Why Only REAL Faith Really"WORKS" (In Search Of Truth, Ephesians Chapters 1-3 in Review)

In chapter 4 of Ephesians, Paul begins to urge his readers to take on a certain kind of life. But it's important to see that word "therefore" at the start of verse 1. What Paul is calling us up to in these words should be pursued because of, and in light of, all the truths he has revealed in the letter up to this point. Some important bullet points are that:

1. God lavishes forgiveness and rich blessings on us.
2. God has adopted us as his children.
3. We have an amazing inheritance waiting for us.
4. God's immeasurable power is at work in us.
5. We were rescued from a hopeless, helpless state.
6. We are made to partner with God in his work.
7. Despite our differences we are each part of the body of Christ.
8. We are each tirelessly, relentlessly and immeasurably loved by Christ.

These truths are the foundation for the kind of life Paul and the Holy Spirit will be calling us to as we continue into chapter 4. To the degree that we have trouble really believing these truths, we will struggle with living the way Paul and the Holy Spirit call us to live. I'm not talking about academic or intellectual belief in these truths. I'm talking about believing in them like you believe in the steering wheel you're holding or the seat you can feel beneath you.

The reality is that we are like the god we genuinely believe in. And I use the lower case there because even as Christians we can, in a given moment, forget who Yahweh is and believe in some false version of him instead. And then we become like that false god, as scripture says is our tendency. (Psalm 115:4-8) Consider the kind of people we find ourselves becoming if we don't believe in the bullet points listed earlier:

1. If our god doesn't lavish forgiveness and blessing on us, we won't do that for others.
2. If our god hasn't adopted us as children we won't value relationships in the church.
3. If we have no inheritance waiting we'll just live for pleasure now.
4. If our god's power isn't working in us we'll only obey what we think we can.
5. If we don't need forgiveness we'll expect others to be above that need, too.
6. If we're not made to partner with our god we'll determine our own purpose.
7. If we aren't all a single body of believers we'll stagnate or fester in isolation.
8. If we aren't each loved tirelessly, relentlessly and immeasurably we'll quickly put limits on our compassion and love for others.

I want to suggest that if we find a description of our lives or hearts in the second half of any of those sentences, we need to pray for God's rescue in that area and then tackle the unbelief associated with our problem.

It is truth of God's word that sets us free from the crippling power of falsehood.(John 8:31-32) And having our perspective transformed happens by "renewing our minds" rather than allowing them to hold on to and replay for us the same false beliefs we tell ourselves on auto-pilot.

Renewing our minds through scripture can take a number of forms. Dedicating time to strategic memorization allows truth to come instantly to mind and overwrite our false thinking patterns. Sticky notes with verses on your bathroom mirror, computer monitor or TV (wherever you know you'll repeatedly spend time) can allow God's truth to invade when it's needed. Being in a small group with other believers, reading the Bible together and talking about it, can help you trust in truth in a practical way. Over time, through praying for each other and encouraging each other with God's word, we'll see how truth is struggled through and lived out in the lives of other Bible-believing Christians.

That last suggestion requires some social commitment and some risk. It will also probably involve some difficulty and disagreement. You'll fail to be gracious and others will fail to be gracious. But if you're committed to living out God's word together it will be a transforming experience that is more than worth the potential difficulties.

My wife and I joined a small group right after getting married. Those of us in the group didn't always agree on everything but we committed to meeting together, talking about the Bible and praying for each other. It created a surprising bond between myself and other men who are totally different from me, whom I would never naturally find myself hanging out with. And I saw through their struggles and victories what it practically looks like to trust God enough to do life his way.

It's a chicken and egg situation, because we need to believe truth to help us have unity with others, but we need unity with others to help us believe truth. So really we just have to dive in knowing it might be messy for a while at first. But I can tell you that in a group that prioritizes both truth and grace equally, amazing things happen.

As we truly absorb those 8 truths, genuine change happens, starting in our hearts. From there the change spreads naturally to our behavior and actions, not simply out of personal effort (though some of that will be in the mix), but as a natural response to our perspective on life.

1. Since God lavishes forgiveness and rich blessings on us, it's easier to sympathize with and forgive others.
2. Since God has adopted us as his children, we feel a committed, sibling-like connection to other believers.
3. Since we have an amazing inheritance waiting for us, we can put up with missing out on some pleasures in this life.
4. Since God's immeasurable power is at work in us, we can dive into obedience, knowing that he will always accomplish his will.
5. Since we were rescued from a hopeless, helpless state, we have patience and understanding with the failures of others, and also feel no need to "prove" our worth or maintain a certain image to anyone.
6. Since we are made to partner with God in his work, we eagerly look for ways to serve him and people around us, and gain deep fulfillment from doing that.
7. Since, despite our differences, we are each part of the body of Christ, we recognize the value of working together, helping each other and learning from each other in our local church communities.
8. Since we are each tirelessly, relentlessly and immeasurably loved by Christ, we have security in our own immense worth and recognize and respect the immense worth of others.

We can try to approach the Christian life as a series of rules that we follow and use to justify ourselves before others. But in truth, our life in Christ is meant to be a response to and celebration of what God has done, is doing, and will do for each of us. With that in mind, next time we'll take a closer look at the life intended for us in Ephesians chapter 4.



Resources typically used to prepare this study include:
"Expositor's Bible Commentary", Frank E. Gaebelein General Editor (Zondervan Publishing House)
"The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament", by Dr. Craig S. Keener (InterVarsity Press)
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Blueletterbible.org (primarily for search functionality)