There is One
As the apostle Paul wrote to the brethren at Ephesus, he emphasized the doctrine of “one”. “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you were also called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, on God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). Many of the brethren in Ephesus had been reared in the idolatrous world of the mysticism of many gods, spirits, beliefs, and practices. The world of the twenty first century has not changed all that much since Paul wrote to the Ephesians. From nation to nation there are various beliefs or faiths many false gods. Each religion has its own form of worship and way of expressing in actions its faith. As the apostle Paul wrote to the brethren at Ephesus and in various other locations, he had an inspired way of describing the “one”.
When writing about the body, the church, Paul simply wrote “and he put all things in subjection under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body…” (Ephesians 1:22-23). When Paul wrote the words “the church” there was no confusion in the minds of the brethren thinking that he was referring to some other religious group. Every time that Paul concerning “the church” or to “the church” they understood exactly that he referred to the church that the Lord had established (Acts 20:28). Today when Christians are conversing with one another and the subject of “the church” arises there should be no confusion. A Christian should not have to wonder if a brother or sister in Christ is speaking of the Lord’s church or referring to a denomination. Let’s speak as the Bible speaks and when saying “the church” be referring only the truth church, that which Jesus established (Matthew 16:18).
When writing about the faith, Paul simply wrote “Fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). When Paul wrote to brethren concerning “faith” or “the faith” the brethren easily understood the context. Even though there were many different beliefs or faiths among the many religions in the world at that time when Paul wrote “the faith” there was no misunderstanding the context. Paul did not have to write some king of a description such as “Christian” to identify “the faith”. The word “faith” or the phrase “the faith was sufficient. descriptions are needed to identify false faiths or faiths that are not sound doctrine. Let’s speak as the Bible speaks and when saying “the faith” let that be sufficient when referring to the “one faith” (Ephesians 4:5).
When writing about baptism, Paul simply wrote “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Since the first century human religions have invented various practices relating to water that they called baptism. Admittedly the use of the word “baptism” in the Greek language would have suggested that an immersion was taking place, and it would have been a much better way to be translated, as “immersion” in into English. When Christians use the word “baptism” there is only “one baptism”, that is one true baptism that is immersion, for the remission of sins, adding one to the saved, the church, and saves (Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:41,47). Let’s speak as the Bible speaks and when saying “baptism” let that be sufficient, knowing that the baptism in the New Testament is truth.
Christians imitating the language of denominations or even of high education that does not reflect the truth revealed in the inspired Word of God needs to be rejected.