Ephesians 4:5

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

King James Version (1611)
One Lord, one Faith, one Baptisme,

King James Version
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

English Standard Version
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

New American Standard Bible
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

New Century Version
There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Legacy Standard Bible
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

Berean Standard Bible
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

Contemporary English Version
We have only one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

Complete Jewish Bible
And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion,

Darby Translation
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

Easy-to-Read Version
There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

Geneva Bible (1587)
There is one Lord, one Faith, one Baptisme,

George Lamsa Translation
There is one LORD, one faith, and one baptism;

Good News Translation
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

Lexham English Bible
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Literal Translation
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Amplified Bible
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

American Standard Version
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Bible in Basic English
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Hebrew Names Version
one Lord, one faith, one immersion,

International Standard Version
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,1 Corinthians 1:13; 8:6; 12:5; 2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 3:27-28; Ephesians 1:13; Hebrews 6:6; Jude 1:3;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
For one is the Lord, and one the faith, and one the baptism;

Murdock Translation
For, the Lord is one, and the faith one, and the baptism one;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
One Lorde, one fayth, one baptisme.

English Revised Version
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

World English Bible
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
One Lord, one faith, one baptism:

Weymouth's New Testament
There is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
o Lord,

Update Bible Version
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Webster's Bible Translation
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

New English Translation
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

New King James Version
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

New Living Translation
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

New Life Bible
There is one Lord and one faith and one baptism.

New Revised Standard
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
One Lord, one faith, one immersion,

Douay-Rheims Bible
One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

Revised Standard Version
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Let ther be but one lorde one fayth one baptim:

Young's Literal Translation
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
One LORDE, one faith, one baptyme,

Mace New Testament (1729)
there is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Simplified Cowboy Version
There is only one Lord, one faith, and one dunkin',

Contextual Overview

⁴You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness. ⁷But that doesn't mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift. The text for this is, He climbed the high mountain, He captured the enemy and seized the booty, He handed it all out in gifts to the people. Is it not true that the One who climbed up also climbed down, down to the valley of earth? And the One who climbed down is the One who climbed back up, up to highest heaven. He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ's followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ. ¹⁴No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

One Lord: Acts 2:36, Acts 10:36, Romans 14:8, Romans 14:9, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Corinthians 1:13, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 1 Corinthians 12:5, Philippians 2:11, Philippians 3:8

one faith: Ephesians 4:13, Romans 3:30, 2 Corinthians 11:4, Galatians 1:6, Galatians 1:7, Galatians 5:6, Titus 1:1, Titus 1:4, Hebrews 13:7, James 2:18, 2 Peter 1:1, Jude 1:3, Jude 1:20

one baptism: Matthew 28:19, Romans 6:3, Romans 6:4, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-28, Hebrews 6:6, 1 Peter 3:21

Reciprocal: Numbers 10:2 - of a whole piece Zechariah 14:9 - one Lord Romans 1:12 - by the mutual Colossians 2:12 - baptism James 2:19 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 4:10
God said, "What have you done! The voice of your brother's blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you'll get nothing but curses from this ground; you'll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You'll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You'll be a homeless wanderer on Earth."

Numbers 16:15
Moses' temper blazed white-hot. He said to God , "Don't accept their Grain-Offering. I haven't taken so much as a single donkey from them; I haven't hurt a single hair of their heads."

Hebrews 11:4
By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That's what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

One Lord,.... The Lord Jesus Christ, who, by right of creation, is Lord of all; and by right of marriage, and redemption, is the one and only Lord of his church and people; he has betrothed them to himself, and is their husband, and so their Lord, whom they are to worship and obey; he has redeemed them, he has bought them with the price of his blood, and therefore they are not their own, but his, and should glorify him both with their bodies and souls, which are his; he is the head of his body the church, the King of saints, and Father and master of the family named of him, and therefore they ought to agree among themselves, and not be many masters, and usurp a domination over one another. The Ethiopic version reads, "one God", but that is expressed in the following verse.

One faith; there is but one grace of faith; there are indeed different sorts of faith; there is the faith of miracles, and an historical, temporary faith, but there is but one true grace of faith; and which, though it is in different subjects, and its degrees and acts are various, yet as to its nature, it is like precious faith in all; and has the same author and object, Jesus Christ, and springs from the same cause, the free grace of God, and has equally in all everlasting salvation connected with it, and consequent upon it: and there is but one doctrine of faith; the Gospel is so called, because it consists of things to be believed, is the means of implanting faith, it proposes the object to be believed in, and requires the exercise of it upon it, and should be mixed with faith whenever heard. Now this is but one, and is all of a piece, and consistent with itself, and so should the professors of it be, and love one another in the faith.

