Embracing Unity in Christ Through One Baptism

Devotional

Day 1: Unity as a Divine Reality

The unity among Christians is not a human creation but a divine reality established by God. This unity is as profound as the unity within the Holy Trinity, and it is something that believers are called to maintain through the bond of peace. As members of one body, the body of Christ, Christians are inherently connected to one another. This connection is not superficial but deeply spiritual, reflecting the very nature of God Himself. The Apostle Paul emphasizes that this unity is inevitable and essential, urging believers to live in a way that reflects this divine truth. [01:46]

Ephesians 4:3-4 (ESV): "Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call."

Reflection: In what ways can you actively contribute to the unity of your church community today, fostering peace and understanding among its members?

Day 2: Baptism as a Spiritual Reality

Baptism is more than a ritual; it is a profound spiritual reality that signifies our incorporation into Christ. It represents our entry into His realm and our identification with His death and resurrection. Through baptism, believers publicly declare their allegiance to Christ, leaving the world behind and acknowledging Him as their Lord and Master. This shared allegiance is a powerful source of unity among Christians, as it signifies a collective commitment to live under the lordship of Christ. [12:48]

Colossians 2:12 (ESV): "Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead."

Reflection: How does your understanding of baptism influence your daily walk with Christ, and how can you live out this commitment more fully today?

Day 3: Allegiance to Christ as a Source of Unity

In baptism, believers publicly declare their allegiance to Christ, which serves as a powerful source of unity. This declaration signifies that they have left the world behind and now belong to Christ, acknowledging Him as their Lord and Master. This shared allegiance unites believers in a common purpose and identity, transcending all earthly divisions. It calls Christians to live in harmony, reflecting the unity of the body of Christ in their relationships and interactions with one another. [26:40]

Galatians 3:27-28 (ESV): "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Reflection: Consider how your allegiance to Christ can help bridge divides in your community. What steps can you take today to promote unity and understanding among those around you?

Day 4: Dying to Sin and Living in Harmony

Our unity in Christ means that we have died to sin and the world. We are no longer bound by the selfishness and disunity of our old nature but are called to live in harmony as members of one body. This new life in Christ is not just an individual experience but a shared reality among all believers. As members of His body, Christians are called to reflect this unity, living in the light of their shared identity in Christ and rejecting the divisions that once separated them. [36:20]

Romans 6:6-7 (ESV): "We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin."

Reflection: Identify an area in your life where old habits of selfishness or disunity persist. How can you invite Christ to transform this area and align it with your new identity in Him?

Day 5: The Life of Christ Creating Organic Unity

The life of Christ in believers creates an organic unity among them. As members of His body, Christians are called to reflect this unity, living in the light of their shared identity in Christ. This unity transcends all divisions, as the life of Christ flows through each believer, creating a bond that is both spiritual and practical. It calls Christians to live in harmony, reflecting the unity of the body of Christ in their daily lives and interactions with others. [40:57]

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (ESV): "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit."

Reflection: How can you actively participate in the life of your church community, contributing to the organic unity that Christ desires for His body? What specific actions can you take this week to strengthen this unity?

Sermon Summary

In Ephesians 4:5, Paul emphasizes the profound unity that should exist among Christians, rooted in the shared experience of "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." This unity is not something we create; it is a divine reality already established by God. As Christians, we are all members of one body, the body of Christ, and this unity is as profound as the unity within the Holy Trinity. The Apostle Paul is not merely repeating himself but is carefully selecting terms to illustrate the inevitability and importance of maintaining this unity.

The concept of "one baptism" is particularly significant. While baptism has historically been a source of division within the church, Paul uses it to underscore unity. The key is understanding what baptism represents: it is not merely a ritual or a means of regeneration, but a profound spiritual reality. Baptism signifies our incorporation into Christ, our entry into the realm of His influence, and our identification with His death and resurrection. It is a public declaration that we have left the world behind and now belong to Christ, acknowledging Him as our Lord and Master.

This spiritual baptism unites us with Christ and with each other. It signifies that we have died to sin and the world, and have been raised to new life in Christ. This new life is not just an individual experience but a shared reality among all believers. We are all part of one body, with Christ as the head, and His life flows through us, creating an organic unity that transcends all divisions.

The implications of this unity are profound. Sin, which leads to division and discord, has been defeated. In Christ, we are no longer bound by the selfishness and disunity that characterized our old nature. Instead, we are called to live in the light of our new identity in Christ, where there is no room for rivalry or division. Our shared life in Christ demands that we live in harmony, reflecting the unity of the body of Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. Unity in the church is a divine reality, not something we create. It is as profound as the unity within the Holy Trinity, and we are called to maintain it through the bond of peace. [01:46]
2. Baptism is not just a ritual but a representation of our incorporation into Christ. It signifies our entry into His realm and our identification with His death and resurrection. [12:48]
3. In baptism, we publicly declare our allegiance to Christ, leaving the world behind and acknowledging Him as our Lord and Master. This shared allegiance is a powerful source of unity. [26:40]
4. Our unity in Christ means we have died to sin and the world. We are no longer bound by the selfishness and disunity of our old nature but are called to live in harmony as members of one body. [36:20]
5. The life of Christ in us creates an organic unity among believers. As members of His body, we are called to reflect this unity, living in the light of our shared identity in Christ. [40:57]
** [40:57]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:08] - Introduction to Ephesians 4:5
[00:30] - The Call for Unity
[01:10] - Unity in the Body of Christ
[02:05] - The Three Groups of Unity
[02:39] - Understanding One Baptism
[04:07] - The Controversy of Baptism
[05:33] - Misinterpretations of Baptism
[09:00] - The Rite of Baptism
[11:14] - The True Meaning of Baptism
[14:17] - Baptism into the Name of Christ
[19:03] - The Significance of Baptism
[23:08] - Baptism and the Realm of Christ
[28:05] - Baptism into Christ's Death
[31:59] - Unity Through Baptism in the Spirit
[36:20] - The Impact of Sin and Unity in Christ
[40:34] - The Life of Christ in Us

Sermon Clips

He says it's not a Unity that you create it is a Unity that is already in existence it's already been produced we all of us when we become Christian are put into the body and therefore we are made members of the same body so he has said there is one body and one Spirit even as you are called in one hope of your calling. [00:01:07]

Now we see in other words that this great matter of unity is such a vital one in the life and experience of the church that the Apostle says that it's nothing less than something analogous to the unity that exists in the Blessed Holy Trinity. [00:01:43]

The Apostle mentions one baptism in order to show the inevitability of unity. Now I'm putting it like that for this reason that whatever our interpretation of this term one baptism may be it must be something that shows the inevitability of unity. [00:04:30]

It is the thing signified that matters and there I think I can show you we rely do come to the principle of unity and that's the thing about which the Apostle is speaking. I want to show you that in baptis ISM whether you baptize an infant or an adult whether you baptize by immersion or by sprinkling there is this Unity possible. [00:13:16]

Baptism therefore represents and signifies our being put into the realm and into the sphere and into the influence of the Lord Jesus Christ which means this formerly We Belong To The World We Belong to the realm of the world but the moment we become Christian we go out of the realm of the world we go into the realm of Christ. [00:23:04]

We are in a new realm we are in a new sphere we are under a new influence altogether not only that that when we are baptized we are confessing Christ we are announcing that we have submitted ourselves to him that he has become our Lord and our Master. [00:23:55]

Baptism in exactly the same way represents and signifies that you and I who are Christian no longer belong to the world and its realm and its in interests but we belong now rather to the Lord Jesus Christ one Lord yes he's the only master that we acknowledge we realize we're in a new sphere and in a new realm all together and we have left the world and we have gone after him. [00:24:53]

All of us who say that we are in Christ are proclaiming that we have forsaken all else that he alone is our Lord and Master that henceforth we are going to follow him you remember how he himself had put it if any man he said would be my disciple let him deny himself take up the cross and follow me. [00:26:35]

Sin always leads to division and it always leads to Discord the Moment Men sinned and fell Discord and disunity came into the world you can trace the story in the early chapters of Genesis you get a man like Cain even murdering his brother you see that's the effect of sin sin always divides because it leads to selfishness. [00:36:35]

When a man is in Christ he's join to him he's died with him the old man is dead he's died to the adamic nature he's a new man and because that is true of all who are in Christ there can be no division there should be no division one Lord One Faith one baptism we are no longer ademic creatures. [00:37:36]

The Life of Christ is in him it's one life in all the members and this is true of him because he has being baptized into that one body of Christ by the Holy Spirit you see the meaning of the one baptism is that we are all thus joined to the Lord Jesus Christ his life in us and we in him. [00:40:00]

When we all realize that and when we all live in the light of that there can be no division Christ is not divided the body is one it's an organic Unity there mustn't be sism in the body there mustn't be civil war in him the living head with his life in us permeating our being filling us with its power shedding its love abroad within us. [00:41:00]

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