Companionship is a hot topic in today's world where so much personal interaction is quite impersonal, often done over the Internet or via cell phone, with little to no personal contact.
People complain about this on many levels, believing mankind has lost many social skills due to this.
Interestingly enough, there is Biblical precedent for this mindset.
Genesis 2:18 And then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.
It is, at least in this passage, the companionship aspect of life for which woman was created for man. Despite the social concentration on sexual relations, it was the idea of being alone that was problematic for man, and that is the aspect that was addressed.
Nor, despite an oft-repeated false teaching on the matter, are Christians to refuse friendship with people of the world. I Corinthians 5 explains this clearly.
While Christians are, in fact, ordered not to associate with "Christians" who are immoral, covetous, swindlers, and so forth, they are simultaneously told that not associating with such people who are not believers is specifically not what was intended.
This thought accords well with the actions of Jesus, in fact. He was oft criticized for associating with the sinners of His time, with the tax-gatherers in preference to the "religious leaders' of the day, namely the Sadducees and Pharisees.
Yet over and over the religious world will take passages like II Corinthians 6:14, take them out of context and teach false doctrines that Christians should have no form of contact with the unbelievers.
It was foolishness such as this that led to the ridiculous extremes expressed by many hermit monks in the middle ages.
It is insistence on looking only at what is on the persons mind at the moment instead of putting a passage in context with the rest of the Holy Writings that leads preachers and teachers of the Scripture to speak falsehood in the name of God.
Now, this is not to advocate that Christians should go forth and spend all or most of their time with the liars, cheats, drunks, profane, idolaters, or whatever the sins of the people might be to the exclusion of all else.
Quite the opposite. The reasons Jesus had for His associations were to bring the truth to them and give them an opportunity for repentance.
We who would be like Christ should therefore do likewise.
Do not seek solitude to the exclusion of contact with others, nor yet refuse to use your time as Christ would have you use it.
Have friendship first with God and His people, and make room also for those to whom you might bring the light.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Who speaks?
God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature
Hebrews, first chapter, verses 1- first part of verse 3
There was a time when God's truth may have been variable for various people. If so, that time was long past long before the final writers of the Holy Scriptures departed this vale of tears. In the final age, often referred to as the Christian Age as opposed to the Mosaic Age or the Patriarchal Age, there is but one way God speaks to us; through His Son.
Jesus left behind a record of the attitudes and teachings He dispensed while on earth, most of which was passed on to us through the writings that compose the New Testament. To the best of our knowledge, Jesus left no written record of His own, but rather entrusted His message to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, the writer of Hebrews, James, Jude and Peter.
There are many people, then and since, who believe they are wiser than Jesus. Oh, they will not say as much and, in fact, would find such an accusation ridiculous at best and highly offensive at worst.
Yet when we try to bind on others teachings which are not to be found in the Word which Jesus left, that is exactly what we are doing. If people would simply read the Word for what it is instead of trying to prove their great wisdom by finding in Scripture things which other Christians have overlooked for lo, these two millenniums, there would be much less confusion and problems within the Christian world.
The phrase, "We speak where the Bible speaks and are silent where the Bible is silent", attributed to Alexander Campbell, bears a great deal of truth. Consider the thought given oin the closing verses of Revelation 22, particularly verse 18.
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
Even the most cursory examination reveals that he is speaking specifically of the book of Revelation, yet the concept is one that runs throughout the whole of the Bible.
Think on what happened when Balaam made a 'slight modification" to the message he had received.
Consider how Saul had his entire line wiped out when he took upon himself the authority and offices he was not qualified to take.
Consider how Jesus said not one jot or tittle would pass from the Law until all was accomplished (Matthew 5:18).
Galatians 1 is quite clear about the outcome for any who teaches a different Gospel. And one with things added to the teachings of Jesus is equally guilty of this charge as a teaching that takes away.
There is a reason things such as the "Boston Movement" are considered heretical by those who actually read the Scripture. Just as those who take away things such as the need for immersion (I Peter 3:21), those who add responsibilities not found in Scripture stand condemned before God, yet were you to ask anyone in the Boston movement, I suspect they would not think they were acting as if they were wiser than Jesus.
However, adding on to the Word of God is still doing just that. No man has the right or authority to do so. It is Jesus of whom God said He is the exact representation of the nature of God.
It would therefore behoove us to take that wisdom under advisement and seek only the purity of following the teachings of the representation of the nature of God, not the interpretations of fallible man, speaking where the Scripture is silent.
Monday, November 2, 2009
We Have Been Granted Everything
From time to time a person might find themselves encountering a tricky moral dilemma which is not specifically addressed in the Bible. All too often, the answer we might come up with relies greatly on our "intuition" or cleverness.
Should anyone question the decision, it is not unheard of for a Christian to claim it is a matter the Scripture does not cover or address. But is that accurate?
In II Peter 1, versus 2-3, we see a passage which seems to counter-act the idea that we can find ourselves in a situation where the true path to serving God might not be answered in the Bible.
Specifically, the passage says that the divine power of God has granted us everything pertaining to life and Godliness through the true knowledge of Him who called us.
