Author: Will

Ephesians 4:14 – Doctrinal Trickery

Posted on by Will

that we should no longer be infants, being tossed and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men in craftiness, with the methodology of error,

Truth to Learn

False teaching appears deceptively easy and attractive.

 

Behind the Words

Nēpios is the Greek word translated “infants.” It is made up of nē, meaning “not” and epos, meaning “a word.” Thus, nēpios literally means “on who can’t speak.” By application it refers to a baby but metaphorically it means “one who is extremely immature or unlearned.”

“Tossed” is from kludōnidzomai, which means “to surge” or “to be tossed by the wind.”

The words “carried about” are translated from the verb peripherō, which is made up of peri, meaning “around” and pherō, meaning “to bear” or “to carry.” Thus, literally it means “to carry around.” It is expressed here in the passive participle. It could be translated “being carried around.”

“Wind” is the proper translation of the Greek word anemos. Metaphorically it is often used as an indication of instability.

“Doctrine” is from didaskalia, meaning “that which is taught.”

The word “trickery” is translated from kubeia, a form of kubos (from which we get our English word cube) referring to one of a pair of dice. Kubeia is often used to imply “deception” or “trickery.”

“Craftiness” is from panourgia, from pas (all) and ergon (work). It refers to “the use of all means necessary (often deceptive) to realize an end.”

The word “methodology” is from methodeia, from which we get our English word “method,” referring to “an orderly procedure.”

Planē is the word translated “error.” It refers to “a wandering out of the right way.”

 

Meaning Explained

As we can see from his vividly descriptive words, Paul feels strongly about this. He has been telling us why it is important for all of us to be at work in the church using the gifts that God has given us to build-up the body of Christ. In yesterday’s verse he told us we all work to gain a full knowledge of Jesus Christ, to be full grown, mature Christians.

The reason that we need to be spiritually mature and have full knowledge of our Lord and Savior is so that we won’t be misled by those who teach false doctrine. Unfortunately, there are those in our churches today who want to teach their truth rather than God’s truth. These men (and women) use subtle trickery to persuade others to believe their false teaching. They often have a “method” which is carefully thought out but which does not ultimately lead to knowledge of the truth.

Those who are taught to detect counterfeit money don’t study all the tricks of counterfeiting. Instead, they are taught in detail how to recognize the real thing. In order for us to recognize false teaching, we need learn good, Bible-based teaching.

 

Application

If the preaching you listen to is not encouraging you to seek out the truth from what the Bible says, then it may be deceptive teaching. Becoming a mature Christian is hard work. You don’t get there by just going through the motions. If what you hear about being a Christian sounds easy, it’s probably a lie. Find out for yourself – study your Bible to protect yourself.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:13 – Gifts For Unity

Posted on by Will

untill we all may come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Truth to Learn

Christians should all be working for each other.

 

Behind the Words

The word “until” is from mecri, which marks an endpoint in place or time. There is a similar Greek word, achri, which focuses on the whole duration up to the endpoint. Mecri, however, focuses on the endpoint itself.

“May come to” is the translation of the Greek word katantaō, meaning “to arrive somewhere” or “to attain something.” It is expressed here in the subjunctive mood, indicating the possibility or probability of the occurrence.

“Unity” is from enotēta. This word is derived from heis, meaning one. Enotēta means “unity” or “oneness.”

The word translated “knowledge” is the Greek word epignosis, which means more than simply knowing something. It means “to recognize and understand something,” that is, “to have complete, in-depth knowledge of someone or something.”

“Full grown man” is from the Greek words andra teleion. Andra, a form of anēr refers to “a man,” although as it is used here, it refers to “a person.” Teleion, a form of teleios, means “complete” or “of full age.” Thus, together these two words refer to “a fully grown person.”

The word “measure” is translated from metron, meaning “a measure of length or capacity.”

“Stature” is from hēlikia, meaning “maturity, in age or size.”

 

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse, Paul tells us some of the reasons that God gave us spiritual gifts. In the opening verses of this chapter, he told us that we are to be humbly and patiently bearing with each other, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit, being bound to one another by peace. In the following verses he talked about why unity is a defining characteristic of the Christian faith. He also told us how Christ came to present gifts to each one of us when He arrived home after His victory over Satan and death. As we learned in yesterday’s verse, these spiritual gifts are given to every believer, and we are to use our gifts to minister to members of the church and, thereby, to build-up the body of Christ.

