“One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:5).
Believers have one Lord—Christ alone. The earliest confession was “Jesus is Lord.” This acknowledgement was one that had many possible consequences in the first century. They could no longer address the Roman Emperor by the title “lord” in any sense that would imply divinity. We take the confession Jesus as Lord all too lightly. Many of our brothers and sisters world-wide pay a high price when they dare make such a confession. Today, when you address Christ as Lord, remember what it means. It means He rules in every area of life.
Faith here probably includes both the act of believing and the content, or substance of one’s faith. They are inextricably bound together and both are true of all believers. All who are believers must place their faith in Christ alone. It is also true in the sense of “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). (If you are interested in a simple but helpful tool to help you understand the content of your faith, look for “Core Convictions” by Ken Hemphill in your local bookstore).
The outward and visible sign of faith, expressing the work of regeneration, is baptism. It was instituted by the Lord Himself and was an experience that all early believers shared. Even a cursory reading of the book of Acts will reveal that all early believers all passed through this initiation. The act of baptism does not save. It is the one faith in the one Lord that saves. The physical act of baptism symbolized the inner work of the Spirit who baptized all believers into the one body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).
Prayer: Father, I thank You for preserving Your word that the content of my faith is sure. Amen