“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” (Ephesians 4:1-7 NASB)
This meditation is another one on “one.” I received an email yesterday that asked a question about the closing verse in Monday’s meditation, written above, so we will start where we left off. The individual said, “I have been in many churches during my lifetime, and I have seen banners posted on several sanctuary walls that said, ‘One Lord, One faith, One baptism,’ but I have never had it explained. Why is this threefold expression of “one” so significant?” As one prominent preacher in Dallas would respond, even if you did not verbalize the question out loud, “I’m glad you asked?” And just as a sidenote, it is good that we ask questions, or better yet, it is great when we inquire, wanting to gain an understanding of the Scriptures.
What you see in verse 5 is exactly what is put on the banners you have beheld when visiting many churches, “One Lord, One faith, One baptism.” One Lord causes us to think of the fact that there is one God, one true God. One Lord, the God who made the world and all things in it! One Lord, He that gives to all life and breath and all things. One Lord, for in Him we live and move and exist. One Lord is seen in the Godhead, the triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We are not done yet, but already I’m sure the next time you see the banners or hear these words, your mind, and not just the mind of the person who posed the question, it will go deeper than the threefold written expression. But let us continue. One faith refers not to the unique denomination of the church you decided to visit, and it does not refer to one’s individual faith. One faith points to the Christian faith, those around the world who believe that God the Son, took on flesh, dwelt among us, became the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins, the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. Oh, when you get to the second part of the threefold expression on the banner, it ought to make you say, “Thank your Jesus!” And it ought to adjust your thinking, recalibrate your level of appreciation for what God did for us through His plan of salvation.
We are meditating now, aren’t we? Thank you, Lord! Finally, when you get to one baptism. You will get various explanations of what this means, often depending on one’s denominational affiliation, but let me offer this to you. One baptism falls in a progression of what happens to us when we become Christians. We believe in the one God who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life. We come by faith, confessing with our mouths the Lord Jesus, and believing God has raised Him from the dead. Yes, we serve a living Savior! Our lives become new! And as a sign of our faith, we are baptized, immersed in water just as Jesus was, and we are present a pictorial lesson to confirm that we have died to our old nature and have arose to walk in the newness of life!
Let me keep the progression going. Better yet, I should say you and me should keep the progression of thought going as we go forward wherever life takes us today, walking as new creatures. Old things have passed away and all things have become new! Let the newness of your life in Christ attract the eyes of others in the same way that they would look at your new outfit, your new car, you new shoes, and in these times, your new masks (Smile!)! Be blessed!
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].” (2 Corinthians 5:17 Amplified Bible)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King