The first objective of our ministering to each other and building up each other is two-fold. It is to reach that unity Paul talked about in verse three, and it is so that each of us might come to a full knowledge of the Son of God. Here he calls that unity “the unity of the faith.” Even though there have been splits in the Christian church throughout the centuries, and it sometimes seems that every church is going off in its own direction, there are two unifying factors. One is our common faith in what Jesus Christ has done for us. The other is the complete in-depth, experiential knowledge of who Jesus is.

Another objective of our using our spiritual gifts within the church is so that we might become fully grown Christians. And, in using our spiritual gifts in the church, we help each other mature in our relationship with God. This is why the writer of Hebrews said:

And let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

 

Application

It is quite apparent that we are in the last days and that Christ could return any day now. Instead of living for ourselves in these last days, let us use our gifts to strengthen each other and to prepare ourselves for our heavenly reunion with the Savior.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:12 – Share Your Gift!

Posted on by Will

for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ,

Truth to Learn

All Christians have gifts to be used in the church.

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “equipping” is katartismos. This word is made up of kata, meaning “down” but used here as an intensifier and a derivative of artios, meaning “to finish, to adjust, or to repair.” The fundamental meaning of katartismos is “to be put in the proper condition.” It could also be described as “to make fully ready.”

“Ministry” is from diakonia which means “attending to someone like a servant would do,” that is, “serving” or “ministering.”

“Building up” is translated from the Greek word oikodomē, which is a compound word made up of oikos, meaning “a house” or “a dwelling place” and a derivative of demō, meaning “to build.” Thus, oikodomē specifically refers to “building a house” and in common usage it means “to build up or strengthen something.”

 

Meaning Explained

For the past few verses Paul has been talking about the gifts which Christ gave to men (Ephesians 4:8) when he ascended to heaven following His victory over death and Satan. Some of those spiritual gifts were mentioned in yesterday’s verse. These gifts include the gift of apostleship, the gift of prophecy, the gift of evangelism, and the gift of pastoring, and teaching (the last two given together to those who pastor churches).

Too often, people in churches believe that it is the pastor’s job to evangelize the lost and to teach church truths. They also tend to believe that it is up to the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers to build up the body of Christ. According to Paul, however, that is not correct. In today’s verse we learn that the job of these gifted men is to prepare ordinary church-goers to do the work of ministry.

I can just hear you say, “Wait a minute! I thought that the pastor was the minister of our church.” He is, but so are you! Each of us in the church is supposed to be ministering. Our pastors’ jobs include overseeing the local assembly and teaching us. Part of that teaching is Christian doctrine. Another part of his job is teaching us how we can all build up the body of Christ. Here’s how Paul expressed it in 1Corinthians 12:7,

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for our profit; (1 Corinthians 12:7)

In other words, the spiritual gifts are given to each one of us, not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of the entire body of Christ. No matter what spiritual gift you have (wisdom, knowledge, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues, teaching, pastoring, helps, exhortation, administration, giving, leading, and mercy), the purpose of that gift is to build up other Christians. No matter what gift or gifts you have, if you are using it (or them) for your own benefit, then you are misusing that gift. According to today’s verse, we are to be using our gifts to build up the body of Christ.

 

Application

Do you know what your spiritual gift is? If not, look through the list above and pray to God that He will reveal what your gift is. When you know what your spiritual gift is, look for ways to use that gift in the body of Christ, and then get to work! We all have a job to do; let’s all do our part.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:11 – Builders and Protectors

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And He gave some to be apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

Truth to Learn

God has provided gifted men to build and protect the church.

 

Behind the Words

 “Apostles” is a transliteration of the Greek word apostolos, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and a form of the verb stellō, meaning “to set fast” or “to withdraw from;” in other words, “to send forth.” Apostellō means “to send forth on a specific mission.”

“Prophets” is transliterated from prophētēs, which is made up of pro, meaning “before, in place or time” and a form of phēmi, meaning “to tell.” Prophētēs refers to a person who is divinely gifted to proclaim God’s message, either before (in front of) people or before it takes place.

