Jerome on Ephesians 4:16
A few years ago, some friends gave me a copy of The Commentaries of Origen and Jerome on St Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians (by Ronald E. Heine, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002). They give me this book for two reasons: 1) They knew that I loved Ephesians and 2) They wanted to give me something written by someone as old as me. (Thanks again Maël and Cindy… I think.)
Occasionally, as I’m reading through this commentary, I find something that is very helpful. For example, consider this passage from Ephesians:
…from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:16 ESV)
According to Heine, Origen wrote the following as an analogy to help readers understand what Paul is saying (note, this passage actually comes from Jerome’s pen, but is supposedly copied from Origen):
Now another example may be brought into the same analogy to clarify that which we wish to be understood. A child grows up and, unperceived, matures in time to full age. The hand will have increased in size, the feet will undergo their growth, the stomach, without our knowledge, is filled out, the shoulders, although our eyes are deceived, have broadened, and all the ‘members’ throughout the parts thus increase according to their ‘measure’ yet in such a way that they appear not to be increased in themselves but in the body. (p. 180-81)
I think this is a very good way of explaining what Paul writes. As a person ages from childhood toward adulthood, his or her body naturally grows together, each part growing as it should.
This is way it should be in the church: each part growing together. In fact, as with the child growing to an adult, the growth of one part should be related to and comparable to the growth of the other parts.
But, what if one parts grows while the other parts remain stagnant? What would we say about a person whose hand grows larger, but his or her feet remain the same size? What if someone’s head grew, but their torso never changed? We would immediately recognize that something was wrong.
Can we recognize the same types of “abnormal growth” in the church? Are some parts growing while others are stagnant? Do we consider this normal?
The church will not grow and build itself up in love until each part of the body is working together and growing together.
1) Do you agree with Origen’s (Jerome’s) analogy? 2) What do we do if some parts of the church are not growing while others are growing quickly?
Super-gifted vs. less-gifted
Last week, I wrote a short post concerning 1 Corinthians 12:22-25 called “The weaker are indispensable” in which I concluded with the following questions:
Who are the people with “weaker†gifts, and how do we demonstrate that they are indispensable and worthy of greater honor?
Now, Andy at “aBowden Blog” has written a similar post called “Unequally equal?” in which he considers how some people are “gifted” more (or differently) than others. But, Andy does more than ask questions. He says:
The highly gifted, then, end up accumulating more and more responsibility, leaving less and less for the other believers to do. It is easy to understand how such an error was made. After all, wouldn’t it be logical to assume that the most highly gifted should do most of the ministry? Sadly, I think in our ultra-technological age we are beginning to see the tragic consequences of such a flawed assumption. Now the super-gifted do not merely accumulate the ministry within the four walls of a local congregation. Rather, we find that now the most gifted pastors and Christian speakers are not merely confined to their own congregations, but are projected live via satellite to numerous locations throughout the country. If such a practice continues, we could very soon find that five or six super-gifted believers do all this type of ministry for those of us who have an average or sub average gifting in this area.
So it seems, then, that although there remains inequality among beleivers, this does not mean that the most gifted should take on more and more of the work. What is the proper response, then, to such inequality? I think the solution is quite simple. Allow the less gifted a chance to exercise their gifting. There will always be someone more qualified, more gifted, more experienced, more capable. But maybe, just maybe, God delights in using the unlikely, the weak, the bumbling, the foolish. Perhaps it is not about always having the polished delivery, the best, most state of the art, most professional. Perhaps God delights to use those who don’t have their act together, who are still beset with weakness and struggles. Wasn’t it the apostle Paul who talked about God using cracked pots so that the glory would go to the contents, rather than the vessel?
Perhaps Paul had this idea in mind when he wrote, “On the contrary! Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indespensible, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor†(1 Cor 12:22).
For some reason, God delights to entrust his magnificent gospel to us weak, foolish human beings. Why would he do that? Perhaps, whatever the answer is to that question, it is the for the same reason that he delights to equally use the unequally gifted.
Very well said, Andy! God does delight to use the “weak” to confound and even teach the “strong”… if the “strong” are willing to give the “weak” opportunities to speak and serve (1 Peter 4:10-11).
