' means two faiths. The Watchtower must break the entire passage to maintain its two-class doctrine.

## JW Responses & Counters

### Response 1

**JW says:** "Paul was writing to anointed Christians in the first century. The 'one hope' is the heavenly hope they all shared. The earthly hope was revealed later."

**Counter:** If this passage applies only to the anointed, then 'one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God' also apply only to the anointed. Does the great crowd have a different Lord? A different God? A different faith? Of course not. Paul's sevenfold unity cannot be split -- some items for one class, other items for another. Either it all applies to all Christians, or none of it does.

### Response 2

**JW says:** "The great crowd do share 'one hope' among themselves -- the earthly hope. There is one hope per class."

**Counter:** That is not what Paul says. He does not say 'one hope per group.' He says there is one body -- not two bodies. One Spirit -- not two Spirits. And one hope -- not one hope per class. The entire point of the passage is that there is a single unified calling for all believers. Two hopes belonging to two separate classes is precisely what Paul is arguing against.

### Response 3

**JW says:** "But Psalm 37:29 says the righteous will possess the earth forever. There must be an earthly hope."

**Counter:** Psalm 37 was written to Israelites about inheriting the promised land -- it is not a New Testament salvation text. Even so, the new heavens and new earth of Revelation 21-22 show God dwelling with humanity in a renewed creation. That is the one hope -- God with his people forever. It is not a two-tier system where some are in heaven and some are stuck on earth. The hope is singular: resurrection and eternal life with God.

### Response 4

**JW says:** "Jesus spoke of 'other sheep' in John 10:16 who are not of this fold. That shows two groups."

**Counter:** Read the rest of the verse: 'and they will become one flock, one shepherd.' The other sheep are Gentiles being brought into the same flock as Jewish believers -- not a separate earthly class. This is exactly what Paul describes in Ephesians 2:14-16, where Christ 'made both groups into one' by tearing down the dividing wall. The two become one, not two tiers.

### Response 5

**JW says:** "Ephesians 4:6 says the one God is the Father, and he is 'over all' -- that includes Jesus. Paul puts Jesus in a separate line as 'one Lord.' And there is no Trinity here: where is the holy spirit?"

**Counter:** Look at verses 4 to 6 again: 'one spirit' (v. 4), 'one Lord' (v. 5), 'one God and Father of all' (v. 6). The spirit is there, first in the list. Paul does the same thing in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 -- 'the same spirit... the same Lord... the same God' -- and in 2 Corinthians 13:14. Whenever he grounds the unity of the congregation, he names the Spirit, the Lord Jesus and the Father together. Christians agree the Father is not the Son, and that the Son willingly serves the Father's purpose; 'over all' fits that order. But Paul has already said where the Son sits: God seated Christ 'far above every government and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named' (Ephesians 1:20-21), and a few verses later he 'ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might give fullness to all things' (4:10). And if 'one God' means Jesus can't be God, does 'one Lord' mean the Father can't be Lord? Which of the three in verses 4 to 6 would you leave out of your worship?

## What to Avoid

Do not get drawn into a complex Revelation 7 or Revelation 14 debate about the 144,000. The power of this argument is its simplicity -- it is one verse with an unbreakable logical chain. Stay in Ephesians 4. If they try to shift to Revelation, say: 'Before we go there, can you help me understand which of the seven "ones" in Ephesians 4 actually means "two"?' Also avoid mocking the two-class system. Many JWs have been told their entire lives they have an earthly hope. Speak with compassion.

## Homework

Read Ephesians 4:1-6 slowly and ask yourself: which of these seven 'ones' actually means 'two'? One body -- or two bodies? One Spirit -- or two Spirits? One hope -- or two hopes? One Lord -- or two Lords? One faith -- or two faiths? One baptism -- or two baptisms? One God -- or two Gods?

## Next Moves

- [The Golden Chain](/arguments/golden-chain.md)
- [One Flock / Great Crowd in Heaven](/arguments/one-flock.md)
- [You Must Be Born Again](/arguments/born-again.md)
- [The Christian Shema — Paul Splits the Shema to Include Jesus](/arguments/christian-shema.md)
- [What Christians Actually Believe — The Trinity Defined](/arguments/trinity-definition.md)

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*Source: Research -- Ephesians 4, Watchtower historical analysis, Witness For Jesus channel*