“Evangelists” is transliterated from euangelistēs, which is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of the verb angellō, meaning “to proclaim” or “to tell.” Euangelistē means “to proclaim the good news.”

The word “pastors” is translated from poimēn, which refers to “the person who guards and cares for a flock” or “a shepherd.”

The word “teachers” is translated from didaskalos, which refers to “one who teaches,” that is, “a teacher” or “an instructor.”

 

Meaning Explained

In verses seven and eight of this chapter, Paul told us that we were given gifts according to the measure that Christ determined. Like a conquering king, when Jesus Christ rose from the grave He conquered death and the one who previously had the power over death (Satan). As He rose from the dead, He “led captivity captive.” That is, Christ took Paradise and those in it out of Hades and raised them up to (but not into) the third heaven (see 2Corinthians 12:2-4). At that time, according to Paul, He gave spiritual gifts to men.

These spiritual gifts are described in at least four places in the New Testament; here, 1Corinthians 12:10, 1Corinthians 12:28, and Romans 12:6-8. In today’s verse Paul talks only about the gifts, and gifted men, responsible for the foundation and major construction of the church (the temple of God). The grammatical construction of this verse breaks this group of gifts into four categories; 1) apostles, 2) prophets, 3) evangelists, and 4) pastor / teachers.

Apostles are those who were sent out personally by Jesus Christ as witnesses of His ministry and His ascension (see Acts 1:15-22). Since there are no men alive today who have personally seen Christ, there are no apostles alive today. Prophets are specially gifted men who proclaim the Word of God either before events happen (Acts 11:28) or before others physically (Ephesians 3:5), and evangelists are those who are specially gifted to proclaim the Good News of salvation. The final group of specially gifted men described here are those who are pastors and teachers. From the Greek text it is evident that these men are gifted as both shepherds over God’s flock and as teachers of God’s flock.

 

Application

When Christ ascended from the dead, He did not leave us alone. Not only did he send His Spirit to indwell his church and empower us for His service, He also provided specially gifted men to build and watch over His body. We should all thank God for the gifted men He has provided for the church.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:10 – Not Worth Arguing

Posted on by Will

He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

Truth to Learn

Some Biblical truths are very important to understand correctly, others are not worth arguing about.

 

Behind the Words

Both the words translated “descended” and “ascended” are expressed here as aorist participles. Thus, we could translate the first part of this verse as “the one having descended is also the one having ascended.” Although some translations say “came down” or “went down” and “went up,” the direction of travel (came or went) is not indicated by the Greek text.

“Far above” is translated from the Greek word huperanō. This word is made up of huper (or hyper), meaning “over” or “above” and the adverb anō, meaning “upward” or “on top.” So we see that huperanō literally means “above upward” or “above on top.” The best translation of this word into English is probably “high above” or “far above.”

The word “heavens” is from ouranos, which is probably based on the verb orō, meaning “to rise.” According to Jewish beliefs, there are three distinct heavenly regions. The first is the atmosphere of the earth (where the birds fly and the clouds exist). The second is the universe (where all the celestial bodies exist). The third is God’s abode, or God’s throne room, to which only God and the angelic beings have access today.

“Fill” is from the verb plēroō, which means “to cram completely full, such that no more can be added.”

 

Meaning Explained

As we pointed out in yesterday’s verse, there are some who believe that the statement in verse nine that He “descended into the lower parts of the earth” means the He “descended into the lower earthly regions.” In other words, they argue that it is a reference to Christ coming to earth as a man. Others, adhering to a more literal translation, believe it is a reference to Christ’s descent into Hades (Paradise) as we explained yesterday.

No matter which of these two views you prefer, today’s verse is clearly a statement regarding Christ’s resurrection. But, as scholars are wont to do, there is even disagreement as to what Paul meant in today’s verse when he referred to “the One who ascended far above all the heavens.” As we noted above, the Jewish concept of plural heavens pictures three heavens: the atmosphere, the universe, and God’s abode. Does today’s verse mean that He ascended above the atmosphere and the known universe, into His own realm (the third heaven), or does it mean that he ascended even above that? Again, a literal interpretation indicates that He ascended above “all the heavens,” which implies more than two.

