It’s Time to Grow Up
“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:14-16
Continuing in our study of Ephesians Chapter 4, the apostle Paul continued his letter to the Christians in Ephesus emphasizing that believers should strive to grow in Christ and not allow those who do not know Christ to deceive them into believing lies. Last time we saw how Jesus appointed different leaders who, working together, were responsible for building up the faithful in order for them to grow spiritually and mature in their walk with Christ so that they can bring glory to Him and to God, the Father. However, there was and is another reason to work toward maturity in our Christian walk with Christ, and that is to strengthen our faith so that we will not be led astray by false doctrine by those who, working for Satan, desire to confuse us and diminish our witness for Christ.
Satan desires to be in the place of God, but he can’t successfully fight against the LORD. How he attacks God is by attacking believers attempting to lead them away from the truth through the deception of false teachers teaching false doctrine which is usually mixed with a little truth to get the attention of believers. However, the devil’s “truth” is nothing but lies designed to trap even the most dedicated followers of Christ. Satan’s “truth” is based on whichever way the wind blows. It may sound reasonable, but it always leads its listeners down the wrong road. People who are weak in faith, immature believers, are like children who will believe anything they hear for they don’t have the maturity to reason and analyze the truth of what they hear. Those who are mature in their faith have the tools of God’s word, reason, and trust to understand and separate real truth from Satan’s lies.
Truth matters because it is a matter of life or death, peace or anxiety, love or hate. Sometimes the truth hurts because we have been depending on the lies of the devil believing we are on the right track but then discovering that life is not working out as we hoped. When the truth is revealed, we are halted in our tracks as we see how we have been deceived by the devil. The good news is, though, the truth can set us free from condemnation, worry, anxiety, and as a slave to Satan. When we hear the truth of Christ presented in love and mercy and receive it into our hearts, we then are armed against the devil’s lies. Our stymied past which had been living in the dark on the road to destruction becomes the way forward to peace, joy, and the glorious light of Christ for all eternity. Our conversation changes from hopelessness to happiness because we have a future, a future which leads us to maturity in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. We become an important member of the body of Christ, God’s family.
Each individual who has repented of sin and placed his or her faith in Christ is placed into the body of Christ, given his or her work to do in order to build up the body and keep it growing unto perfection. Christ, the Head of the body, is perfect, and in order to glorify Him, all members of the body must strive for excellence in love. In the human body, when one organ doesn’t work properly, the entire body suffers. Our internal organs were designed to work together to keep the body functioning at an optimal level. When the members of Christ’s body allow disharmony, arguments, or criticisms to erupt among themselves, it brings disunity within the body. To keep the body of Christ moving forward to the time when Christ returns, love and forgiveness must reign among believers. When all members have the peace of God, peace with God, and peace with each other, the entire body is blessed and can withstand the onslaught of Satan.
This letter could have been written to the church today. There are many who claim to be Christians who don’t seem to be in this fight of good and evil. Too many have thrown in the towel and have allowed Satan to get an upper hand upon most of our nation’s institutions, and it is evident that many are listening to him. There are many who act like children, the very thing about which Paul cautioned, arguing over seemingly insignificant matters while those lost without Christ are swiftly headed for destruction. It is the faithful few who honor the Lord and stay true to His word who are keeping what’s left of our world today from imploding upon itself. One day Jesus will come and gather His church, and the world will be left will nothing but those who lie, deceive, and destroy, and there will be those who will wonder what in the heck happened. They had refused to listen to the faithful few, rather living for themselves. The body of Christ needs those who will stand for righteousness regardless of the consequences the ungodly will attempt to bring upon believers. The road is long and hard, but the rewards will be sweet.