EPHESIANS

1
EPHESIANS

• And
• POSTMODERNISM
• By Roy H. Lanier, Jr.

2
What We Face Today

• It is one of the great conceits of our time to
  imagine that we can sweep away the past and
  simply begin all over again at the beginning. We
  cannot. For in a thousand and one ways (many of
  them unknown to us) our past and its traditions
  have made us what we are Allen, Cruciform.

3
What We Face Today

• Second, Churches of Christ began as a sect in
  the early nineteenth century and evolved into a
  denomination during the course of the twentieth
  century. The fact could hardly be striking,
  were it not for the fact..rejected these
  labelsas pertinent to their own identity
  Hughes, Ancient Faith.

4
Ephesians as a Book

• Ephesians was written about 62 A. D., during
  Pauls Roman imprisonment, one of four such
  prison epistles.
• Paul visited Ephesus twice Acts 1819-21 19.
• It has been called the Alps of the New
  Testament due to its sublime form.

5
Ephesians as a Book

• Key words include
• in
• grace
• Spirit, spiritual
• Body
• walkheavenly
• mystery

6
Ephesians as a Book

• A brief outline could be
• Doctrinal 1-3
• Practical 4-6
• It has often been called the church book, due
  to its doctrinal emphasis about the body of
  Christ.

7
Ephesians as a Book

• A major theme was the one body.
• There was not to be a Jewish church and a Gentile
  church they were reconciled to God in one body
  through the cross.
• Jesus Christ is our peace, the cornerstone of
  the fitly framed body composed of all believers
  regardless of race. 214, 21-22

8
Chapter 1 Relationship

• Notice a relationship
• V. 3 - every spiritual blessing in Christ
• V. 4 - chose us in him
• V. 6 - grace bestowed on us in the Beloved
• V. 7 - in whom we have our redemption
• V. 9 - purposed in him

9
Chapter 1 Relationship

• V. 10 - sum up all things in Christ
• V. 11 - in whom we were made a heritage
• V. 13 - in whomheard the truth
• V. 13 - in whombelieved, sealed
• V. 20 - wrought in Christ

10
Chapter 2 Relationship

• V. 5 with Christ
• V. 6 with Him,..with him
• V. 6 in Christ Jesus
• V. 7 in Christ Jesus
• V. 10 in Christ Jesus
• V. 13 in Christ Jesus
• V. 13 in the blood of Christ

11
Chapter 2 Relationship

• V. 16 in himself
• V. 18 through him
• V. 21 in whomholy temple in the Lord
• V. 22 in whom builded together

12
How does one get into Christ?

• Acts 237-47 Penitent baptized persons were
  added.
• Rom. 63 baptized into Christ
• Gal. 327 baptized into Christ
• 1 Cor. 1213 baptized into the body
• John 31-5 birth of water and spirit
• 1 Pet. 123 begotten again by seed

13
Extremely Sectarian?

• At times we have been extremely sectarian by
  effectively denying that anyone outside our
  churches could be a true Christian because we are
  the only ones who taught and practiced the
  biblical doctrine of baptism. At other times we
  have admitted there might be Christians in other
  groups. (Crux, p. 124)

14
Mean-spirited?

• more and more of our members felt uncomfortable
  with what was, at times, a rigid, judgmental, and
  even mean-spirited view of others. This attitude
  did not square with what we were reading in
  Scripture. Crux p. 24

15
Bible Mean-spirited?

• 2 Thess. 17-9 vengeance to them who know not
  God, and obey not the gospel, who shall suffer
  punishment, even eternal destruction
• Eph. 523 Christ is the saviour of the body.
• Heb. 59 Christ is the author of eternal
  salvation to all them the obey him.

16
Truth is Still There!

• Mark 1616 He that believeth and is baptized
  shall be saved but he that disbelieveth shall be
  condemned.
• 2 Cor. 517 if any man is in Christ, he is a
  new creature.
• Anyone willing to affirm the non-believer and
  non-obedient will be saved?

17
Chapter 2

• 2 8-9 for by grace have ye been saved
  through faith and that not of yourselves, it is
  the gift of God not of works, that no man should
  glory.

18
Chapter 2

• Salvation by grace
• Grace is mentioned 12 times in Ephesians, 3
  times in chap. 2.
• Grace is often defined as unmerited favor.
• Faith is the avenue obedience is mans part.

19
Access and Results

• Rom. 52 through whom also we have had our
  access by faith into this grace
• Eph. 210 For we are his workmanship created
  in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore
  prepared that we should walk in them.

20
Grace Questioned?

• I spent too many years of my Christian life not
  knowing what grace was. The only thing I knew
  for sure was that we didnt believe in it
  Jim Hackney, Strait, p. 212.

21
Grace Questioned?

• In spite of years of negative, legalistic,
  guilt-trip preaching, I discovered GRACE! I
  had absolutely nothing to do with my own
  salvation Jim Hackney, Handley Herald, Strait,
  p. 212.

22
Grace Questioned?

• Nobody has any right to preach anything other
  than the Gospel of pure grace. We are saved by
  grace plus nothing. You are saved by faith
  period. There is nothing you can do to be saved.
  There are no rules there are no regulations in
  serving Jesus Christ Glen Owen, Strait, p.
  212.

23
Grace Questioned?

• It is a scandalous and outrageous lie to teach
  that salvation arises from human activity. We do
  not contribute one whit to our salvation Rubel
  Shelley, Strait, p. 212.

24
Grace Questioned?

• For me, for years, Christianity was a moral
  code. It is now becoming a love affair. For
  years, there were rules and regulations, now,
  its a relationship Max Lucado, Strait, p.
  212.

25
Grace Questioned?

• I believe deeply that the New Testament teaches
  that salvation is a free gift of God period. You
  are saved by grace alone.There is no human part
  of salvation Randy Mayeux, Strait, p. 212.

26
Grace Questioned?

• Grace and law are mutually exclusive Charles
  Hodge, Strait, p. 212.

27
Gods Grace Always Conditional

• Noah found grace Gen. 68
• Faith was the principle that caused him to build
  the ark Heb. 116.
• Yet, he had to build an ark.
• Obedience was coupled with faith.

28
Gods Grace Always Conditional

• Jericho was Gods gift.
• See, I have given into thy hand Jericho Josh.
  62.
• Yet the Israelites were to compass the city for 7
  days, blow the trumpets, and shout 63-21.
• Faith was coupled with obedience for the gift.

29
Ephesians were saved by grace.

• They heard the gospel 113
• They believed the gospel 113
• They repented Acts 2021
• They confessed Acts 1918
• They were baptized Acts 191-5
• Yet they were the ones Paul said were saved by
  grace!

30
Paul was saved by grace.

• But by the grace of God I am what I am and his
  grace which was bestowed upon me was not found
  vain 1 Cor. 1510

31
Paul was saved by grace.

• Paul heard Ananias preach the gospel Acts
  2212-14.
• Pauls 3 days in Damascus show his penitence.
• Paul preached confession of faith in Jesus as the
  Christ Rom. 109-10.
• Paul shared in the burial of baptism Rom.
  63-4.

32
Chapter 3

• Revelation was given to Paul.
• Paul wrote it down in a few words.
• Readers can perceive Pauls understanding.
• Truth is knowable and absolute.

33
Truth Was Revealed and Written

• 33-5 how that by revelation was made known
  unto me the mystery, as I wrote before in few
  words, whereby, when ye read, ye can perceive my
  understanding in the mystery of Christ

34
Truth is Knowable

• Paul wrote his inspired knowledge in a few
  words, and readers can understand what he wrote.
• Which things also we speak, not in words which
  mans wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit
  teacheth (1 Cor. 213)

35
Truth is Knowable

• All scripture is given by inspiration of God (2
  Tim. 316).
• the things which I write unto, that they are
  the commandment of the Lord (1 Cor. 1437).
• For no prophecy ever came by the will of man,
  but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy
  Spirit (2 Pet. 121).

36
Ephesians is the know book

• Paul said 11 times truths were to be known the
  mystery (19 33, 5), hope and riches (118),
  wisdom of God (310), the love of Christ (319),
  morals and inheritance (55), good thing (68),
  the Master in heaven (69), my affairs (621,
  22).

37
Ephesians Affirms One Faith

• 45 -- one faith
• 2 Cor. 135 whether ye are in the faith
• Gal. 323 before the faith cameshut up unto
  the faith which should afterwards be revealed
• Jude 3 the faithonce for all delivered

38
No Pattern?

• patternism assumes assortment of specific
  rules dictating belief and practice in select
  areaspatternistic reading is inconsistent with
  the Bibles full aim and form (Crux, p. 159).
• A patternistic hermeneutic tends to blind us to
  these dimensions (salvation as a state and
  process both-RHL) of the Bibles teaching for the
  church (Crux, p, 158).