Could there even be a place for the “weak” and “less-gifted” to speak and serve when the church meets together?
More Thoughts on Speaking to the Church
I was surprised to find that three posts on the topic of “preaching” were my most read posts for the month of January 2010. I rarely write about preaching, so I thought I would take the opportunity to clear up some possible misconceptions.
First, I do not make a distinction between “worship services” (church meetings) and smaller subgroups (i.e. Bible studies, Sunday School classes) when it comes to speaking to the church. I cannot find any examples in Scripture where certain principles apply to some church meetings while other principles apply to other types of meetings (i.e. larger vs. smaller, whole church vs. part of the church).
Second, in Scripture, the terms translated “preaching” and “preacher” carry meanings that are different from the way the English terms are often used today. In Scripture, the terms refer to making a proclamation of the gospel to unbelievers, much like a herald would make an announcement on behalf of a king. In Scripture, the terms are not used to refer to a 30-45 minute teaching/lecture given to believers in the context of a church meeting.
Third, given number two above, we must be careful about applying passages of Scripture related to “preaching” and “preachers” to the context of teaching or speaking to the church. These passages more directly apply to people presenting the gospel, either to a neighbor or coworker or to a group of strangers.
Fourth, there is nothing in Scripture that specifies the method of teaching that should be used when the church meets. (Although, given the forms of teaching in the first century, teaching was probably more interactive than than we traditionally see today.) Thus, there is nothing more scriptural about a 30-45 minute lecture than a 5 minute lecture or a 30-45 minute discussion.
Fifth, I am not opposed to lectures. Lectures are a good form of teaching in some contexts. Some people learn very well from lectures. However, we should also recognize that many people do not learn from lectures. Thus, I am opposed to only having lectures when the church meets, especially if only one person or a small handful of people are allowed to give the lecture week after week, and if there is no opportunity for further interaction from others among the church (i.e., question/answer or discussion after the lecture).
Sixth, Scripture does not specifically designate elders as being responsible for speaking/teaching when the church meets. I would assume that elders would speak/teach, since they are part of the church and since they are (presumably) mature believers. However, the fact that elders should speak/teach does not prevent or excuse (in Scripture) others from speaking/teaching.
Seventh, and finally (although I could write much more), the principles for speaking when the church meets remain the same for both elders and non-elders: motivated by love with a desire to help the church grow toward maturity in Christ and as directed by the Holy Spirit. Speaking for the sake of speaking (either in a lecture form or during a discussion) is not helpful for the person speaking or for the church.
Now, a quick word about my background experience in this area: Until a few years ago, I had only experienced and been taught a form of “preaching” in which only the senior pastor (or someone designated by the pastor) was allowed to present a lecture to the church without interaction from others in the church. In fact, in most cases, if the “senior pastor” was not presenting the lecture (due to sickness or vacation, etc.), then he would choose someone from outside the church to present the lecture (especially during the Sunday morning and Sunday night “worship service”).
I understand that some of my readers have a different experience. For example, for some, the lecture includes interaction via further discussion or questions/answers after the lecture. I think that’s a great way to get the church involved in mutual teaching / exhortation.
I’m interested to learn about the experiences of my readers. What types of speaking/teaching was allowed/encouraged during church meetings in your background?
(Also, feel free to interact with what I said above about speaking to the church.)
Dave Black comments on Hebrews 10:24-25
Dave Black wrote this on his blog today concerning Hebrews 10:24-25:
Wow! Does this not suggest the character of our church meetings? Does this not teach us that we are to come together for the purpose of mutual edification? Does this not challenge our deeply entrenched views about “worship”? Should we not suspect The Message of a bit of eisegesis when it renders “let us not neglect our meeting together” as “not avoiding worshiping together”?
Paul’s point is crystal clear: We come together to encourage one another. How we can get “We come together to hear the Word of God preached” from these verses is beyond me.
Earlier in the day, he also wrote this concerning the phrase “corporate worship”:
I’d like to know where in the New Testament we are told to assemble for the purpose of “corporate worship.” Just thinking out loud. Yes, I know we have our worship teams, our worship guides, our worship services, our worship pastors. But could we be wrong about the whole notion of why we gather in the first place? Man, if we get something as basic as this wrong, just think of all the areas of ecclesiology we might be missing!
How do we edify others?
This is my last planned post on edification for this week (see “Salvation as the motivation for mutual edification,” “Acceptance and edification,” “What is Edification?” and “Who edifies whom?“). In this post, I would like us to consider some of the methods we can use to edify others.
Once again, let’s with begin the definition from a previous post: Edification is using words and deeds in the context of familial relationships and fellowship to help one or more followers of Jesus Christ grow in their understanding of Christ, their love for and unity with their brothers and sisters in Christ, and their faithfulness in living like Christ.
There are a few things to consider at the beginning. We are gifted differently. We have different opportunities. We spend time with different people who need to mature in different ways. We are all at different levels of spiritual maturity in different parts of our lives. We cannot make specific statements about methods of edification that will cover all instances.
However, there are some general guidelines that can help us think through how we are (or are not) edifying others. For instance, I think we can all agree that Scripture teaches that we can use our words to either edify (build up) or destroy (tear down). But, it’s not just our words. Our actions (deeds or lack of deeds done for the purpose of serving others) can work to either edify or destroy. If we desire for people to grow both in their understanding and in their way of life, then both our words and our way of life must be used to edify.
Second, we must understand that in different contexts, different methods of edification are appropriate. Paul makes this very clear in 1 Corinthians 14. For example, while uninterpreted tongues is an appropriate means of edifying the one speaking, it is an inappropriate means of edifying a group of believers.
Third, in spite of the second principle, we should still recognize that ANY time we spend with another person or other people is an opportunity for edification. We see this in Scripture often as people make disciples and encourage one another when the church is meeting together, or when they are working together, or when they are sharing meals together, or when they are traveling together.
Fourth, edification is a mutual process. If I only view myself as the “edifier” in a certain relationships, then I have misunderstood the way that God’s Spirit works through his children. Even if I am the more mature believer, I can still learn from and be encouraged by and be discipled by (i.e., edified by) a less mature brother or sister. I can be wrong… I am wrong in many of my beliefs, my relationships with others, and my way of life. Humility is very important in our relationships with other believers such that we are willing accept the teaching, correction, example, etc. of others.
Fifth, and finally for now, in order for the church to grow in maturity, every believers must take advantage of the opportunities, giftings, talents, abilities, relationships, etc. that God has given them. Excellent leadership does not produce growth in the church. A phenomenal teacher/preacher does not produce growth in the church. Instead, it is when all believers are working together to edify one another that Paul says the church (together) will grow in maturity toward Jesus Christ.
I know that I still have much to learn about edification. I’m looking forward to the times that God uses the people in my life to edify me, just as I’m looking forward to times when God chooses to use me to edify others. We need one another.
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Some Thoughts on Mutual Edification:
Who edifies whom?
Continuing my discussion of edification this week (see “Salvation as the motivation for mutual edification,” “Acceptance and edification,” and “What is Edification?“), I thought I would tackle a different question: Who is responsible for edifying whom?
Let’s begin with the definition from my previous post: Edification is using words and deeds in the context of familial relationships and fellowship to help one or more followers of Jesus Christ grow in their understanding of Christ, their love for and unity with their brothers and sisters in Christ, and their faithfulness in living like Christ.
In reality, many words can be used synonymously with edification, such as encouragement, discipleship, shepherding, etc. Any concept that carries the idea of helping others grow in maturity in their beliefs, their relationships, and their way of living relates to edification.
So, who is responsible for these things? To me, the answer is quite simple: If someone is a child of God, saved through the blood of Jesus Christ, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, then that person is responsible for edifying others. There are several passages to help us understand this, both passages that include edification terminology (Romans 14:19, Romans 15:2, 1 Corinthians 14:26, Ephesians 4:16, Ephesians 4:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, and Jude 1:20-21) as well as passages that carry the same concept without specifically using “edification” language (Matthew 28:19-20, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Colossians 1:28, Colossians 3:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:14, Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:24-25).
