The Beautiful Church of Christ

In studying and referring to Ephesians 5:22-33, I have more often than not used this text for the purpose of teaching about marriage and the proper relationships within the home. Nevertheless, Paul makes it quite clear: “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:32). The roles that husbands and wives play only serve to illustrate the true lessons therein, but I have emphasized many times the illustration above the real lessons, even if they are practical and scriptural. Thus, I want to address the principle lesson that Paul addresses—the beautiful church of Christ.

In the first place, the church of Christ is to submit to Jesus as our head. After admonishing the brethren in Ephesus to submit “one to another in the fear of God” (5:21), he then emphasizes that the church of Christ is to submit to Jesus as our head, just as wives are to submit to their husbands and recognize them as heads of the household. He had earlier pointed out to the Christians in Ephesus the relationship that Christ has with His church (1:22-23), and he once again points out in this epistle that unravels the mystery of the gospel concerning the church (cf. 3:1-12) what Christ desires from His bride, the church—submission. Thus, Christians ought always to view the will of God with a heart that is ready to obey (cf. Matt. 7:21; Heb. 5:8-9). We ought to be as submissive as Isaiah was before the throne of God: “Here am I; send me” (Isa. 6:8). The head of the church has not given us the liberty to pick and choose which commands we may obey and which commands we may neglect—we are to be submissive!

Why are we to be submissive? Paul offers no less than two reasons—because Jesus is our Savior (5:23) and because He sanctified us (5:26-27). Everyone in their right minds would have no problem giving themselves over through submission when they realize what Jesus has done for them. Paul states a very important fact—Jesus is the Savior of the body, which we know already is the church (1:22-23). Thus, in his revelation of this mystery, Paul informs all readers of how important it is to be in the beautiful church of Christ—it is the only place wherein one may obtain salvation. Then, he goes on to describe this wonderful blessing—he “loved the church, and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word” (5:25-26). He did this so “that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (5:27). Therefore, through the process of salvation and sanctification, Jesus has washed our sins through His blood (cf. 1:7), which takes place during the act of baptism in water (Acts 22:16). Coming up from the watery grave, we, as members of this “glorious church,” are now in a position where we are “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (cf. Rev. 21:2), in that Paul reveals us has “not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that [we] should be holy and without blemish” (5:27).

As we further contemplate what it means to be a part of this beautiful church that Christ came to establish for both Jews and Gentiles (cf. 2:11-22), we see the sustenance that Jesus offers to the church—“For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church” (5:29), then reminding that we are a part of His body (5:30). We cannot underscore enough the blessings associated with being a part of the beautiful church of Christ! As the apostle Paul begins this epistle, it is a privilege beyond that we deserve to have access to “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (1:3), and a part of these blessings includes the fact that our Lord and Savior not only saves us, but He continues to sustain us with His great love. What a joy and blessing it is to be a part of the beautiful and glorious church of Christ!

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Step Into the Water

After hearing Jesus preached by Philip, the Ethiopian desired to be baptized. The biblical account of his conversation is as follows: “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:35-39).

As one reads the inspired accounts of the conversions set forth in the book of Acts, he should compare them carefully with what is practiced today. Note the following observations from the record of the Ethiopian’s conversion:

1.  Preaching proceeded the Ethiopian’s conversion and was an essential part of it. This harmonizes with what Jesus said in the Great Commission. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16).

2. Preaching Jesus caused the Ethiopian to see the need to be baptized. He said to Philip, “See here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized?”

3. Inasmuch as only believers are to be baptized, Philip said, “If you believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.”

4. The one who was to be baptized made the following confession: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

5. The action in his baptism was clearly immersion. “They went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”

6. The Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing after he was baptized. So we can conclude that baptism in water, as set forth in the Gospel, is the dividing line between the church and the world, the saved and the lost. If you have not been baptized according to the Gospel, we urge you to do so today.

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Which Modern Translation Should I Use?

The importance of verbal inspiration of the Bible can hardly be over emphasized. When God revealed His message to mankind, He did it by ensuring that every word in that message precisely expressed His thoughts. Think about how He “verbally inspired” every word on the tablets of stone at Mt. Sinai. His finger chose every word and wrote every letter.

A question worth considering is whether He was as equally involved in the giving of the rest of the Bible. Peter shows that He was when he described the process which gave us our Bibles. “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21). The Greek word translated here as “moved” can be understood when we note that it is the same word used to describe the transporting of the head of John the Baptist being carried to give to Herodias (Mark 6:27-28). It is the word used to describe the carrying of the man who was lowered through the roof so that Jesus might heal him (Mark 2:3). It is used of taking food from one place to another (John 21:10) and bringing money to give to another person (Mark 12:15; Acts 4:37; 5:2). These examples so vividly illustrate how involved God was in giving the scriptures!

Because every word of the Bible is a word selected by the Spirit of God (see 1 Cor. 2:13), we must pay attention to the words of the Bible. Our English language is often limited but the Greek was not. We have one word for love; the Greeks had two vastly different words. We have one word for fear, the Greeks had six. The Lord chose a perfect language to use in giving the perfect law. It is an amazingly precise language. As readers, we must respect the fact that God chose every word used to deliver His message to us.

The practical side of this is that we should make sure the translation we use as our primary study Bible respects verbal inspiration. We do not need a translation where the message is filtered through the fallible mind of a translator who tries to give us the thought of the original message in simpler English. Several popular translations use this method. Among these are the Living Bible, the New English Bible, Good News for Modern Man and the New International Version. They seek to enhance the original message and give a “dynamic equivalent” without regard to the precise words chosen by God. Far better recent translations are the New American Standard, the English Standard Version and the New King James. Verbal inspiration is designed by God. Make sure your Bible allows you to use it in your personal study.

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Fishers of Men

During a recent fishing competition in New Zealand, an angler named Nathan Adams caught a 738-pound Pacific Bluefin tuna, which just may be the largest Bluefin tuna one has ever caught—as of the recent news, Adams is awaiting verification that he will hold the new world record. Naturally, he refers to this particular fish as a “fish of a lifetime.” The fish is indeed impressive, because the attached photograph that accompanied the news report showed the hanging fish measuring almost twice the size of the man who caught it.

Jesus knew about fishing, and He also enjoyed keeping company with some anglers, particularly, two sons of Zebedee (Matt. 4:21) and two sons of Jonah (cf. Matt. 16:17). It was on one infamous occasion that Jesus said to these anglers, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). Luke records the account with Jesus stating, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men” (Luke 5:10). Let us note a few lessons from this great statement of our Lord.

Fishing is the perfect metaphor for evangelism, just as Jesus illustrated with this great statement. Notice just a sampling of examples.

• In order to become successful, fishing is that which one teaches, just as my father and grandfather taught me when I was a boy. So it is with evangelism—it is that which one teaches (cf. Matt. 28:19-20).

• The more experience one has fishing, the better angler he or she will become; so it is with evangelism. No one should overlook experience.

• An angler will use whatever tools are at his disposal and with which he is comfortable, because he understands that some fish will bite at some lures/bait and not at others. So many factors play a part with fishing (weather, type of body of water, time of day/year and such like). So it is with evangelism—some people respond to some teaching methods while other people respond to others.

• Just as anglers can learn to diversify their talents (i.e., going from rod and reel to fly fishing), evangelists can learn to diversify their methods of reaching people (i.e., using videos to simply teaching straight from the Bible).

Jesus told these fishing disciples, “I will make you fishers of men.” He stated this early in His ministry as He was gathering/calling disciples and before He was selecting apostles. Please note the future tense of the verb—they would not immediately become such, but that He would prepare them for such. Some three years later, before He ascended back to His throne, He commissioned them, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt. 28:19-20). Even then, they still did not know everything (cf. John 14:26), but it would only be after some three years that He sent them to do what He initially promised—they would become “fishers of men,” which we see them doing throughout the book of Acts. The point is this—we should neither belittle evangelism to the point of making every Christian feel guilty if they are not doing it, nor should we discourage Christians who “fail” when attempting it. Just as the disciples took a three-year-long course in learning from the Master Angler/Evangelist, it takes time and effort to learn how to evangelize properly.

