Ephesians 4
12/23/2012
Over the course of the last 10 years, I have been led to study church authority. This first started with the disalussion with the single pastoral authority of which was found in the organization I was raised in. In my studies I began to read how there was never a single elder, pastor, etc that was addressed in scripture. Even Paul never went anywhere alone, rather with several in his group.
The deeper I began to look at this and study the more convince I became that so many church organizations are not biblical in their line of authority within the body of Christ. With a complete separation between saint and ministry. In other words there are saints and there is ministry. Separated by a chasm as large as the Grand Canyon. With that being said I present to you a study I have done on Ephesians chapter 4.
Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called,
Eph 4:2 with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Eph 4:3 giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
To begin we need to know to whom Paul is addressing this letter. We find this in chapter 1. "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints that are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus" We see Paul is addressing this to the saints, not to the ministry.
When Paul says we are to walk worthy of the calling we are called to, he is speaking to each individual. We each have a calling, as Paul goes on to teach, we are each part of the body. Paul teaches much more about the body in his other letters but let us keep with the context of this letter. Chapter 5 gives a clear outline of the relationship of the body.
Now verse 8 Paul speaks of Christ gave gifts to men. What are these gifts that Christ gave to men? This is found in one of the most missused verses by dictoral organizations.
Eph 4:11 And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelist; and some, pastors and teachers;
This list has come to be know as the five fold ministry. A ministry that has been raised up on a pedestal thus separating saint from leaders. This I say was not what Paul intended, this come from again pulling one or two verses from context, to build a doctrine of man and not of God.
As establish in verse 8 these are gifts that God (Christ) gave to the body. Gifts that are to work with in the body not above or outside of the body. This is in direct conflict with many teaching of pastoral authority found in many organizations. Again the teaching found in many organizations are of a separation between the body and ministry.
Moving on verse 11 and 12 reads,
Eph 4:11 And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelist; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ:
Many read these two verses separate from the rest of the chapter. Stating that God gave this so called ministry to perfect the saints. I feel this is reading this out of context completely. Let me explain further. This word "perfecting" in the Greek is "complete furnishing" the NKJV reads this as "equipping". While perfecting works if one reads this in proper context, equipping is even better. As the ASV reads, "for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ:" Unto the work of ministering. This is what the gifts are given for, the purpose of equipping all saints for the work of their ministry.
That the body of Christ would be built up, that we will all come in unity of the faith.
In conclusion, God did not place an authority group over the rest of the body as a police force. Chapter 5 confirms this as Paul wrote that we are all to submit one to another. As Christ is the head, of the church not a man. Under Christ is the husband, again not a pastor, under the husband the wife and then lastly the children. This same line of authority is repeated in Paul's other letters.
Nowhere in scripture do we find Paul or any other apostle placing a dictator over the body of Christ, such as we find in many religious parties today. This type of dictorial control is a carry over from the Catholic church. Jesus himself instructs us that this type of leadership should never find its way into the kingdom of God. Matt. 20:25,
Mark 10:42,
Luke 22:25.
If you should find yourself in a group that has a dictoral one man show, that reserves for him/her self the final say as God's appointed voice to the rest of the church, I say run, run for your life. For under this type of leadership one can not ever grow the full maturity in relationship with God.
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