If we therefore claim that God has not left instructions on how to deal with a particular situation, we reveal our own failure, not His. He says we do indeed have the tools we need to discern the correct path.
In fact, if we continue on in the chapter, we see a list of 9 qualities which we can, nay must possess, for if we possess them, verse 10 tells us that if we have these qualities and they are increasing, we are rendered "neither useless nor unfruitful".
It therefore behooves us to study these qualities relentlessly and, more importantly, actively seek to instill them in our lives.
It would seem clear from the passage that faithful study will bring us to knowledge of the principles God would have us live our lives by. If we cannot figure out the path God would have us take in a given situation, it is because we have not studied His word as we ought and have not figured out what moral excellence is, even though the Scriptures have the tools we need.
So study the passage. Study the qualities. Work to instill them in your life. And with the continued study of the Word of God, if you approach it to learn what God would have us do rather than approaching it to prove your own point, you will soon find that answers to what you ought to do are indeed revealed within the Word of God.
Grace and mercy to you all.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 is famous for being the Fruit of the Spirit.
If you take a few moments to consider that, you will quickly realize that the attributes listed there are things that belong in the lives of anybody who is a Christian.
Of course, one should take it in context and therefore should read Galatians through, then begin again a few verses prior to get the sense of why he would write that.
When you do, it quickly becomes apparent that this chapter is an excellent test of where you stand in your Christian life. If you have the listed qualities, you clearly have felt the effects of the Holy Spirit in your life. If not, then you will be demonstrating the things seen in verses 19-21.
So if there is such a clear demarcation of what qualities a Christian needs to possess, does it not behoove us to on a daily basis examine the specific actions we took that day and see whether or not they fall into the category of things approved by a person who demonstrates the Fruit of the Spirit?
Take the time to look at your action. Did it show the Biblical love? I do not mean the modern non-sensical version. True love is not an emotion, it is not something that you can "fall into" or, even worse, "fall out of". Love is something you do and there is a Scriptural definition of it.
Do your actions show the joy that comes from living in Christ, living spiritually with the desires and passions of the flesh? Are you showing the joy of your salvation in the things you say and do?
I could go through the entire list this way, but I think the point is obvious. Study these things, study your actions, and see if your life reflects having the Fruit of the Spirit or whether it reflects the sinful nature listed in the prior verses.
This will be a valuable benchmark in your Christian walk.
If you take a few moments to consider that, you will quickly realize that the attributes listed there are things that belong in the lives of anybody who is a Christian.
Of course, one should take it in context and therefore should read Galatians through, then begin again a few verses prior to get the sense of why he would write that.
When you do, it quickly becomes apparent that this chapter is an excellent test of where you stand in your Christian life. If you have the listed qualities, you clearly have felt the effects of the Holy Spirit in your life. If not, then you will be demonstrating the things seen in verses 19-21.
So if there is such a clear demarcation of what qualities a Christian needs to possess, does it not behoove us to on a daily basis examine the specific actions we took that day and see whether or not they fall into the category of things approved by a person who demonstrates the Fruit of the Spirit?
Take the time to look at your action. Did it show the Biblical love? I do not mean the modern non-sensical version. True love is not an emotion, it is not something that you can "fall into" or, even worse, "fall out of". Love is something you do and there is a Scriptural definition of it.
Do your actions show the joy that comes from living in Christ, living spiritually with the desires and passions of the flesh? Are you showing the joy of your salvation in the things you say and do?
I could go through the entire list this way, but I think the point is obvious. Study these things, study your actions, and see if your life reflects having the Fruit of the Spirit or whether it reflects the sinful nature listed in the prior verses.
This will be a valuable benchmark in your Christian walk.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Is "The Placing of Fellowship" Scriptural? Part 8
In part 8 we will begin in Colossians. As is his habit, Paul begins with a greeting discussing the source of his authority and to whom he is writing.
Paul was an apostle by the will of God (1:1) and was writing in conjunction with Timotheus. He was writing to the "saints and faithful brethren which are at Colosse" (v.2).
Note that to Paul, who likely had not visited Colossae at this point, the saints in that city were already brethren.
Here is a good point to interject some historical knowledge into the situation with the caveat that this is conjecture, not inspired Scripture, but it is a point worth thinking about.
The population of the region was held to include 11,000 Jewish males based on the work of Cicero. There were numerous other peoples in the region so the population of the town at a time where travel took much longer than it does today. Nowhere is it revealed how many saints were at Colossae. Do you suppose they all gathered together or that they were in 2 or more congregations based on population, travel capabilities, acoustics, and such factors?
This is of course nothing but a thought question that we do not have a Biblical answer to and as a result is at best something we can make educated guesses on.
What we know for sure is that Paul considered these people to be saints and faithful brethren, even though they were about 1200 miles apart.
Furthermore, the people at Colossae are remarked on for their virtue of having love for ALL the saints (v. 4)
Just as we have already seen, there is but one kingdom. This is re-emphasized in verses 1:9-3:11. It is quite a lengthy passage that deals again and again with the same theme.
