Seven ones of Ephesians 4: One Baptism

Ephesians 4:3-6 3: Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4: There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6: One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

As you read this, it brings up a question. How can there be one baptism? The Bible mentions many baptisms.

1. There is John’s baptism

Mark1:4-5 4: John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5: And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

2. There is Jesus’ baptism

Matthew 28:19-20 19: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen

3. There is the baptism of the Holy Spirit

Acts 1:5: For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

4. There is the baptism into the body

1Corinthians 12:13: For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

But which is the one baptism Paul is speaking about? Let’s go over to Acts 2 and read Peter’s speech, which is just after the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38-40 38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39: For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40: And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41: Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Baptize in the Greek is Baptizo which means to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk); to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one’s self, bathe, or to overwhelm. This term was used by the people of the time when they washed themselves or their clothes. But in the Bible it takes on a new meaning.

God forgives sins only on the basis of repentance and faith in Christ. Water baptism is an indicator that conversion has happened. John’s baptism was associated with repentance. Baptism for the remission of sins means that the mature person has repented and believed the Gospel of Christ and is therefore receiving baptism. His sins have been forgiven, and he is entering the visible company of the saved. Water baptism is an physical representation of the baptism into the body of Christ.

There are two aspects of the baptism. The planting in the likeness of his death, remission, or the washing away of sin, and the resurrection, regeneration, or the new life in Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:1-11 1: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2: God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3: Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5: For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7: For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8: Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10: For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11: Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Here we are given the two aspects. Verse 3 says we are baptized into his death. What is the purpose of being baptized into his death? Verses 6 and 7 explain the baptism into his death. The baptism into his death is freeing us from sin. When Jesus died on the cross he took our sins on himself, so we can be free from those sins. Our baptism into the body of Christ consists of the remission or freeing from sins.

Col 2:10-15 10: And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13: And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14: Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15: And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

We are buried with him in baptism. Jesus spoiled the principalities and powers. He triumphed over them when he died and went to hell. We also have spoiled them because we are buried with him.

Col:3:3: For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

We no longer live to ourselves, but we are hid with Christ. It is he who lives through us.

Romans 5:8-9 8: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9: Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

He took our sins and all the penalty of sin on himself in order to bring us freedom. His work on the cross redeemed us from the penalty of sin, which is the wrath that all the rest of the world will encounter. He did this for us while we were sinners. We don’t receive this remission of sins by works, but by our faith.

Romans 3:24-28 24: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26: To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27: Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28: Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Again it is all through the work of Jesus at the cross that we have the redemption or remission of sins. We are forgiven and justified by his work. This is what the burial part of baptism is.

Now let us go on to the second part of baptism, the resurrection or new life in Christ. Let’s read Romans 6 again.

Notice that it says in verse 4 that we have newness of life in Christ. We were raised from the dead with him. Verse 5 says we are in the likeness of his resurrection. We live unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. We live in him and as long as we do death has no more dominion over us. This is the baptism into his body.

Tit 3:5-7 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6: Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7: That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We can do nothing to bring on the regeneration, or the newness of life, but it is through Jesus Christ, and through him only that we have eternal life.

1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

When you ask Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour, you are baptized by the Holy Spirit into his body. What does that really mean for us? Let’s read what Paul says in Galatians.

Gal 3:26-29 26: For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27: For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29: And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

In other words, when you accept Jesus as Lord, you are baptized into Him, and put him on. You no longer live for yourselves, but live for him. And as a result you have the promises of God that he gave to Abraham. What are those promises? Let’s read the verses before this.

Ga:3:13-14 13: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

It is all through faith. We receive the redemption from sin, we are dead to sin, and we are alive unto God. As a result we have eternal life and the blessing of Abraham, the promise of the Holy Spirit abiding with us forever.

Colossians 3:1-4 1: If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2: Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3: For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4: When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

This tells us that you no longer live, Jesus lives through you. We are to be little Christ’s in the world. We are baptized or become part of his life on earth.

Let’s go over to Ephesians where Paul explains this a little more.

Ephesians 2:4-10 4: But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5: Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6: And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9: Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Here Paul tells us that we are seated with Jesus in the heavens. We are his workmanship. We have been quickened or made alive with Jesus. It is no longer us that lives but him. He explains this new man further in chapter 4.

Eph:4:24: And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Not only do we have newness of life through Jesus Christ, but we are created in righteousness and holiness. This is the essence of the one baptism.

Heb:10:22: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

And because of the work on the cross that Jesus did we can stand before the throne of God in that newness of life. We can draw near to God with full assurance of faith.

So now what really is one baptism. It is the burial or remission of sin, and the resurrection to newness of life in Christ. Now let us look at the other baptisms mentioned in the beginning.

The baptism of John was for the remission of sins. It was looking forward to the work of the cross. It was a physical act that mirrored what happens when one repents, and turns to Jesus. It mirrors the baptism into Jesus.

The second baptism in the Bible is showing us also that we are baptized into Jesus. When we are baptized in water, the person baptizing usually uses the words of Jesus saying we are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But notice Jesus’ words after this I am with you always, even to the end of the world. He was telling them that they, when they had faith in Jesus, are baptized into his body. We are part of Jesus. He is part of us. He goes with us everywhere we go. We are his body, therefore we represent Jesus to the world.

So water baptism is an indicator of what has been accomplished in our life when we accept Jesus as our Lord. As we are dunked under the water, it is a symbol of our death and burial with Jesus. We are dead to our sinful past. Then as we are raised out of the water, it is a symbol of our resurrection or new life in Jesus Christ.

The only other baptism mention in the New Testament is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Another term for the baptism is the infilling. Let’s read a couple of verses in Acts.

Acts 1:5: For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Ac:2:4: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

In all of these verses, we are told that the Holy Spirit is a gift, which we are baptized into or filled with. This is not the one baptism but is different. We discussed this in the One Spirit lesson. If you need to study this further, go back to that teaching.

Share this: