Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ephesians 4:5
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
5. one Lord ] Jesus Christ; Possessor and Prince of all His people equally.
one faith ] Is “faith” here the “Christian creed,” or “trustful acceptance” of Christ, “saving faith”? Probably the latter, in view of the great rarity of the former meaning of the word in St Paul (Gal 1:23; Php 1:27; present perhaps the best cases, and even these are not quite clear). The words here thus mean, “one and the same way of access to and union with the One Lord.”
one baptism ] The one Divine Seal upon the one God-given faith in the One Lord. This holy Seal is “one” in respect of the Unity of the Triune Name (Mat 28:19) “into” which, and which alone, all partakers of the covenant of Christ are baptized. The “one baptism for the remission of sins” is baptism into that Name, or into its equivalent (Act 2:38), the Name of the Son of the Father and the Giver of the Spirit.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
One Lord – This evidently refers to the Lord Jesus. The Spirit is mentioned in the previous verse; the Father in the verse following. On the application of the word Lord to the Saviour, see the notes on Act 1:24. The argument here is, that there ought to be unity among Christians, because they have one Lord and Saviour. They have not different Saviours adapted to different classes; not one for the Jew and another for the Greek; not one for the rich and another for the poor; not one for the bond and another for the free. There is but one. He belongs in common to all as their Saviour; and he has a right to rule over one as much as over another. There is no better way of promoting unity among Christians than by reminding them that they have the same Saviour. And when jealousies and heart-burnings arise; or when they are disposed to contend about trifles; when they magnify unimportant matters until they are in danger of rending the church asunder, let them feel that they have one Lord and Saviour, and they will lay aside their contentions and be one again. Let two men who have never seen each other before, meet in a distant land, and feel that they have the same Redeemer, and their hearts will mingle into one. They are not aliens, but friends. A cord of sympathy is struck more tender than that which binds them to country or home and though of different nations, complexions, or habits, they will feel that they are one. Why should contentions ever arise between those who have the same Redeemer?
One faith – The same belief. That is, either the belief of the same doctrines, or faith of the same nature in the heart. The word may be taken in either sense. I see no reason why it should not include both here, or be used in the widest sense, If so used it means that Christians should be united because they hold the same great doctrines; and also, because they have the same confidence in the Redeemer in their hearts, They hold the same system as distinguished from Judaism, Paganism, Mohammedanism, Deism; and they should, therefore, be one. They have the same trust in Christ, as a living, practical principle – and they should, therefore, be one. They may differ in other attachments; in temperament; in pursuit; in professions in life – but they have a common faith – and they should be one.
One baptism – This does not affirm that there is one mode of baptism, but it refers to the thing itself. They are all baptized in the name of the same Father, Saviour, Sanctifier. They have all in this manner been consecrated unto God, and devoted to his service. Whether by immersion, or by pouring, or by sprinkling, they have all been baptized with water; whether it is done in adult years, or in infancy, the same solemn act has been performed on all – the act of consecration to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This passage cannot be adduced to prove that only one mode of baptism is lawful, unless it can be shown that the thing referred to here was the mode and not the thing itself; and unless it can be proved that Paul meant to build his argument for the unity of Christians on the fact that the same form was used in their baptism. But this is evidently not the point of his argument.
The argument is, that there was really but one baptism – not that there was but one mode of baptism. I could not use this argument in this form, Christians should be one because they have been all baptized by sprinkling; and yet the argument would be just as forcible as to use it in this form, Christians should be one because they have all been baptized by immersion. There is one baptism, not one mode of baptism; and no man has a right to assume that there can be but one mode, and then apply this passage to that. The essential thing in the argument before us is, that there has been a consecration to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, by the application of water. Thus, understood, the argument is one that will be felt by all who have been devoted to God by baptism. They have taken the same vows upon them. They have consecrated themselves to the same God. They have made the same solemn profession of religion. Water has been applied to one and all as the emblem of the purifying influences of the Holy Spirit; and having been thus initiated in a solemn manner into the same profession of religion, they should be one. (See Mat 3:6 note and Mat 3:16 note.)
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Eph 4:5
One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
The Lord of the Church
From the beginning, the Church is constituted of all who call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
I. How is the Lordship of Jesus constituted? Not by the suffrages of men; but by the will of God. And it is the reward of His servantship.
II. What does this Lordship comprise? Master, Teacher, Leader, Captain, Prince. In all things He is preeminent. In and over the Church He, and He only, has the right to reign.
III. How is this Lordship essential to the Church? The saints who form the one Body, and are actuated by the one Spirit, and are called in the hope of having one Lord, are companions in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. They are servants under one Master; disciples under one Teacher; soldiers under one Captain; subjects under one Lord. He is preeminent and paramount. And it is His Lordship that gives tone to their character, firmness to their testimony, steadfastness to their hues, and direction in all things.
IV. The practical uses of this doctrine.
1. It stirs gratitude.
2. It requires obedience.
3. It promotes equity and fair play among Christians.
4. It binds together Christians in unity.
There are differences of service and ministration rendered, but the same Lord is the rallying point of the whole kingdom. (J. Eadie, D. D.)
The five points of universal charity
I. One faith. This may be interpreted of the principle of faith as applied to revelation in general, and to Christ, the great object of that revelation, in particular. This faith is precious. It unites to a precious Saviour. It is precious, as the medium of deriving the greatest benefits.
II. One baptism. We prefer to consider this as the baptism of the Spirit; the sign being put for the thing signified.
III. One hope. This is termed, the one hope of their calling; namely, the one object to which they are all called, and which, therefore, they all have in hope, This is heaven, and is rather a state than a place, being two-fold, the one introductory, the other future and permanent.
IV. One Lord. This is Jesus Christ, viewed as a Saviour by faith and hope, and regarded as Lord by the principle of Christian submission and obedience. His supremacy, all true Christians joyfully acknowledge.
V. One God, and father of all. Here the apostle leads Christians up to the source of human redemption; and the ultimate object of all religious worship and homage. With God the Father, the plan of our salvation originated. Our Saviour perpetually refers His mediation to the will and appointment of His Father. I came not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. The work that My Father giveth Me to do, I do it. And even now, He carries on the process of human redemption in heaven, entirely in accordance with the will of the Father (Joh 5:19). Let us follow this epitome with some reflections on the agreement of Christians in these several particulars.
1. How great must be the work of their salvation! What great objects without are concerned in it; what great dispositions are wrought within them in relation to these objects to accomplish it! Here is God the Father intending it from eternity, Jesus Christ procuring it in time by His mediation, and a glorious heaven in future for its completion and enjoyment. Here is the Holy Spirit bringing their minds into contact with these objects, so as to be deeply influenced by them, through the medium of revealed truth, by the power of faith; which faith is expressly said to be of the operation of the Spirit of God, and the effect of the exceeding greatness of His power: and here is a supernatural principle of hope given them for the promotion of the same object.
2. What provision is made by these objects for the promotion of Christians in holiness? All the means and agencies requisite for that purpose are here at hand. The principle of faith with which they are endowed renders every part of the Bible that is favourable to holiness capable of being brought to bear on them. The principle of hope also is a great help and incentive to holiness. It saves us from being drawn to sin by the allurements of the world, presenting something infinitely more captivating before us; and it saves us from being driven to sin by its terrors, suggesting in such ease the affecting idea of the loss of its great object. Particularly does it influence to holiness by leading the mind to converse with holy objects, which must have a tendency to assimilate it to them.
3. What a foundation is laid, by the agreement of Christians in these particulars, for a mutual affection! The points of agreement among Christians, compared with those of disagreement, are much fewer in number but far greater in importance.
4. What a fearful thought is the fact of Christs lordship to the ungodly! They who neglect Him, little think of His present grandeur, and of His future glory. (J. Leifchild.)
The Church of the future
I believe in the Church of the future. I think that there will come a day, at no distant time, when from the watchtowers of Asia, once the land of many lords, there shall roll out the exultant chorus, One Lord! When from the watchtowers of Europe, distracted by divisions in the Faith, there shall roll up the great chorus, One Faith! When from the watchtowers of America, torn by controversies respecting the initiatory rite into the vestibule Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, there shall burst forth the inspiring chorus, One Baptism! When from the watchtowers of Africa, as though the God of all the human race were not her God, as if the Father of the entire family were not her Father–when from the watchtowers of neglected and despised Africa, there shall roll forth the chorus, One God and Father of us all! When the sacramental host, scattered all over the face of this lower creation, shall spring upon their feet, and, seizing the harp of thanksgiving, they shall join in the chorus that shall be responded to by the angels, One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all; to whom be glory, dominion, and majesty, and blessing forever. (A. Cookman.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 5. One Lord] Jesus Christ, who is the governor of this Church.
One faith] One system of religion, proposing the same objects to the faith of all.
One baptism] Administered in the name of the holy Trinity; indicative of the influences, privileges, and effects of the Christian religion.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
One Lord; Christ, viz. as Redeemer, Head, and Husband of the church, to whom, by Gods appointment, she is immediately subject, 1Co 8:6; Joh 13:13; Act 2:36.
One faith; i.e. one object of the faith of all believers, viz. the doctrine of salvation, which is but one.
One baptism; both as to the outward symbol, and the thing signified by it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. Similarly “faith”and “baptism” (the sacramental seal of faith) are connected(Mar 16:16; Col 2:12).Compare 1Co 12:13, “Faith”is not here that which we believe, but the act of believing,the mean by which we apprehend the “one Lord.” “Baptism”is specified, being the sacrament whereby we are incorporatedinto the “one body.” Not the Lord’s Supper, which is an actof matured communion on the part of those already incorporate, “asymbol of union, not of unity” [ELLICOTT].In 1Co 10:17, where a breachof union was in question, it forms the rallying point [ALFORD].There is not added, “One pope, one council, one form ofgovernment” [Cautions for Times]. The Church is one inunity of faith (Eph 4:5;Jdg 1:3); unity of origination(Eph 2:19-21): unityof sacraments (Eph 4:5;1Co 10:17; 1Co 12:13):unity of “hope” (Eph 4:4;Tit 1:2); unity of charity(Eph 4:3): unity (notuniformity) of discipline and government: for where thereis no order, no ministry with Christ as the Head, there is no Church[PEARSON, Exposition ofthe Creed, Article IX].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
One Lord,…. The Lord Jesus Christ, who, by right of creation, is Lord of all; and by right of marriage, and redemption, is the one and only Lord of his church and people; he has betrothed them to himself, and is their husband, and so their Lord, whom they are to worship and obey; he has redeemed them, he has bought them with the price of his blood, and therefore they are not their own, but his, and should glorify him both with their bodies and souls, which are his; he is the head of his body the church, the King of saints, and Father and master of the family named of him, and therefore they ought to agree among themselves, and not be many masters, and usurp a domination over one another. The Ethiopic version reads, “one God”, but that is expressed in the following verse.
One faith; there is but one grace of faith; there are indeed different sorts of faith; there is the faith of miracles, and an historical, temporary faith, but there is but one true grace of faith; and which, though it is in different subjects, and its degrees and acts are various, yet as to its nature, it is like precious faith in all; and has the same author and object, Jesus Christ, and springs from the same cause, the free grace of God, and has equally in all everlasting salvation connected with it, and consequent upon it: and there is but one doctrine of faith; the Gospel is so called, because it consists of things to be believed, is the means of implanting faith, it proposes the object to be believed in, and requires the exercise of it upon it, and should be mixed with faith whenever heard. Now this is but one, and is all of a piece, and consistent with itself, and so should the professors of it be, and love one another in the faith.
One baptism, there were divers baptisms under the law, but there is but one baptism under the Gospel; for John’s and Christ’s are the same: there are, besides, figurative or metaphorical ones, which are so in an improper sense, as the baptism of the Spirit, and the baptism of blood, or of sufferings; but there is but one baptism, literally and properly so called, which is water baptism; and which is to be administered in one and the same way, by immersion in water; and on one and the same subjects, believers in Christ; and in one and the same name, the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and to be performed but once, when rightly administered.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
One Lord ( ). The Lord Jesus Christ and he alone (no series of aeons).
One faith ( ). One act of trust in Christ, the same for all (Jew or Gentile), one way of being saved.
One baptism ( ). The result of baptizing (), while is the act. Only in the N.T. ( in Josephus) and ecclesiastical writers naturally. See Mr 10:38. There is only one act of baptism for all (Jews and Gentiles) who confess Christ by means of this symbol, not that they are made disciples by this one act, but merely so profess him, put Christ on publicly by this ordinance.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Faith. The principle of faith; not that which is believed – the body of Christian doctrine, which does not promote unity. See on Act 6:7. Baptism. The external sign of faith, but of no significance without the Lord and the faith. Baptism is emphasized instead of the Eucharist, because the latter assumes and recognizes unity as an established fact; while faith and baptism precede that fact, and are essential to it. Baptism, moreover, is not administered to the Church as a body, but to individuals, and therefore emphasizes the exhortation to each member to be in vital union with the whole body.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “One Lord ‘ (eis kurios) “One Lord or Master” The law of Moses or Hebrew program of worship and service was no longer Lord or Master over any believer, but Jesus Christ was. He is Lord and Master, Joh 13:13; 1Co 8:6; Eph 6:9.
2) “One faith” (mia pistis) “One faith;” One system of teachings or doctrines; those of Christ, 2Co 13:5; Jud 1:3, not Moses — not Mohammed – not Zoraster — not Confucius, etc. Embraced in this system of faith is the gift of faith, 1Co 13:13.
3) “One baptism” (hen baptismal “One f) baptism,” water baptism, or immersion, commanded of the Lord, to be administered by His church to believers until the end of the Gentile dispensation, Mat 28:18-20. The church was baptized of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, Act 1:1-4; once for all, sanctified and dedicated to administer the one water baptism until Jesus returns.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
5. One Lord. In the first Epistle to the Corinthians, he employs the word Lord, to denote simply the government of God.
“
There are differences of administration, but the same Lord.” (1Co 12:5)
In the present instance, as he shortly afterwards makes express mention of the Father, he gives this appellation strictly to Christ, who has been appointed by the Father to be our Lord, and to whose government we cannot be subject, unless we are of one mind. The frequent repetition of the word one is emphatic. Christ cannot be divided. Faith cannot be rent. There are not various baptisms, but one which is common to all. God cannot cease to be one, and unchangeable. It cannot but be our duty to cherish holy unity, which is bound by so many ties. Faith, and baptism, and God the Father, and Christ, ought to unite us, so as almost to become one man. All these arguments for unity deserve to be pondered, but cannot be fully explained. I reckon it enough to take a rapid glance at the apostle’s meaning, leaving the full illustration of it to the preachers of the gospel. The unity of faith, which is here mentioned, depends on the one, eternal truth of God, on which it is founded.
One baptism, This does not mean that Christian baptism is not to be administered more than once, but that one baptism is common to all; so that, by means of it, we begin to form one body and one soul. But if that argument has any force, a much stronger one will be founded on the truth, that the Father, and Son, and Spirit, are one God; for it is one baptism, which is celebrated in the name of the Three Persons. What reply will the Arians or Sabellians make to this argument? Baptism possesses such force as to make us one; and in baptism, the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Spirit, is invoked. Will they deny that one Godhead is the foundation of this holy and mysterious unity? We are compelled to acknowledge, that the ordinance of baptism proves the existence of Three Persons in one Divine essence.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) One Lord, one faith.From the idea of the calling, the Apostle passes naturally to Him who callsthe one Lordand to the method of His calling to Himself, first, by the one faith, and then by the one baptism at which profession of that one faith is made. It is on the indwelling of Christ in each heart by faith that the spiritual unity of all Christiansprimarily with Him, secondarily with one anotherdepends; and that spiritual unity is put on in baptism (Gal. 3:27), in which we are buried with Him and risen again (Col. 2:12), growing into the likeness of His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-5). Again we note that, with but few exceptions, all Christians, even in the divided condition of the Church, are still united in the one baptism; and if we look to such expressions of the one faith as are contained in the baptismal profession (e.g., of the Apostles Creed), it is clear that our divisions, great as they are, turn mainly on the fourth subsidiary Article on the Holy Catholic Church, and not on the three primary Articles of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. In these the mass of Christendom has still one faith.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. One Lord To whom, as centre, head, and author of our entire salvation one faith unites us, that faith expressed and confirmed by one baptism. Thus one faith supposes a creed. That is, it assumes that Christianity is not only a life but a doctrine. It has its central fundamental truths which must be embraced in this one faith. By these truths believed, and firmly held, men are led to, and united to, Christ as their Saviour. Besides these fundamental truths, by which Christianity is formed and a man becomes “a believer,” there are, doubtless, many truths and many beliefs held by many Christians not necessary to the very existence of the one faith. But we must not give ready heed to teachers who declaim against “doctrines” and “the creeds,” as if truth and sound doctrine were not vital to the reality of our Christianity.
One baptism One affusion by the Spirit, symbolized by water, declaring to the world our living one faith in the one Lord.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eph 4:5 . Continuation. There are not several Lords , but One , who is Lord of all believers, even Christ; not several kinds of faith , but one faith, inasmuch as all place their confidence upon the atoning death of Christ, on account of which they are justified and obtain salvation (Rom 3:23 ff.); not several kinds of baptism , but one baptism, namely, into Christ (Rom 6:3 ; Gal 3:27 ; Act 10:48 ; Act 19:5 ).
at the head; because and the accomplished in the case of those who have become believers are consequentia of .
To make of the doctrine of the faith (Grotius, Zachariae, and others), is at variance with linguistic usage; comp. on Gal 1:23 ; Rom 1:5 . The is here represented as present , but in Eph 4:13 as future . Both with justice; inasmuch as here the Christian faith in the narrower sense is intended, the fides salvifica , which in all Christians was essentially the same, while at Eph 4:13 it is the Christian faith in the wider sense, within the compass of which there was diversity of convictions (as respects the validity of the law, the resurrection, veneration of angels, asceticism, partaking of flesh offered to idols, and other matters).
Of the Lord’s Supper , the unity of which might likewise appear as a suitable element in the connection (1Co 10:17 ), Paul does not make mention: according to Calovius, because it was comprehended “uno baptismatis sacramento ex paritatis ratione; ” according to Harless, because Paul was mentioning only the fundamental conditions of the Christian fellowship, as they exist from the outset, at the first entrance upon it; according to Olshausen, because the specific act of the Supper, the partaking (rather, the communion , 1Co 10:16 ) of Christ, is included in , ; according to de Wette, because it was less a something conditioning the unity, than something representing this unity itself. [201] But, in opposition to Calovius and Olshausen, it may be urged that, if Paul had adopted the synecdochic point of view in the selection, he would not have needed to mention , since baptism presupposes faith; in opposition to Harless, that the fundamental conditions of the Christian communion which Paul mentions are such, not specially for the beginning of it, but for its whole duration; in opposition to de Wette, finally, that the Lord’s Supper is, precisely as a representation of the unity, at the same time a powerful ethical incitement thereto, and hence would have been admirably appropriate in the series of points adduced. The ground of its not being mentioned is rather to be sought in the fact that the adducing of the Lord’s Supper would have disturbed the threefold triad of the elements adduced, and have broken through the whole rhythm of the passage. And the holy meal might the more easily remain unmentioned, because it was at that time not yet an observance subsisting by itself , but was combined with the common meals; hence, doubtless, in a context where the Lord’s Supper is spoken of , the (1Co 10:17 ) is brought forward as a symbol of the unity of Christians, but in another context the thought or because the Supper was not something subsisting alone like baptism, which as the constituent element of Christian standing could not remain unmentioned did not so necessarily suggest itself.
[201] Most mistakenly of all, Schenkel holds that Paul did not regard a uniform observance of the Supper as necessary, and would not stand in the way of the varied development of a rite . In that case, doubtless, Paul would have done well not to mention baptism either.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Ver. 5. One baptism ] The author to the Hebrews speaketh of baptisms, Eph 6:2 . But either he puts the plural for the singular; or else he meaneth it of the outward and inward washing, which the schools call baptismum fluminis et flaminis, the baptism of water and fire. See Trapp on “ Mat 3:11 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
5 .] one Lord (as the Head of the Church: in this verse he grounds the co-existence of the . in the three great facts on which it rests the first objective, the second subjective, the third compounded of the two, ), one faith (in that one Lord: the subjective medium by which that one Lord is apprehended and appropriated: not ‘fides qu creditur,’ but ‘fides qu creditur:’ but it is necessarily understood, that this subjective faith has for its object the One Lord just mentioned) one baptism (the objective seal of the subjective faith, by which, as a badge, the members of Christ are outwardly and visibly stamped with His name. The other sacrament, being a matured act of subsequent participation, a function of the incorporate, not a seal of incorporation (a symbol of union , not of unity : so Ellicott), is not here adduced. In 1Co 10:17 , where an act was in question which was a clear breach of union, it forms the rallying-point),
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Eph 4:5 . , , : one Lord, one faith, one baptism . “One Lord,” that is Christ, He alone and He for all equally whether Gentile or Jew. “One faith,” i.e. , one belief having Him as its object; having here its usual subjective sense of saving trust , not = that which is believed, the Christian doctrine or creed (Grot.) a meaning which is at the best very rare in the NT and not quite certain even in most of the passages usually cited in support of it (Act 6:7 ; Gal 1:23 ; 1Ti 1:4 ; 1Ti 1:19 ; 1Ti 2:7 ; 1Ti 4:1 ; 1Ti 4:6 ; 1Ti 5:8 ; 1Ti 6:10 ; 1Ti 6:21 ), but most probable in Jdg 3:20 . “One baptism” the rite, one and the same for all, by which believers in Christ are admitted into the fellowship of His Church, and which is described as “into Christ” (Rom 6:3 ; Gal 3:27 ), into His name (Act 10:38 ; Act 10:48 ; Act 19:5 ), into the “name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost” (Mat 28:19 ). No mention is made of the Lord’s Supper. This is the more remarkable in view of the fact that elsewhere it is referred to as a token of unity (1Co 10:17 ). Various explanations of the omission have been given e.g. , the desire to preserve the rhythmical form of the sentence, together with the fact that the Lord’s Supper did not as yet stand by itself, but was combined with ordinary Christian meals (Mey.); the fact that it was more a representation than a condition of unity (De Wette); the consideration that it is not like baptism an initial, fundamental rite, but one that comes to be observed after admission (Harl.). None of these reasons can be called satisfactory, nor have we the materials for an adequate explanation.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
EPHESIANS
THE THREEFOLD UNITY
Eph 4:5
The thought of the unity of the Church is very prominent in this epistle. It is difficult for us, amidst our present divisions, to realise how strange and wonderful it then was that a bond should have been found which drew together men of all nations, ranks, and characters. Pharisee and philosopher, high-born women and slaves, Roman patricians and gladiators, Asiatic Greeks and Syrian Jews forgot their feuds and sat together as one in Christ. It is no wonder that Paul in this letter dwells so long and earnestly on that strange fact. He is exhorting here to a unity of spirit corresponding to it, and he names a seven-fold oneness-one body and one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. The outward institution of the Church, as a manifest visible fact, comes first in the catalogue. One Father is last, and between these there lie the mention of the one Spirit and the one Lord. The ‘body’ is the Church. ‘Spirit, Lord, God,’ are the triune divine personality. Hope and faith are human acts by which men are joined to God; Baptism is the visible symbol of their incorporation into the one body. These three clauses of our text may be considered as substantially including all the members of the series. We deal with them quite simply now, and consider them in the order in which they stand here.
I. The one Lord.
The deep foundation of Christian unity is laid in the divine Christ. Here, as generally in the New Testament, the name ‘Lord’ designates Christ in His authority as ruler of men and in His divinity as Incarnation of God. It would not be going too far to suggest that we have in the name, standing as it does, for the most part, in majestic simplicity, a reference to the Old Testament name of Jehovah, which in the Greek translation familiar to Paul is generally rendered by this same word. Nor can we ignore the fact that in this great catalogue of the Christian unities the Lord stands in the centre of the three personalities named, and is regarded as being at once the source of the Spirit and the manifestation of the Father. The place which this name occupies in relation to the Faith which is next named suggests that the living personal Christ is the true uniting principle amongst men. The one body realises its oneness in its common relation to the one Lord. It is one, not because of identity in doctrine, not because of any of the bonds which hold men together in human associations, precious and sacred as many of these are, but ‘we being many are one bread, for we are all partakers of that one bread.’ The magnet draws all the particles to itself and holds them in a mysterious unity.
II. One faith.
The former clause set forth in one great name all the objective elements of the Church’s oneness; this clause sets forth, with equally all-comprehending simplicity, the subjective element which makes a Christian. The one Lord, in the fulness of His nature and the perfectness of His work, is the all-inclusive object of faith. He, in His own living person, and not any dogmas about Him, is regarded as the strong support round which the tendrils of faith cling and twine and grow. True, He is made known to us as possessing certain attributes and as doing certain things which, when stated in words, become doctrines, and a Christ without these will never be the object of faith. The antithesis which is so often drawn between Christ’s person and Christian doctrines is by no means sound, though the warning not to substitute the latter for the former is only too necessary at all times.
The subjective act which lays hold of Christ is faith, which in our text has its usual meaning of saving trust, and is entirely misconceived if it is taken, as it sometimes is, to mean the whole body of beliefs which make up the Christian creed. That which unites us to Jesus Christ is an infinitely deeper thing than the acceptance of any creed. A man may believe thirty-nine or thirty-nine hundred articles without having any real or vital connection with the one Lord. The faith which saves is the outgoing of the whole self towards Christ. In it the understanding, the emotions, and the will are all in action. The New Testament faith is absolutely identical with the Old Testament trust, and the prophet who exhorted Israel, ‘Trust ye in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength,’ was preaching the very same message as the Apostle who cried, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.’
That ‘saving faith’ is the same in all Christians, however different they may be in condition and character and general outlook and opinion upon many points of Christian knowledge. The things on which they differ are on the surface, and sometimes by reason of their divergencies Christians stand like frowning cliffs that look threateningly at one another across a narrow gorge, but deep below ground they are continuous and the rock is unbroken. In many and melancholy ways ‘the unity of faith and knowledge’ is contradicted in the existing organisations of the Church, and we are tempted to postpone its coming to the day of the new Jerusalem which is compact together; but the clarion note of this great text may encourage us to hope, and to labour in our measure for the fulfilment of the hope, that all, who by one faith have been joined to the one Lord, may yet know themselves to be one in Him, and present to the world the fair picture of one body animated by one spirit.
III. One baptism.
Obviously in Paul’s mind baptism here means, not the baptism with the Spirit, but the rite, one and the same for all, by which believers in Christ enter into the fellowship of the Church. It was then a perpetual rite administered as a matter of course to all who professed to have been joined to the one Lord by their one faith. The sequence in the three clauses of our text is perfectly clear. Baptism is the expression and consequence of the faith which precedes it. Surely there is here a most distinct implication that it is a declaration of personal faith. Without enlarging on the subject, I venture to think that the order of the Apostle’s thought negatives other conceptions of Christian baptism, such as, that it is a communication of Grace, or an expression of the feelings and desires of parents, or a declaration of some truth about redeemed humanity. Paul’s order is Christ’s when He said, ‘He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.’
It is very remarkable and instructive that whilst thus our text shows that baptism was a matter of course and universally practised, the references to it in the epistles are so few. The inference is not that it was neglected, but that, as being a rite, it could not be as important as were Christian truths and Christian character. May we, in a word, suggest the contrast between the frequency and tone of the Apostolic references to baptism and those which we find in many quarters to-day?
It is remarkable that here the Lord’s Supper is not mentioned, and all the more so, that in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, the passage which we have already quoted does put emphasis upon it as a token of Christian unity. The explanation of the omission may be found in the fact that, in these early days, the Lord’s Supper was not a separate rite, but was combined with ordinary meals, or perhaps more probably in the consideration that baptism was what the Lord’s Supper was not-an initial rite which incorporated the possessors of one faith into the one body.
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
Lord. App-98.
faith. i.e. doctrine; by Metonymy, App-6. See App-150.
baptism. Greek. baptisma. App-115. The baptism of the Spirit by Whom we are baptized into the one body. (See How to Enjoy the Bible, by the late Dr. E. W. Bullinger, p. 128.)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
5.] one Lord (as the Head of the Church: in this verse he grounds the co-existence of the . in the three great facts on which it rests-the first objective,- -the second subjective,–the third compounded of the two,- ), one faith (in that one Lord: the subjective medium by which that one Lord is apprehended and appropriated: not fides qu creditur, but fides qu creditur: but it is necessarily understood, that this subjective faith has for its object the One Lord just mentioned) one baptism (the objective seal of the subjective faith, by which, as a badge, the members of Christ are outwardly and visibly stamped with His name. The other sacrament, being a matured act of subsequent participation, a function of the incorporate, not a seal of incorporation (a symbol of union, not of unity: so Ellicott), is not here adduced. In 1Co 10:17, where an act was in question which was a clear breach of union, it forms the rallying-point),
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Eph 4:5. , , one faith, one baptism) into Christ, the Lord. Sometimes baptism, sometimes faith, is put first; Mar 16:16; Col 2:12.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Eph 4:5
Eph 4:5
one Lord,-This one Lord is Jesus Christ, crucified, buried, risen, exalted, and invested with supreme authority in heaven and on earth. To the Jews out of every nation, Peter declared: Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified. (Act 2:36). To the Gentiles, also, Peter preached him as Lord of all; and to him bear all the prophets witness, that through his name every one that believeth on him shall receive remission of sins. (Act 10:36; Act 10:43). Thus the door of faith was opened to the Gentiles, as it had been to the Jews, into one and the same kingdom under one and the same Lord. Hence Paul emphasized the fact that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon him. (Rom 10:12). As Lord of all, he is on the right hand of God, having gone into heaven; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. (1Pe 3:22).
one faith,-One living, life-giving faith that works by love, and is made perfect by these works; that purifies the heart and fits it for a true temple of God, a habitation of God in the Spirit. Only those whose faith is regulated by the word of God and whose purposes and daily life are conformed to the will of God can be one in Christ. This oneness must be a spiritual and practical oneness, not simply an assent of the mind to the truths of God. Oneness with and in Christ is the only source of spiritual and divine power. The great need of the church today is divine presence and spiritual power. This can be gained only by a closer walk with God; a more perfect conformity of the lives, the feelings, purposes, and life of professed Christians to the will and Spirit of God.
one baptism,-One burial of him whose heart is purified by faith, who has been crucified with Jesus Christ to sin, that he may rise to walk in newness of life with the risen and glorified Savior.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
One Lord: Act 2:36, Act 10:36, Rom 14:8, Rom 14:9, 1Co 1:2, 1Co 1:13, 1Co 8:6, 1Co 12:5, Phi 2:11, Phi 3:8
one faith: Eph 4:13, Rom 3:30, 2Co 11:4, Gal 1:6, Gal 1:7, Gal 5:6, Tit 1:1, Tit 1:4, Heb 13:7, Jam 2:18, 2Pe 1:1, Jud 1:3, Jud 1:20
one baptism: Mat 28:19, Rom 6:3, Rom 6:4, 1Co 12:13, Gal 3:26-28, Heb 6:6, 1Pe 3:21
Reciprocal: Num 10:2 – of a whole piece Zec 14:9 – one Lord Rom 1:12 – by the mutual Col 2:12 – baptism Jam 2:19 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
(Eph 4:5.) , , -One Lord, one faith, one baptism. Further and conclusive argument. For the meaning of in its reference to Christ, the reader may turn to Eph 1:2. Had Irenaeus attended to the common, if not invariable Pauline usage, he would not have said that the father only is to be called Lord-Patrem tantum Deum et Dominum. Opera, tom. 1.443, ed. Stieren, Lipsiae,1849-50. There is only one supreme Governor over the church. He is the one Head of the one body, and the Giver of its one Spirit. This being the case, there can therefore be only-
One faith. Faith does not signify creed, or truth believed, but it signifies confidence in the one Lord-faith, the subjective oneness of which is created and sustained by the unity of its object. Usteri, Paulin. Lehrb. p. 300. The one faith may be embodied in an objective profession. There being only one faith, there can be only-
One baptism. Baptism is consecration to Christ-one dedication to the one Lord. Act 19:5; Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27. One baptism is the result and expression of the one faith in the one Lord, and, at the same time, the one mode of initiation by the one Spirit into the one body. Tertullian argues from this expression against the repetition of baptism-felix aqua quod semel affluit. De Bap. xv. Among the many reasons given for the omission of the Lord’s Supper in this catalogue of unity, this perhaps is the most conclusive-that the Lord’s Supper is only the demonstration of a recognized unity in the church, whereas faith and baptism are the initial and essential elements of it. These last are also individually possessed, whereas the Lord’s Supper is a social observance on the part of those who, in oneness of faith and fellowship, honour the one Lord. Still farther and deeper-
Fuente: Commentary on the Greek Text of Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Phillipians
Eph 4:5. The primary meaning of Lord is “ruler,” and God is generally thought of as the Ruler of the universe. At the same time we commonly think of Christ as Lord; why, then, does Paul say there is one Lord? There is a special sense in which Christ is Lord, in that he is “head over all things to the church” (chapter 1:22); hence He is this one Lord. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom 10:17); since there is but one inspired Word there can of necessity be but one faith. We frequently hear people speaking about the various “faiths” in the world. Doubtless there are many systems of religious doctrines in the world, but they can only be those produced by human wisdom, and are thus vain beliefs since the apostle definitely declares there is one faith. One baptism. The simple meaning of this word is “immersion” or “an overwhelming,” regardless of who is baptized, the element in which it is done or the pur-pose for the act. The New Testament tells us of four different baptisms; that of suffering (Mat 20:22-23), of fire (Mat 3:11), with the Holy Ghost (same reference), and with water (Act 10:47-48). We are sure that Paul was aware of all these, yet he says there is one baptism. The apparent difficulty will clear up by observing that the first three are not commanded of sinners while the fourth one is. Whatever the Lord wished to take place by His action, whether that be some kind of baptism or anything else, was sure to happen without the cooperation of man. But something that must be done in response to a divine commandment, requires the willing act of needy mankind. Of such kind of baptism there is but one, and that is water baptism. Hence we find it here in a list of things that pertain to man’s endeavoring in response to the apostolic command. More information on the meaning of the word baptism is given at Act 8:38, in volume 1 of the New Testament Commentary.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Eph 4:5. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. Here we have the way and means of salvation, presented as facts on which unity among Christians rests. A misapprehension of the second and third terms has led to diversity rather than unity. One Lord is the Personal Christ. The whole Epistle shows that out of Him there is no unity of the Spirit. He is not only the one object of faith, but the Lord to whom allegiance is due, and the loyal trust in Him, exercised by all who are Christians, is the one faith. For faith here does not mean what is believed, but the act of believing. The New Testament use of the word upholds this view; the conception of faith as a universal dogma belongs to later times, and has not been promotive of unity. Because we all exercise this one belief in the one Lord, we are to preserve unity. The other viewbecause we need unity, let us lay down one creedhas not been fortunate in its application. To this subjective fact of believing in the one Lord, there is added a third: one baptism, the external sign and seal of faith, by which, as a badge, the members of Christ are outwardly and visibly stamped with His name (Alford). The importance of baptism is thus emphasized, and it is further suggested that it has no efficacy apart from the one Lord and one faith. Baptism is named, rather than the Lords Supper, since the latter is a manifestation of union preserved, while the former, from its single celebration and marked individual reference, presents more clearly the idea of unity (Ellicott), thus furnishing a motive for preserving it. The view that the third term prescribes one mode of baptism not only seems foreign to the drift of the Apostles argument, but has proven unfortunate as a means of maintaining unity.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 5
One Lord; one Savior.–One faith; one system of revealed truth.–One baptism; one Christian profession.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
The one Lord is Jesus Christ, the Head of the church (Eph 1:22-23; Col 1:18). The one faith is probably the faith that each Christian and the whole church have in Christ rather than Christianity viewed as a faith (cf. Col 2:7). This identification unites faith with Christ in the context (Eph 2:8).
The one baptism may be the baptism that unites all believers in the body of Christ. This is Spirit baptism, which water baptism symbolizes. Both kinds of baptism were probably in Paul’s mind. [Note: Morris, p. 119.] However baptism falls in the second triad of elements that relate to Christ rather than to the first that relate to the Spirit in this verse. Therefore it probably refers to water rather than to Spirit baptism. Another possibility is that it refers metaphorically to the believer’s baptism into Christ’s death. In this case the "one baptism" would refer to the internal reality of having been baptized into (identified with) the "one Lord" by means of the "one faith." [Note: Hoehner, Ephesians, p. 518.]