For example, in verse 12 he discusses the way Paul and Timotheus, along with the Colossians whom he has never met are fellow partakers of the inheritance of the saints.
Together, they have been translated into the kingdom of Jesus (v. 13). There is but one kingdom, not several. In case this has not been made abundantly clear by the dozens of references we have seen in the first 8 parts, he once more states it clearly, indisputably, and unarguably; there is one church. "And he is the head of the body, the church." (v. 18)
Paul, in Rome, and the saints at Colossae, are part of the same body. If someone is of a different body than that of Scripture, they are not a Christian but instead part of a perversion of Christ, a different Gospel and we have already seen that means they are to be accursed.
We should tread lightly when we dispute with the Scriptures which clearly and repeatedly tell us there is one body, one church, one kingdom, a unity of the saints.
He continues the thought, telling us the purpose of Jesus dying on the cross was to keep the saints settled in the faith and hope of the gospel (20-23).
Paul then references the persecutions and tribulations he himself had suffered and points out he has done so for the sake of the body of Christ..."which is the church." (24).
Paul goes on to show us he makes no distinction whom he preaches Christ to (v. 28) which begs the question; who are we to do that which Paul would not?
Paul stresses that he has had conflict for all whom have seen him (2:1) which we know was a vast number of people, for he traveled extensively, staying some times for short periods and other for long lengths of time. He traveled with a variety of companions, and other times sent forth trusted brethren to work in areas he could not. He encountered various people who were also going from place to place and the purpose that all the conflicts he experienced was, "that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love" (v. 20).
Furthermore, let us briefly consider the nature of Christianity. Is is spiritual or physical? This requires the reader to have familiarity with Scripture and Scriptural concepts. If you do not, then please study the Word with great seriousness and dedication to discover it. Paul wrote that our battle was not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual powers of darkness.
Knowing that Christianity is in many ways far more about spirit than physicality, what meaning does that impart to his statement in verse 5, "for though I be absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit"? I think it is clear that Paul is stating he has fellowship with those of Colossae...again, people with whom he had limited or no physical contact. yet he was with them in spirit. Was he fellowshipping with them or not? We do know he considered them his brethren(1:2).
He then tells us yet again that we are rooted in and built up in Christ (v. 7), not in the local congregation, not in the teaching of Paul, not in anything but Christ. Everything starts there.
He also warns us not to be spoiled by philosophy, vain deceit, the rudiments of the world, or vain traditions.
Now, I have heard the placing of fellowship defended as tradition and asked what the harm was. The harm is simple; it leads to people applying other "good ideas' of man that are not part of the Scripture. It leads to further false teachings and expectations of other a-or anti-Scriptural behaviors. It contradicts the sacred writings, which ARE inspired, in favor of the ideas of men which are not inspired.
Instead, we are complete in Christ (2;10-12). We are buried with Christ, not with other Christians. The importance is not in meat, drink, or holy days, but is rather the body of Christ (v. 16-17) and all the joints are knit together (v.20), which clearly speaks against the division inherent in saying that different congregations are different bodies. They are unified in the body of Christ and to say otherwise is to contradict the clear, concise, inspired statements of Scripture.
So then in chapter three we see that we are risen with Christ (v. 1) and there is no division; Christ is all and in all (v. 11). You are not a Greek Christian...you are a Christian. You are not a Jewish Christian...you are a Christian. You are not a barbarian Christian...you are a Christian. You are not a Californian Christian...you are a Christian. You are not an American Christian...you are a Christian.
Either you are a Christian or you are not. If you are a Christian, then all the trappings of Christianity are part of you; brotherhood with all who believe, with all the saints, having Christ in you and being in Christ. You are in fellowship with all who are in Christ.
If you are in fellowship with all who are in Christ, and someone is not in fellowship with you because you have not placed fellowship with them, where does that put the person who is not in fellowship with the one who is in Christ?
In case this is not clear, Paul once again points out there are two states; those within and those without (4:5). Either you are within Christ or you are outside of Christ.
He then foes on to send Tychicus to find out in person what is going on with the Colossians (v. 7) and to tell them in person how he is doing (v. 8). Along with Tychicus, he sent Onesimus, " a faithful and beloved brother". Was Onesimus already a faithful and beloved brother to the Colossians?
he then goes on to list a variety of fellow workers and they extend their greetings (10- 18). There are some interesting notes here.
The people at Laodicea are brethren to Paul. We do not know where Nymphas and the church in his house were. We do know that, just as those at Laodicea, they were brethren to Paul and since the admonition is for those at Colossae to greet the brethren, we know they were also brethren together. We have already seen that brotherhood is in Christ.
We are now 8 parts into this study. We have seen extensive examples that brotherhood is in Christ, that He has but one body and all who are Christians are brothers with one another. There is no distinction between location, nationality, origin, status as slave or free, Jew or Gentile, Greek or Barbarian, person of one city or another.
