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Scripture Reading: Eph. 4:22-24; 5:18
Ephesians 1, which presents a purpose-defining, opening word to the Epistle, reveals that the church is the Body of Christ and that this Body is the fullness and expression of Christ, the One who fills all in all (vv. 22-23).
Chapter 2 speaks of God making us alive together with Christ, even when we were dead in offenses and sins, so that we would be His masterpiece. In order to produce this masterpiece, all the factors of human division, the ordinances related to the living of different people, were abolished on the cross (v. 15). Furthermore, both the Jews and the Gentiles were created in Christ into one new man in order to be built up as a dwelling place of God in spirit (v. 22).
Chapter 3 shows the economy of the grace of God. There are eight crucial points in this chapter: first, the unsearchable riches of Christ (v. 8); second, being strengthened into the inner man (v. 16); third, Christ making His home in our hearts; fourth, being rooted and grounded in love (v. 17); fifth, being full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are (v. 18); sixth, knowing the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ; seventh, being filled unto all the fullness of God (v. 19); and eighth, the ultimate issue of God being glorified in the church and in Christ Jesus (v. 21).
Chapter 4 speaks of our need to keep the oneness of the Spirit. The Spirit in our spirit is the oneness. Even though there are three hundred separate light bulbs in this room, they are one in the electricity when the electrical current passes through them. The electricity is the oneness of the light bulbs, and it connects them together. Similarly, even though we are many members, we are one Body because we are mutually connected in the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:12). Hence, in order to keep the oneness of the Spirit, our focus must be on the Spirit, not on doctrines, ordinances, or rituals.
In order to keep the oneness, our inner man must be strengthened so that we can grow in life (Eph. 3:16). Our old man, our former manner of living, has been terminated, and now our inner man, the new man that was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality, needs to grow (4:24). In our experience, however, our former manner of living is not easily terminated. After speaking with another person for about half an hour, different opinions will come out, and if we continue to speak to one another, we will soon be in open disagreement because we each have our own preferences. In the past we were told about the cross, but most often we would simply grit our teeth because we did not know how to take up the cross. Then we heard that we should reckon ourselves dead, but the more we reckoned ourselves dead, the more we were alive to our opinions and preferences. Actually, the only way for us to keep the oneness of the Spirit is for our inner man to grow by our eating and drinking of Christ. This is what the Lord is recovering among us today. The Lord Jesus is the best nourishment, and eating Him is the only way to grow in life.
Hence, chapter 4 tells us that the saints are perfected by receiving the rich supply that causes them to grow. We all need to grow. As we grow, our outer man is terminated in our experience, and everything that divides us is swallowed up. Outwardly, it seems as if Christians are divided over different opinions, but actually, they are divided because of the lack of growth in life. Keeping the oneness is not a matter of everyone agreeing or having the same opinion about particular doctrines. There can never be agreement over doctrines, and our opinions will never be reconciled, because both are related to the old man. The only way to keep the oneness is to become full grown. When there is growth, the many members spontaneously function and are joined and knit together, producing not only coordination but also building. This is how the Body builds itself up in love.
As we grow, we put off the old man (v. 22). Our bodies grow because of a metabolic process. I have heard that the blood in a human body is replaced every one hundred twenty days through the process of metabolism. Promoting a healthy metabolic rate is the reason doctors want people to exercise and to eat healthy food. The old things in our being will be eliminated not by gritting our teeth but by eating Christ daily. The content of our meetings should involve a spiritual exercise that promotes healthy “metabolic growth.” In this way, new things can grow, and the old things in our being will be replaced with the newness that comes from growth in life. As the element of Christ increases, the element of our old man gradually decreases. The more we grow, the more the old man is put off; the more we grow, the more the new man is put on. Eventually, our whole being will be renewed.
We put off the old man by putting off our former manner of life (v. 22). The former manner of life, referring to the old man whom we live out, is a community life. Man groups together according to his nature, and he forms communities and gathers together with others. Even if a man has a wonderful experience on a mountaintop by himself, it would be difficult for him to remain on the mountain for a whole year. People need other people in order to express themselves. For example, it is difficult to express anger when there is no one who can be the object of our anger. Consequently, our former manner of life is based on our former community life among men.
From the standpoint of our experience, the putting off of the old man is like putting off our old social life. Everyone has a social life that is according to the preferences of his manner of life. Those who are elderly like to sit and talk with elderly companions, and those who are young like to be active and seek out entertainment. These are expressions of our former manner of life. But once we are saved, God wants us to put off our former manner of life. This is necessary in order for His life to grow.
As we put off the old man, we need to put on the new man (v. 24), which is the church life. The church life is the most appropriate community life. When our grouping together is appropriate, it is beneficial to society, the family, and the individual. If, however, our grouping together is inappropriate, we can be “infected with germs” and led astray. Superficially, the church life is a social life, but it has the strongest element of “germ-killing salt.” When we have fellowship in the church, all the germs from our former manner of life are eliminated through the rich supply of Christ.
People need entertainment and enjoyment. Good entertainment is of benefit to man, but bad entertainment fosters evil. The entertainment industry is very developed today, and unbelievers flock to places of entertainment. However, only Christians have a proper place for entertainment and enjoyment — the church life. Our meetings are not a waste of time but a meaningful use of time. Our preaching of the gospel delivers people from an abnormal social life and into the normal church life. The only proper community is the church. The older saints who love the Lord and love the church need to bring their children into the church, and the young brothers and sisters, who are busy with their studies, should not forsake the church life. Every meeting is a source of great gain.
Ephesians 5:18 says, “Do not be drunk with wine...but be filled in spirit.” Wine represents worldly pleasures. We should not be drunk or enthralled with fashionable clothing, high-rise buildings, money, parties, and amusement. It is sufficient for us to have only what we need for our clothing, food, housing, and transportation. Too much material enjoyment quickly brings in dissoluteness. To be drunk with wine is to be filled in the body, which causes us to become dissolute. Instead of wine for our body, we need to be filled with Christ in our spirit unto the fullness of God.
At the end of Ephesians, the focus is still on the spirit. Salvation and growth are a matter of the spirit: from our spirit Christ makes His home in our hearts, we become the dwelling place of God in spirit, and the ultimate issue is to be filled in spirit. This is salvation, life, growth, and maturity, and this is the church life. If we all walk in this way, we will be blessed personally, and the church will be blessed. Even our society and country will be blessed.
