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. Today on Truth for Life, we continue our study in the book of Ephesians, where the Apostle Paul is highlighting the importance of one baptism.

Is he referring to the way believers get baptized or something different?

Alistair Begg helps us understand he's teaching from the book of Ephesians chapter 4.

Verse four of Ephesians 4, there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called, to the one

hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of

all who is over all and through all and in all. And in this present study, we are considering

just these two words, one baptism.

One baptism.

The English Puritan, John Owen, who lived in the early part of the 17th century, was born in

1616, wrote that in a sense there are only two basic issues with which the minister of the

gospel has to deal. He says the two basic issues that the gospel minister has to tackle are

what he refers to as number one, the evangelistic challenge. The evangelistic challenge,

namely persuading those who are under the dominion of sin, that that is the truth about them.

Secondly, the pastoral challenge. The pastoral challenge, persuading those who are no longer under sin's dominion that this is who they really are.

Now, Paul has been doing this all the way from the beginning of this letter, and he's been saying to the folks in Ephesus,

it is of vital importance that you understand that you are

in Christ, in Christ. This is Paul's great phraseology, because he's saying again and again

that the essence of being a Christian is in being united to Christ by faith. So, for example, in verse 13 of

Chapter 1, referring to this, he says, in Him, that is in Christ, you also, when you heard

the Word of Truth, the Gospel of Your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

And in that opening section of his letter, which we refer to as a great symphony of praise,

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