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