Paul spends the bulk of the chapter addressing problems that most churches wish they had.
Sure, the church in Ephesus did have issues. We know from the previous chapters that they had trouble keeping their doctrine straight and a lot of folks were leaving the faith because of it. But then, in chapter five, despite Paul's negative tone, we learn that the Ephesian Christians were actually doing quite a bit right, too! Take a minute to consider what must have been going on in order for Paul to write the things he did in this chapter. Here's what I read, between the lines:
"Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness..." Paul writes to Timothy, and he identifies this mystery as the truth of the gospel: "[Christ] was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory." (1 Tim 3.16 *1)
Paul opened his letter to Timothy by discussing the importance of sound doctrine: the true Gospel. He went on in chapter 2 to describe the result of that Gospel taking root in a person's life. Now, in chapter 3, he begins to address Church structure, and he starts by addressing the leadership.
It's interesting that these instructions for proper leadership are right at the heart of his letter. If these were directed at Timothy alone, they'd be found at the closing, not right in the middle! But Paul needs the whole church to hear this. Why? Because we are one body, with Christ as our head. The office of overseer (*1) and deacon are held by members of the Body just like every position in the Church is held by a member with the appropriate gift. Whatever one member does affects the whole body. Therefore, choosing proper leadership is a community project (*2).
On the drive home home last night my husband and I listened to this sermon by Matt Chandler. In it he urges the members of his church to set their minds to discovering their God-given gifts and find a way to use them for the Kingdom.
Sometimes it's easy for me to hide behind the busyness of motherhood or newlywed-ness or even behind this great platform of blogging, and avoid actually serving the body of Christ in whatever way I know how. For me, I've been told I have a knack for teaching (*1). Paul commands: "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them..." (Ro 12.6) So upon considering this, I actually find myself in sin by not teaching (James 4.17).
There's a new biography out about the life of Steve Jobs. I haven't read it, but I assume that the author was truthful in portraying the details of Jobs' life. Just because he feels qualified to attest to who Jobs is, I am inclined to believe that he did his research, and not just research--I actually expect the author to have known Jobs personally.
What if I picked it up and found that the author praised Jobs, saying things like,
"Steve Jobs was one of the greatest inventors who ever lived. He was a genius and an artist. He changed the world by producing the world's most dearly-loved computer, which he called a 'PC.'"
"...The law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine." (1 Tim 1.9-10)
Did you know that out of 150 verses in Psalm 119, the focus of 149 of them is the Word of God? King David says over and over, in as many ways as he can think of, "God, I LOVE Your Truths! I can't live without Your Word! I need Scripture in my life every single day!"
Most of us don't think about doctrine being part of our daily lives. But it is. Doctrine (didaskalia) is simply the collection of received teachings by which we live. Everyone lives by a collection of doctrines. The atheist makes decisions out of a belief in self; the post-modernist acts a certain way out of confidence in the universe; and most Americans strive for corporate success because we affirm the doctrine of capitalism. The reasons we do those things is because we each cling to certain doctrines.
A few months ago, Mark Driscoll called cessationism "worldiness" (*1). Very few people noticed or cared, but the few who did were pretty offended by it. And rightfully so.
Christians who believe the gifts have ceased are persuaded by the testimony of Scripture (Heb 1.1-2). Yeah, that's right--the same way continuationists reach their conclusions. It's pure Ad Hominem to call one party "worldly" just because their (ahem, identical)hermeneutics lead them to a different conclusion.
I almost jumped on the bandwagon and wrote Driscoll off like I'm prone to doing when people make irresponsible accusations. But I restrained myself on account of the significant impact Driscoll has had on my life over the years, and waited to hear what he would say next.
Then, a few weeks ago, Doug Wilson interviewed Driscoll, and the conversation that developed was phenomenal. I've listened to it a few times now as I continue to work out my understanding of continuiationism. Surprisingly, Driscoll is exceedingly gracious, to the point that I actually find myself agreeing with each of his points.
Their discussion is well worth 26 minutes of your time. I highly recommend taking a listen:
More thoughts on continuationism coming soon...
Footnotes:
*1 - Relevant portion of the session at the Resurgence conference here:
"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." - Romans 5.6-10
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." - Romans 12.1
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." - 1 Corinthians 6.19-20
In my last post I said that when God saves people, the Holy Spirit will begin to transform their lives. We call this "regeneration." The fruit of our salvation is that we begin to love His Word, embrace His statutes, and yearn for righteousness.
Why do you suppose He wants us to change? I believe His intention is to set His Bride apart from the rest of the world (1 Pet 2.9; Tit 2.14). In fact, that's basically what holiness means: to be "set apart" or consecrated for a single purpose (*1). Righteousness is the identifying mark of Christianity. We strive to obey the Ten Commandments because we love God and want to honor Him with our actions. We obey the Great Commission because our ransomed life belongs to Him.
But what of those who are not (yet) saved? Are they called to the same standards we are? Is it wrong for non-christians to cuss? To listen to secular music? To get drunk? To be attracted to the same sex? Given, I do believe God built into this world natural consequences to any lifestyle. But the ultimate consequence--eternal condemnation--is reserved for only one sin: Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
I've been thinking a lot about regeneration lately, as I'm sure you've noticed in the themes of my last several posts. We've talked about faith being one fruit of regeneration, we discussed how saying the sinner's prayer is not evidence of regeneration, and we've considered that the church's mission is to steadfastly preach the Gospel (Mt 28.29).
Christianity isn't about making bad people good; it's about making dead people alive.
That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection... Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own.
When I was dead in my sin, an enemy of Yahweh, the Spirit opened my eyes to see the irresistible grace of the Father. Each day He shows me new things from His Word that continually redefine my life.
These are my adventures--both the journeys and the treasures--as I study Scripture.
Gotta love 1 Timothy 5.