Besides these direct instructions for all believers to work toward edifying one another, there are other types of exhortations as well. For example, the authors of the NT often present themselves and their work in edifying others as an example to follow. Leaders among the church are instructed to edify others both as their own responsibility toward the Lord and as examples to others. Finally, Scripture often speaks of the work of God himself in edifying his children with the intention that we would follow his work.
Thus, Scripture is clear in many different ways that the work of edification is the responsibility of all of God’s children, all the saints.
However, we must be very careful. The work of edification is not something that is to be added to the life of a believer, like a suitcase that can be picked up, carried around, or dropped whenever the person pleases. No… instead, the work of edification is the natural outgrowth of the supernatural work of the Spirit in a person’s life.
Edification begins with love and concern for others. But, just as God’s love for us did not end with good thought, but continued in his expression of that love in Jesus Christ, our love for one another cannot stop with good thoughts toward one another. True love as developed and expressed by God’s Spirits leads one to give of oneself in order to help others. We learn by the work of the Spirit to be more concerned with others than with ourselves (Philippians 2:1-4). This is all part of the process of edification.
To whom, then, do we direct this work of edification? To our brothers, our sisters, and our neighbors. In fact, the Spirit drives us toward a desire to see anyone we meet grow in Christlikeness, both believers and unbelievers. The Spirit drives us to love and care for and serve those who are hurting, hungry, thirsty, etc. This is all included in the work of edification.
But, once again, we cannot see edification as another task to be added to our to-do list and checked off when appropriate. Instead, as we read earlier in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11, our life of edification and exhortation toward others flows from our salvation and new life in Jesus Christ. We are to live for the benefit of others, the growth of others, the discipleship of others, the edification of others.
I can look back on my life and see many, many instances where I was not concerned with the spiritual growth of the people around me. Today, there are times when I do not care whether or not I am edifying others. Often, if I see others making disciples, then I coast about my day, happy that someone else is taking care of it.
There are many excuses that I could give for living like this. In reality, the problem is that during those times I am not allowing the Spirit to supernaturally work through me to impact the lives of the people around me. I could blame church structures, or leaders, or education, or ability, or gifts, or time, or money, or any number of things. But, the reality is that in this case, as with many other problems, I am my own worst enemy.
I must continually die to myself and allow the Spirit of Jesus Christ to live and work in and through me in order to edify others.
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Some Thoughts on Mutual Edification:
What is edification?
I’ve written two posts over the last few days concerning edification (see “Salvation as the motivation for mutual edification” and “Acceptance and edification“). Since I’m writing my PhD dissertation on mutual edification, you could probably guess that I think edification is an important concept.
But, if you noticed, I included the phrase “We should meet to edify one another” in my list of “Almost Meaningless Phrases.” Why? Because even those of us who use edification language don’t always define our terms. What do we mean by edification? How is someone edified? How is a group edified?
I hope to answer some of these questions (and perhaps more) in this post. In a future post, I’m going to ask and answer a different question concerning edification.
To begin with, “edification” (in its figurative sense) is related to the term “encouragement.” They refer to the process of helping a person or a group of people move from a less mature to a more mature state. For this follower of Jesus Christ, edification refers to the process of growing in the likeness of Jesus Christ – that is, becoming more like him in the way we think, speak, and act.
We see this definition played out in several passages. Perhaps Ephesians 4:11-16 best demonstrates edification as a process of growing and maturing in Christ:
And he [Christ] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16 ESV)
Notice the progression in growth: from being childlike to being mature… from being wishy-washy in our understanding of Christ to measuring ourselves against Christ… from being deceived to working together. Paul also throws terms such as unity and love into this understanding of edification and maturity.
We see a similarly description in Hebrews 10:24-25 where the author exhorts his readers to think about how to help one another grow in love and good deeds. Obviously, the author did not expect the readers to just think about these things, but to act on them in ways that would actually help produce love and good deeds in their lives and in the lives of their brothers and sisters.
However, the command “let us consider one another” points out that people are edified in different ways. People have different needs. People are mature in some areas and immature in other areas. Also, people learn and grow in different ways. Thus, teaching, exhortation, admonishment can all fall in the realm of edification, if the teaching, exhortation, and admonishment are directed at a given need in a person’s life or the life of a group. In the same way, teaching by example is important for helping people grow in maturity. Our words and deeds should work together.
Since our edification must be focused, we cannot separate edification from the importance of living our lives together as brothers and sisters – as family – in Jesus Christ. Because we share life with one another (i.e. fellowship) we get to know one another better. When we know one another better, we know how to edify one another. Shallow relationships will lead to a lack of edification.
So, edification is not only tied to our love for one another and a desire to see one another grow in maturity as a follower of Jesus Christ, it is also tied to our mutual relationship and intimacy.
What is edification? Edification is using words and deeds in the context of familial relationships and fellowship to help one or more followers of Jesus Christ grow in their understanding of Christ, their love for and unity with their brothers and sisters in Christ, and their faithfulness in living like Christ.
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Some Thoughts on Mutual Edification:
Acceptance and Edification
In one of my previous posts, I wrote that Paul’s commands to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 to encourage and edify one another should be prompted by their shared salvation through Jesus Christ. (see my post “Salvation as the motivation for mutual edification“)
There is another interesting occurrence of edification language in Romans… specifically in Romans 14:1-15:13.
In this passage, Paul’s primary goal seems to be to instruct his readers in how to deal with differences of belief and doctrine. Paul gives two examples of differences in this passage: what someone eats or doesn’t eat (Romans 14:2-3) and whether or not someone sets aside a specific day as special to God (Romans 14:5-6). These two examples are interwoven throughout the passage.
Also, interwoven throughout the passage, we find exhortations from Paul that are not specific to these two issues, but can be applied to almost any difference of opinion between believers (for example, see Romans 14:1, Romans 14:4, Romans 14:7-9, Romans 14:10-13, Romans 14:18-19, and Romans 15:1-13). Here is Paul’s final exhortation concerning differences of belief between brothers and sisters in Christ:
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:1-13 ESV)
As we read, Paul ends his instructions with a reminder that Jesus Christ is our example of “bearing with” those whose faith may be weaker and who fail. Instead of judging brothers and sisters because they disagree with us, we are to serve them and accept them, just as Jesus Christ served us and just as God accepts us in Jesus Christ. If God has accepted them, then we are to accept them also.
This leads us to the two occurrences of edification language in this passage: Romans 14:19 and Romans 15:2.
Romans 14:19 follows from what was just said concerning eating different foods and observing certain days (i.e. “so then” or “therefore”). When we find that brothers and sisters have differences of opinion (even about very important issues) we are to “strive for” peace and edification. We are to seek unity with those with whom we disagree and we are to seek to help them grow towards maturity in Jesus Christ.
In the following verse – Romans 14:20 – we see that the opposite is possible if we focus on our differences and require that everyone hold to our beliefs. Instead of unity and edification, our actions can lead to destruction and stumbling.
Similarly, we find Romans 15:2 at the beginning of Paul’s final exhortation about differences of belief. He tells us to “strive to please” or even “accommodate” our neighbor with the goal of seeing him or her grow for the better. The following verse (Romans 15:3) sets our “striving to please our neighbor” in the context of Christ’s “striving to please” by accepting the reproaches that should have fallen on us. Thus, in order to help our brother or sister grow, we should be willing to be reproached even and to serve them, recognizing them as accepted by God.
How will we be able to do this? Only because God (who is the master of both perseverance and encouragement) lives with us in harmony and unity. It is only in unity (even in spite of our differences) that we can glorify God together (Romans 15:5).
When we find that we are “at odds” with brothers and sisters in Christ, Paul is saying that we have two choices: 1) we can require that the other(s) yield to our understanding which may lead us to separate ourselves from one another, or 2) we can submit to them and seek their good and their maturity even at our own expense. Paul exhorts us to the second option, which is also the example that we have been given in Jesus Christ.
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Some Thoughts on Mutual Edification:
Salvation as the motivation for mutual edification
This week, I read through 1 Thessalonians. The following passage jumped out at me:
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 ESV)
Paul begins by reminding the Christians in Thessaloniki that they (and Paul and his friends and us) have been destined for salvation through Jesus Christ. He says that Jesus died “on our behalf” so that we can live with him both now and after we die. (Eternal life begins now, not after we die.)
This should give them hope and peace because they are not “destined for wrath.” Of course, Paul has already told them some of the implications of their salvation and their new life in Christ (see 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8 for example).
Next, Paul gives a command that follows from his previous statement. You could almost say it like this, “Because God has destined us for salvation, we should encourage one another and build up one another.” Thus, mutual encouragement and mutual edification are motivated by our mutual salvation.
If Paul is correct, then our salvation in Jesus Christ should urge us toward caring for our brothers and sisters in Christ with a desire to see them grow in maturity both in their relationship with Jesus Christ and in their common identity and unity with one another (Ephesians 4:13).
This passage alone is a good indication that we can’t separation our understanding of soteriology (our understanding of salvation) from our ecclesiology (our understanding of the church). In fact, if we continued to study various passages of Scripture like this, we would find that we cannot separate our understanding of the church from our theology proper (understanding of God), our Christology (understanding of Jesus Christ), our eschatology (understanding of the last days), and any other doctrine. They are all interrelated and interconnected.
Paul does not simply tell the Thessalonians to encourage and edify one another, he gives specific examples. He starts by reminding the people to respect those who labor tirelessly among them, who lead them, and who admonish them. They are to hold them in high esteem, love them, and live in peace with them (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).
But, Paul doesn’t stop there, and encouragement and edification doesn’t stop with the work of their leaders. Instead, Paul tells the Thessalonians that they themselves are responsible to “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, [and] be patient with all” (1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV). And, the commands continue from there.
These commands are not just good ideas. They are not just the instructions of a mature believer and an apostle.
We are to encourage and edify one another in this manner as a response to our mutual salvation through Jesus Christ.
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Some Thoughts on Mutual Edification:
Implications of Mutual Edification as the Purpose of the Church Gathering Together
I originally published a series of posts three years ago dealing with implications of meeting together to edify one another (“Individualism,” “Leadership,” “Excellence,” “Reverence,” and “Activities“). I decided to combine this series into one post.
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Implications of Meeting to Edify One Another
I have argued previously that the purpose for the gathering of the church in the New Testament is mutual edification (1 Cor 14:26)—each believer building up other believers and being built up himself or herself (see here, here, and here). If most churches understand their purpose in gathering to be something other than edification (i.e. worship or evangelism), then this change in understanding will have significant implications for the contemporary church. These implications fall into both philosophical as well as practical categories.
This series will examine several of the implications of mutual edification for the gathering of the church.
First, each believer in the church must break away from an individualistic mindset (focusing only on himself or herself) in order to focus on the spiritual needs of others. David Peterson states,
In contemporary English, to say that something was ‘edifying’ usually means that it was personally helpful or encouraging. It is easy to misinterpret Paul and to think of edification individualistically, meaning the spiritual advancement of individuals within the church. This term, however, regularly has a corporate reference in the apostle’s teaching.(David Peterson, Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1992), 206.)
When believers forget the corporate aspect of their gatherings, the resulting “epidemic of individualism quite simply leads to spiritual death by isolation†(Curtis Freeman, “Where Two or Three are Gathered: Communion Ecclesiology in the Free Church,†Perspectives in Religious Studies 31.3 (Fall 2004), 261-62) in spite of any extant individual devotion to God. Frances Schaeffer recognized that this idea of community is necessary both for the church to grow, as well as for the church to impact the culture at large. (Francis A. Schaeffer, The Church at the End of the 20th Century (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1994), 42.) Mutual edification will not be the purpose of a group of believers as long as their thoughts are on themselves. Instead, the body must develop an attitude in which the spiritual growth and nurture of others is as important, if not more important, than their own (see Eph 4:7-16).
This community aspect of the church must exist at all times within the life of the believer, not just during the gathering, such that the community becomes a family, aware of the weaknesses, needs and problems of their brothers and sisters, and such that the community cares enough to take action to strengthen the weaknesses, meet the needs, and correct the problems. (Robert C. Girard, Brethren, Hang Together (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), 23.) Among a group of believers, this type of dynamic family life develops simultaneously with mutual edification during the gathering of the church. Edification will not occur without community awareness, and community awareness will not develop apart from mutual edification.
