A Built Body
As many of us take off our masks in the grocery store, and hesitatingly breathe air into our vaccinated body, I am aware how vulnerable our bodies are. As I checked out my lactose-free milk, I recently chatted with a cashier who always has to wear a mask to protect his aunt - and housemate - who could not get the vaccine due to a severe reaction. The coronavirus has reminded us how vulnerable we are. It is the same with our souls. There are warped versions of the Christian faith now as there were when the letter, Ephesians, was written. God has not left us alone in a sea of cults and lies. He is actively at work to expose spiritual darkness and bring the light of Jesus Christ.
The unique word about the “body of Christ” in Ephesians is that Jesus “fills” his body (Ephesians 1:23). This picture comes at the end of Paul’s prayer for us all. He prays that “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him” (Ephesians 1:17). He prays for wisdom and revelation, for learning and for the Spirit’s power—all to know Jesus more. John Stott writes, “knowledge and faith need each other. Faith cannot grow without a firm basis of knowledge; knowledge is sterile if it does not bring forth faith.”[1] We need enlightenment by the Holy Spirit. And we need the study of Scripture. We need those who are gifted in opening it to us.
If a church’s (or person’s) emphasis on the Spirit does not lead us into further study, community, and understanding the “hope to which he has called you,” (Ephesians 1:18) then we are vulnerable “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by the craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14). If a body of Christians is all about knowledge but not the Spirit then it lacks life. If a body of Christians has the Spirit but not knowledge of “the hope we are called to” then it is vulnerable to manipulation. There are false teachers, cults, and well-meaning Christians who have one but not the other. Paul knows. That is why Jesus must fill all things. He sends his apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers to expose false teaching. To save people from lies about him and others. To put the isolated in community. To humble and correct imbalances.
A Christian body grows into Christ. Falsehood will sound spiritual, but it will grow you into something else: a political party, a particular charismatic leader, more rules. It’s like a fungus on a tree. I know many who are skeptical of organized religion because they have encountered churches/communities that said they were Christians but were lacking the “knowledge of Christ.” Let me give you a few examples: A new neighbor of mine grew up in a cult until she ran away at the age of 18. That was not Christianity yet it claimed to be. (Watch “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” for a visual.)
My father’s passion for intellectually rich exposition of the Gospel came in part because some of his family members got into a cult and disowned him as a teenager. They were so upset that he didn’t follow the same rules as they did. They were about the law not about grace. A cult will grow you into something else, not into Christ who made peace between sinners and God (Ephesians 2:14). A friend of ours was a missionary for 10 years but the parachurch ministry he served was all about “hearing the voice of God” without grounding in Scripture. It was vulnerable to manipulation. He is deeply skeptical of Christianity now because of that imbalance. There were factions, falsehoods, and cults in Ephesus as there are now. They are toxic and traumatic now as they were then. My father used to say, “If you’re not talking about the cross of Christ (Jesus’ forgiveness for sinners like us) then it’s not Christianity.” The Spirit grows us into dependence on Christ, fed by his Scripture, and supported by his family.
This utopian vision of a body of Christ where “each part is working properly” is surrounded by examples of the opposite. Perhaps that is why Paul prefaces this beautiful picture of the body of Christ by reminding us that the same Christ who ascended into heaven is the one who descended into the muck and mire of our sin so that he might fill all things (Ephesians 4:9,10). God is able to lead all kinds of sinners to repentance. Sometimes he does it by sending us to jail (see the powerful testimony of Chuck Colson and the Watergate scandal who then founded Prison Fellowship ). Sometimes he catches our attention with a runaway child (read the testimony of a legalistic father and runaway daughter and the redemption in both. They co-authored it, Come Back Barbra) . Somehow it is at the end of our rope. He always does it in love. The God of heaven has joined himself to his body. He is patiently, consistently filling it to save it from lies and bring it into truth, into him.
Let’s look at the roles in Ephesians 4 that build up this body. I’d like to look at how they defend against false teaching so those who read this are equipped to tell the difference. Paul goes on to use the metaphor of Christ’s body to say Jesus is the head of this body who joins it together and makes it work properly so that it builds itself up in love (Ephesians 4:16). Jesus continues to send apostles/missionaries/church planters/preachers to share his grace; his prophets to bring people back to Christ; his evangelists to spread the true faith; his shepherds to nurture God’s family, and teachers “to equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12). He will not stop. He uncovers falsehood. He is not another hostile, controlling body. He is peace.
Each of these gifts are meant to edify the body of Christ. They are meant to “build us up in Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). They are not promoting a particular agenda but rather meant to serve others so they understand the faith, know the Son of God, and have his fullness (Ephesians 4:13). These gifts defend against falsehood by “speaking the truth in love.” John Stott notes that the Greek is better translated, “truthing in love” and “includes the notions of ‘maintaining,’ ‘living’ and ‘doing’ the truth.”[2] I have been in Christian circles that saw this as an excuse to police one another’s behavior. As imperfect people, we are always on one side or the other of this. We might “lay down the law” but without love. Or might love without the stand for truth. This is why we need JesusI In this context, I interpret “truth” to mean the evangelistic truth—where we stand for the truth of Christ’s forgiveness of our sins against falsehood, against cult mutations, against legalism, against lies. That is why Paul goes on to say that these gifts build us up so we are NOT “tossed to and fro” by every wind of doctrine. I trust the Holy Spirit to convict us of particular sins. He’s very good at doing that in love. One of our mentors is an Anglican missionary from Australia. He said that if we are going to take a stand for Biblical truth, then we must equally show love towards those who don’t agree. When this happens it is a fruit of the Spirit of God—him at work in his ligaments and muscles.
Another example of this supernatural gift of truth in love happened with a friend of my parents in a jail cell. He is a Ugandan Christian who was imprisoned for his faith in Saudi Arabia. He shared a jail cell with someone from a different faith. His fellow inmate said to him, “My god tells me to kill you.” Michael replied, “My God says to love you.” He would tell that story (once he was released) as a testimony to the forgiveness and love of Christ at work in his heart. Only Christ “truths in love.” That is why the body needs Christ desperately. We have him in abundance. He exposes resentment or fear, forgives, and makes us messengers of his grace from our weakness.
Jesus does not give up on his body. He fills it, sends his teachers to it to build it up, uncover lies, bring about repentance, and reconnect torn ligaments with his forgiveness. If you have been bruised by other Christians, know that Jesus sees you. He knows the bruises. He heals. There are always testimonies of truth amidst the false ones. They will always point to their weakness and to his forgiveness. Tune your ear to them. He will heal you in the process.
[1] John, Stott, The Message of Ephesians, The Bible Speaks Today, Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1979, pg. 67.
[2] Ibid. p. 172.
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