There has not been one command, principle, or example of people placing fellowship. Quite the contrary, we have seen repeatedly that even Christians who had never met WERE ALREADY AND CONTINUOUSLY in fellowship. All who are Christian are part of the body of Christ, and anyone who is part of that body is by definition in fellowship with all Christians everywhere. The one who has not has created an artificial division that contradicts the Word of God.
At some point we might return to this study, but for the time being, we will move on and look at some other matters.
This can be considered a conclusion for the time being.
If you have any questions, comments, or want to add your own thoughts, I encourage you to do so.
Paul was an apostle by the will of God (1:1) and was writing in conjunction with Timotheus. He was writing to the "saints and faithful brethren which are at Colosse" (v.2).
Note that to Paul, who likely had not visited Colossae at this point, the saints in that city were already brethren.
Here is a good point to interject some historical knowledge into the situation with the caveat that this is conjecture, not inspired Scripture, but it is a point worth thinking about.
The population of the region was held to include 11,000 Jewish males based on the work of Cicero. There were numerous other peoples in the region so the population of the town at a time where travel took much longer than it does today. Nowhere is it revealed how many saints were at Colossae. Do you suppose they all gathered together or that they were in 2 or more congregations based on population, travel capabilities, acoustics, and such factors?
This is of course nothing but a thought question that we do not have a Biblical answer to and as a result is at best something we can make educated guesses on.
What we know for sure is that Paul considered these people to be saints and faithful brethren, even though they were about 1200 miles apart.
Furthermore, the people at Colossae are remarked on for their virtue of having love for ALL the saints (v. 4)
Just as we have already seen, there is but one kingdom. This is re-emphasized in verses 1:9-3:11. It is quite a lengthy passage that deals again and again with the same theme.
For example, in verse 12 he discusses the way Paul and Timotheus, along with the Colossians whom he has never met are fellow partakers of the inheritance of the saints.
Together, they have been translated into the kingdom of Jesus (v. 13). There is but one kingdom, not several. In case this has not been made abundantly clear by the dozens of references we have seen in the first 8 parts, he once more states it clearly, indisputably, and unarguably; there is one church. "And he is the head of the body, the church." (v. 18)
Paul, in Rome, and the saints at Colossae, are part of the same body. If someone is of a different body than that of Scripture, they are not a Christian but instead part of a perversion of Christ, a different Gospel and we have already seen that means they are to be accursed.
We should tread lightly when we dispute with the Scriptures which clearly and repeatedly tell us there is one body, one church, one kingdom, a unity of the saints.
He continues the thought, telling us the purpose of Jesus dying on the cross was to keep the saints settled in the faith and hope of the gospel (20-23).
Paul then references the persecutions and tribulations he himself had suffered and points out he has done so for the sake of the body of Christ..."which is the church." (24).
Paul goes on to show us he makes no distinction whom he preaches Christ to (v. 28) which begs the question; who are we to do that which Paul would not?
Paul stresses that he has had conflict for all whom have seen him (2:1) which we know was a vast number of people, for he traveled extensively, staying some times for short periods and other for long lengths of time. He traveled with a variety of companions, and other times sent forth trusted brethren to work in areas he could not. He encountered various people who were also going from place to place and the purpose that all the conflicts he experienced was, "that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love" (v. 20).
Furthermore, let us briefly consider the nature of Christianity. Is is spiritual or physical? This requires the reader to have familiarity with Scripture and Scriptural concepts. If you do not, then please study the Word with great seriousness and dedication to discover it. Paul wrote that our battle was not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual powers of darkness.
Knowing that Christianity is in many ways far more about spirit than physicality, what meaning does that impart to his statement in verse 5, "for though I be absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit"? I think it is clear that Paul is stating he has fellowship with those of Colossae...again, people with whom he had limited or no physical contact. yet he was with them in spirit. Was he fellowshipping with them or not? We do know he considered them his brethren(1:2).
He then tells us yet again that we are rooted in and built up in Christ (v. 7), not in the local congregation, not in the teaching of Paul, not in anything but Christ. Everything starts there.
He also warns us not to be spoiled by philosophy, vain deceit, the rudiments of the world, or vain traditions.
Now, I have heard the placing of fellowship defended as tradition and asked what the harm was. The harm is simple; it leads to people applying other "good ideas' of man that are not part of the Scripture. It leads to further false teachings and expectations of other a-or anti-Scriptural behaviors. It contradicts the sacred writings, which ARE inspired, in favor of the ideas of men which are not inspired.
Instead, we are complete in Christ (2;10-12). We are buried with Christ, not with other Christians. The importance is not in meat, drink, or holy days, but is rather the body of Christ (v. 16-17) and all the joints are knit together (v.20), which clearly speaks against the division inherent in saying that different congregations are different bodies. They are unified in the body of Christ and to say otherwise is to contradict the clear, concise, inspired statements of Scripture.
So then in chapter three we see that we are risen with Christ (v. 1) and there is no division; Christ is all and in all (v. 11). You are not a Greek Christian...you are a Christian. You are not a Jewish Christian...you are a Christian. You are not a barbarian Christian...you are a Christian. You are not a Californian Christian...you are a Christian. You are not an American Christian...you are a Christian.
