One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

Ephesians 4:5

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.

I Corinthians 12:13

Among believers there is an essential unity.  Paul expounds this on more than one occasion in various contexts.  As he writes to the Ephesians he sets it forth as a simple list:  ‘one body, one Spirit, one hope…Lord…faith…baptism….’  In Corinthians, he expounds the same concept, but sets it forth in a slightly different manner.  He shows how the one relates to the other by saying, ‘by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.’  We understand that none of these stands alone and all believers have them in common.  This points to the spiritual unity which all members of the Body of Christ have all had under all circumstances and conditions throughout the history of redemption, past, present, and future.  Abel, Abraham, David, Isaiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul and everyone in between as well as beyond, have been baptized into one body, by the Spirit.  This makes us part of something much larger than ourselves.  It means that we belong in a cosmic way to all the people of the faith from the beginning to the end.  This is the work of the Spirit and it is work well done.

Our Good and Faithful God,
we rejoice at the complete work of Your Holy Spirit.
We praise You for His operation in the lives of all of us,
who are members of the Body of Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning