Ephesians 4:1–8 (ESV)
Unity in the Body of Christ
4 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness,
with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one
hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace
was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host
of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
I could write about so many things in this passage, but I’m going
to focus on one small aspect of today’s reading: “one baptism.” There are some people that want to get baptized every time they join a church. They are ready to start a new life and feel that they need to be baptized. Well..
nope! There is only one baptism. I, myself, was caught up in a strange situation where I was told I had been baptized, but we could never find any records. We went to the church where I grew up and never found anything. My name was not where
it was supposed to be. So when my name didn’t show up, I met with the pastor and was scheduled to be baptized. I was baptized and then received a call from the church. They found my baptism records and I was baptized about four years
later. Well, I don’t look at it as if I have been baptized two times, but only one (the first one). You only get baptized on… the other time is simply getting wet. I know that sometimes people have ventured away from the faith
and want to get baptized again… and I say no. You have already been baptized and you are still living in your baptism. The Bible is clear: “4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were
called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all
and through all and in all.”
I pray: O Lord, help me to return to my baptism daily and to remember that I have been baptized into the Lord’s
Kingdom. Amen.