But let’s not get distracted by such minor concerns. Paul’s message in these verses is not so much about where Christ descended to and where He ascended to, but the fact that when He did, He gave spiritual gifts to men. Some of these gifts are described in the next verse.

 

Application

Some Biblical teachings are foundational to our beliefs and how we relate to God. Others are less important. Let’s focus our attention on the important matters and not get hung-up on unimportant matters. Whatever we believe and do, let us do it so that God will get the glory and honor.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:9 – Jesus In Hades

Posted on by Will

(And that, He ascended, what is it except that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

Truth to Learn

Our Lord experienced physical death for us.

 

Behind the Words

The word “first” is translated from prōton, which is based on the superlative of pro (toward or forward). Thus, prōton refers to “that which is the forward-most, or first.” It can refer to “first in time” or “first in position.”

 “Descended” is from the Greek verb katabainō, which is made up of kata, meaning “down” and bainō, meaning “to come” or “to go.” It is expressed here in the aorist tense, indicative mood which indicates an act that occurred at a point in time in the past.

“Lower” is translated from katōteros, which is the comparative of katō, which means “below.” Therefore, we see that lower is an accurate translation of this word.

The word “parts” is from meros, which refers to “a part” or “a share.”

The word “earth” is the translation of the Greek word gē, which refers to “soil,” “dirt,” or “ground.” It is also used to refer to a country, a region, a territory, a land, or the earth.

 

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse is a continuation of a subject that Paul introduced in the previous verse. In that verse he was quoting from Psalms 68:18:

You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, even the rebellious, that the LORD God might dwell there. (Psalms 68:18)

In order to fully grasp what is being said in these verses we need to understand a little about one of the customs of the times in which these verses (both Old and New Testament) were written. It was common for a conquering king to distribute gifts to his subjects upon his return from conquering his enemy. Here we have a picture of our King of Kings returning from His victory over Satan and death. Upon His return to His land (Heaven) He distributed gifts to His subjects.

In today’s verse Paul is making a point that He who ascended had to first descend. In his gospel account, John quoted our Lord saying essentially the same thing:

And no one has ascended into heaven but the One having came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (John 3:13)

Some have argued that the expression “descended into the lower parts of the earth” is a reference to Christ having left Heaven and having come to earth as a lowly servant. However, a literal reading of the verse says that “He descended into the lower parts of the ground.” That can only be a description of His descent into Paradise (within hades/sheol) immediately after having given up his life on the cross.

 

Application

Jesus Christ did not simply pass-out on the cross. He experienced physical death and was taken to the place where all souls go upon death. The glorious news is that He didn’t stay physically dead. He rose from the dead! He is now enthroned in heaven. Hellelujah!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:8 – Moving Day

Posted on by Will

Therefore He says: "Having ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men."

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ moved Paradise and gave all Christians gifts.

 

Behind the Words

The word “says” is from the Greek verb legō, which literally means “to lay forth,” that is, “to express something in words.” There is no subject given in the Greek text, so scholars are split between “He [God] says” and “it [Scripture] says.”

“Having ascended” is translated from anabaino, which means “to go up.” It is expressed as an aorist participle, so it could be translated “having gone up.”

“On high” is from eis hupsos. A literal translation of these two words would be “into elevation,” or “into the heights.”

The words “he led … captive” are translated from the verb aichmalōteuō, which is based on aichmalōtos, meaning “a captive of war.” The verb form, aichmalōteuō literally means “to captivate” or “to lead away captive.”

“Captivity” is from the noun aichmalōsia, which is also based on aichmalōtos. This form of the word refers to “the condition, or state, of being a captive.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has been talking about all of us fulfilling our calling with special attention to maintaining the unity of the church. He is now going to talk about some of the gifts that God gives to us which enable us to perform our function within the body of Christ. In today’s verse Paul tells us when those gifts were bestowed by God.

In order to fully understand, however, we need to do a quick mini-lesson about Hell. In the Old Testament it is most often referred to as sheol, the place of the departed dead. In the New Testament it is referred to as hades. From Numbers 16:33 we learn that sheol is in the center of the earth. And, from Luke 16:22, 23 we learn that there are two different areas of hades, the place of torment (where the rich man was) and a place of rest (where Lazarus was). In the Old Testament, the unrighteous people went to the place of torments and the righteous (like Abraham and Lazarus) went to the place of rest.

