CHRIST AND THE CHURCH: EPHESIANS - COLOSSIANS

Transcription

1 THE L.I.F.E. PLAN CHRIST AND THE CHURCH: EPHESIANS - COLOSSIANS THEME 7 - THE GENTILE CHRISTIAN LETTERS LESSON 3 (99 of 216)

2 THEME 7: THE GENTILE CHRISTIAN LETTERS LESSON 3 (99 OF 216): CHRIST AND THE CHURCH: EPHESIANS - COLOSSIANS LESSON AIM: The prevailing theme of these three letters is the church, the body of Christ. SCRIPTURE: (Ephesians 1:19-23) 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. The first four letters in the Gentile-Christian letters have to do with the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are evangelical letters. The next three have to do with the church which Jesus bought and paid for on the cross. We could say that they are ecclesiastical letters. They unfold the secret of the church which God kept hidden until the time of the New Testament. As a unit, they reveal primarily to the gentile what it means to be a part of the Lord s church. The letter to the believers at Ephesus unfolds the mystery of the church. As you recall, God kept some things secret from before the foundation of the world. The church was one of those secrets. As the need arose and when the timing was right, God brought the church into being. As it became obvious that the Jews were going to reject the kingdom of Christ, the Lord brought forth the church to continue his work and carry his message to the ends of the earth. In the letter to the Romans, Paul spoke of these two mysteries, the blindness of Israel and the emergence of the church. In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul presents the church as the body through which Christ works in the world. The population of the world heretofore had been broadly collected into two groups; Jews and gentiles. The gentiles are all others who are not Jews. Since the church has come into being, there is a third category of the population, the church. Paul mentioned these three categories in his letter to the Corinthians saying, Give none offense to the Jews, nor to the gentiles, nor to the church of God (1 Corinthians 10:32). From Jew and gentile, God has made one body which is his church. In the church, God has removed the wall, so to speak, which separated the Jew and the gentile. In the church there is no such distinction of race, or class, or any other thing which singles one out as different from, or superior to, or lesser than another. In the church, we are all one; the children of God and members of his body. Paul pointed out that in the church the gentiles were no longer at a disadvantage to the Jews as far as the things of God were concerned. The gentiles, outside the church, were called the Uncircumcised. They were without Christ and aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. They were strangers to the covenants and promises of God. They had no hope and were without God in the world. But now, In Christ, all of these disadvantages have been removed and have become true of the gentiles as well. In

3 Christ, the gentiles have been brought near to God through the blood of Christ. The wall between Jew and gentile has been broken down. In the church, God has made one body out of two formerly separate entities. Now, the gentiles are fellow-heirs, are of the same body, and are partakers of the promises of God in Christ through the gospel. This is the message of Paul s letter to the Ephesians. When we come to the letter to the Philippians, we learn that we have to live in the unity that God has created within the body of Christ. God has removed the distinctions between people in his sight in the church, but man has to work to recognize this and to remember it. If not careful, men will allow the distinctions outside the church to separate us within the church, causing division and creating a schism within the body of Christ. The great model we are given in the letter to the Philippians is none other than the Lord Jesus himself. He laid aside the advantages he had as God in order to come to the earth as a man. He thought it not robbery to be equal with God and made himself of no reputation. He took upon himself the form of a servant and was obedient unto death upon the cross. His model of self-denial and self-sacrifice stands as the standard for every member within the body of Christ. With Christ as our model, we are to let the kind of mind that was in him also be in us. We are to live as he lived, denying ourselves, taking the lowly position, and giving of ourselves to the point of sacrifice if need be. This is to be the one-mindedness that every member of the church is to have. This kind of mind would squelch all prejudices, and prevent any divisions from taking place among us. It would maintain the unity of the body which is so necessary to the performance of the mission of the church in the world. The third letter to the Colossians exhorts the church to remember that Christ is the head of the body. Through his headship, he lives in and through his body the church, commanding it and controlling it to do his work throughout the world to the end of the age. Christ holds all things together. All he does, and all we do should be for the sake of the body which is the church. Paul unveiled another mystery which is within the mystery of the church which is that Christ indwells each believer. It is Christ in us which is the hope of glory. He who lives in us wants to live through us to finish the work he began when he walked the earth in his own human body. Paul encouraged the Colossian church to remember the one message of the church; the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He exhorts the church to guard the message of the gospel of Christ against all rivals. Beware, he says, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. They had been exposed to a watered down gospel, that of redemption through something other than Christ alone. The church is exhorted to guard the message, remembering that it has but one head, even Jesus. In him resides all the fullness of the godhead in bodily form. He is to be preeminent in all things. His purpose and his plan for sharing the good news of salvation are to be kept to the exclusion of all other rivals. Christ alone atoned for our sins on the cross. We who are risen with him are to leave behind the prevailing winds of the world, keeping our hearts and lives stayed on Christ. As the elect of God, we are to fulfill the ministry that we have received of the Lord at all costs. As clearly as Paul emphasized the cross in the first four of the Gentile-Christian letters, he presents the church in the next three. Jesus went to the cross to redeem fallen man. Through the church, he extends the message of who he is and what he has come to do to all nations of the world. As the church, we are to submit to him, repel all rivals, and accomplish the mission we have been given to do.

4 LESSON OUTLINE THEME 7: THE GENTILE CHRISTIAN LETTERS LESSON 3 (99 OF 216): CHRIST AND THE CHURCH: EPHESIANS - COLOSSIANS Paul emphasizes the church: I EPHESIANS - THE BODY OF CHRIST A. The mystery B. One body II PHILIPPIANS - THE UNITY OF THE BODY A. The model B. One mind III COLOSSIANS - GUARD THE BODY A. The message B. One head SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. Read the three letters in this group of the Gentile-Christian letters Ephesians Philippians Colossians LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. CHRISTOLOGY Christ is head of the church The redeemer 2. ECCLESIOLOGY The church is the body of Christ The mission of the church God s mysteries revealed in the New Testament 3. THE DOCTRINE OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE The whole armor of God Heresy

5 QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. What is the major emphasis of this group of three letters within the Gentile- Christian letters of Paul? The church 2. What about the church is emphasized in each individual letter? Ephesians - the mystery, the church is the body of Christ; Philippians - the model that we have in Christ and that we should be of the same mind as he was; Colossians - we are to guard the message of the gospel from all rival philosophies 3. What are the three groups within the population of the world? Jews, gentiles, and the church of God 4. What happens between Jew and Gentile within the church? The wall of separation between them has been removed 5. What is the message of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? That through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone, man can have salvation 6. What is heresy? False teaching 7. Concerning the gospel, what heresy does the adversary promote? That man can have salvation by some other means than through Christ alone 8. What is our hope of glory? Christ living in us

6 THEME 7: THE GENTILE CHRISTIAN LETTERS LESSON 3 (99 OF 216): CHRIST AND THE CHURCH: EPHESIANS - COLOSSIANS QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. What is the major emphasis of this group of three letters within the Gentile- Christian letters of Paul? 2. What about the church is emphasized in each individual letter? 3. What are the three groups within the population of the world? 4. What happens between Jew and Gentile within the church? 5. What is the message of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? 6. What is heresy? 7. Concerning the gospel, what heresy does the adversary promote? 8. What is our hope of glory?