The feeling of catching the “fish of a lifetime,” whether it is 738-pound Pacific Bluefin tuna or a 21-pound largemouth bass, pales in consideration to the feeling of converting a sinner through the process of evangelism. Consider the stark contrast. When one catches a monster fish, while there certainly is a great feeling of adrenaline and excitement, it soon diminishes away. Whether one chooses to eat the fish or mount the fish, the memory is still there, but the fish, along with its excitement, is generally gone after a while. Not so with one who catches men. To see someone obey the gospel that I have taught provides a feeling like none other, but I am able to continue to enjoy such by watching that individual grow in faith, similar to the experience that new parents enjoy with the birth of their children, only this time, it is in a spiritual sense with a spiritual rebirth (cf. John 3:3-5; Tit. 3:5). In his classic work, “The Mission of the Local Church,” Wendell Winkler emphasizes the point of why all Christian ought to become personal soul winners for Jesus by exclaiming, “It will give him a thrilling satisfaction he has never experienced before” (p. 78). Such is true, and why we all ought to work hard and train to become “fishers of men!”

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Clothes Make the Man

Do clothes really make the man?  In other words, do they indicate the quality of an individual?  Certainly how a person clothes himself affects the judgment of many others regarding him.  However, truthfully speaking, the physical appearance of a man does not represent a completely trustworthy gauge.  Ted Bundy was considered to be quite a handsome well groomed man, but he lived a life as a serial killer.  Many undercover police officers dress and look horribly evil.  However, the purpose of their clothing represents a higher quality than their appearance.  The greatest and highest quality man to ever walk the earth, Jesus, certainly did not have an outstanding appearance according to man:

Isaiah 53:2-3 – “For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

The answer to “Do clothes make the man?” when contemplated from a physical standpoint must  be answered “No!”

Now, ask the question once more, “Do clothes really make the man?” and this time consider the spiritual clothing of man.  Ponder the Christian, erring Christian, willfully disobedient Christian, disfellowshipped Christian, member of a denomination, member of a religious body which does not recognize the God of the Bible as the one and only God, and finally, the individual with no religious ties.  While this seems like a large group to analyze, be assured their standing in God’s eyes can readily be ascertained.  Accepting the Bible as the final authority as to how the individuals are clothed will determine if “spiritual clothes makes the man”.  The Word of God is truth (John 17:17) and any conclusion of man’s quality not based on scripture cannot stand (Matthew 7:24-27).

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 represents a good starting place for examination.  This passage discusses the return of Christ and declares those that do not know God and have not obeyed the gospel of Jesus shall be punished with everlasting destruction.  Acts 4:10-12 establishes that only by the name of Jesus Christ will men be saved.  Jesus himself says in Matthew 10:32-33 that individuals who deny him he will deny before the father in heaven.  Denying Christ and refusing His name equate to not obeying him.  Jesus told the apostles to teach all creation to observe all that he had commanded them (Matthew 28:19-20).  Those commands include hearing the Word that one might have faith (Romans 10:17), confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in His resurrection (Romans 10:9-10), repenting (Acts 2:38), being baptized (Mark 16:16, I Peter 3:21), and being faithful to death (Revelation 2:10).  Christians can be identified by these characteristics.  The obedient Christian will be saved because with his sins being washed away he will not be kept from God (Isaiah 59:1-2, Acts 22:16, Revelation 1:5).  All of these verses demonstrating the obedience of a Christian relate directly to his clothing.  The Christian wears the clothing of Christ and keeps those clothes on by continuing to obey Christ’s commands.  His spiritual clothes identify him as precious quality.

Galatians 3:27 – “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

John 8:31-32 – “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Approaching the aforementioned groups of men for examination in reverse order (minus the Christian already defined), how many have obeyed Christ and put Him on?  Certainly, the individual with no religious ties does not put on Christ.  He wears the clothes of worldliness.  Romans 12:1-2 tells the Christian to not be conformed to the world.  Those who do not recognize the God of the Bible and worship other gods (Matthew 4:10) also clothe themselves in disobedient worldliness.  They do not wear the quality clothing of Christ.  Additionally, members of denominations, putting aside the name of Christ and accepting labels such as Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Evangelical, Protestant, Charismatic, etc., openly deny Christ by identification.  Furthermore, they chiefly deny the baptism Christ commanded for salvation while accepting man made creeds in their worship.  Such groups certainly wear the clothes of worldliness rather than Christ.  When considering those previously identified as Christians, but who have been disfellowshipped by the Church because they turned to follow worldliness, it can be said they too do not wear the clothing of Christ.  Next, consider the clothes of the willfully disobedient Christian (but not disfellowshipped).  Matthew 6:24 declares man cannot serve two masters.  If not committing to wearing Christ, the Christian commits to wearing the garb of the world.  All of these groups due to their purposeful lack of obedience to Christ shall be eternally punished.  They do not have salvation which comes only in Christ according the Bible.  These folks though fitting into different subgroups, all fit the description of a single group whose clothes identify them as condemned.

