Verses 1 to 6
There’s a lot in today’s passage. And so, I’m going to get right to it. So, if you have your Bible open, look with me at the very first verse of today’s passage, where Paul says: ‘As a prisoner for the Lord, then, [and remember Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter] I urge you….’ So, he’s urging his readers to do something. He’s exhorting them. He’s instructing them. In the previous three chapters, Paul was teaching them what to believe about God and about our salvation in Christ and about God’s great cosmic plan to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under Christ; and about how he has united Jews and Gentiles and different kinds of people together in the church. In the three previous chapters, Paul has been teaching his readers about what to believe. Now, he’s teaching them what to do.
And what are they to do? He says in verse 1 that he’s urging them to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. What is the calling we have received? God has called us together into his church. Through the reading and preaching of the gospel, God has called us to give up our sins and to trust in Christ for forgiveness and to become members of his church, which he’s building throughout the world and which is made up of all kinds of different people. God has called us together into his church.
And what does it mean to live a life worthy of that calling? Paul goes on to explain what he means. And in a nutshell, it’s about maintaining the unity of the church. Verses 1 to 6 are all about that. They’re all about the unity of the church and how we’re to maintain it and keep it and preserve it. God has united us together under Christ and we must not do anything to divide the church.
Look how he emphasises the unity of the church in verses 1 to 6. Look at verse 3, for instance, where he refers to ‘the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace’. When he refers to ‘the unity of the Spirit’, he means that the Holy Spirit is the one who creates this unity between us. He creates this unity between us, because the Spirit is the one who enables us to believe in Christ. He unites each one of us to Christ by faith and through Christ to one another. And when he refers to ‘the bond of peace’, he means there’s a bond between us, a relationship. We’ve been bound together. Once we were divided, because sin turns differences in divisions. But now there’s peace between us, because the Spirit of God has united us together through faith in the Saviour.
So, Paul is emphasising the unity of the church. And he emphasises it again in verses 4 to 6 where he gives us a kind of confession of faith which drives home for us that we’re united together as one. Firstly, he says that there’s one body and one Spirit and one hope. As I said a few weeks ago, when he says there’s one church, we’re not to think about the church as an institution or as an organisation with a minister and kirk session and congregational committee and so on, because we have thousands of those across the world. Instead we’re to think about the universal church, which comprises all of God’s people throughout the world and throughout time. This one, universal church throughout the world and throughout time is made up of all kinds of people. But they all have one thing in common: they’re all trusting in Christ and him alone for salvation. So, there’s only one church. And there’s only one Spirit. It’s not as if there’s one Spirit for one group of people and there’s another Spirit for another group of people. There’s only one Holy Spirit and he works in all of us. And there’s only one hope, which is the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of our bodies and of everlasting life in the presence of God. There’s not one hope for one kind of believer and another hope for another kind of believer. We all share the same hope.
Secondly, Paul says that there’s one Lord and one faith and one baptism. So, there’s only one Lord Jesus Christ. It’s not that one group of believers have one Saviour and another group of believers have another Saviour. We all believe in the same Saviour who is Jesus Christ the Lord. And when Paul refers to ‘one faith’ here, he’s referring to the faith. That is to say, he’s referring to what we believe. Last week I mentioned the creeds: the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. There are others. But these creeds summarise briefly what all believers everywhere have always believed about God and our salvation. Different denominations differ about secondary matters, but we all agree about the fundamental doctrines about God and our salvation. And so, there’s only one faith. And there’s only one baptism. Yes, some believers say that you need lots of water for baptism and others say you only need a few drops of water for baptism. However, whether we use a lot or a little water, it’s still baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Spirit.
And thirdly, Paul says that there’s one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. There’s only one God the Father and whoever believes in Christ the Saviour is adopted into his family. God the Father doesn’t have many families; he only has one family. And when we pray to God the Father, we’re all praying to the same divine person.