Hang-in with me now. On the cross, Jesus told one of the thieves crucified beside Him that on that very day they would both be in Paradise, that is, the place of rest where Abraham was. However, in 2Corinthians 12:4 Paul tells us that he was caught up into Paradise. In fact, a close reading will show us that in this verse Paradise is up at the third heaven (God’s throne room). So, at some point in time Paradise moved.

That movement of Paradise is what Paul is describing in today’s verse. When Christ died, he went down to sheol (hades). However, when He rose from the dead he “led captivity captive.” In other words, Christ took Paradise out of sheol (hades) and took it and all the righteous dead “up to” the third heaven (2Corinthians 2:2).

At that same time, Paul tells us here, Christ gave gifts to men.

 

Application

You and I have special gifts (spiritual gifts or abilities) given to us by Jesus Christ. These gifts are what enable us to serve Him effectively in the local church.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:7 – God’s Gifting

Posted on by Will

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Truth to Learn

Each Christian has a job function to perform within the church based on how God has gifted him or her.

 

Behind the Words

The word “each” is from heskatos, which indicates “each” or “every;” that is, not just some, but all.

“One” is from heis. The fact that Paul says, “each one” indicates “every one of us, individually.”

“Grace” is translated from charis, which is derived from the verb chairō, meaning “to rejoice.” Charis refers specifically to “that which causes joy or gratification.” When used in reference to God, it always refers to “an unearned and undeserved favor done by Him without expectation of anything to be done in return.”

The words “was … given” are translated from the verb didōmi, meaning “to give.” This Greek word is expressed in the aorist tense, passive voice, and indicative mood. This indicates that it was done completely to the subject (each one of us).at a point in time in the past

“Measure” is from metron (from which we get our English word “metric”), meaning “a measure of length or capacity.”

 

Meaning Explained

In this chapter the Apostle Paul has been teaching us how to behave within the body of Christ, the church. He has told us that we are to be humble, gentle, patient, supportive servants who are eager to work toward unity and peace. In the past few verses he gave us a number of examples of reasons why we should be working toward this unity.

Now, in achieving that unity we each have a calling, or a job, to perform. Even though we are all one in Christ, we are still individuals and each one of us has a different function to perform. Paul tells us that God bestows His favor on each one of us in the form of a gift or gifts. These undeserved gifts have been given to us to be used within the church. As we will learn a few verses from now, the purpose of these gifts is to enable us to minister to one another, the result of which will be, “the edifying of the body of Christ.” In other words, these gifts are not given to us for our own personal use or personal benefit. They are given to us to benefit others in the church.

We are also told here that God’s grace is bestowed on each of us, “according to the measure of Christ's gift.” What Paul means is that God determines which gift or gifts to bestow on us and He determines how much of each gift to give to each Christian. We do not all have the same gift, and we do not decide which gift or gifts He gives us, nor do we determine how much of the gift we are to receive. It is all determined by God and by Him alone. Paul tells us in 1Corinthians 14:1 that we are to desire certain gifts, but we don’t determine them.

 

Application

I have been in churches where a specific gift is so sought after that people are convinced you are not completely saved unless you have that specific gift. Paul would say, “Hogwash!” More literally, he would say mē genoito, or “No way!” God determines your gift or gifts. Your only responsibility with regard to His gift is that you use it to the best of your ability to build up the body of Christ. Is that what you’re doing?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:6 – One Father God

Posted on by Will

one God and Father of all, the One above all, and through all, and in you all.

Truth to Learn

All Christians are united under our Father God.

 

Behind the Words

“God” is translated from the Greek word theos, from which we get our English word “theology,” meaning the study of God. The word theos was originally used by the Greeks to refer to any of their gods. In the New Testament, however, it is almost exclusively used in reference to the one true God. Theos is probably derived from the Greek word theteres, meaning “placers,” for the Greeks thought the gods were makers and disposers of all things. The ancient Greeks believed that elements had their own “placers.” Thus they had the god of fire, the god of the winds, the god of money, etc.