Either you are a Christian or you are not. If you are a Christian, then all the trappings of Christianity are part of you; brotherhood with all who believe, with all the saints, having Christ in you and being in Christ. You are in fellowship with all who are in Christ.
If you are in fellowship with all who are in Christ, and someone is not in fellowship with you because you have not placed fellowship with them, where does that put the person who is not in fellowship with the one who is in Christ?
In case this is not clear, Paul once again points out there are two states; those within and those without (4:5). Either you are within Christ or you are outside of Christ.
He then foes on to send Tychicus to find out in person what is going on with the Colossians (v. 7) and to tell them in person how he is doing (v. 8). Along with Tychicus, he sent Onesimus, " a faithful and beloved brother". Was Onesimus already a faithful and beloved brother to the Colossians?
he then goes on to list a variety of fellow workers and they extend their greetings (10- 18). There are some interesting notes here.
The people at Laodicea are brethren to Paul. We do not know where Nymphas and the church in his house were. We do know that, just as those at Laodicea, they were brethren to Paul and since the admonition is for those at Colossae to greet the brethren, we know they were also brethren together. We have already seen that brotherhood is in Christ.
We are now 8 parts into this study. We have seen extensive examples that brotherhood is in Christ, that He has but one body and all who are Christians are brothers with one another. There is no distinction between location, nationality, origin, status as slave or free, Jew or Gentile, Greek or Barbarian, person of one city or another.
There has not been one command, principle, or example of people placing fellowship. Quite the contrary, we have seen repeatedly that even Christians who had never met WERE ALREADY AND CONTINUOUSLY in fellowship. All who are Christian are part of the body of Christ, and anyone who is part of that body is by definition in fellowship with all Christians everywhere. The one who has not has created an artificial division that contradicts the Word of God.
At some point we might return to this study, but for the time being, we will move on and look at some other matters.
This can be considered a conclusion for the time being.
If you have any questions, comments, or want to add your own thoughts, I encourage you to do so.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Is "The Placing of Fellowship" Scriptural? Part 7
In the first 6 parts we have seen that divisions among the church are condemned and the unity of the church as one body is emphasized repeatedly.
We also saw in part 6 that the names of the books can lead one to false conclusions. If we simply read what is there instead of the name of the book then we will have a clearer view of what the Word of God says instead of what man has chosen to say about it.
That is far from being a distinction without a difference. The Word of God is inspired. What anyone, myself or anyone else, says about it is not.
When man comes up with ideas that contradict what the Word of God says, we already saw he is to be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9).
So here we see a difference between Ephesians and Philippians. Paul includes the saints and, in a separate line, the overseers and deacons (bishops and deacons in the King James) in a greeting that is from himself and Timotheus as a unit. (1:1)
When he discusses his memory of them, he then admits to being in fellowship to them because they have fellowship in the gospel (v. 5).
It is generally held that this book was written while Paul was imprisoned in Rome. It seems a reasonable assumption since he mentions his bonds, the palace, and the saints of Caesars household. That puts an interesting light on this passage.
Paul considers not only himself to be in fellowship with the Philippians, but also those who preach the gospel (1:14), including interestingly enough those who preach out of envy and strife (vs. 15-19).
So where is the fellowship of which he speaks? We see the answer in 2:1. It is in the Spirit. So our fellowship includes the element of being in the Holy Spirit, just as we earlier saw it includes a shared faith.
He later points out that one way he knows Timotheus seeks Christ is because Timotheus shares Paul's concern for the Philippians (2:18-21).
Epaphroditus was a messenger from the Philippians to Paul, but was Paul's brother. (v. 25). Whether it be Timotheus, Epaphroditus, the Philippians or Paul, they all fall under the same admonition (3:14-17) in the admonition to walk by the same rule.
We know little about Eudodias and Syntyche other than that they were admonished to be of the same mind (4:2). We do see that many people were fellow laborers with Paul, Clement, and other laborers (4:3). All are commended for being in the book of life.
This seems to be one of those fine opportunities to point out their membership in a specific congregation but instead we find them grouped in unity in the book of life.
I suppose we could have pointed to the grouping of all believers under the umbrella of church from 3:6, but we covered that previously.
We do see again that there are definitely congregations located in specific geographic areas (4:15) and we see they are all saints (4:21-22). The only differentiations are "the brethren which are with me" and "chiefly they that are of Caesar's household".
Paul of course was imprisoned. Those of Caesar's household clearly were not.
To which congregation did each belong? The only thing we know is they were all saints and Paul greeted them all equally. There is nothing stating either they did or did not belong to a specific congregation, but there is something specifically stating they were saints.
We as Christians have the responsibility to follow what Scripture says, not what we want it to say. Therefore, it is only what Scripture says that we can require of other Christians and from Philippians, we see that that requirement is to fellowship in the Gospel.
We also saw in part 6 that the names of the books can lead one to false conclusions. If we simply read what is there instead of the name of the book then we will have a clearer view of what the Word of God says instead of what man has chosen to say about it.
That is far from being a distinction without a difference. The Word of God is inspired. What anyone, myself or anyone else, says about it is not.