In these verses Paul is emphasising the unity of the church. There’s only one church, one Spirit, one hope; there’s only one Lord Jesus Christ, one faith, one baptism; and there’s only one God the Father. Do you believe in God the Spirit? So do I. We’re united. Do you believe in God the Son? So do I. We’re united. Do you believe in God the Father? So do I. We’re united.
And since we’ve been called together as one church, then we ought to live a life worthy of that calling; and we ought to do everything we can to maintain the unity of the church. And how do we do that? Paul tells us in verse 2, where he says:
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
When I preached on this passage back in 2012, I introduced you to three friends. However, they’re more like acquaintances, because it’s hard to be friends with these three people. First of all, there’s Haughty Henry. Haughty Henry, as his name implies, is full of self-importance. He doesn’t quite realise that he’s so proud. But he assumes that the church simply couldn’t survive without him. You see, in any discussion Haughty Henry reckons that he alone has the right answer and he alone knows the best thing to do. He thinks everyone should listen to him. And he expects everyone to treat him with special regard and to do precisely what he says. In fact, he’s a little annoyed with the minister at the moment, because the minister disagreed with him at the last Session meeting.
Then let me introduce you to Prickly Pete. Everyone in the congregation is a little bit intimidated by Pete. They find him a bit frightening. You see, he always seems angry. Every time there’s a discussion in the church, Pete gets angry and he cannot offer his opinion without raising his voice. He thinks he’s only been forceful and passionate, but everyone else knows that it’s anger — and so they’re afraid of rousing his temper. The problem is that Prickly Pete has no self-control and he can easily fly off the handle at the least provocation. It means the people around him always have to be careful with him, and walk on egg shells when they’re with him lest they say or do something that sets him off.
Ida is usually a lovely, placid and friendly person. She’s a valued member of the congregation because she contributes so much of her time and effort into the life and work of the church. However, the minister is also very anxious when Ida is around because she can’t cope well with the shortcomings of the other members of the church. And so, Ida is known as Impatient Ida because she simply has no patience with your faults or mine. Because everything she does is of such a high standard, she expects the same from others. But when she meets someone who doesn’t do things quite right, Ida becomes very, very irritated and she’s quick to point out how you have come short.
I wonder do you know these acquaintances of mine? Or perhaps you recognise a little of yourself in them? Of course, what does Haughty Henry need to do? He needs to listen to Paul’s command to be completely humble with one another. And what about Prickly Pete? He needs to learn to be gentle with other people. Instead of intimidating others, and frightening them, he must learn to be kind and considerate and tender. And Impatient Ida? She needs to hear what Paul says about being patient and bearing with one another in love. She needs to learn to bear with the faults and failings of others. And we all need to learn the same lesson: to be humble not haughty; gentle and not prickly; patient and not impatient.
And then, as Paul says in verse 3, we need to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit. Make every effort. Spare no effort. Take the initiative and do everything in your power to maintain this unity. This is something for all of us to do: from the very youngest to the very oldest, we need to do whatever we can to keep the church united.
Verses 7 to 12
In verses 1 to 6 Paul emphasises the unity of the church: we’ve been called together into the church; and we’re to make every effort to maintain the unity of the church. In verses 7 to 16 Paul goes on to write about the growth of the church. Just as a newborn baby will grow and become an adult, so Paul expects the church to grow. In fact, in verse 16, Paul likens the church to the human body. Take a look at verse 16. Paul says: ‘From him [the Lord Jesus] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.’ So, the church is like a body in that it is meant to grow and develop. And in verses 7 to 12 he tells us how the church grows. And in verses 13 to 16 he tells us the way in which the church grows.
So, let’s focus on verses 7 to 12. How does the church grow? Paul begins by mentioning the Lord Jesus who has given grace, or gifts, to the members of his church. And then he goes on in verse 8 to quote from Psalm 68:
When he ascended on high
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.
