Thus we have ONE BAPTISM [
Eph 4:5] of both WATER and SPIRIT ... For “unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (
John 3:5)
I disagree that John 3:5 is referring to baptism, when the context is clearly birth.
Physical and natural birth.
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:5-6
However, we have been over this, so no need to repeat it.
Thus we have ONE BAPTISM [
Eph 4:5] of both WATER and SPIRIT ...
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
In the context of what Paul is saying, there is one baptism by which we are baptized into one body.
Paul is emphasizing unity; the unity of the Spirit, showing that we all have in common, things that are meant to unify us in a common belief.
Verse 3 sets the tone and this unity is emphasized throughout the chapter as he uses the analogy one body with many members...
endeavoring
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
Ephesians 4:3-5
He continues this theme of the unity of the Spirit as the one body —
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:11-16
Paul taught that we are baptized by
one Spirit into
one body,
the body of Christ.
For
by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13
So in this regard, in this frame of context, there is one baptism, by which we are as individuals, are baptized into one body.
We know from other passages, that there is certainly more than one baptism, and so it’s here that I would like to discuss all the scriptures about the different baptisms in scripture, with a focus on the one who doing the baptizing.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of
the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19
Paul uses shadows and types from the Old Testament to emphasize the different baptisms.
Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:1-4
Key Passage:
- all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
Here we see the three baptisms clearly.
for John truly
baptized with water, but you shall be
baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Acts 1:5
Baptism with water is a separate and distinct baptism from the baptism with the Holy Spirit, with different Baptizers at different times.
Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:14-17
- For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
These had been baptized in water through the ministry of Phillip the evangelist.
The Apostles had to come down from Jerusalem for the purpose of baptizing these people with the Holy Spirit.
- Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
There are more scriptures about the different baptisms, but I will stop here as this post is getting to long.
JLB
