How does "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" unify believers in Christ today? Key Verse Ephesians 4:5 – “one Lord, one faith, one baptism;” One Lord: A Shared Allegiance • “Jesus Christ is Lord” is the confession that makes us family (Romans 10:9–10). • Because there is only one Lord, every believer—whatever culture, language, or denomination—bows to the same authority. • His lordship eclipses lesser loyalties. Political, ethnic, and personal preferences surrender to the King who “is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). • Unity flows from our common citizenship in His kingdom (Philippians 3:20). Division shrivels when hearts stay freshly amazed that the same Savior rescued us all. One Faith: A Shared Gospel • “The faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) centers on Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). • This faith is not invented by any church tradition; it is the unchanging good news proclaimed by the apostles. • Trusting this singular gospel, believers receive the same new birth (John 1:12-13). • When disagreements surface, we return to the core: saved by grace through faith, “not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9). That shared rescue story welds hearts together. One Baptism: A Shared Identity • Water baptism is the public sign that we have died with Christ and risen with Him (Romans 6:3-4). • Spirit baptism places every believer into one body: “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body… and we were all given one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13). • Because all share this initiation, no one enters the church by a different door. The newest believer and the oldest saint stand on the same ground—grace. • Galatians 3:27 underscores the equality this produces: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Living Out This Unity Today • Guard your speech: speak of fellow believers as family, not rivals (Ephesians 4:29). • Celebrate diverse expressions of worship that exalt the one Lord (Psalm 117). • Prioritize gatherings where the Word and the Table remind us of the one faith and the one baptism we share (Acts 2:42). • Engage in joint service projects; shared mission dissolves barriers (Matthew 28:19-20). • Refuse gossip and factionalism; cling instead to “the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). Practical Reminders and Applications • Remember whose you are: the one Lord owns you; live to please Him first. • Preach the same gospel to yourself daily; it knits you to every other person who believes it. • Recall your baptism; your old self was buried, so let old prejudices stay buried too. • Seek reconciliation quickly; unity is a gift to treasure, not a slogan to ignore (John 17:21). • Let the watching world see a people so united in Christ that they can’t help but notice “how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony” (Psalm 133:1). |
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