Lesson 7 Review: The Unified Body of Christ

 

Introduction

Memory Text: “And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11, 12, ESV).

The church as the body of Christ is composed of various parts with differing abilities, all of which must work together for the body to be healthy. Christ is now the Head of the body, supplying the body with “gifted” people who help unify the body, with each part, each church member contributing its abilities to the whole. Paul’s picture of a healthy, unified body helps us understand God’s goal for us to be parts of a fruitful church united in Christ.

How does Paul begin the second half of Ephesians (Ephesians 4-6)?

Paul begins the second half of Ephesians with a stirring call to unity, but in two major parts.

What are the two major parts by which Paul calls the church to unity?

‘First, in Ephesians 4:1-6 he asks believers to nurture “the unity of the Spirit” by exhibiting unity-building virtues (Eph. 4:1-3), a call he supports with a poetic list of seven “ones” (Eph. 4:4-6). Second, in Ephesians 4:7-16, Paul identifies the victorious, exalted Jesus as the source of grace in people who lead in sharing the gospel (Eph. 4:7-10) and describes how they, together with church members, contribute to the health, growth and unity of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-16).’

What does it mean to “Walk in a manner of worthy of the calling to which you have been called”?

Paul uses the verb walk in the figurative sense of to behave, or to live (see Eph. 2:2, 10; Eph. 4:17; Eph. 5:2, 8, 15). When Paul refers to their calling, he refers to the call to the Christian faith (Eph. 1:18; Eph. 2:4-6, 13). Therefore, it means to practice virtues that lead to unity (Eph. 4:1-3), such as humility, gentleness, and patience.

What is humility?

Humility may be understood not as a negative virtue of self-deprecation (See Col. 2:18, 23) but as a positive one of appreciating and serving others.

What is Gentleness?

Gentleness may be explained as “the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance” and also means “Courtesy, considerateness, meekness.” (See Study Guide for reference).

What is Patience?

Patience is being able to bear up with provocation or trials.

What is the central theme of Humility, Gentleness, Patience?

These qualities gather around the theme of turning away from self-importance and, instead focusing on the value of others.

What is Paul communicating through the seven “ones” in Ephesians 4:4-6?

There is one body (referring to the church as the body of Christ, Eph. 4:12, 16; Eph. 1:23; Eph. 5:23, 29, 30) and “one Spirit” (Eph. 4:4). The third one is the “one hope of your calling” (Eph. 4:4; compare Eph. 4:1). Next, “one Lord” (a reference to Christ), “one faith” (meaning the content of what Christians believe, Eph. 4:13; Col. 1:23; Col. 2:7; Gal. 1:23; 1 Tim. 4:1, 6), and “one baptism” (compare Eph. 5:26) before concluding with an extended description of God as “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all, and in all” (Eph. 4:6, ESV).

What is Paul communicating through this poetic description of God the Father?

By virtue of His being “Father of all,” God is the Creator. The rest refers to how God relates to “all things,” to everything that He made. It proclaims the transcendence (“who is over all”), active rule (“who is…through all”) and immanence (“who is … in all”) of God.

What are the two ideas about the unity of the church (Eph. 4:1-6)?

First, unity is a spiritual fact, rooted in these seven “ones,” a reality to be celebrated (Eph. 4:4-6). Second, this unity requires our zeal to nurture and grow it (Eph. 4:3).

In what should we rejoice concerning the unity of the Church?

Whatever our failings in trying to actualize unity, we should rejoice in the work of God-in-Christ in unifying the church, rejoicing in the theological reality of the “unity of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:3). This will empower us to return to the hard work of advancing this unity but with fresh conviction that in doing so we are accomplishing God’s own work.

What is the order of ascent and descent according to Psalm 68:18?

Christ ascension to heaven (Eph. 1:21-23) occurs first, followed by the descent in which the risen, exalted Jesus gives gifts and fills all things (Paul’s way of depicting the Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2)). This view is confirmed by Ephesians 4:11, 12 which identify the gifts provided by the exalted Jesus as gifts of the Spirit.

What are the four groups of “gifted” people Paul identifies?

1. apostles;
2. prophets;
3. evangelists;
4. shepherds (ESV) and teachers (the structure of the Greek Phrase suggests these are a single group)

What is the purpose of these gifts given by Christ?

Christ gives these gifts to accomplish important work: “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12, ESV) and “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13, ESV).

Does the Bible validate the functioning of the gift of Prophecy in the church only during the time of the apostles or does the gift continue until the return of Christ?

By implication from Ephesians 4:13, “till we come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;”. Therefore, the Bible validates the functioning of the gift of prophecy until the return of Christ.

Why is it important that we be careful with how we identify “shepherds” (or “pastors”), “teachers,” and “evangelists,”?

Since we think of these positions within our context and time, in Paul’s day these would all have been lay leaders who were serving the house churches of Ephesus (compare 1 Pet. 2:9, Acts 2:46, Acts 12:12). Therefore, as shepherds, teachers or evangelists, we should take it as a duty to serve and not to be served.

What three sets of images does Paul use to describe the dangers of wayward theology?

1.       The immaturity of childhood, “so that we may no longer be children” (ESV);

2.       Danger on the high seas, “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (ESV); and

3.       Being swindled by clever people who, like gamblers practice sleight of hand. Paul uses the Greek word kubeia (“dice playing”) to mean “cunning” (ESV) or “trickery” (NKJV).

What does Paul believe to be an important mark of error?

Divisive teaching is evil, it depletes and divides, hence hindering the church from advancing toward true Christian maturity and playing effective roles in the body of Christ (Eph. 4:12, 13; compare Eph. 4:15, 16).

How do we preserve the unity of the church?

By fostering it actively. One way we foster unity is by being active “parts” of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:7-16) and contributing to the health and growth of the body. We should also benefit from the work of the apostles, evangelists, and pastor-teachers (Eph. 4:11).

In Conclusion,

Despite our diversities, God’s desire for His church is to be united in Him. I pray that God helps us to see the work of God-in-Christ in unifying the church, so we can have fresh conviction that we are doing God’s work when we unify the church, Christ’s body, in Jesus’ name.