For the Perfecting of
the Saints |
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Elder
George D. Walker (dec) |
In the
Apostle Paul’s writing to the church at Ephesus in chapter
4, verses 11 thru 13 he says; And he gave some, apostles;
and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors
and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work
of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
When I begin to think about all the things that Christ gave
to the church, just in this portion of God's word, I have to
bow my head and say thank you Lord for all your goodness,
love, mercy, and grace. Then I begin to add all the other
blessings such as redemption, justification, atonement,
glorification, and all the things that were fulfilled in
Christ through his birth, life, death, burial, and
resurrection. Oh! What a great God we have that has blessed
us with all these blessings in Christ Jesus.
All the
blessings that we have, rather it be election, redemption,
justification, glorification or the gifts that God has
placed in his church, all of these are stored up in Christ.
In verse 11, he says; and he gave some, apostles, and some
prophets. We as Primitive Baptists have never held the
position that we still have the office of apostles, or
prophets in the church today, but rather that the foundation
that we build on is based upon the apostles, and prophets,
as Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone. To conclude
verse 11, He says; and some evangelists; and some, pastors
and teachers. In the sense of this text, the word
evangelists carry the ideal of preachers of the gospel, or
the bearer of good news. Then he says; pastors and teachers.
Pastors and Teachers are the same gift. When the Lord calls
a man to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and places him as
a pastor and overseer over the church, he also qualifies him
to teach and instruct the children of God.
So then,
what is the purpose of these gifts in the church? In verse
12, the apostle Paul says; for the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ. These gifts are for the perfecting of the saints.
The word perfecting carries the thought of being complete
and perfectly joined together in unity. As one of the
writers said; Let this mind be in you, which is also in
Jesus Christ. For the work of the ministry; That we might labour as servants of Christ, that we might serve one
another in love, that we might have the same goal in mind,
that we would give praise and honour to the King of Kings
and Lord of Lords. Then Paul says; for the edifying of the
body of Christ; the word edifying carries the thought of a
building up, a growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus
Christ. That we would be more Christ like, that we would
think more of others than ourselves, that we may grow strong
in the Lord.
Then in
verse 13, he says; till we all come in the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ. All these gifts in the church are for the purpose
of bringing us to a oneness of our belief and assurance of
the truth, for there is only one Lord, one faith and one
Baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and in
you all.
This is
for us to have the knowledge of the Son of God. This
knowledge is when you come into full discernment, or
recognition of the Son of God. When we speak of one Lord, we
are speaking of the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in
Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Then
Paul says; unto a perfect man. That is, that you might be
complete in labour, not only in your labours, but also in
growth, in your mental and moral character, that you might
come of full age. Then he says; unto the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ. He is saying that in a
limited portion you might reach maturity and be completely
filled up of Christ. Oh! How thankful we ought to be in the
church, that God is still calling ministers to
bear the good
news and placing them as overseers of local churches, that
we may grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. Then we can have a peace that passeth all
understanding.
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