One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.” (Ephesians 4:1-7 ESV)

Faith in Jesus Christ, which comes from God, which is persuaded of God, and which is gifted to us by God, is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man. So we humans do not get to decide what this faith looks like. God does. His word does. And his word teaches us that faith in Jesus Christ requires that we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if we obey obedience to God, its end is eternal life with Christ Jesus, our Lord.

So, we who are of genuine faith (ONE FAITH) in Jesus Christ are all called of God (ONE GOD) to forsake our sins (die to sin daily), to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, to submit to Christ as Lord (ONE LORD) of our lives, and to follow our Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands and in holy living, in daily practice, although not necessarily in absolute sinless perfection (1 John 2:1-2). But sin must no longer be our practice. Righteousness and obedience to our Lord are now to be what we live by. Thus we are instructed to walk (in conduct) in a manner worthy (fitting to) our calling in Christ Jesus.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; John 10:27-30]

Now the Scriptures talk much on this subject of unity, but this is unity first and foremost with God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – and with the gospel of our salvation as Christ and as his NT apostles taught it (in context). It is unity with Christ and with his calling upon our lives and with his character and heart and mind and purpose which are taught to us all throughout the NT Scriptures (and in the OT, too). So this peace is first and foremost peace with God and with his will and purpose for our lives, which never compromises righteousness to make peace with other humans.

Now, when this says here that there is ONE BODY, this is speaking of the body of Christ, the church, the people of God who are his by genuine faith in Jesus Christ which results in us dying with Christ to sin, being reborn of the Spirit of God (ONE SPIRIT), and now walking in conduct in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice. For the church is not a building, and not a church denomination, and not a business incorporated under the state which is marketing “the church” to the people of the world via worldly means and methods. Yet that is what many have turned “the church” into. But the church is US who believe in Jesus!

And this body of Christ is the universal body of Christ, which is comprised of believers in Christ Jesus all over the world. So there is only ONE CHURCH. We just live different locations and meet in different places, but we are all still one church, one body, not to be separated by denominational differences and location. And we become members of this ONE CHURCH by genuine faith in Jesus Christ. So we don’t have to rejoin “the church” in order to be members of “the church,” if we are speaking of the biblical body of Christ and not of human institutions called “church” which are really businesses.

And the ONE HOPE to which we are called can be summarized for us well in Romans 6:1-23 and Luke 9:23-26 and in 1 Peter 2:24. And this is the gospel message, that Jesus Christ (God incarnate) was crucified, dead, buried, and rose again for you and for me that we might die with Christ to sin and now live to God and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, and no longer in walks of disobedience and in sinful practices. For if sin is still our practice, and not obedience to our Lord, we will not inherit eternal life with God, but we will face the wrath of God, instead.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Now, regarding this ONE BAPTISM, I am finding that there are varied opinions on this subject, and that most seem to favor water baptism as the one baptism, but there is a problem with that theory. For many people are baptized with water in the name of Jesus Christ who have never been reborn of the Spirit of God and who do not know God because they do not obey him, but they have continued in their sins. They are just going through a religious ritual. And then there are the cases when people were saved and filled with the Spirit prior to water baptism (Acts 10:44-48).

And then we have John the Baptist’s words when he stated: “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 10:11-12) So, the indication here is that the baptism that we receive from Christ is not of water, but of the Spirit, in death to sin and living to righteousness.

“Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:3-7). 

So, this is a spiritual baptism. And this can take place apart from water baptism, as well as water baptism is no indication that this spiritual baptism has ever taken place at all. So, I believe that our water baptism is more of an outward sign of an inward faith which has already taken place, and that this baptism into death (Romans 6) is of the Spirit of God, so this is also the baptism of the Spirit, since there is only ONE BAPTISM, and the only one that can literally bring about death to sin and living to God and to his righteousness is the one done of the Spirit and not in water. See:

[Matt 3:13-17; Matt 10:11-12; John 1:29-34; Mk 10:37-39; Ac 9:15-18; Acts 10:44-48; Acts 18:7-8; Acts 22:12-16; Rom 6:1-7]

Songs in the Night  

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

https://vimeo.com/379484387