When man comes up with ideas that contradict what the Word of God says, we already saw he is to be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9).
So here we see a difference between Ephesians and Philippians. Paul includes the saints and, in a separate line, the overseers and deacons (bishops and deacons in the King James) in a greeting that is from himself and Timotheus as a unit. (1:1)
When he discusses his memory of them, he then admits to being in fellowship to them because they have fellowship in the gospel (v. 5).
It is generally held that this book was written while Paul was imprisoned in Rome. It seems a reasonable assumption since he mentions his bonds, the palace, and the saints of Caesars household. That puts an interesting light on this passage.
Paul considers not only himself to be in fellowship with the Philippians, but also those who preach the gospel (1:14), including interestingly enough those who preach out of envy and strife (vs. 15-19).
So where is the fellowship of which he speaks? We see the answer in 2:1. It is in the Spirit. So our fellowship includes the element of being in the Holy Spirit, just as we earlier saw it includes a shared faith.
He later points out that one way he knows Timotheus seeks Christ is because Timotheus shares Paul's concern for the Philippians (2:18-21).
Epaphroditus was a messenger from the Philippians to Paul, but was Paul's brother. (v. 25). Whether it be Timotheus, Epaphroditus, the Philippians or Paul, they all fall under the same admonition (3:14-17) in the admonition to walk by the same rule.
We know little about Eudodias and Syntyche other than that they were admonished to be of the same mind (4:2). We do see that many people were fellow laborers with Paul, Clement, and other laborers (4:3). All are commended for being in the book of life.
This seems to be one of those fine opportunities to point out their membership in a specific congregation but instead we find them grouped in unity in the book of life.
I suppose we could have pointed to the grouping of all believers under the umbrella of church from 3:6, but we covered that previously.
We do see again that there are definitely congregations located in specific geographic areas (4:15) and we see they are all saints (4:21-22). The only differentiations are "the brethren which are with me" and "chiefly they that are of Caesar's household".
Paul of course was imprisoned. Those of Caesar's household clearly were not.
To which congregation did each belong? The only thing we know is they were all saints and Paul greeted them all equally. There is nothing stating either they did or did not belong to a specific congregation, but there is something specifically stating they were saints.
We as Christians have the responsibility to follow what Scripture says, not what we want it to say. Therefore, it is only what Scripture says that we can require of other Christians and from Philippians, we see that that requirement is to fellowship in the Gospel.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Is "The Placing of Fellowship" Scriptural? Part 6
When Paul starts Ephesians, he again greets those to whom he is writing;
...to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus," v. 1
So again we see two things; there are certainly local congregations, and they are one with all who are faithful.
It is an interesting question what the nature of these local congregations is. We know, from what was shown back in Acts, that there were elders in every congregation Paul had visited. We know that the elders and apostles from Jerusalem traveled frequently to help other congregations and discuss what they taught. We know regular people such as Priscilla and Aquila, and sometimes companions such as John Mark, Timothy, Titus and so forth also were well known in a variety of conversations.
It also seems reasonable to assume that some people did not travel at all but simply attended the same congregation all the time. But...it is important to note that is an assumption. To this point we certainly have seen no clear example of that. We definitely need to differentiate between what we know and what we think we know. This is a fine example of what we think we know, though things such as knowing some Christians were slaves and probably incapable of travel lends a great deal of weight to that thought.
As Paul continues, he again clearly links the Christians in Ephesus with Christians not in Ephesus, pointing out we were chosen to be holy and blameless (v. 4) and were are adopted as children by Jesus (v. 5).
We are also told where our redemption comes from; the blood of Christ (v.7). It is certainly worth harmonizing this with the rest of Scripture. When, where, how and why do you come in contact with the blood of Christ? Put some time into that study.
Sometimes there are questions to which the answers are known, other times questions to which they are not. So here is a question for you; how did the Christians in Ephesus show their love 'to all the saints" as it states in vs. 15?
This is not an idle question but rather one designed to get the reader thinking. the theme of the chapter and following verses certainly provide some clues to the answer.
We also have yet another important verse that illustrates a basic Christian truth; all saints are part of THE church. When I emphasize the word "the" it is because all true believers are part of the same church. Read verses 22-23 very carefully. This is explicitly stated. The church is the body of Christ.
This is one of those places where the chapter and verse divisions is rather unfortunate. As you probably know, those divisions were established around 1227, although an alternate version popped up between 1244 and 1248. What we know is by the publication of the Wycliffe version in 1382 accepted the divisions generally attributed to Stephen Langton in 1227.
The point is the divisions are not inspired. Sometimes they break up a context as they do between the end of Chapter 1 and chapter 2. The entire second chapter belongs with the verse talking about the church being the body of Christ.
Paul spends the second chapter reinforcing this basic truth. Verse 5 discusses us being quickened together with Christ. We are compared to aliens from the nation of Israel but now bought by the blood of Christ (v. 13) and "made both one" (vs. 16).
We are to be reconciled to God "in one body by the cross" (vs. 16) which we know we participate in by crucifying our old man with Christ at the time of conversion (Romans 6:6). He comes to a thunderous conclusion, pointing out that we are "fellow-citizens" with the saints (vs. 19) and all built into one building which is the temple of God (vs. 20-22).
Thus for at least 28 verses he focuses on this theme, that the saints who believe and are saved are all built on the same foundation, that we have become one body, that we are one temple of God.
But he is not done with this theme. He continues to drive home the point that all saints are part of the same body. It is in the context of Jews and Gentiles, with those to whom he is writing being Gentiles, that in chapter three, verse 6 he states, "that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel;" .
Sometimes throughout his writings Paul refers to the "mystery of the Gospel" or similar phrases and it makes verse 9 make sense in telling us our fellowship is right there; in the mystery.
Clearly, he is not sure that his point has been made as he chooses to repeat it once again in chapter 4.
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (v. 4) One Lord, one faith, one baptism (v. 5), One God and Father of all..." (v. 6).
If the unity of believers is not established by this point then it never will be. It has been his theme from the very greeting where he groups those in Ephesus with the faithful in Christ Jesus. He then clarifies the point of why there is this unity;
We have already seen that apostles, evangelists, prophets and teachers travel between the churches as need or wish arises. In verses 11-16 he tells us what their purpose is; to bring us to the unity of the faith (vs. 13) and knowledge of the Son of God, forming the whole body (v. 16).
At this point verse 25 seems like overkill. He has already emphasized the unity of those who are believers.
We do see some exceptions to the unity, however. Chapter 5, verses 3 - 5 show us some exceptions. This is not the first such list in Scripture, nor is it the last, but it is in the context of showing who is and who is not unified in Christ.
We are not of these people. We who are Christians are children of light (v. 8).
Since the theme of Ephesians is unity, he draws it together once more. Chapter 5:19-32 show us clearly that the church is the figurative wife of Christ. All the church. All who believe. All Christians are to share with one another in a variety of ways (v. 19), to submit to one another (v.21), and as a church to be subject to Christ (v. 23).
The purpose is to present a holy and blameless church (v. 27), of which all Christians are members (v. 30). He compares the church to a marriage repeatedly throughout this passage, interweaving the two. The husband and wife become one flesh just as the church becomes one flesh.
The idea of placing fellowship in an individual congregation certainly seems contrary to this concept, as Christ would then be joined to several bodies rather than to one. It would seem that in a book which speaks so eloquently on how the body of Christ is unified he could take time out to point out that each individual body is unified if that were the case, but instead he eschews that in favor of emphasizing that all believers are part of one body.
It is interesting that in his concluding remarks, he points to Tychicus as first a brother (6:21) and then a minister. It seems to once more emphasize the unity of the saints, as does his last remarks in verse 24: he extends his blessing, written in this letter, to "all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 24).
I think this points to one of the flaws with how Christians study the Bible. I myself encountered a similar difficulty when I taught a class. Many Christians know so little about the history of the Bible and the difference between what is inspired and what is not that they for some time refused to accept the idea that not only the verse and chapter divisions were not inspired, they did not believe headings such as "concluding benediction", which is above verse 21 in my edition of the King James, were not inspired.
It also means when they see the title "The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians" they might mistakenly think it was written only to the Ephesians even though the most cursory glance at just the first and last words of the book clearly state that he was intending this to be to the entire body of the saints.
Little things like this are not little as they can lead us to false conclusions. This book is nothing short of a powerhouse tour de force of explanation that Christians are unified in one body and need to be working together.
There is but one Lord in whom we believe.
There is but one faith we can hold.
There is but one baptism we participate in.
There is but one body to which we belong.
To say otherwise is to contradict the introductory greeting, to contradict the theme of the book, to contradict verse after verse, thought after thought. It is to contradict the concluding blessing. But can it harmonize with other Scriptures? We will keep looking.
...to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus," v. 1
So again we see two things; there are certainly local congregations, and they are one with all who are faithful.
It is an interesting question what the nature of these local congregations is. We know, from what was shown back in Acts, that there were elders in every congregation Paul had visited. We know that the elders and apostles from Jerusalem traveled frequently to help other congregations and discuss what they taught. We know regular people such as Priscilla and Aquila, and sometimes companions such as John Mark, Timothy, Titus and so forth also were well known in a variety of conversations.
It also seems reasonable to assume that some people did not travel at all but simply attended the same congregation all the time. But...it is important to note that is an assumption. To this point we certainly have seen no clear example of that. We definitely need to differentiate between what we know and what we think we know. This is a fine example of what we think we know, though things such as knowing some Christians were slaves and probably incapable of travel lends a great deal of weight to that thought.
As Paul continues, he again clearly links the Christians in Ephesus with Christians not in Ephesus, pointing out we were chosen to be holy and blameless (v. 4) and were are adopted as children by Jesus (v. 5).
We are also told where our redemption comes from; the blood of Christ (v.7). It is certainly worth harmonizing this with the rest of Scripture. When, where, how and why do you come in contact with the blood of Christ? Put some time into that study.
