14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you
15 in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, because it is the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth.
Vs. 14: - I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you
"hope to come to you" - Most likely, Paul was in Rome. Timothy had been dispatched to the Ephesus church to teach, and correct some doctrinal errors that had cropped up. It is believed Paul might have been released from prison, but was required to remain in Rome. Later, he was arrested again, and executed. The desire to come to Ephesus to talk and mentor Timothy was tempered by Paul's situation.
"writing these instructions" - This is an instructional letter to correct problems in the local church. If left alone, the problems will destroy the church from within. Sometimes heresies are subtle, and seem to make some sense. One such is about the Law (from the Torah) and its relevance to Christianity. Jesus was/is a Jew, and all the first disciples and apostles were Jews. The Christian faith has its roots in the Jewish Law and Scripture. It could make sense that Christians should follow the Law in their behavior and worship. (In our time, the Seventh Day Adventists come closest to this way of thinking.)
I do not say 'it does make sense', but there is enough logic there to sort of make sense. Jesus came to fulfill the Law and prophecies, not to abolish the Law. See: Matt. 5:17. Now, in some ways, Jesus fulfilling the Law has the effect of abolishing it. (That is a discussion for another time.)
Some heresies are so beyond the pale they can be rejected outright. For example: Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child together. (This was part of the book 'Davinci Code', by Dale Brown.) Another is that Jesus did not really die. The problem here: No death equals no sacrifice equals no salvation! Another: Jesus was not really a human (what then, a hologram, a ghost that merely looks human?). This has the same error as claiming Jesus did not die.
Paul is emphatic. The people who are trying to get the Ephesus church to fall back into following the strictures of the Law don't know what they are talking about. He deals with the heresy of the Law in the first chapter of this letter, urging them to get back to the true gospel - Christ died for your sins, was buried, and resurrected, resides in glory. Then Paul spends the rest of the letter dealing with the church family members.
The interpersonal relationships of a group of people is complex. Even though we are 'new creations, all things have become new' (2 Cor. 5:17), our personalities, needs, and wants are all thrown into the church membership pot and stirred. The administration of a group of people requires planners and doers, servants and the served, leaders and followers. I believe the Holy Spirit leads Paul to lay out a local church hierarchy, and guidelines for dealing with the believers. The apostles named some men to help them with growing church membership. It seems that no decisions were made for the long term growth of the church. Paul codifies local church structure in this letter.
Go through the letter, and see how God wants us to treat and work with each other in the church.
Who will lead us? Elders.
Who will serve us, help us in need? Deacons.
Who should do these jobs? Upstanding citizens.
Who should they serve? Widows. Old people. Slaves, Masters, Young men. Young women. Those who are in need.
You know who they are. Just look around you. They are your fellow believers. You see them every day, every church gathering.
Vs. 15: - in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, because it is the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth.
"to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves" - This is the purpose of the letter.
"the household of God" - Remember the Pointer Sisters song, 'We Are Family!"? That's us - 'my brothers, my sisters, and me.' We are children of God. See: 1 John 3:1-3. We serve the Living God! We are His children! We are no longer enemies because of our sins that separate us from His righteous holiness. We are more than friends, more than slaves. See: John 15:15.
"church of the living God" - We are the family of believers - the church. This is not a NGO - 'non-government organization. We are not the Elks Club, Rotary, Red Cross, or the Beaver Fan Club. We are the Bride of Christ. We are God's ambassadors to a lost and hopeless world. “The Holy God of Israel, the Lord who saves you, says, ‘I am the Lord your God, the one who wants to teach you for your own good and direct you in the way you should go’.” (Isa. 48:17)
"support and bulwark of the truth" - This is our job! Support the truth. Defend the truth. This is why you must know what you believe. "Be ready at all time to give an account of the hope that is in you." See 1 Pet. 3:15. There will be myriad messages out there designed to draw people away from salvation in Christ alone. There is salvation in no one else. See: Acts 4:12.
*** End of Chapter ***
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