Psalm 68 is a psalm of victory. God has defeated his enemies and has led his people up into Jerusalem and they’re celebrating together. And in victory processions in those days, the defeated enemies would be brought along at the rear of the parade, presumably with their heads down in humiliation. That’s why the quotation from the Psalm refers to captives being led in the king’s train. And in victory processions in those days, the king would be feeling generous and he would distribute gifts to his men. Perhaps he’d share with them the treasures they had taken from their enemies. And he distributed them to his men: ‘This is for you. And this is for you.’ That’s why the quotation refers to giving gifts to men.
And, in verses 9 to 12, Paul applies this verse from the psalm to the Lord Jesus. The Son of God descended to earth as one of us at his incarnation; and then he lowered himself further by dying on the cross and by being buried in the ground and by remaining under the power of death for a time. However, three days later he was raised from the grave. And so, he arose, triumphant over death and the Devil and over sin. They are his defeated enemies. And having descended to earth to die, the Lord Jesus then ascended on high, back to heaven, back to his Father’s right hand side, having defeated all our spiritual enemies, and to fill the whole universe, says Paul at the end of verse 10. He probably means that he fills it with his rule. He reigns over all things as our Great Saviour–King.
And having ascended to heaven, what did he do? He began to distribute gifts to his people and to provide them with exactly what we need in the church so that the church will grow.
So what does the church need? The church needs someone to teach God’s word. Look at verse 11 where Paul tells us how the Lord Jesus gave the church apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers. I won’t say much about these different offices or roles in the church, except to say that the apostles and prophets, and perhaps also the evangelists, were temporary offices which no longer exist in the church. And there’s some disagreement over whether ‘pastors and teachers’ is one office or two. The Greek word translated ‘pastor’ means shepherd. So, the pastor is to shepherd God’s people. He’s to lead them and look after them. But is Paul referring to pastors who are also teachers; or is he referring to pastors who lead and care for God’s people and then also to teachers who teach them? I tend to think he’s referring to two offices and that perhaps he’s referring to elders and ministers.
Notice that each one of these offices or roles in the church is a teaching ministry. The apostles were sent out to preach the message of Jesus Christ; prophets proclaimed God’s word; evangelists preached the gospel; and in different ways, pastors or elders and teachers or ministers teach God’s word to his people. The Risen and Exalted Lord Jesus Christ has given the church teachers to teach us.
And what happens when they do their work and teach God’s word? Look at verse 12. They teach God’s word in order ‘to prepare God’s people for works of service.’ In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head and the King of the Church, has given the church teachers. And when the teachers teach, then all of God’s people are taught to serve one another.
And what happens when all of God’s people serve one another? Again, look at verse 12. Then the body of Christ — the church — will be built up. So, ministers preach God’s word from the pulpit; and elders teach God’s word from home to home; and the people learn from them that we’re to serve one another. As a result, the church is built up. That is to say, it grows. But in what way are we built up? In what way do we grow? That’s what verses 13 to 16 are about.
Verses 13 to 16
Often when we talk about church growth, we talk about how the church grows in number. What can we do to add more members to our congregation? However Paul, in his New Testament letters, doesn’t say a lot about growth in numbers. He focuses on another kind of growth. Paul writes about the church growing up. Look at verse 13, for instance. There Paul refers to the church becoming mature. And then in verse 14 he refers to how we will then no longer be infants. Then look at verse 15 where he again refers to the church growing up into Jesus Christ. So, we’re to picture the church as a person, growing up from infancy to maturity.
And the church is to grow up in two important ways. The first way is in verse 13, where Paul says we’re to reach — that is, we’re to grow up into — ‘unity of the faith and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.’ When he refers to ‘the faith’ here, he’s thinking about what we believe about God and our salvation. He’s thinking about Christian doctrine or Christian beliefs. And Paul wants us to be united in what we believe and in what we know so that if someone were to come in here and ask us what we believe and know about God, we’d all say roughly the same thing. What a disaster if someone wanted to know about the Christian faith and they came in here and asked us what we believe and it turned out that we disagreed with one another. This inquirer wouldn’t know who to listen to or who to believe and he would go away, thinking that those Christians can’t agree about anything.