The word patēr is translated here as “father.” Generally in Greek, patēr refers to “the male parent.” In its plural form, however, it can refer to both father and mother or to ancestors in general.

“Above” is from the Greek preposition epi. This word can mean “above,” “over,” or “upon.”

“Through” is translated from the preposition dia, which can indicate motion through (with regard to both space and time) or instrumentality. Here it indicates motion (or presence) throughout all things.

The word translated “you” is not in the best manuscripts, so the end of this verses should read, “and in all.” Some of the older manuscripts read, “and in us all.”

 

Meaning Explained

As part of his treatise on unity within the church, Paul points out to us a few things about our God. In the previous verse we learned that we have one Lord, and in that context we saw that Jesus proclaimed “the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.” Even though we know that there are three persons in the Godhead, Paul says that He is our Lord and He is (they are) one. This is not an easy concept for our feeble human minds to comprehend. Nonetheless, God declares it to be so.

Because both the Greeks and the Romans worshipped many gods and the Roman emperors even proclaimed themselves to be gods, Paul makes it very clear now that there is only one God. Jehovah is the only true God. Keep in mind, Paul is teaching about unity within the church, so his statement that God is the Father of all should be taken in this context. Not only is Paul declaring that God is supreme over all creation, but specifically He is over all (and Father of all) in the church. Also, according to Romans chapter eight:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God … The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God, (Romans 8:14, 16)

So, what Paul is teaching here is that God is the Father of all Christians. He also teaches us that our God is above all. Certainly, he is above all creation, but within the context of Paul’s teaching here, God is the supreme authority over all Christians. And, He permeates all parts of all Christians –  body, soul, and spirit.

Since God is the Father of all Christians, He is supreme over all Christians, and He indwells and permeates all Christians, we should act like a single unified body.

 

Application

Are all your words and actions within the church promoting unity within the body? If not, they should be!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:5 – More Oneness

Posted on by Will

one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

Truth to Learn

There are several aspects of oneness in the church.

 

Behind the Words

“Lord” is translated from the Greek noun kurios. This word is derived from kuros, meaning “authority” or “supremacy.” The basic meaning of kurios is “owner, master, or lord.” It refers to the person who has absolute ownership rights or full and final authority over another. It is also used as a sign of respect very much like our English “sir” or “mister.”

The word “faith” is translated from pistis. It is derived from the verb peithō, meaning “to win over, to persuade, or to convince.” Pistis refers to a firmly held conviction. Subjectively it refers to belief or faith in something. Objectively it refers to that which is believed.

“Baptism” is not a translation but a transliteration (a word of one language spelled with the letters of another language) from the Greek word baptisma. This Greek word is based on the verb baptō, meaning “to dip, to dunk, or to place into.” The ma ending indicates the result of the action.

 

Meaning Explained

The Apostle Paul has been challenging us to work hard at promoting unity within the church. He is now giving us a number of examples of the existence of the unity which characterize the church. Previously, he said there is only one body of Christ, there is only one Holy Spirit empowering the church, and there is a single hope (eternal bliss in God’s presence) that all Christians expect at the end of this life.

Now he gives us three more unifying characteristics of the church. The first of these is that we all have the same Lord. All members of the church have the same owner and supreme authority governing their lives. And there is only one God. When asked by one of the scribes what the first commandment is, Jesus responded:

… "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.  (Mark 12:29)

Since we all have the same master, and He is not divided, but one, we are all members of the same household.

The second thing we are told here is that there is only one faith. Not only did we all have to exercise the same faith in order to be saved, we all have the same object of our faith, the sacrificial death of Jesus as payment for our sins.

The third thing mentioned in today’s verse is one baptism. The baptism referred to here could be the water baptism that we submitted ourselves to as a testimony of our saving faith in Jesus Christ. However, it is more likely that Paul is referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is not referring to the supernatural enabling with special gifts, for that is not the meaning of the word “baptism.” Paul explains this Holy Spirit baptism to the Corinthians this way:

For also we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body… (1 Corinthians 12:13a)

At the moment we believed, each one of us was “placed into” (baptized into) the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. That’s Spirit baptism.

 

Application

Since all Christians have the same owner, have the same saving faith, and were all placed into the same body by the same Holy Spirit, we should all strive for unity of purpose and peace.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved