Ephesians 4 Part 7
Bible Study Time 10-30-05
Church links:
Bible Study Time 10-30-05
In Ephesians, Chapter 4, the Apostle Paul says that there is one faith and one baptism. These two things bring to perfection the unity of the Spirit.
When God brought the children of Israel up out of Egypt, he gave them the Law of Moses, saying, “If you do these things, I will bless you, but if you do not do these things, I will curse you.” The nation of Israel, in general, took this challenge to mean that God judges all people on the basis of their good works, and many people today feel the same way.
The Jews of the Old Testament quickly realized, however, that no one can really keep the Law perfectly in every detail. As a result, they concluded that God simply accepts those whose works are better than everyone else. In other words, nobody’s perfect, but if you work really hard, you might earn God’s acceptance.
This kind of thinking seems logical to man, but it is not at all logical to God. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways are higher than our ways. God said that those who fall short of His perfect standard will find themselves cursed of God. Paul said in Galatians 3:10,
Galatians 3:10 (NIV)
10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."
This is a difficult thing for us to understand. Why would God give the Law if it was going to result in everyone being under the curse of the Law? Was it given simply to guarantee that nobody would be able to enjoy the blessings of God? Not at all. The Law itself promised Israel peace and prosperity, but God had given greater promises than these to Abraham 400 years before the giving of the Law. In Genesis 18:18, God said:
Genesis 18:18 (NKJ)
18 " . . . Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
This promise of a worldwide kingdom goes far beyond any of the promises of the Law, and it was not based on Abraham’s good works. Genesis 15 says that when Abraham believed God’s promise, God counted his faith for righteousness. Paul was referring to this very thing when in Galatians 3 he said:
Galatians 3:9-13, 21-23 (NKJ)
9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them."
11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."
12 Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),
Paul then asked,
21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.
22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.
The New International Version says that we were locked up by the law until faith was revealed, but I prefer the versions of the Bible which say “until The Faith was revealed.” According to Strong’s Greek Dictionary, the definite article is present.
Paul made it clear in the previous chapter that The Faith is the faith which is fully invested in Jesus Christ who died upon the cross for our sins. Paul stated in Galatians 2:
Galatians 2:16
16 "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Then Paul went on to say:
Galatians 2:19-20
19 "For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.
20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Faith in the Son of God is The Faith for which mankind had been kept or preserved under the Law. All were found guilty under the Law, but now all have the opportunity to be set free from the Law through faith in Jesus Christ.
Faith in Jesus Christ is The Faith because Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes to the Father except through faith in Christ. When we come to the point of believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins, then we can say with the Apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.”
But faith in Jesus Christ not only allows us the opportunity to put the old man of the flesh to death, but it allows us to live in and through the power of Jesus Christ for Paul went on to say, “The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
The one faith of the Bible is the faith which carries us through the crucifixion of Christ and into the resurrection power of Christ. Romans 6 puts it this way:
Romans 6:3-5 (NKJ)
3 . . . do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
These believers in Rome had been baptized in water, and Paul wanted them to know that their water baptism was just a symbol of a spiritual reality which was far more significant than the water to which they had submitted.
They had been baptized in water when they put their faith in Christ, and Paul was saying that it was their faith in Christ which had brought about a greater baptism than that of water. By faith they were spiritually baptized into the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
When James and John came with their mother, seeking a position of honor in the kingdom, the Lord Jesus asked, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” When they said, “we are”, Jesus said, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with.” (Matt 20:22-23)
Of coarse, the Lord Jesus was speaking of His death, burial and resurrection for He had just finished telling them that when they got to Jerusalem, the chief priests and scribes would mock Him, scourge Him, spit upon Him, and kill Him, but that He would rise again the third day.
To receive a position of honor in the kingdom, they would have to be willing to be baptized with the baptism of the Lord. They would have to be willing to be crucified with Christ. In that same way, believers today must be willing to be spiritually baptized with the baptism of the Lord. We must be willing to be crucified with Christ so that we can be raised with Him to new life by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The book of Romans was written during the Acts period while water baptism was being practiced. It was a ritual which was associated with God’s offer of the New Covenant Kingdom. Paul knew that the believers in Rome had been baptized in water, but he wanted to make sure they knew the spiritual significance of that outward symbol.
By the time the book of Ephesians was written, God’s offer of the New Covenant Kingdom had been temporarily set aside, and God was using the Apostle Paul to reveal the details of the Church which is the Body of Christ.
As you may recall, the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 3 that God had given him the revelation concerning the one body of our present age to which Jews and Gentiles alike are added. He said that this revelation was a mystery which had never been revealed to the sons of men in previous ages.
Now, here in Ephesians 4, Paul reveals that there is only one baptism for the Church of the one body. This stands in contrast to the book of Romans where the believers had been baptized in water but had to be reminded that there is another spiritual baptism into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ which is far more significant.
Colossians is another book which Paul wrote after the setting aside of Israel’s kingdom program. In Colossians, Paul confirms that for believers today there is only one baptism. In Chapter 2, he said:
Colossians 2:8-12 (NKJ)
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
In this passage, Paul goes straight from his warning about detrimental and even deceitful traditions of men into a discussion of rituals. When he says that we are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, Paul was clearly warning us that submission to physical circumcision would rob us of certain spiritual blessings. Submitting to such rituals would deny the exalted position of Christ as the head of all principality and power. This is confirmed later in Colossians 2 where Paul says:
Colossians 2:18-20 (NKJ)
18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations--
Circumcision was a symbol of death, while baptism was a symbol of death, burial and resurrection. Circumcision was appropriate for the Law for it was a covenant of death. Baptism was appropriate for the New Covenant for it was a covenant of new life through faith in Christ.
Today, we have been rescued from the lower or more basic principles of the world, and we have been raised into the glory of the heavenlies. Let us guard against any philosophy or doctrine which would rob us of that glory. Even without physical circumcision, we have been circumcised by the circumcision of Christ. Even without physical baptism, we have been baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
Paul goes on to say:
Colossians 2:13 (NKJ)
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
Members of the Church which is the Body of Christ are complete in Christ, and the physical rituals can actually serve to hinder our fellowship in the fullness of Christ. Therefore, Paul said in Colossians 3:
Colossians 3:1 (NKJ)
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.
For members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, there is one faith which results in the one baptism into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The one faith is the faith which believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins.
As Paul neared the end of his ministry, he said with eager anticipation:
2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NKJ)
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
I see our time is gone for this morning. Thank you for listening, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
When God brought the children of Israel up out of Egypt, he gave them the Law of Moses, saying, “If you do these things, I will bless you, but if you do not do these things, I will curse you.” The nation of Israel, in general, took this challenge to mean that God judges all people on the basis of their good works, and many people today feel the same way.
The Jews of the Old Testament quickly realized, however, that no one can really keep the Law perfectly in every detail. As a result, they concluded that God simply accepts those whose works are better than everyone else. In other words, nobody’s perfect, but if you work really hard, you might earn God’s acceptance.
This kind of thinking seems logical to man, but it is not at all logical to God. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways are higher than our ways. God said that those who fall short of His perfect standard will find themselves cursed of God. Paul said in Galatians 3:10,
Galatians 3:10 (NIV)
10 All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."
This is a difficult thing for us to understand. Why would God give the Law if it was going to result in everyone being under the curse of the Law? Was it given simply to guarantee that nobody would be able to enjoy the blessings of God? Not at all. The Law itself promised Israel peace and prosperity, but God had given greater promises than these to Abraham 400 years before the giving of the Law. In Genesis 18:18, God said:
Genesis 18:18 (NKJ)
18 " . . . Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
This promise of a worldwide kingdom goes far beyond any of the promises of the Law, and it was not based on Abraham’s good works. Genesis 15 says that when Abraham believed God’s promise, God counted his faith for righteousness. Paul was referring to this very thing when in Galatians 3 he said:
Galatians 3:9-13, 21-23 (NKJ)
9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them."
11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."
12 Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),
Paul then asked,
21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.
22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.
The New International Version says that we were locked up by the law until faith was revealed, but I prefer the versions of the Bible which say “until The Faith was revealed.” According to Strong’s Greek Dictionary, the definite article is present.
Paul made it clear in the previous chapter that The Faith is the faith which is fully invested in Jesus Christ who died upon the cross for our sins. Paul stated in Galatians 2:
Galatians 2:16
16 "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Then Paul went on to say:
Galatians 2:19-20
19 "For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.