Sometimes there are questions to which the answers are known, other times questions to which they are not. So here is a question for you; how did the Christians in Ephesus show their love 'to all the saints" as it states in vs. 15?
This is not an idle question but rather one designed to get the reader thinking. the theme of the chapter and following verses certainly provide some clues to the answer.
We also have yet another important verse that illustrates a basic Christian truth; all saints are part of THE church. When I emphasize the word "the" it is because all true believers are part of the same church. Read verses 22-23 very carefully. This is explicitly stated. The church is the body of Christ.
This is one of those places where the chapter and verse divisions is rather unfortunate. As you probably know, those divisions were established around 1227, although an alternate version popped up between 1244 and 1248. What we know is by the publication of the Wycliffe version in 1382 accepted the divisions generally attributed to Stephen Langton in 1227.
The point is the divisions are not inspired. Sometimes they break up a context as they do between the end of Chapter 1 and chapter 2. The entire second chapter belongs with the verse talking about the church being the body of Christ.
Paul spends the second chapter reinforcing this basic truth. Verse 5 discusses us being quickened together with Christ. We are compared to aliens from the nation of Israel but now bought by the blood of Christ (v. 13) and "made both one" (vs. 16).
We are to be reconciled to God "in one body by the cross" (vs. 16) which we know we participate in by crucifying our old man with Christ at the time of conversion (Romans 6:6). He comes to a thunderous conclusion, pointing out that we are "fellow-citizens" with the saints (vs. 19) and all built into one building which is the temple of God (vs. 20-22).
Thus for at least 28 verses he focuses on this theme, that the saints who believe and are saved are all built on the same foundation, that we have become one body, that we are one temple of God.
But he is not done with this theme. He continues to drive home the point that all saints are part of the same body. It is in the context of Jews and Gentiles, with those to whom he is writing being Gentiles, that in chapter three, verse 6 he states, "that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel;" .
Sometimes throughout his writings Paul refers to the "mystery of the Gospel" or similar phrases and it makes verse 9 make sense in telling us our fellowship is right there; in the mystery.
Clearly, he is not sure that his point has been made as he chooses to repeat it once again in chapter 4.
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (v. 4) One Lord, one faith, one baptism (v. 5), One God and Father of all..." (v. 6).
If the unity of believers is not established by this point then it never will be. It has been his theme from the very greeting where he groups those in Ephesus with the faithful in Christ Jesus. He then clarifies the point of why there is this unity;
We have already seen that apostles, evangelists, prophets and teachers travel between the churches as need or wish arises. In verses 11-16 he tells us what their purpose is; to bring us to the unity of the faith (vs. 13) and knowledge of the Son of God, forming the whole body (v. 16).
At this point verse 25 seems like overkill. He has already emphasized the unity of those who are believers.
We do see some exceptions to the unity, however. Chapter 5, verses 3 - 5 show us some exceptions. This is not the first such list in Scripture, nor is it the last, but it is in the context of showing who is and who is not unified in Christ.
We are not of these people. We who are Christians are children of light (v. 8).
Since the theme of Ephesians is unity, he draws it together once more. Chapter 5:19-32 show us clearly that the church is the figurative wife of Christ. All the church. All who believe. All Christians are to share with one another in a variety of ways (v. 19), to submit to one another (v.21), and as a church to be subject to Christ (v. 23).
The purpose is to present a holy and blameless church (v. 27), of which all Christians are members (v. 30). He compares the church to a marriage repeatedly throughout this passage, interweaving the two. The husband and wife become one flesh just as the church becomes one flesh.
The idea of placing fellowship in an individual congregation certainly seems contrary to this concept, as Christ would then be joined to several bodies rather than to one. It would seem that in a book which speaks so eloquently on how the body of Christ is unified he could take time out to point out that each individual body is unified if that were the case, but instead he eschews that in favor of emphasizing that all believers are part of one body.
It is interesting that in his concluding remarks, he points to Tychicus as first a brother (6:21) and then a minister. It seems to once more emphasize the unity of the saints, as does his last remarks in verse 24: he extends his blessing, written in this letter, to "all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 24).
I think this points to one of the flaws with how Christians study the Bible. I myself encountered a similar difficulty when I taught a class. Many Christians know so little about the history of the Bible and the difference between what is inspired and what is not that they for some time refused to accept the idea that not only the verse and chapter divisions were not inspired, they did not believe headings such as "concluding benediction", which is above verse 21 in my edition of the King James, were not inspired.
It also means when they see the title "The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians" they might mistakenly think it was written only to the Ephesians even though the most cursory glance at just the first and last words of the book clearly state that he was intending this to be to the entire body of the saints.
Little things like this are not little as they can lead us to false conclusions. This book is nothing short of a powerhouse tour de force of explanation that Christians are unified in one body and need to be working together.
There is but one Lord in whom we believe.
There is but one faith we can hold.
There is but one baptism we participate in.
There is but one body to which we belong.
To say otherwise is to contradict the introductory greeting, to contradict the theme of the book, to contradict verse after verse, thought after thought. It is to contradict the concluding blessing. But can it harmonize with other Scriptures? We will keep looking.
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