Finally, consider the erring Christian who wants to serve God, but still finds himself falling into sin (James 3:2).  Should erring Christians be considered one with the willfully disobedient or disfellowshipped Christian?  How can those who are clinging to Christ be considered the same as those who willingly reject him.  Is the erring Christian the same as the member of a denomination, false religion, or non-religious?  No!  The erring Christian became an heir of Christ, a brother, while the others have no relationship with Christ at All.  Many people believe “real” Christians are supposedly “perfect” or without sin.  The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Later in Romans 7:14-25, Paul detailed how he battled sin.  His battle continually went on, flesh against spirit.  Should Paul be considered the same as those lost and without hope in their current behaviors?  No!  The apostle John says as much in I John 1:8-2:1:

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”

Erring Christians may not be without sin, but they work to abide in Christ.  Unlike those who cling to the world, they are All Christians find themselves in this state at one time or another.  They falter in sins of ignorance and presumption (Psalm 19), but asking forgiveness they see their sins forgiven.  Thus, they still wear the clothing of Christ and salvation.  No man lives without sin.  Sin represents a constant battle.  Christians often find themselves in error by weakness or ignorance.  Their penitent response to sin causes the blood of Christ to continually wash them, enabling them to abide in Christ perpetually.  The clothes of an individual can be observed by their deeds in complete.  Those spiritual clothes definitely make the man.

In Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus tells a parable of the kingdom of God as a wedding.  A great number were invited but only a few came.  Those who can be considered as not coming are those of the world, the false religions, the denominations, and disfellowshipped Christians who have returned to the world.  Those who came were the erring Christians and the willfully sinful Christians.  However, the King noticed the one who did not belong.  His clothes gave him away.  He was not wearing the wedding clothes commanded.  Who could this be?  The Christian who willfully sins demonstrates his worldly clothes by his worldly deeds.  His quality lacks that desired by the King.  The erring, but continually penitent Christian stands with his wedding clothes pure in Christ.   While it cannot be said of physical clothes, spiritual clothes of Christ make the man.  They demonstrate the acceptable, highly prized quality demanded by God.

A commonly seen bumper sticker reads:  “Christians are not perfect, just forgiven.”  An erring Christian should not be lumped into groups who identify with the world; he should be identified with the God whom he serves.  The erring Christian constantly seeks to do right and listens to correction that he might not fall.  The difference between him as a Christian and others comes down to love.  We know he loves, because he works to keep Christ’s commandments (John 14:15).

Perhaps a last question needs to be asked.  Should one fellowship an erring Christian?  Absolutely!  Fellowship enabled Paul to rebuke Peter when Peter was distancing himself from non-Jewish Christians (Galatians 2:14).  Fellowship enables us to “save some” (Jude 1:20-23) from eternal fire. Christians have an obligation to aid their brothers in their struggling.  Consider all the words of rebuke, admonishment, and encouragement Paul shared with the erring Corinthians and Galatians.  Did he simply drop them like a rock because of their struggles in sin?  No!  Ephesians 5:11 establishes the Christian is not to share or fellowship the sinful actions of erring Christians.  All the while, the Christian reproves his brother to turn back taking time to study with him, encourage him, and strengthen him (2 Timothy 2:24-26).  Consider the erring new Christian.  Though he put on Christ his knowledge likely remains incomplete.  Perhaps for a time he will continue to engage in sinful behavior without realizing the error.  However, his heart remains unchanged from the moment he was baptized.  He desires to do all Christ commands him. When through study he realizes his error, repentance immediately occurs.  During this time of growth (no Christian should stop growing) should he be treated as if out of Christ because he errs?  Certainly not!  Only when a fellow brother in Christ refuses to hear the Word any longer has he cast aside his garments in Christ and returned to the world.  Until that time, the erring Christian shares the blessings of Christian unity, rejoicing in hope, suffering together, and caring for one another (I Corinthians 12:14-27).  Demonstrate the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) with such an individual showing longsuffering and love toward him.  He wears the clothes of Christ and should be treated as such, not as a foreigner who is of the world.

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