20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Faith in the Son of God is The Faith for which mankind had been kept or preserved under the Law. All were found guilty under the Law, but now all have the opportunity to be set free from the Law through faith in Jesus Christ.
Faith in Jesus Christ is The Faith because Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes to the Father except through faith in Christ. When we come to the point of believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins, then we can say with the Apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.”
But faith in Jesus Christ not only allows us the opportunity to put the old man of the flesh to death, but it allows us to live in and through the power of Jesus Christ for Paul went on to say, “The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
The one faith of the Bible is the faith which carries us through the crucifixion of Christ and into the resurrection power of Christ. Romans 6 puts it this way:
Romans 6:3-5 (NKJ)
3 . . . do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
These believers in Rome had been baptized in water, and Paul wanted them to know that their water baptism was just a symbol of a spiritual reality which was far more significant than the water to which they had submitted.
They had been baptized in water when they put their faith in Christ, and Paul was saying that it was their faith in Christ which had brought about a greater baptism than that of water. By faith they were spiritually baptized into the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
When James and John came with their mother, seeking a position of honor in the kingdom, the Lord Jesus asked, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” When they said, “we are”, Jesus said, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with.” (Matt 20:22-23)
Of coarse, the Lord Jesus was speaking of His death, burial and resurrection for He had just finished telling them that when they got to Jerusalem, the chief priests and scribes would mock Him, scourge Him, spit upon Him, and kill Him, but that He would rise again the third day.
To receive a position of honor in the kingdom, they would have to be willing to be baptized with the baptism of the Lord. They would have to be willing to be crucified with Christ. In that same way, believers today must be willing to be spiritually baptized with the baptism of the Lord. We must be willing to be crucified with Christ so that we can be raised with Him to new life by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The book of Romans was written during the Acts period while water baptism was being practiced. It was a ritual which was associated with God’s offer of the New Covenant Kingdom. Paul knew that the believers in Rome had been baptized in water, but he wanted to make sure they knew the spiritual significance of that outward symbol.
By the time the book of Ephesians was written, God’s offer of the New Covenant Kingdom had been temporarily set aside, and God was using the Apostle Paul to reveal the details of the Church which is the Body of Christ.
As you may recall, the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 3 that God had given him the revelation concerning the one body of our present age to which Jews and Gentiles alike are added. He said that this revelation was a mystery which had never been revealed to the sons of men in previous ages.
Now, here in Ephesians 4, Paul reveals that there is only one baptism for the Church of the one body. This stands in contrast to the book of Romans where the believers had been baptized in water but had to be reminded that there is another spiritual baptism into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ which is far more significant.
Colossians is another book which Paul wrote after the setting aside of Israel’s kingdom program. In Colossians, Paul confirms that for believers today there is only one baptism. In Chapter 2, he said:
Colossians 2:8-12 (NKJ)
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
In this passage, Paul goes straight from his warning about detrimental and even deceitful traditions of men into a discussion of rituals. When he says that we are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, Paul was clearly warning us that submission to physical circumcision would rob us of certain spiritual blessings. Submitting to such rituals would deny the exalted position of Christ as the head of all principality and power. This is confirmed later in Colossians 2 where Paul says:
Colossians 2:18-20 (NKJ)
18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.
20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations--
Circumcision was a symbol of death, while baptism was a symbol of death, burial and resurrection. Circumcision was appropriate for the Law for it was a covenant of death. Baptism was appropriate for the New Covenant for it was a covenant of new life through faith in Christ.
Today, we have been rescued from the lower or more basic principles of the world, and we have been raised into the glory of the heavenlies. Let us guard against any philosophy or doctrine which would rob us of that glory. Even without physical circumcision, we have been circumcised by the circumcision of Christ. Even without physical baptism, we have been baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
Paul goes on to say:
Colossians 2:13 (NKJ)
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
Members of the Church which is the Body of Christ are complete in Christ, and the physical rituals can actually serve to hinder our fellowship in the fullness of Christ. Therefore, Paul said in Colossians 3:
Colossians 3:1 (NKJ)
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.
For members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, there is one faith which results in the one baptism into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. The one faith is the faith which believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins.
As Paul neared the end of his ministry, he said with eager anticipation:
2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NKJ)
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
I see our time is gone for this morning. Thank you for listening, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
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