Finding the heart of a
passage or getting to the root of a matter has always been the most effective
way to understand or deal with an issue. This is because the individual pursuing
the heart of a matter is no longer dealing with symptoms but is instead at the
core of an issue. This is much the same as when dealing with an illness. The
individual can continue to fight off the sniffles or cough but until they
recognize the problem is not the cough but the virus there will be no real
progress made. The aim of this essay is to not focus on the symptoms or effects
of the selected texts in Ephesians and Colossians but to hone in on the cause
or heart of the passages.
Although the goal is to reach the heart of the passage we
will have perspectives added to both selections in order to understand these
passages in the context of church and Christ. Ephesians 2:17-22 will carry the concept
of the church while Colossians 1:15-20 will be our text as Paul describes
Christ. These two concepts work in perfect unity as both rely on one another in
order to maintain proper function, much like the wings of an airplane. This may
come across as offensive to some as no believer would place anything on
parallel with Christ and rightly so. This paper will not attempt to do that
either but rather show their coexistence and intertwined dependence upon each
other.
The concept of the church is always being taught in the
New Testament because it was in fact new. The Christ has come, now what? The
church in Ephesus was no different and was in need of Paul’s direction on
church life. The first two versus in text Ephesians 2:17-22 set the stage of
what the church was supposed to represent. “He came and preached peace to
you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we
both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
This concept is one of unity regardless of position or
heritage. This can be stated boldly as Paul follows this thought with the fact
that both have access to the Father by one Spirit. This theme of
“one” presents itself over and over throughout Ephesians and is in reference to
the church. Paul is communicating the ideals and representation of what the
body of Christ, the church, should function as existentially. “The Ephesian
Letter presents the basic structure which humanity needs for the true
expression of communal life. That structure is the fellowship of believers in
Jesus Christ, which constitutes the essence of what we call the Christian
Church.”[1] For the church to function
as a body it must unify under those same guidelines, i.e., the heart is not
more important than the lungs.
This understanding must produce something. “Consequently,
you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with
God’s people and also members of his household, built on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus
himself as the chief cornerstone.” (Ephesians 2:19-20, NIV) Since Jesus
has brought peace to those that are far as well as near both are members of his
household. In a household there is no difference to the father, all his
children are sacred and in this Paul demonstrates God’s justice and mercy. “The
Church is the universal community designed by God to transcend and embrace all
differences of race, station, and sex that divide mankind. It constitutes the
pattern for all true community, so that the surest way to achieve human harmony
in the secular order is to extend the bounds of the Christian community
throughout the world.”[2] No ranking system, even
for those who bore titles within the church.
“In him the whole building is joined together and rises
to become a holy temple in the
Lord. And in him you too are being
built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians
2:21-22, NIV) Paul gives another example of unity in the Spirit by describing
how all of this far and near, no longer strangers, and household concepts come
together. In him we are joined together in order to become a holy temple but
only as a community of believers can we represent this temple. Paul closes this
text with a powerful reminder that when we are unified God lives with us
through His Spirit.
The Ephesian church had to be addressed in this manner as
they were competing for prominence and concerned with only their own
well-being. This is common in the world and perhaps this is the exact dividing
line Paul was attempting to draw for the church. “It is addressed to Christians
who were tempted to be unloving, divisive, selfish, arrogant, and overly
concerned about their own rights. The congregation was ‘in danger of
disintegration because of a competitive spirit creeping in among the members.’”[3] The heart of the passage
concerning the church is that there is no difference between the members
because Christ has called them all regardless of worldly position or ambitions.
Colossians is a letter that reminds the church why it
must live the way it does. It is one thing to make all the rules for a church
and have a list of expectations but without a purpose or direction the church
would fade into no more than a social club. It was not uncommon for the
Apostles to give direction to the church by way of their doctrine or code of
ethics. However, this was not a legalistic routine by any means as each would
share in the context of the specific church in need. “The core words and ideas
are the same (submission), the same groups are addressed (slaves,
husbands/wives), the "Christian living" context is the same. It is
evident however, that Peter, while using the same basic source, edited his
material for the situations he faced.”[4] The Colossian church also
had its own situation that needed to be addressed.
We see a different theme in the Colossians letter from
the Ephesians in that Christ was not at the center of the church. It can be
difficult to separate the ends from the means at times especially when the leaf
is green so to speak. The letter to the Colossians is not so much concerned
with the function of the church but rather the direction. False teachers had
slipped in and were spreading fine sounding ideals throughout the church. “In
2:8, Paul says that the Colossian believers are being taken captive by a false
philosophy, by empty deceit, and this is ‘according to human tradition,
according to the elemental beings of the world (στοιχεία του κόσμου) and not
according to Christ.’”[5] Regardless of the logic or
philosophy there is but one foundation for the church.
Colossians 1:15-20 reminds the church that Christ is
supreme and that all things are under Him. This is said in direct response to
the issues facing the church. Both concepts of church and Christ are being
brought together here. The church does not operate outside of Christ but rather
under Him as the head of the body. Therefore, no other teaching can be accepted
for church life outside of Christ. These letters or the bible for that matter
were not written to express some theological ideals. The theology is already
expressed in Christ, what is left is living the teaching of Jesus within the body,
showing ourselves to be His.
The
Ephesians are given a lesson about how the church lives because of Christ,
while the Colossians are shown how the church operates under the authority of
Christ. “The theological ideas of Scripture do not arise from systematic
theology but from the interplay of ancient texts and ideas with current events
and problems (all happening within the passage itself!). The Bible is a process
of recording events and interpreting them for the community of faith.”[6] Christ has the supremacy
of all and He has called all into peace, therefore the church must respond in
accordance with the grace given to it.
[1]
Mackay, John Alexander. "Church order, its meaning and implications: a
study in the Epistle to the Ephesians." Theology Today 9, no. 4, 1953:
450-466, 450. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed
January 23, 2017).
[2]
Mackay, John Alexander. "Church order, its meaning and implications: a
study in the Epistle to the Ephesians." Theology Today 9, no. 4, 1953:
450-466, 450-451. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed
January 23, 2017).
[3]
MacLeod, David J. "Imitating the incarnation of Christ: an exposition of
Philippians 2:5-8." Bibliotheca Sacra 158, no. 631, 2001: 308-330. 310. ATLA
Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed January 25, 2017).
[4]
GCU, Lecture 5. "BIB-621 New Testament Exegesis: Epistles and
Revelation." Grand Canyon University. Phoenix, AZ, 2016.
[5]
Blackwell, Benjamin C. "You are filled in him: theosis and Colossians
2-3." Journal of Theological Interpretation 8, no. 1, 2014: 103-123, 105. ATLA
Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed January 24, 2017).
[6]
GCU, Lecture 5. "BIB-621 New Testament Exegesis: Epistles and
Revelation." Grand Canyon University. Phoenix, AZ, 2016.
