5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
Verse five shows that there is only one Savior and one faith in Christ (Ac 4:12). The factors expressing unity in this verse revolve around the Lord Jesus. This is not a unity to be produced but a unity that already exists.
one Lord,
“One Lord” is the Lord Jesus. As our “Lord,” Jesus bought us by His blood and we are His. Lordship implies authority. The Lord has rights over our souls. He is the rightful owner because He bought and paid for our souls.
one faith,
“One faith” is the content of belief in principles of Scripture, the body of what we believe (Ac 6:7; Ju 3). The accumulation of all truths of the Word of God is the one harmonious whole of God’s truth, which is “one faith.”
one baptism;
“One baptism” describes the Holy Spirit baptizing us into the body of Christ (Ro 6:1-11). The issue here is not modes of baptism, such as sprinkling or immersion, but our identity in Christ established by our spiritual baptism into the body of Christ (1 Co 12:13).
PRINCIPLE:
Unity revolves around the authority of Lord Jesus.
APPLICATION:
The church cannot gain unity simply by applying outward conformity. It already has unity in the components that make up its faith. The principle of unity lies at Christianity’s core, which is its unity in truth and doctrine. This truth should be applied in all debatable issues as well (although with charity because there is room to disagree). However, regarding the deity of Christ and salvation by faith, we need unity.
