“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
The one body is comprised of those who have put on Christ by being baptized into Him (Galatians 3:27). The one baptism—when done in the name (by the authority) of the one Lord (Acts 2:38) saves through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the one Spirit (Titus 3:5). The one baptism germinates the one hope; it brings joy and rejoicing (Acts 8:39; 16:33-34) to those who have been cleansed by the washing of the water by the word (Ephesians 5:26).
The one baptism is commanded by the one Lord in Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-16. The one faith clearly teaches that the one baptism is a burial which cuts one off from a sinful past (Colossians 2:11-13; Romans 6:3-7) and introduces one into a new relationship with the one God, the one Lord, and the one Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
The one baptism makes its recipient a son of God, a disciple of Jesus, and a temple of the Holy Spirit. The one baptism saves the penitent believer, not because it removes physical stains, but because it is the answer of a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21). To be saved one must call upon the Lord (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13). To call upon the Lord, a penitent believer must arise and be baptized (Acts 22:16).
