STUDY SUNDAY: BAPTISM LEADS TO UNITY IN THE CHURCH

EPHESIANS 4:3-6 [NIV]

Last week on Faith Friday’s blog post on “The Symbolism of Baptism”, I went through how we are one with Christ Jesus when we get baptised in water with the Holy Spirit. If you haven’t checked that blog post out, I recommend you do before reading this blog post. As that blog post explains one half of what baptism represents in the context of oneness/unity.

Today, I will be going through the second half of the symbolic representation of baptism, which is how baptism unites us as the church – we all become one.

Again, I will be using the ‘SOAP’ method. I have a template on how to use this method on our website, under the ‘Resources’ tab.

Without a further ado, let’s get started.

S. SCRIPTURE

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ – Ephesians 4:3-6

^“3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

O. OBSERVATION

Context

• Paul addressed the Book of Ephesians to the church at Ephesus, whilst he was in prison.
• The purpose of this book was to explain to the church the principle of unity – uniting the Jews with the Gentiles. 
• Christianity is about God uniting Himself with people, through Jesus Christ, and people being united in Jesus Christ, and this God’s gift to us.        

Repetition

• “One”:
  • “One” is repeated 6 times in this passage.
  • For something to be repeated many times in a passage, means that the writer is trying to emphasis on something important.
  • Paul wants us to understand that in order for the church (who is us, followers of Jesus) to be united, it is through the Holy Spirit. 
  • And we get the Holy Spirit through salvation (for the Holy Spirit to live in us) and baptism of water and the Holy Spirit (for the Holy Spirit to fill us).
  • Through this process, we don’t just become one and unite with Jesus, but also, we become one and unite with each other, who:
    • Died to our flesh (sins) with Jesus through baptism = “one body”
    • Are given the same Holy Spirit from Jesus Christ = “one Spirit”
    • Are saved = “one hope” (hope in salvation)
    • Worship Jesus = “one Lord” (Jesus is Lord, our Master)
    • Believes in Jesus = “one faith”
    • Have been baptised in water and the Holy Spirit = “one baptism”
    • Believes that Jesus is God = “one God”

Cross-reference

• Ephesians 2:18-22 expands on the Holy Spirit uniting us as one.

¹⁸ “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. ¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.“

• When Paul mentions “we” in v.18, he is referring to himself and the church at Ephesus including the Jews and the Gentiles, who didn’t get along at that time.
• Here again, Paul mentions “one Spirit”. Explaining to the Jews and the Gentiles that it is through the same Holy Spirit in all of us that we are united and therefore have the privilege to have access and connect to “the Father”.
• And because of this we are not strangers from one another, but in fact we are “members of his household”. 
• This means members of the church, which is built on the foundation of Jesus as the “chief cornerstone” joining us altogether to become “a holy temple” in other words the church. 
• For the Holy Spirit to live in. So, the church is not just a physical building, but people. We, as believers of Jesus are also called the church. 
• Therefore, our bodies are a church; a place for the Holy Spirit to live in. The same and only one Holy Spirit, who lives in all of us – so that we can all be united and connected.
• For the Holy Spirit to live and be filled in us, we must be saved through faith but also through baptism of the Holy Spirit.

To understand this all a little better, here is a 3min video below that you can watch, taken from our Repentance Printable Video.

In summary, through salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit; the same and only one Spirit which lives in members of the body of Christ, are able to be united as one to be the church. 

Baptism of the Holy Spirit leads us to be one, united and reconciled with each other.

A. APPLICATION

Remember that being baptised allows you to become one with Jesus Christ, but also one with body of Christ; the church. That is why we go by “brother-in-Christ” and “sister-in-Christ” and so on, because we are all connected, we are one, we are family.

So, know that once you see a fellow believer of Jesus, don’t act as a stranger to one another, you both are connected on a spiritual level. Therefore, what becomes their problem, becomes yours and vice versa. That is the love we share to one another.

This level of spiritual unity and connection creates a common ground and space to understand each other and get to know our sisters a lot more. So, find the time to join and connect with a youth group, bible study group, women’s ministry or spiritual mentor (that can be your spiritual sister or spiritual mother to guide you through your Christ walk).

P. PRAYER

Take this time to share to God what is on your heart regarding this topic of Baptism.

Here are some prayer points you can include in your prayer:

1. Ask God to help and prepare you to get baptised. If there are things God wants you to study and know before you get baptised, so you are aware of the commitment you are making to Him.

2. Ask God to cleanse, purify and refine you from your sins through the power of the Holy Spirit for when you get baptised.

3. Ask God that after you get baptised, that the power of the Holy Spirit will come and fill you up to help you live a holy and righteous life in Him.

4. Ask God to help you connect with faith-filled sisters-in-Christ where you all can build each other up in the word of God and help each other in your walk with Christ.

5. Ask God to help you to love on your family in Christ.

I hope that from this baptism series you have gain some knowledge on the topic of baptism, and that if you haven’t yet been baptised, I pray that this series has encouraged and educated you to get baptised.

Stay Blessed,

Divine L.