Ephesians 4:14-16 (2)
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Truth in Love
Truth in Love
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
No longer be children:
1 Corinthians 14:20 (ESV)
20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
Romans 2:20 (ESV)
20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—
1 Corinthians 3:1 (ESV)
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
Hebrews 5:13 (ESV)
13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
tossed to and fro
Direction dictated by random waves instead of constant truth
wind
Comes in with force and violent but is gone after a time but leaves destruction (all unfounded movements in church)
Paul knew what it was like to witness pagans being swept by waves and wind:
8 Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was crippled from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, 10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. 11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, 15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” 18 Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them. 19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.
Peter’s
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.
John Mark’s
13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,
38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.
Galatians
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
Human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes
False teachers driven by their own lusts
Philippians 3:18–19 (ESV)
18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
schemes
Ephesians 6:11 (ESV)
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
speak the truth is too specific, although it can mean that. Embrace and adhering to it. ‘
being true, speaking truth, following truth
Maintaining truth
in love
As the opposite of the false teachers before who spoke for selfish gain, true teachers teach in love for the other person’s gain.
You can say the true thing but not for their gain in mind, but a gain to your pride, ego, irritation etc.
Grow up
Hebrews 6:1 (ESV)
1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
It is a blessed process of growth
Though it hurts…growing pains my mom called it.
Since we were all born in Adam of falsehood and hatred, the growing process in Christ in truth and love is a painful one that requires a community
16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
the whole body, joined and held together
Romans 12:4–5 (ESV)
4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
1 Corinthians 12:15–16 (ESV)
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
Joined and held together (BY TRUTH IN LOVE)
Every joint with which it is equipped
Colossians 2:19 (ESV)
19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
builds itself up
Switches to a house metaphor
If one member is too large and the rest is weak, then the frame will be damaged in the body.
The Church has been defined as an institution that has truth for its nourishment, love for its atmosphere, and Christ for its Head.
4:15-16: Each part in obedience to the head builds the other up, or provides life. What does this say when the particular parts are not doing that? Poison is issued instead!
4:15-16 Growth of the members comes from the source of the head.
Jesus is the vine.
There are two great enemies of a successful ministry: falsehood and indifference. The call is for both, and you cannot have love without truth. And you cannot display truth without love.
4:16 With the main point of 15 to discuss how difficult it is to be driven by truth and love because of the battle of sin in self (growing pains because of sin), the motivation to continue needs to come from the fact that we are nourished and controlled by head. Like a vine and branches.
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14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Last week we saw the oneness, diversity and unity of the Church that the Holy Spirit is working.
With the diverse elements of the church, we are to unite together to attain mature manhood in Christ.
And today we see how this principle plays itself out now in the life of the Church. Or, what does the church look like today in light of the fact that the Spirit is working a unified church in Christ Jesus our Lord?
Paul is going to detail a negative look, or what the church is not today. Then a positive look, what it is. Followed by a repeat of the desired outcome, the church growing into Christ the head.
At the center of this is truth and love. Both of these ingredients are vital, as their lack shows the negative look, and their practice shows the positive look.
Truth in Love becomes the major theme running throughout.
Truth
Love
Truth is what conforms to reality. In which is connected to the only constant from eternity past to the present, that is God.
Truth is deeply connected with the reality that comes forth from God and in-bedded in his creation.
This is why truth is so offensive today, since it is the direct result of the oneness of God being at the center of all creation.
Love (ἀγάπη) a warm regard for someone that desires their best.
Truth and love can be separate from each other—they don’t always go together
Truth without love is cold intellectualism
Love without truth is warm feelings without direction
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Intro:
The one God is working salvation in his three persons to bring unity from diversity. To grow us all up to the mature manhood of Jesus Christ, our Lord and head.
And now to finish off this section, Paul turns back to the present tense of how our church should look today in light of this work by the Spirit in the church, and he provides a negative—it does not look like this, then a positive—it does look like this and the hinge on which both sides hang on is
Ephesians 4:15 “15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,”
“Speaking the truth” is a little specific for the Greek, it’s more like adhering to truth in love
Truth and love when absent from the life of a church will lead to a negative example of church life
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Truth and love when present in the life of the church will lead to a positive example of church life
15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
The growing pains coming forth from the positive example is tempered by the lifeblood of the growth
16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
What is truth, what is love?
The answer to this is going to help us understanding verse 14 and 15 better.
Truth: What actually is, grounded in God. (reality coming forth from God) (From him, and through him, and to him)
Falsehood: A twisting or manipulation of what is, grounded in anything but God.
Love (ἀγάπη) a warm regard for someone that desires their best.
Hate: A bitter regard for someone that desires their worst
Apathy: No regard for someone because you desire your own best.
The world loves love since it feels good to have warm affections
The world hates truth because it always flows forth from God
Your truth and my truth is popular now because it tries to divorce truth from God which never works
You can have truth without love, and love without truth.
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Paul started this chapter with imperatives of what we are to do at present as the church—
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Then he took a break to describe why such unity is possible in how Jesus is working unity in the diversity of the church
And now Paul returns to the present tense of what the church should be doing:
He starts with a negative:
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Then with a positive
Ephesians 4:15 “15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,”
With the hinge being how we can be doing the positive and staying away from the negative
Ephesians 4:15 “15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,”
So another words, if we fail to speaking the truth in love as a church we will
Ephesians 4:14 “14 ... be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”
But if we are speaking the truth in love we will
Ephesians 4:15 “15 ... grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,”
Thus speaking the truth in love becomes vital in light of the unity Jesus has enabled
So let’s start with defining that, before we see what it looks like for a church not to have it, then to have it:
Speaking the truth
Most translations have this as speaking the truth, and given the context that’s probably what Paul had in mind, but the Greek itself is more general than that: doing truth
18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;
1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth,
1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
It’s worthwhile also to ask, like Pilate, what is truth?
Truth is reality flowing from God
Romans 11:36 “36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
He has made all things, and he is through all things as creations maintainer
Therefore truth is dictated by him, and only him.
Non moral truth in which we all must abide by to live
Moral truth that man has rebelled against
Non moral: Baby’s learn quick that gravity is a thing, touching hot stove is not pleasant
Moral truths—how to treat one another—proper living
If someone wants to have a baby they must abide by certain truths from God in order to have one
But they do not need to abide certain truths to be a good father, or mother
proper living and how we treat one another
Doing or speaking truth here is referring to the moral kind—proper living
In love