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No Clergy vs. Laity in This Body The Body of Christ {* Excerpted from
The
Herald of Christ’s Kingdom, And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; In the first three chapters of Ephesians Paul details the marvelous grace of God in Christ to the church. But in the latter half of the epistle, Paul has to come down to earth, so to speak, and admonish the saints regarding their walk, which was frequently so greatly in contrast to the perfect standing afforded them in Christ Jesus. There are the two viewpoints: In the sight of God, who calls the things that are not as though they were, the Body of Christ is complete and fully mature, whereas we see it in process of development, with members in various stages of growth in each generation, from babes in Christ, through the young men, to the fathers (1 John 2:13), with all such needing admonition and encouragement regarding their walk in the environment of this present evil age. The Gifts First, it should be noted that these gifts were granted once for all, and provided in the persons of the apostles and prophets, the foundation of the building being erected as a holy temple unto the Lord (Ephesians 2:20,21). They form no part of the superstructure, although their teaching and influence, as eventually embodied in what became known as our New Testament, and the new light thereby thrown upon the Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament), are the nourishment and inspiration of the succeeding generations. Even evangelists, pastors, and teachers in subsequent generations have become qualified by “the fruit of the spirit” being developed by study and meditation upon the Word (Galatians 5:22,23; 2 Timothy 2:15) and not as a result of a miraculous gift; bearing in mind, of course, that “Now hath God set the members each one of them in the body even as it pleased him” (1 Corinthians 12:18, ASV). Ephesians 4:12 is somewhat misleading in the King James Bible since it implies by translation and punctuation that these original gifts were for a threefold purpose: 1) For the perfecting of the saints, 2) For the work of the ministry, and 3) For the edifying of the Body of Christ. If this were correct, we would be justified in expecting that these gifts would be with each individual member of the church to the end of the age. However, the first occurrence of the word “for” is a totally different Greek word in the original from the other two occurrences. This is brought out in more critical translations and the punctuation adjusted accordingly. Furthermore, the word translated “perfecting” is more correctly rendered “fully equipping.” Hence, this verse should read that the original gifts were “with a view to fully equipping the saints, for the[ir] work of service, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” That the saints may be fully equipped as a result of the labors of the original gifts, as embodied in the sacred Scriptures, is borne out by Paul himself: “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16,17, ASV). It is the mutual service of the members on behalf of one another that the apostle refers to and for which the saints are to be fully equipped. This word needs to be carefully distinguished from three other words denoting various forms of service. In Romans 15:16, Paul refers to himself as a minister [Greek: leitourgos] of sacred things or as a priest on behalf of the nations—obviously a special ministry; in Hebrews 9:6, the ministry of Israel’s high priest on behalf of the nation is referred to—a public ministry upon which the Roman hierarchy is modeled; while in Hebrews 8:1,2 our Lord’s ministry after his ascension as the true priest is brought to our notice. From the Greek leitourgos comes our English word “liturgy,” signifying “acting for the laity or people.” The misapplication of these words to the interrelationship of the “body-members” of Christ as “clergy” and “laity” has wrought untold harm. The picture presented is a beautiful one of perfect cooperation of all the members under the sole direction of the Head for the accomplishment of a common purpose. Any competition, as distinct from emulation, would be entirely out of place. However lowly our particular function may seem to be to us, it should be borne in mind: 1) that the well-being of the fellow-members is dependent upon our particular function being faithfully performed; and 2) we have our share in the blessings accruing from the faithful performance of those members with more important functions, and so have cause for gratitude and thanksgiving, certainly not for envy. Paul expresses the goal of development this way: “Until we all attain unto the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God—unto a full grown man—unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13, ASV). This does not mean until we all see exactly alike in respect to every detail of doctrine. Paul already stated that there is one faith, among the seven he enumerates (Ephesians 4:4-6), and the genitive case here signifies the unity of the members which this one faith is designed to inspire. So long as in each generation there are in the church the various degrees of growth and maturity designated by the apostle John as “little children,” “young men,” and “fathers,” the degree of understanding and of maturity of character must necessarily vary. But in family members of varying ages there should be, and usually is, the all-pervasive sense of mutual possession and common interest; so also in this new family in Christ that God is bringing into being. Co-Workers with God Positive co-operation on our part is required along the lines suggested in verse 15 of our chapter. “Speaking the truth” is not the apostle’s thought, but rather “being true,” which embraces very much more than speech. God “desireth truth in the inward parts” (Psalm 51:6), and this will then be reflected not only in our speech but in our actions as well. We must be essentially true if we would successfully withstand the wiles and strategems of the adversary and his dupes. And truth throughout this passage is interwoven with love as the atmosphere, so to speak, in which the Body of Christ develops to maturity. As “God is love” (1 John 4:16), so Jesus testified of himself, “I am … the truth” (John 14:6). He is now “the express image of his [the Father’s] person” (Hebrews 1:3) and thus love and truth constitute their very essence. Any growth on our part into the likeness of God and of Christ, therefore, must of necessity be along these lines. The increasing knowledge of God vouchsafed to us today as contrasted, for instance, with the conditions prevailing throughout the Dark Ages has come to us in vain if it does not result in an even richer fruitage of the spirit, in addition to quickened intellectual apprehension of God. Thus we should “grow up into him who is our head in all things,” fitly proportioned to his own glorious perfections, and “making increase of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.” In Ephesians 4:16, the dependence of every member on the head and the interdependence of all the members upon each other is again stressed. “Apart from me ye can do nothing,” the Master said (John 15:5), but the apostle subsequently could testify: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). Two expressions are used by Paul to emphasize the “togetherness” of the head and all the members, translated in the ASV “framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth.” Here is no basis for a “clergy” class as distinct from the “laity” in the church, but “One is your Master and all ye are brethren” (Matthew 23:8,10). Not all the brethren have identical or equal gifts and functions, but all are called upon to give their utmost in due measure. What a solemn responsibility, as well as an immeasurable privilege, each member thus has in sharing in the greatest creative work of all time, the development of the New Creation. In due time every member will have been so developed as to be perfectly proportioned to the head. Can this indeed be possible, we ask? “When we think of self we tremble, when we look to God we’re strong.” He is able! |