Second, the church should recognize that focusing on the gifts and abilities of one individual (or a small group of individuals) will not lead to the spiritual growth of the body, regardless of how large the audience becomes. The current trend of Christian celebrities and mega-church personalities does not lead to every believer accepting their responsibility to build up the body of Christ. Instead placing the spotlight on “the man of God†or the pastoral staff promotes the unbiblical distinction between clergy and laity, between trained ministerial professionals and ordinary Christians. As Robert Girard expressed, “The Church was never meant to be a one-man show. The Body was never expected to draw all its life, teaching and leadership from any one person – however spiritual or well-trained that person might be (Eph. 4:16).†(Robert C. Girard, Brethren, Hang Loose (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1972), 51-52.)
Considering Paul’s hypothetical situation in 1 Corinthians 14:23-25, the unbeliever was not converted because the Holy Spirit was with a “man of God,†but because the Holy Spirit was with a community of believers—the people of God. In order for mutual edification to be the result of any gathering of believers, every believer should recognize and accept their own calling—all are called to be ministers (servants), all are called to be preachers (proclaimers), all are called to be evangelists, all are called to be teachers, all are called to make disciples.
Third, if the purpose of the gathering of the church is mutual edification, then much about the way believers come together should change. For example, mutual edification depends upon the work of the Holy Spirit among a group of believers. This requires that the Spirit is free to work in the lives of individuals, both before the meeting and during the meeting. In 1 Corinthians 14:26, Paul recognizes that the believers were coming to their meeting prepared to offer gifts of the Spirit, and he says this is acceptable as long as the gifts edify the body. Later, he also recognizes that there may be times when the Holy Spirit inspires someone to speak during the meeting. This is also to be accepted.
However, the current trend is toward “excellence†during the gathering of the church. Professional ministers plan each part of the “service†in order that the activities flow smoothly with very little “down time.†While this type of meeting makes for great observation, it does not allow for participation, which is necessary for the various members of the body to build up one another during the meeting.
In fact, it could be that times of silence are necessary to permit the Spirit to direct those whom he desires to participate during the meeting. We do not have to worry about someone planning the meeting, or someone being “in charge”. We can trust the Holy Spirit to direct his people as he sees fit. And, if someone does not act according to the Spirit or does not act in a way that edifies the body, then the people are to judge among themselves after that person speaks.
This is what it means to be decent and in order according to Paul. What do we consder decent and in order? Do we strive for excellence, or can we allow the Spirit to plan our meetings?
Fourth, Christians should adjust their understanding of what it means to please God during the gathering of the church. In many gatherings and for many people, “reverence†during the meeting equates with silence for everyone except for those who are specially qualified to speak.
However, there is no indication in Scripture that an “untrained†person’s silence pleases God nor that education, training, knowledge, or role in the body qualifies anyone to speak. Instead, only the indwelling of the Spirit of God and the prompting of the Spirit makes someone eligible to speak during the meeting.
The body should allow any of its members to speak as long as the Holy Spirit directs that person to speak, love motivates the person, and mutual edification is their aim. Notice that in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul does not give these instructions to church leaders. He gives his instructions to the entire church. Everyone is responsible to edify the church, and to make sure that Paul’s instructions are carried out.
Fifth, and finally, believers should remember that while certain activities may aid in the edification of the church, the activities themselves do not please God. Even eating the Lord’s Supper, which Jesus commanded the church to partake in order to remember his sacrificial death, does not please God if the believers eat and drink in a way that does not build up others (1 Cor. 11:20-21).
There are many activities that believers performed during the gathering of the church in the New Testament, including teaching, reading, praying, sharing (partnership), debating, disciplining, prophesying, speaking in tongues (with interpretation), and breaking bread. However, incorporating certain activities in the meeting does not necessarily mean that the church is edifying itself. Activities do not produce a successful gathering of the church; mutual edification does.
Modern pragmatism teaches that churches should imitate the activities of other groups of believers who are “successful.†Scripture teaches that churches must work to ensure that the body of Christ is built up during their meetings.
If the purpose of the gathering of the church is mutual edification – and I believe it is – then there are certainly other implications. If you think of other implications, tell us about them in the comments.