One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Ephesians 4:4-6
The body of Christ is made up of many members, but it is only one Body. The Holy Spirit is one Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, and serves as our internal helper and guide prodding us to good works and warning us to situations in which we could compromise our faith and bring shame upon the name of Christ. He indwells everyone who has been born again and carries out His duties as one Spirit representing Christ. He never contradicts Himself. He may arrange different tasks for different people according to the gifts and talents He has given each one, but all these tasks work together to bring glory to Christ and to the Father.
A simple analogy would be that of a machine made up of various parts which work together for a single purpose to produce a specific output. However, a machine is only as good and productive as the people who design, build, operate, and keep in in good working order. While Christ is perfect, those who make up His body are responsible to keep themselves in good condition in co-operation with the Holy Spirit in order to bring glory to Christ, the Head of the body. The truth of one Body and one Spirit leads to the truth that all believers are called to the one same hope of eternal life. There is only one heaven wherein all those who are born again will enter upon their passing from this earth, but in heaven, Jesus told us that there are many mansions in which believers will dwell (John 14:2)–many residences, but one heavenly city whose Builder and Maker is God (Hebrews 11:10).
There is only one Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the church which is made up of all people from all nations who have repented of sin and placed faith in Him in whom we serve, love, and receive the promise of eternal life. There is only one faith, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ according to His gospel. He is the only One who was qualified to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind, and thus He is the only One by whom God’s grace can save those who are lost in sin (Acts 4:12). Neither Buddha, Mohammed, Confucious, Baal, or any other historical figure, human or image, of whom people have given their allegiance could die for men’s sins and satisfy God’s requirement for the perfect sacrifice. There is only one baptism by which we tell the world that we have chosen to identify with Jesus Christ. Baptism by God, the Father, Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit symbolizes our death to sin and our being raised to new life in Christ. Baptism is only for those who have turned from sin and committed their lives to live for Christ.
There is only one Creator God and Father of all. All people are God’s creation. No one ever existed apart from God. He made man, Adam, from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him, making him a living soul (Genesis 2:7). God created woman, Eve, from a rib of Adam (Genesis 2:21-22). Every person who ever existed descended from the first couple. All people are held accountable to their Creator for He is the sovereign, holy, and righteous God over the entire universe. He put within each individual the need to worship a higher being but gave man free will to choose whom or what he would worship. However, He only is the One who is deserving of worship. Blaise Pascal, 17th century French mathematician, physicist, and theologian, wrote that there is a God-shaped vacuum within the soul of man which can only be filled with God by way of Christ. Thus, while all people are subject to and come under the authority of Father God, only those who know Christ as Lord and Savior can be called God’s children and brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords. All others are estranged from God until such time as conviction comes upon them by the Holy Spirit, and they repent of sin and commit their lives to live for Christ, the only way of salvation and forgiveness of sin. God has given every person evidence and reason to worship Him and Him alone so that no one has an excuse to reject Him (Romans 1:19-20). In His justice, He must punish sin, but in His mercy, He made the way whereby we can be eternally forgiven. There is no one like our God.