One baptism, there were divers baptisms under the law, but there is but one baptism under the Gospel; for John's and Christ's are the same: there are, besides, figurative or metaphorical ones, which are so in an improper sense, as the baptism of the Spirit, and the baptism of blood, or of sufferings; but there is but one baptism, literally and properly so called, which is water baptism; and which is to be administered in one and the same way, by immersion in water; and on one and the same subjects, believers in Christ; and in one and the same name, the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and to be performed but once, when rightly administered.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

One Lord - This evidently refers to the Lord Jesus. The “Spirit” is mentioned in the previous verse; the Father in the verse following. On the application of the word “Lord” to the Saviour, see the notes on Acts 1:24. The argument here is, that there ought to be unity among Christians, because they have one Lord and Saviour. They have not different Saviours adapted to different classes; not one for the Jew and another for the Greek; not one for the rich and another for the poor; not one for the bond and another for the free. There is but one. He belongs in common to all as their Saviour; and he has a right to rule over one as much as over another. There is no better way of promoting unity among Christians than by reminding them that they have the same Saviour. And when jealousies and heart-burnings arise; or when they are disposed to contend about trifles; when they magnify unimportant matters until they are in danger of rending the church asunder, let them feel that they have one Lord and Saviour, and they will lay aside their contentions and be one again. Let two men who have never seen each other before, meet in a distant land, and feel that they have the same Redeemer, and their hearts will mingle into one. They are not aliens, but friends. A cord of sympathy is struck more tender than that which binds them to country or home and though of different nations, complexions, or habits, they will feel that they are one. Why should contentions ever arise between those who have the same Redeemer?

One faith - The same belief. That is, either the belief of the same doctrines, or faith of the same nature in the heart. The word may be taken in either sense. I see no reason why it should not include “both” here, or be used in the widest sense, If so used it means that Christians should be united because they hold the same great doctrines; and also, because they have the same confidence in the Redeemer in their hearts, They hold the same system as distinguished from Judaism, Paganism, Mohammedanism, Deism; and they should, therefore, be one. They have the same trust in Christ, as a living, practical principle - and they should, therefore, be one. They may differ in other attachments; in temperament; in pursuit; in professions in life - but they have a common faith - and they should be one.

One baptism - This does not affirm that there is one mode of baptism, but it refers to “the thing itself.” They are all baptized in the name of the same Father, Saviour, Sanctifier. They have all in this manner been consecrated unto God, and devoted to his service. Whether by immersion, or by pouring, or by sprinkling, they have all been baptized with water; whether it is done in adult years, or in infancy, the same solemn act has been performed on all - the act of consecration to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This passage cannot be adduced to prove that only one “mode” of baptism is lawful, unless it can be shown that the thing referred to here was the “mode” and not “the thing itself;” and unless it can be proved that Paul meant to build his argument for the “unity” of Christians on the fact that the same “form” was used in their baptism. But this is evidently not the point of his argument.

The argument is, that there was really but “one baptism” - not that there was but one “mode” of baptism. I could not use this argument in this form, “Christians should be one because they have been all baptized by ‘sprinkling;’” and yet the argument would be just as forcible as to use it in this form, “Christians should be one because they have all been baptized by ‘immersion.’” There is one baptism, not one “mode” of baptism; and no man has a right to “assume” that there can be but one mode, and then apply this passage to that. The “essential thing” in the argument before us is, that there has been a consecration to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, by the application of water. Thus, understood, the argument is one that will be “felt” by all who have been devoted to God by baptism. They have taken the same vows upon them. They have consecrated themselves to the same God. They have made the same solemn profession of religion. Water has been applied to one and all as the emblem of the purifying influences of the Holy Spirit; and having been thus initiated in a solemn manner into the same profession of religion, they should be one. (See Matthew 3:6 note and Matthew 3:16 note.)

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ephesians 4:5. One Lord — Jesus Christ, who is the governor of this Church.

One faith — One system of religion, proposing the same objects to the faith of all.

One baptism — Administered in the name of the holy Trinity; indicative of the influences, privileges, and effects of the Christian religion.