Wednesday, August 19 –
It is mid-week, and on this Wednesday, we continue our reading thru the New Testament in a year and read Ephesians 4:1 – 32. Note the shift of emphasis and think about the practical side of this as you read. Then, come back, and we will walk through it again, thanks.
I mentioned at the beginning of our reading of Ephesians that this book is neatly divided in half. The first half is more theological and emphasizes the doctrines of Salvation and the Church (Ecclesiology). The second half begins today in our reading in Ephesians 4, and the emphasis shifts from theology to practice. If the first half (chapters 1 – 3) was about the Ways of God, the second half (chapters 4 – 6) are about the Walk of a believer – i.e., it’s merely this: If you’re going to talk the talk, then walk the walk.
Paul begins with an appeal – “I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (4:1). The word “urge” is a combination of two Greek words that together mean “call near, exhort, beseech.” He chooses an expression of urgency in calling for them to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” The word is one of the first things we ask of new Moms and Dads after a child is a few months old – “have he/she started walking yet”? Walk…one foot in front of the other movement. How? In a manner that is worthy of being called a Christian – a Christ-follower. He gives five specific ways – “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:2-3). Humility, gentleness, patience, love, and unity are character traits that stand in contrast to their opposites in pride, impolite, short-fused, hateful, and divisive behavior.
“One” is the descriptive word for what unity looks like. In verses 4 – 6, he speaks one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God, and Father for all. If we think about this we would never think doctrine doesn’t matter. There is “one” way of looking at these, and they are the basis for Christian unity. While there is room for differences in minor matters, there must be unity on major, more fundamentally crucial issues. He speaks here of the Godhead, the Church, Christ as Lord, the essential Christian truths (faith), and the ordinance of baptism as a mark of a Christian, and ends it with a summary the oneness of the Godhead – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – who are “God of all (creation)” (my emphasis). Let’s pause here. Do you believe that there are essential truths that make up the Unity of the Church? You may not know how to name them, but I would hope you’d pray that the Church will always retain the truth that has been delivered down through the centuries by faithful people teaching the word of God.
Who are those people? First, they are gifted people who received their gifts after Christ Jesus ascended after the resurrection – “Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men’” (4:8). After Jesus’ ascension, he gave to the church gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are several different places where gifts of the Spirit are listed, and there is no uniformity, so it implies that there are many varied gifts beyond the lists. Yet, Paul names four (or five) major leadership gifts – “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers” (4:11). There has been much controversy related to the gifts of Apostles and Prophets. These two gifts were foundational to the Church’s beginning before the canon of Scripture was completed. Some say they died off with the first generation of Apostolic Leaders, and others say they continued, even if in different forms. There is no controversy about Evangelist and Pastors, as well as Teachers. These are essential leadership gifts for the overall direction of the church. They are guardian gifts to protect the truth of the Gospel and watch over the church’s fundamental teachings. We ought to pray for these leadership gifts and ask God for more skilled leaders.
God has given these gifted people for three purposes. There is first, an immediate purpose – “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (4:12). Paul had returned to the metaphor of the “body of Christ,” speaking that leaders focus on teaching and training that both the ministry of the church functions, as well as growth in the believer’s life.
There is also an intermediate purpose for the gifts – “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (4:13-14).
By referring to the Church as a body, Paul gives us a picture we can all understand. Our hands, feet, legs, arms, head, seat, knees, elbows, and other things all operate in oneness of purpose. The Church is meant to be built up – a metaphor similar to exercise – so that they may – simply put, “Grow Up”!
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (4:15-16). Here is the ultimate purpose that the church grows in relation to Christ as they focus on serving Christ first, and each other in love. He says this occurs in an atmosphere where the truth is spoken in love. They are two different things that must be joined together. It is not enough to have the truth, but no love. Holding on to the truth of the Gospel is crucial, and yet there are many other aspects of the Church that have nothing to do with the Gospel. Where there are differences over disputable things, there needs to be charity. Yet, if we say love is the only thing that counts, and the truth does not matter, then indeed we will remain children, tossed to and fro by every wind and wave of false doctrine. Oneness is not easy, as every married couple knows.
Lastly, Paul begins to contrast the “old life” they followed as Gentiles without Christ, and the “new life” they now have discovered in Christ –
“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart” (4:17-18).
Did you notice how much our minds play in this area of walk? The mind is the source of not only our thoughts and decisions but also our desires and passions. Paul reminds them, they were once in darkness, alienated from life with God, and it was not just because of ignorance – albeit that was a part of it – but also because of the hardness of heart, i.e., the disposition of ignoring instead of just being ignorant. The effects follow – callous, given over to sensuality, greedy, impure (4:19). The old life was separated from God’s life, and again, Paul uses “but” to make the point that in Christ, our lives are changed – “But that is not the way you learned Christ”! (4:20). The contrast is both simple and complicated – “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and, be renewed in the spirit of your minds, to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (4:23-24).
Every day we are making practical choices: Truth versus falsehood, being angry but not sinning, no longer steal but share, do honest work to bless others. Watch out for what comes out of the mouth, and lastly, and most importantly – “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (4:30). The life of a Christian is not easy, but under the leading of the Spirit, there is freedom, and there is no shame. Who wants to be around a person of bitterness, wrath, anger, disruptive slander, and wicked, malicious actions? Who does not want to be around a kind, tender-hearted, forgiving person who loves?
We all have times when we clean out the closet. Load up the old clothes into a bag or box and haul them off to a thrift store. That might be a good spiritual thing to do with our behavior, habits, and speech. Get rid of it if it’s old man stuff and put on the things that make us free. The Christian life is a constant checking of motives, attitudes, decisions, and walk. How do we do it? It comes back to the fundamental focus of living – Jesus. He reminds us that first, “you learned of Christ” (4:20), then “you heard of Him” (4:21a), and lastly, “you were taught in Him” (4:21b). It is the school of Christ that we must attend every day of life. When we do that, the “putting off the old” is not an “I have to do,” but rather, it is an “I want to do” desire.
Peace
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