39
Not Addressed to 21st Century?

• We are not the original audiencenor is it
  essentially a book of ordinances immediately
  portable into our settingno verse of it was
  originally composed directly to address the needs
  of a twenty-first-century church in America
  (Crux, pp. 162-163).

40
Distance Gap?

• The distance of language, history, culture, and
  the fact that we are indirect recipients of
  literary texts originally aimed at someone else,
  all create a gap between us and the text (Crux,
  p. 163).

41
Hermeneutics Set Aside?

• but any conclusion reached by such a process
  (hermeneutics RHL) should not be made a test of
  fellowship (M. Phillips, Image, pp. 5-6).
• So, what does one do with sprinkling, Lords
  Supper on weekdays, women preachers, even support
  of preachers?

42
Slaves to a Blueprint?

• Many of us grew up believing that God is just a
  heavenly prosecutor and that one sees in
  Scripture a vibrant pattern for our lives, but
  not an exact blueprint that is to be copiously
  and slavishly followed M. Cope, Wineskins.

43
Spectacles of John Locke

• Our movement, in part as a result of its
  historical epistemology, thrived. We perceived
  reality through the spectacles of John Locke, as
  mediated through the Scottish Enlightenment
  Olbricht, Hearing Gods Voice, p. 53.

44
Holy Fire or Unholy Flirtation?

• Todays readers may ask modern questions that
  may not help us arrive at the theological message
  of the text. We ask, what really happened? Why
  do Egyptian records contain little or no mention
  of the plagues or the escape of slaves? (M.
  Hamilton, Holy Fire, p. 99)

45
Holy Fire?

• When did the exodus occur? Did natural
  phenomena (volcanic eruptions, red tides) cause
  the plagues? How many people left Egypt,
  millions or thousands?All of these are
  legitimate questions for historians, and
  scholars, Christian or not, come down in
  different places on them (M. Hamilton, Holy
  Fire, pp. 99-100).

46
Holy Fire?

• Are our Bibles the result of mechanical dictation
  or human research? (J. Thompson, Holy Fire, p.
  30-31)
• Where is Gods control and influence?
• Straw-man is built up as if these extremes are
  the only answers.

47
Holy Fire?

• This definition of inspiration has at least 13
  negatives
• 1. It took human mediation p. 30.
• 2. Passages are ambiguous p. 32.
• 3. Translators have no insight into intent of the
  author p. 32.
• 4. There are multiplied textual differences p.
  33.

48
Holy Fire?

• 5. It is a mystery how the books were collected
  p. 33.
• 6. The collection emerged only by a sifting
  process of churches p. 34.
• 7. The human element of style, education,
  culture, research, etc. can only admit errors --.
  34-35.

49
Holy Fire?

• 8. Consulting other sources, research leaves open
  for many errors p. 35.
• 9. Bible is written only to specific situations,
  so cannot fit current churches p. 36.
• 10. 2 Tim. 316 is uncertain in its translation -
  p. 37.

50
Holy Fire?

• 11. Inerrancy is not a helpful concept pp.
  39-44.
• 12. The Bible is not accurate scientifically, nor
  in historical record, nor in sequence of events
  pp. 39-42.
• 13. Ancient writers worked with standards not our
  own p. 41.

51
Holy Fire?

• The ultimate challenge is not then our
  definition of inspiration, but our willingness to
  hear the Word of God as it addresses Gods
  people J. Thompson, Holy Fire, p. 45.
• The Bible then, contains truth if one can only
  find it!

52
Holy Fire?

• This book, purporting to encourage and guide the
  reader in studying the Bible, in fact is very
  dangerous for the faith of young and old alike.
  Upon reading, one will quickly see this book,
  instead of strengthening faith, will diminish if
  not destroy faith in the Bible as the inspired,
  inerrant word of God

53
Holy Fire?

• One wonders how a university can have such
  professors on its faculty and why its presses are
  used to provide such a threat to faith! (William
  Woodson, Spiritual Sword, 34, 1, p. 19)

54
Problems with Postmodern Approach

• 1. It basically denies inspiration.
• 2. N. T. writers warped by culture.
• 3. It says we are so wrapped up in our culture
  that we cannot see truth.
• 4. It denies the power of the seed.
• 5. It downgrades the writings of Paul, Peter,
  James and John as less important than the core
  gospels.

55
Chapter 4 Pattern of Unity

• 4 4-6 There is one body, and one Spirit, even
  as also ye were called in one hope of your
  calling one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one
  God and Father of all, who is over all, and
  through all, and in all.