And so, Christ has given the church teachers to teach us the faith, so that we all know what’s true and what isn’t and so that we can all grow in our knowledge of God and in what he has done to save us by his Son Jesus Christ. God has given us teachers to teach us the faith. And so, we should listen to them.
And when the church reaches this kind of unity — unity in what we believe and know about God — then we’ll no longer be like infants, says Paul in verse 14.
When we used to go for a walk as a family by the beach or through a forest park, Yvonne and I would walk together along the path. But the children, when they were young, would be running about here, there and everywhere. They couldn’t stop moving and they’d spot something over there and they’d run to it and take a look. And then they’d spot something over there and they run to it and take a look. Meanwhile, Yvonne and I continued to walk along the same path. The Apostle Paul uses a slightly different picture: he’s thinking of boats on the sea, being tossed back and forth by the waves. But it’s the same idea: children running around from thing to thing; or boats being tossed about by the wind and the waves. And that’s what we’re like when there’s no unity or agreement over what we believe and know about God.
And so, Christians hear some new idea; and they all go crazy over it for a few weeks. And then, someone reads a new book with another new idea; and they go crazy for it for a few weeks. And then someone hears something else; and they’re into that for a time. Whatever the latest idea is, the latest big thing, the latest fad, Christians jump on board. And so, there can be this restlessness, this going from one thing to the next, when Christians are not united and agreed on what we believe and know about God and our salvation.
But where there’s unity in the faith and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, where we’re agreed on what we believe and know about God and our salvation, then we won’t be tossed about and we won’t be running around and we’re won’t be changing direction as a church every year. We’ll keep walking along the same path we’ve always walked, confessing our faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. We won’t be taken in by the latest craze. And we won’t be deceived — says Paul in verse 14 — by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. He’s referring to false teachers. False teachers often seem to be teaching the truth. But those who believe them are being deceived. So, we need to keep walking along the same path we’ve always walked so that we won’t be taken in by the latest big idea and by false teaching which is so deceitful. The church is to grow up and become mature. And that means being united in what we believe and know about God.
But we’re also to grow up in love. Look at verse 15: we’re to speak the truth in love. And then verse 16: the church is to grow and build itself up in love. A test of a church’s maturity is how well the members of the church love one another. That’s not the usual standard we might use to measure a church. Usually we test a church by how many people belong to the congregation. Or how much do the people give? Or how many meetings do they have? Or how much outreach is going on? But a mature church is a church where the people love one another. Is there bitterness and back-biting? Do the members gossip about one another? Are arguments allowed to continue? Do people hold grudges? Are people in the congregation ignored? Is there favouritism? Or do people speak kindly of each other? Do they ask for and offer forgiveness? Are arguments quickly resolved? Is everyone warmly received? Do the members show hospitality to one another? And so, according to Paul, the church is to grow up in love. And Christ has given his church teachers to teach his people to love one another, because this is God’s will for us.
Conclusion
And so, there’s only one church. And since there’s only one church, we’re to do everything we can to preserve the unity of the church, being humble and gentle and bearing with one another in love.
And we’re to grow up as a church: we’re to grow united in what we believe; and we’re to grow in our love for one another. And to enable us to grow, Christ our Saviour–King has given us teachers to teach us what to believe and how to love and serve one another.
And, of course, our teachers will teach us how to love and serve one another, because our teachers are to teach us about Christ our Saviour–King, who loved us and who came into the world, not to be served by us, but to serve us by giving up his life on the cross as the ransom to pay for all that we have done wrong and to make peace for us with God. And so, we’re to become more like him. And from his throne in heaven, Christ our Saviour–King sends us, not only teachers, but also his Spirit to work in us and to help us to love and serve one another as members of his church.
Sermons and Stuff 