Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians
Part 15
By way of review, let me remind you that in the first three chapters, Paul outlined for the Ephesians their wealth in Christ. In the last three chapters, he describes how they are to walk in Christ…never forget that the wealth and the walk are meaningless apart from being "in Christ"!
The first sixteen verses of chapter 4 describe the unity among believers that is brought about by the indwelling Spirit of Christ. In verses 1-3, we discovered the Grace of Unity, in verses 4-6, we discovered the Ground of Unity, in verses 7-11 we explored the Gifts for Unity and now in verses 12-16 we will look at the Growth of Unity.
Let’s look at our verses for today, but let’s back up to verse 11 to get a better feel for the context:
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
Paul was looking at the Ephesians on two levels in this section. He saw the body of Christ, made up of all true believers (the Ephesians being a part of that group), growing gradually until it reaches spiritual maturity, "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (v.13). But he also saw the local body of believers ministering to each other, growing together, and thereby experiencing spiritual unity.
After listing several groups of "gifted" men, Paul says they were given to the church for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ…
What does it mean to equip the saints?
What is our authority for teaching what it means to be "born again" and how do we help others to experience the "Christ life"?
The Bible is our only rule of faith and practice…it is our only authority! It is from the Bible that we learn what it means to be "born again"…it is from the Bible that we show others how to experience the "Christ life". So if we are all reading from the same Book, the same authority, how do we get such diverse views?
It’s a matter of perspective…the Bible can be read either from an egocentric or a Christocentric viewpoint. I hope you have noticed that Paul sees all of Scripture Christocentricly…as we have seen on several occasions, he is not hesitant to adapt the Old Covenant scripture to support his belief that Jesus is the focal point…the fulfillment of everything…the reality of the shadow. I am reminded of the words of Jesus to the religious leaders of His day: You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me…(John 5:39 NASB95).
Paul told the Corinthians that he wasn’t interested in arguing or trying to use human logic…his focus was Christocentric: For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2)
Perspective makes all the difference…when we read the Bible egocentrically, it becomes an impossible "job description", but when we read that same Bible Christocentricly, it becomes the incredible account of what God has done for us and what He wants to do in and through us in the Person of Jesus Christ!
Hoffmantown is growing spiritually because Wayne is doing what every "shepherd" is supposed to do…feed his flock. Unfortunately, many flocks are being fed the unsupported personal ideas of their shepherd…Wayne is certainly feeding us his ideas, but those ideas are supported by what the Bible says in context.
Paul says here in these verses, that spiritual maturity will be evidenced by:
How does Christ-likeness come about?
What does it mean to have "stability" as a Christian?
Stability comes when a believer is grounded in their understanding of what God has done for them (Saving Grace) and when they begin to experience what God wants to do in and through them (Living Grace). When they realize that "in Christ" they are complete and that with "Christ living in them" they are sufficient, believers won’t fall into the religious trap of trying to "do it for God", they won’t fall into the emotional trap of needing a "second blessing" or some other emotional evidence to confirm God’s approval, or they won’t fall into the intellectual trap of searching for that elusive bit of knowledge that only they posses that makes them right with God.
Not all error comes from outside the church…much of it comes from within. The latest "spiritual fad", the latest "catch phrase", the latest "program", or the latest "religious book" can often appear as "the answer"…anything but Christ or Christ plus anything. Either way, believers miss the mark and loose their proper focus. Every error attacks either the Deity or Sufficiency of Christ, or both…anything but Christ or Christ plus anything.
What does the phrase "speaking the truth in love" mean?
It has well been said that truth without love is brutality, but love without truth is hypocrisy. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful (Proverbs 27:6).
How is cooperation manifested in the church?
Paul has described the church as a human body…not all the parts look alike or have the same function, but they cooperate with each other to make the body productive and useful.
In Ephesians, Paul emphasizes the importance of love in the church…"forbearing one another in love" (4:2); "speaking the truth in love" (4:15); "the edifying of itself in love" (4:16). Wiersbe says that love is the circulatory system of the church.
In conclusion, spiritual unity is not something we manufacture. It is something we already have in Christ, and we must protect and maintain it. Truth unites, but lies divide. Love unites, but selfishness divides. Therefore, "speaking the truth in love," let us equip one another and edify one another, that all of us may grow up by allowing Christ to more and more express His life in and through us…when we "get it right" inside these walls, and begin to live it outside these walls, non-believers will be drawn by the power of His love being expressed through us.