‘One Faith’

One Lord, one faith, one baptism….

Ephesians 4:5

What is the ‘one faith’ of which Paul is speaking?  When we speak of faith we want to draw a distinction between ‘having faith’ and ‘the faith.’  In this context, Paul is referring to the ‘one faith,’ not the act of having faith.  We may refer to what Jude describes as ‘the faith which was once delivered to the saints.’  This clarifies for us that this ‘faith’ is the whole body of belief regarding our relationship with God as He describes it.  Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness.’  Abraham bears the title, ‘The Father of the Faithful.’  All the saints of God, from the very first statement of the Gospel in Genesis, have kept ‘the faith,’ that is, they have believed God and therefore embraced Christ.  The ancients looked forward to Christ.  We look backward to the Person and work of Christ in His fulfillment of the Law in precept and in penalty.  The people of God, who lived when Christ walked the earth, looked to Him and embraced Him as ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life.’  This is the ‘one faith,’ of which Paul is speaking.  It revolves around the Person and work of Christ.  It admits of no other way for us to have a relationship with God, according to His Own testimony.  This is that faith to which all the saints of God have adhered.  Simply put, it is Christ Alone for salvation.  This faith enables us to understand our origins and our destiny.

O God of truth, we rejoice that You have delivered unto us
the faith which we have most certainly believed.
We praise You that by it, we see Christ, receive Him,
and proclaim Him.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning