July 23, 2001
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August 5 Lesson
Character, unity & maturity will impact world
___Ephesians 4:1-16
___1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
___7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." 9(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
___14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
___By Terry Cosby
___In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.
___Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560)
___Paul begins the second half of his letter to the Ephesians, with a marked sense of change and intensity in his delivery.
___He has beautifully set forth God's grand design for his church as revealed in Christ. Paul has written eloquently of the believer being made alive in Christ through his grace and mercy. He has prayed magnificent prayers detailing the saints' standing, their hope, their power and the love of Christ they can experience.
___Now the imprisoned teacher begins what some commentators call a "practical" section. For Paul, however, there was no dichotomy between doctrine and duty, faith and practice. Faith and practice are never separated in the word but by misunderstanding, neglect or disobedience to the call of God in our lives.
___Chapters 4-6 show the "lived-out" response the saints are to demonstrate in light of Jesus' gift of redemption. The structure of the sentences is generally shorter. They have stronger verbs and more commands than the first chapters. Paul is teaching and preaching strongly. He is urging that the truths of the gospel show themselves alive in the lives, relationships and transactions of the church turned loose on the world in order to win that very world to Christ.
___What does a worthy life look like? Did you ever see an Olympic decathlete who looked like a sumo wrestler? If you did, you saw him dead last in the races and jumps. The disciplines of the sumo wrestler are not suitable for a decathlete.
___Many of the attitudes and actions seen in the pagan though religious society of Ephesus were simply not appropriate for believers whose call or vocation is to glorify Christ. This truth no less applies to us today in a society, that is very "spiritual" yet is so very far from knowing the truth of salvation in Jesus alone.
___In verse 1 of chapter 4, Paul calls on Christians "to live in a manner worthy of the calling you have received." He mentions his imprisonment not to enlist sympathy but show urgency and identification.
___He is a prisoner "for" the Lord. It is not crimes against the state or immoral decisions that have placed him there. His being shackled, as the word suggests, is "for" the Lord.
___It is Christ's purpose and cause that drive him, and thus he "urges" us to walk or live worthy lives. The verb used for "urge" is strong. The idea is to beseech or beg--to call along side.
___To live or walk worthily means to live appropriately or suitably. The idea is that our actions and attitudes show the direction from which our call has come and the nature of the One making the call. Paul's word usage implies that our true "vocation," the Greek word from which our word "call" is derived, is to follow Christ in such a way that he is honored by our lives.
___Three interrelated ideas arise in verses 2 through 16 that show what the worthy life looks like and why it is so important to the church, the body of Christ.
___Worthy lives show Christ-like character
___Five virtues are to mark the character of people who have answered Christ's call on their lives. The first character trait listed is complete gentleness or lowliness. Outside the New Testament, the word is used in a bad sense in the ancient world. It carried the idea of slavish duty only for lowly servants. Christ, by his sacrificial death and servanthood, redefined the concept. His humility was that of a loving servant, seeking the best for those he served. Our willingness to follow Christ without regard for reputation or thinking any service is beneath our dignity shows the gentleness still needed in our violent world. Our attitude is not one that demands the lost in the world listen because we have the answers, but one that serves and sacrifices to help a hurting world in the name of Christ.
___The second characteristic of a worthy life is that of meekness. This word was used of animals disciplined so their strength was made useful. The ox in the field or the stallion on the field of battle demonstrate this controlled strength or meekness. The Christian moves and acts in response to the commands of the Holy Spirit. This "meekness" stands firm in the spiritual battles and hangs in with the hurting of the world when our old inclinations may have been to either run off or lash out to preserve our own hide.
___A third virtue given is that of patience. One deacon I know calls it loonnngg-suffering. Often meaning steadfast endurance, in this context the intent seems to be slowness to avenge or retaliate. The Christian's attitude is to leave time and room for God's vengeance with the hope of repentance and reconciliation. With God in control, there is no need for hot-headed reaction and taking matters into your own hands.
___The fourth virtue goes together nicely with the third. It is that of forbearance. "Bearing with" is the outward appearance of patience. The idea is not to stop caring or serving because of the weaknesses seen in the ones you are trying to help.
___None of these four are really possible without the fifth virtue of love. In Ephesians 3:17, Paul exhorted his readers to be "rooted and grounded in love." Those roots of love in Christ produce the fruit of Christ-like character in the obedient believer. The absence of these virtues becomes a barrier to genuine community.___
___Worthy lives display
___purposeful unity
___Paul takes up the importance of unity in the church, the second of three interrelated concepts showing what a worthy life is. The centrality and importance of unity in the church often has been either ignored or misunderstood. Families in the church split up. Friendships in the church blow up. Entire churches and denominations split, and the message communicated to a fractured world is that the church is just as broken and fractured as they are. In truth, we are hurt and broken in a fallen world, but our strength and joy is found in Christ together.
___Jesus taught the importance of unity when he prayed in John 17, "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." Paul's command is to "make every effort" (v. 3) or to spare no effort or zealously guard the unity the Spirit gives. The way this oneness holds together is the glue of peace, which is another fruit of the Spirit.
___Paul makes every effort to stress the importance of unity by using the term "one" seven times in verses 4-6. Some scholars believe these verses contain an ancient baptismal vow. The new Christian would profess one faith in the one Lord for his one hope for eternity in response to the one Spirit. He would make this profession at his one baptism into the one body of Christ, the church. He would do this before the one Father. This Trinitarian form shows the unity of the Spirit, the Son (Lord) and Father who is over all, through all and in all.
___Chuck Swindoll says union has an affiliation with others but no common bond that makes them one in heart. Uniformity has everyone looking and thinking alike. Unanimity is complete agreement. Unity, however, refers to a oneness of heart, a similarity of purpose and an agreement on major points.
___With all this unity business, does the individual count? Our apostle would say yes. Paul used the metaphor of the body with many parts working together in 1 Corinthians 12 to explain how the church functions as one. Here, in verse 7, the grace given each believer by Christ is emphasized. Verses 8-10 point out the sacrifice Christ made to deliver his grace to us. It is believed these verses refer to Jesus leaving heaven and descending to earth to die for our sins and ascending back to heaven. The emphasis is that by Jesus' choice he has gifted his church to work as a body performing the works of ministry.
___The gifts mentioned here are those of the equipping ministry--apostles and prophets--foundational ministries; evangelists--missionaries taking the good news where it is news; pastors and teachers--shepherding and building ministries. This is not to say Paul believes these to be more important, but these gifts or ministries help in developing character, forming unity and maturing in the faith.
___The word in verse 12 for preparing or equipping is used in medicine for setting a broken bone or in fishing as mending the nets. Wholeness and accomplishment are the goals. When all the bones in the arm are set, the arm can function properly. When all the strands of the net are knit together, the net can perform its function of catching fish.
___When the church, from various backgrounds, political parties, different races, different cultures, far- reaching continents and divergent thinking can come together to glorify God and minister in his name to the broken in this world, the miracle of belief happens and the body of Christ is built up. This is unity in diversity at its best.
___Will the world believe us about Christ if in Christ we can't work together for his kingdom?___
___Worthy lives develop profound maturity
___The third ingredient for worthy living is seen when Christ-like character is formed and unity is achieved. However, to try and pinpoint which of the three--character, unity or maturity--comes first would be a frustrating endeavor. Paul points out that our goal in all this good theology and ministry is not just to have good theology and busy church lives. The purpose (v. 13) is for all to reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of Jesus, becoming mature, complete. The words in verse 13 speak of becoming an adult, reaching full height and being filled. The church's maturity is not measured in numbers or programs but in being like Christ.
___This type of maturity has positive effects on the church and the believer (vs. 14-16). The proliferation of religions and gods in Paul's day had a harmful affect on people. With each season, storm, problem or traveling teacher of a new cult would come more fear, more rules and more confusion to a soul looking for a life with a measure of peace and joy. In Christ, the soul is anchored against such arbitrary religious systems.
___Indeed, in Christ, the promise is for greater maturity and greater strength as the church supports and holds together with each member contributing to the work in love. The church is redeemed in love, held together in love, ministers in love and is built in love.
___ Individually, we all have a role and together impact our world with Christ-like character, unity, and maturity to the glory of God.
___Terry Cosby is pastor of First Baptist Church in Hereford
For thought and discussion
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