![]() Fifty-two percent of evangelicals say many religions can lead to eternal life. Sixty-six percent of American Christians say many religions lead to eternal life-that’s two out of three. But it seems to have somehow escaped this generation of so-called Christians and even so-called evangelicals, because in a recent survey an inexcusable display of ignorance was manifest. That should make it abundantly clear that there are no others, no others. There’s only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. There is only one body: the church one Spirit: the Holy Spirit one hope: that of heaven for those in Christ. This is a declaration of the exclusivity of the true faith, the true religion. Seven times, you have the word “one” repeated. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” Here is the singularity of Christianity. And this is a very, very important moment to stop and consider a far-reaching reality that is clearly indicated here. And we have been in Ephesians 4 for a month, I think, but we finally have arrived at verses 4, 5, and 6. ![]() 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.Open your Bible to Ephesians 4. 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. 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. ![]() ![]() The Ethiopic version reads, "one God", but that is expressed in the following verse. 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. ![]()
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