Daily Devotions
Ephesians
"One Lord, one faith, one baptism…"
Text: Ephesians 4:5
ONE BAPTISM (“baptisma”)
Paul did not elaborate on the doctrine of “baptism” in his epistle to the Ephesians. We would need to make reference to his other writings in order to understand and appreciate his usage of this word.
1. Water baptism
Was Paul making reference to “water baptism”? When Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church, he took issue with those who over-emphasized the significance of this Christian rite.
I thank God that I baptized none of you except
Crispus and Gaius,
lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.
Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides,
I do not know whether I baptized any other.
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel,
not with wisdom of words, lest the cross should be made
of no effect.
1 CORINTHIANS 1:14-17
This text may be said to represent Paul’s approach to the issue of water baptism. The focus of his ministry was the preaching of the Gospel and not administering water baptism.
2. Baptism of the Spirit
In another text, Paul argued for the significance of Baptism (of the Spirit).
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death,
that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of
the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life.
ROMANS 6:3-4
AN APPRECIATION OF THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
It is unfortunate that the mode of baptism has caused rifts in the church world-wide. Some argue strenuously for one form of baptism over another.
Few disagree that the baptism of the Holy Spirit comes when a person exercises faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When genuine faith is exercised in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour, at that moment, the believer is baptized by the Holy Spirit.
It seems that this reference to “baptism” would most likely refer to this doctrine of the believer being baptized by the Spirit of God. In this glorious act of the Holy Spirit, the believer is identified with the Lord Jesus Christ, in His death and also in His resurrection from the dead. This doctrine of being baptized by the Spirit of God is beautifully symbolized by water baptism. The former obviously has greater significance.