Ephesians 4:14-16
In the study today, we discover a portion of what Paul means when he writes concerning the purpose of the offices of the church as "building up the body of Christ unto the works of ministry". I say a "portion", because one must extrapolate from what Paul says in the next three verses to get the broadest picture of the phrase "works of the ministry".
14 "that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, by cunning craftiness after the wily manner of error;"
15 "but holding the truth, may in love grow up into him in all things, who is the head, Christ;"
16 "from whom all the body, fitly framed together and compacted by means of every joint of the supply, according to the working in the measure of each single part, effects the increase of the body to the upbuilding of itself in love." American Bible Union, 1865
In verse 14 the first thing Paul addresses is the need for us to be steadfast in our understanding of the Gospel, so that we might not be "tossed to and fro"; ινα μηκετι ωμεν νηπιοι κλυδωνιζομενοι. The participle used for that expression refers to a tidal surge (κυμα is the word for "wave", κλυδωνιζομαι is the verb "to surge"), something which cannot be navigated even by the most skilled boatswain. Paul understood that there would be "sheep in wolves' clothing", and these false teachers would be detrimental to increasing the maturity of the body of believers. Nor did Paul wish us to be "carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of man", an expression used to describe the confusion that crafty and illicit teachers would use to prey upon believers. It is alarming, that already in the first century, in the days of the apostles themselves, Paul had to issue such warnings against teachers who are craftily deceitful; not teachers who are merely erroneous in this doctrine or that doctrine, but teachers who would purposely set themselves up as being something, for the purpose of deceiving the brothers and sisters of the Way.
We find Paul urging the believers onward in verse 15 when he says, "but holding the truth, me love grow up unto him in all things, who is the head, Christ". A more literal translation would be, "but telling the truth in love, let us increase in to him all things who is the head, Christ". The Greek for "telling the truth" is quite literally a verb meaning "to truth" αληθευω, from which the participle in verse 15 is derived (αληθευοντες). In this exhortation, Paul includes himself and his band with the believers of Ephesus in verb αυξησωμεν "we might increase...", reminding his readers that the ground is indeed level at the foot of the Cross, and that we all must be on guard and purposeful and vigilant in being faithful disciples, and thereby well functioning members of the Body.
Paul reminds the believers of our connection to Christ in verse 16. Building on the end of verse 15, "who is the head, Christ", Paul continues with, "from whom all the Body, fitly framed together and compacted by means of every joint of the supply, according to the working in the measure of each single part, effects the increase of the body to the upbuilding of itself in love". We move from that which we are to avoid, tidal surges and whirlwinds of vain teachings, to the analogy of a well constructed house. When we examine the Greek text, we find words like συναρμολογουμενον, συμβιβαζομενον, and "πασης αφης της επιχορηγιας" -- framing together, coalescing together, and "every supplied bond/binding" (emphasizing how critical each and every connection truly is). We see that it is not the individual members which give the house strength, but it is the quality of the joints – the place where the individual construction members meet and cooperate and balance and support – that effects the building up of this House.
As a runner, though not a great one by any means nor even a good one, I can tell you I pay a lot of attention to joints and members of the body. When every joint and every member of the body is doing what it should be, running is indeed effortless. But let's be realistic, there is not harmony all the time. When I get tired and need more air I tend to pull my shoulders back so that I might breathe more deeply rather than correctly use my diaphragm. If my shoulders are back a little too long, my lower back complains, and rightly so, for it is to the good of the body that my posture and breathing must change. Similarly, when my legs are relaxed and I am leaning slightly down the road, the whole body celebrates and enjoys the ride.
It is the same way with the Body of Christ. We members have different functions, functions which must be fulfilled if the body is to be healthy. We do not get to choose which part of the body we are, Christ himself has done that for us. None of us are superior to the other, we are all members of the one Body of Christ. But the Body of Christ is only healthy when all the parts are joined together and functioning well together. It is the strength of these connections that give strength to the Body. When every member is doing his or her part to be strongly bonded to the Body, not only do we increase "in all things", but we are also building up the Body in love, the love of Christ. Please note, I'm speaking of the Body of Christ, not "church growth". The building up of the Body of Christ is a result of each member's devotion to Christ, their sensitivity and awareness of the Holy Spirit, and their own humility to apply themselves to the role that Christ has uniquely and purposefully given them.
Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters…
Amen
ReplyDelete