Ephesians 4:3-6; One baptism.

Tuesday May 4, 2021

Eph 4:1-6

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

“one baptism” – hen baptisma.

Meaning: immersion, identification, abiding condition, and controlling influence.

The first thing to understand is that the English word is a transliteration and not a translation. This adds difficulty to a definition. When we see the contexts in which the word is used, we can grasp its meaning.

First, we will look at the word as it was used in Greek literature. It is an old word and its meaning remained pretty consistent.

Xenophon described soldiers dipping (baptizo) their spears in blood before going out to battle, thus identifying the spears with blood or death of their enemy.

The verb baptizo comes from the root word bapto which meant to dye or dip.

The word is used, for example of ships sinking: “Attalus observed one of his own pentere (a type of Greek warship) which had been rammed by an enemy ship and was sinking (lit. ‘was being baptized’) . . .” (Polybius, Histories 16.6.2; see also 1.51.6). In an ancient medical text, one patient’s labored breathing is described in this way: “. . . she breathed like a diver (lit. ‘one who has been baptized’) who has surfaced” (Hippocrates, Epidemics 5.63).

Figuratively it was used to describe the greatest degree of drunkenness, the idea being that one is immersed in wine. For example, in an appeal for more moderate drinking as opposed to the previous day’s excesses, one speaker identifies himself as “one of those who was soaked (lit. ‘baptized’) yesterday” (Plato, Symposium 176b). Similarly, Plato also uses the term to describe a youth being overwhelmed in a philosophical argument, “I, knowing the young man to be going under (lit. ‘being baptized’) and wanting to give him some breathing-space . . .” (Plato, Euthydemus 277d).

It was used to describe being buried under or overwhelmed with debt or taxes, as well as grief or too much work. Aristobulus III, beloved high priest from Herod’s family was drowned in a bathing pool. The historian Josephus describes it as a baptism.

Both bapto and baptizo are used by the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (baptô) into boiling water and then 'baptised' (baptizô) in the vinegar solution. He used baptizo as a thorough soaking in brine in which the vegetable is permanently changed.

The use of baptizo points to an immersion, but also to an abiding condition or controlling influence, and becoming permanently identified with it.

Of many uses of the word in ancient literature this idea stands well. Even in Jewish cleansing, the idea was of an abiding condition. Once cleansed, one was clean ceremonially. That cleansing wouldn’t wear off, but the person would only become unclean by doing something or coming into contact that the Law said was unclean.

The word then comes to mean immerse as well as identify, and in its usage for the church, both apply.

All believers are baptized by the Holy Spirit into union with Christ; into His death and resurrection (Rom 6) and having clothed ourselves with Him (Gal 3) – changed and identified with Him forever.

We will spend some time looking at water baptisms administered by the Jews before John, John’s baptism, our Lord’s baptism, and the baptism of the church. It is important to understand them all since much controversy has arisen concerning the interpretations of their meaning.

At the outset we state that nothing warrants the teaching of baptismal regeneration – that water baptism is required for salvation. No sound teacher adheres to that falsehood.

Water baptism is always a ritual, and must continue to be in the age of the church.

The epistles lay down doctrines, and in none of them is the act of water baptism demanded or commanded. In Rom 6 and Gal 3, we cannot say for certain that Paul means water baptism.

Rom 6:1-4

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

Gal 3:23-29

But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

The fulfillment of John’s and Jesus’s promise: John baptized with water; Jesus would baptize by the Holy Spirit.

1Co 12:12-13

For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

What we will find is that water baptism was always a ritual that was to mean a reality within the heart, which was a repentance from the former life to a new life dedicated to the precepts and laws of that new life, of a cleansing within as a result of a real conversion.

All four gospels and Act 1 distinguish John’s baptism from the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Mar 1:8

"I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Mat 3:11

"As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Luk 3:16

John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Joh 1:33

"And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'

Act 1:4-5

And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. "

It is clear that the baptism of John was temporary, while the baptism of the Holy Spirit was to continue. Still, water baptism continued in the church.

That John’s baptism was temporary is proven in the troublesome passage in Act 19.

Act 19:1-7

And it came about that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper country came to Ephesus, and found some disciples, 2 and he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him, "No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." 3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into John's baptism." 4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. 7 And there were in all about twelve men.

This is the only re-baptism in the Bible. We know some of the apostles were baptized by John, but we do not read of them being baptized again in the name of Christ. There are several good attempts to explain this passage, but all conjectured of course. It would seem that these twelve men were disciples of John, having heard his teaching on the coming King and kingdom, and making themselves ready by repentance, but they likely left the land before Jesus was pronounced as the very King, and therefore before John announced that Jesus would baptize them with the Holy Spirit.

In similar fashion, just prior to this passage, we find Apollos who was instructed in the way of the Lord, and as an accurate teacher of the things concerning Christ, but that he was only acquainted with the baptism of John. We can imagine that Apollos was a disciple of John, like these twelve, but who stayed in the land long enough to hear that Jesus was the promised one and believed, but then left the land before Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. We can’t know for sure because we are not given details. However, there is no need for frustration, for God does not leave us in the dark. Acts is a history. We have the epistles from which to discover God’s sound doctrines.

Be careful about forming doctrines from the Book of Acts.

We should establish the purpose of the Book of Acts before we move on, for only there do we see the actual practice of baptism in the church. In Corinthians, water baptism is quickly discussed, and in the epistles baptism may or may not refer to the water ritual.

When we compare the situations of baptism and the gift of tongues in the Book of Acts we find not one repeating pattern.

In Act 2 (Jews) there is repentance, Spirit baptism, and then water baptism.

In Act 8 (Samaritans) there is faith, water baptism, apostles sent to Samaria from Jerusalem, laying on of hands by Peter, and then Spirit baptism.

In Act 10 (Gentiles) there is faith in Peter’s presentation of the gospel, Spirit baptism, and then water baptism.

In Act 19 there is faith, rebaptism in water, laying on of hands by Paul, and then Spirit baptism.

Acts is a historical book telling us what happened, but the account by Luke is not a basis for formulating and teaching doctrines, which are always true, timeless, and perfect.

Ger in his, The Book of Acts, states, “The book of Acts cannot be used as a guide to establish a timeless doctrine, practice or formula for the receipt of Spirit baptism. It is simply not possible to discern which one of these four examples should serve as a prototypical model for church observance. The task Luke set out to accomplish in Acts was to describe historical fact without necessarily prescribing universal doctrinal practice. Luke’s purpose, as articulated in his prologue, is to report on what happened in a particular place and time, not what must universally happen thereafter in every place and time. The unambiguous propositional instructions found in Paul’s epistles are the only Scripture by which we can develop an accurate and consistent theology of Spirit baptism.”