56
Chapter 4

• There is one faith, only one faith.
• This faith is the body of truth.
• This faith is complete and without error.
• It was once for all times delivered.
• It was given by inspiration.
• It is the seed of the kingdom.

57
Chapter 4

• There is one body, only one body.
• The body belongs to Christ Jesus.
• He is the head of that body.
• That body is composed of many members.
• Christ is the saviour of that body.

58
There Really is the Lords Church!

• Matt. 1618 - Jesus promised to build the church.
• Acts 241, 47 34 511 67 931 many were
  added together in the church.
• Epistles were written to churches.
• 1 Thess. 214 - If Thessalonica could imitate the
  churches in Judea, why cannot we?

59
Lineage of the church?

• Churches of Christ belong to the lineage of the
  Protestant Reformation. Those great-grandparents
  in the faith caught a vision of what the church
  should be in contrast to the way they saw it in
  their day. Crux, P. 81

60
Early Parents?

• Our early parents in the Stone-Campbell
  Movement struggled to understand Gods will in
  their own time and placethey formed a new branch
  of the family tree (tree of Protestant
  denominations RHL)carried the traits of their
  ancestors with them Crux, p. 103.

61
American born?

• created a mentality that led many, especially
  in Churches of Christ, to assume accomplished
  that full restorationother voices challenged
  that arroganceThey continued to see the church
  as Gods creation, much larger and more universal
  than one American-born body. Crux, p. 116

62
American Origins?

• we do have a theology, and this theology has a
  context a long and rich history that stretches
  back even beyond our American origins two hundred
  years ago. Crux, p. 127
• by the early 1900s Churches of Christ
  weremoving aheadin authentic intentions of its
  founders. Crux, p.114

63
Born in American Restoration Movement?

• Our Background and Commitment is to the Church
  of Christ that was born of the American
  Restoration Movement. Our goal is to move that
  group closer to the church of Christ revealed in
  Scripture. Wineskins, May, 1992, p. 6

64
Founding Fathers?

• Yet we came into existence without any such
  notionbut the claim to be the only Christians
  never crossed the minds of the founding leaders
  Crux, p. 150

65
Our Movement?

• Our movement began with the idealism that people
  could become simple New Testament Christians and
  that all Christians could be unified on the basis
  of the Bible if all human creeds were repudiated
  R. Harris, Wineskins, Vol. One, Number Nine, p.
  8.

66
Exist only Three Centuries?

• We came into existence without any such claim
  (to be the only Christians - RHL) and have
  continued to exist in three centuries without the
  necessity of it. Crux, p. 135, 138.

67
Church of Christ versus church of Christ?

• As surely as there must be individuals who hold
  membership in groups called the Church of
  Christ in the Yellow Pages who are not members
  of the church of Christ whose membership roll is
  kept in heaven,

68
Church of Christ versus church of Christ?

• surely also there must be individuals who are
  not identified with the Yellow Page group called
  the Church of Christ but whose names are
  nevertheless entered in the heaven-kept role
  roll? of the church of God Shelley, Just A
  Christian, p. 69

69
Participate with all believers?

• Without the burden of believing ourselves to be
  the only true Christians, we will be able to
  participate in and contribute substantially to
  the larger conversation among all followers of
  Christ and learn some things from it without
  feelings of betrayal. Crux, p. 151

70
God Among Other Believers?

• Old sermons on identity marks of the church
  usually meaning distinctive identity that sets us
  apart from other religious groupsresult of this
  preaching has been a narrow, reactionary,
  divisive theology..the new hermeneutic includes
  an appreciation for what God is doing among other
  groups of believers Cope, Wineskins.

71
Question the validity

• It is time to reexamine the pluralistic tendency
  The Restoration Plea, still considered valid
  by most membersmust reflect on the dangers
  involved in multiple religionsIt is one of the
  ironies of history that when a group needs its
  historic plea the most, some, scholars first,
  begin questioning its validity. Bill Jones,
  Forces, p. 118

72
Where Then Denominations?

• The New Testament mentions not a single one.
• Denominations all begun by men.
• Begun years later than apostles time.
• Sets own rules and doctrines.
• Entrance requirements not found in New Testament.

73
Where Then Denominations?

• Should then the Lords church be in fellowship
  with any man-made denomination?
• On what Biblical basis?

74
Straw-man?

• What our postmodern brethren are doing is
  building a straw-man.
• The straw-man is their own invention.
• They build up a false case of supposed facts,
  distorted and misapplied.
• Then, they proceed to tear the straw-man all to
  pieces.
• How easy! How simple! How untrue!
• Yet, How very beguiling!

75
Postmodern Straw-man

• The modern Church of Christ began in the
  Stone-Campbell Movement.
• For forty years we knew everything right and
  practiced everything right (20s-60s).
• It is Pharisaic exclusivism to reject fellowship
  with denominations.
• We are mean-spirited and judgmental.
• Many leaving due to these attitudes.

76
Postmodern Straw-man

• Patternism is unsophisticated legalism.
• The New Testament is not our pattern.
• We cannot get out of our history and culture in
  understanding the Bible.
• Reliance on facts of the Bible blinds.
• The core is more important than epistles.

77
Postmodern Straw-man

• Our history and culture will not let us restore
  the church of the N. T.
• Which church would you want to restore?
• (Corinth, Ephesus, Colossae?)
• Changing human conditions demand response
  changes.

78
What Is the Bottom Line?

• If, however, Campbell got out of his culture and
  went back to the N. T. why cant we?
• Hundreds of groups in other countries in our
  lifetimes have done so, though never hearing of
  Stone or Campbell!
• Postmodernism affirms we are just one
  denomination that began in the Stone-Campbell
  Movement.

79
What Is the Bottom Line?

• The power of the gospel is denied Rom. 116-17.
• The principle of seed is denied Luke 811 1
  Pet. 122-25.
• The true meaning of the vine and branches is
  perverted John 151-6.

80
What Is the Bottom Line?

• Thessalonica imitated the churches in Judea (1
  Thess. 214).
• This was written in 53 A. D., 20 years after the
  church began in Jerusalem.
• If Thessalonica could imitate, or restore, why
  cannot it still be done in all generations?

81
What Is the Bottom Line?

• Should we restore Corinth, Ephesus, or Laodicea
  with all their faults?
• How ridiculous is this question!
• We can restore the ideal of the church.
• We can restore what Jesus built, of what he is
  the head, the bridegroom, and the savior, that
  precious one body.

82
What Is the Bottom Line?

• Those who deny the restoration principle cross a
  line of authority that opens up any and all ideas
  of men.
• If it is impossible to restore, then men are free
  to choose their churches, its work, its worship,
  etc.
• This is the seedbed of denominations.
• Man becomes his own authority, in actuality, his
  own god!

83
Restoration is Valid

• Josiah restored the Passover by going back to the
  Book of the Law 2 Kings 22-23.
• Ezra and Nehemiah restored the Feast of the
  Tabernacles by reading and obeying the Law
  Nehemiah 8.
• Whenever the gospel is read and followed,
  restoration can occur.

84
Puzzled?

• Can only scholars, sophisticated, and highly
  educated understand the Bible?
• What happened to the idea that the common person
  could pick up a KJV Bible, read it, understand
  it, live by it, and go to heaven by Gods grace?
• What about non-USA churches?

85
References

• C. Leonard Allen, The Cruciform Church, (Abilene
  Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas,
  1990) 
• Jeff W. Childers, Douglas A. Foster, Jack R.
  Reese, The Crux of the Matter, (A. C. U. Press,
  Abilene, Texas, 2001).

86
References

• Kenneth L. Cukrowski, Mark W. Hamilton, James W.
  Thompson, Gods Holy Fire, (ACU Press, Abilene,
  Texas, 2002). 
• Richard T. Hughes, Reviving the Ancient Faith,
  (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand
  Rapids, Michigan, 1996).

87
References

• William E. Jones, Forces At Work, (Resource
  Publications, Searcy, Arkansas, 1991). 
• Dave Miller, Piloting the Strait, (privately
  published, Bedford, Texas, 1996, pre-publication
  manuscript).

88
References

• Thomas H. Olbricht, Hearing Gods Voice, (ACU
  Press, Abilene, Texas, 1996). 
• William Woodson, Change Agents and Churches of
  Christ, (School of Bible Emphasis, Athens,
  Alabama, 1994 printed by Sain Publications,
  Pulaski, Tennessee).

89
References

• Mike Cope, A Purpose Statement, Wineskins,
  Volume One, Number One, p. 6, and Traumatic
  Winds of Renewal, Volume Four, pp. 5-6.
• Randall Harris, An Open Bible, Wineskins,
  Volume One, Number Nine, p. 8.

90
References

• Marvin Phillips, Free To Differ, Image,
  May/June, 1990, pp. 5-6.