by: Obed Pineda
During his first imprisonment, the apostle Paul was inspired to write the letter to the Ephesians (cf. Ephesians 3:1) where his focus is the preeminence of the Church (cf. Ephesians 1:3-10). Paul used three wonderful illustrations to describe the nature of the Church and to demonstrate why it is preeminent: the Church as a body (cf. Ephesians 4:11-16), the Church as a family (cf. Ephesians 5:1-16), and the Church as an army (cf. Ephesians 6:10-20). There is no doubt that in each of these illustrations, the intimate unity of the Church is palpable and therefore it is important to be “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). It is necessary to understand and accept that any promoter of false teaching or doctrine threatens the same unity that we are ordered to protect and preserve. Let us remember that the goal of the false teacher is to seduce with soft words and infect the heart with doubt, causing the faith of those who give them their attention to shipwreck (cf. 1st Timothy 1:18-20). Sadly the harvest of the false teacher is death and destruction as it was from the beginning and it is for this reason that this issue was not ignored in the first century, nor should it be ignored now in the present (cf. John 8:39-47, Jude 3-4). We previously mentioned that the apostle to the Gentiles uses the illustration of a family unit to explain the relationship between members of the Lord’s Church. Let us take this analogy for a moment and apply it to our own home. If a man or woman begins to spread false gossip about one of the members of the household, what consequences does it have on the family? Of course, the answer to the question depends on how close the family unit is. It also depends on the type of unity that exists in your home. For example, if what unites your family is simply a common interest shared by everyone, then that unity is fragile and can easily be disrupted. If gossip threatens the goal that ties the family, the root of distrust begins to sprout and causes discord among its members. If the kind of unity within the home is simply to maintain the peace, then what is present is not unity, but rather a temporary peace accord. In these circumstances, gossip will serve as the perfect opportunity to break up the home and for each member to get out of that shaky situation as quickly as possible. But if the unity that exists within a home is intimate and true, where each member of that family knows one another perfectly well, then the lie promoted by gossip will have no effect or influence on it because the falsehood will easily be exposed by bond, strengthened through the transparency of the truth that dwells among its members. The personal and intimate knowledge they have of each other serves as an impenetrable defense that protects the family unit of that home. Note that what prevented the lie from destroying the home is the full knowledge of the identity of each family member. Poisonous gossip cannot contaminate with doubt because everyone knows who is who, and they have something to compare the gossip with to refute it. The relationship of that family is not affected by falsehood because there is a firm knowledge of the truth. This should be our relationship with the family of God, which can only occur when it is founded on the truth of God. Note that the apostle illuminates that the unity that binds the Church with peace belongs to the Spirit (cf. 2nd John 4-6). When man seeks to remove the Word of God, and instead supplant it with human ideas and preferences, what he creates is contention, disunity, and division (cf. 1st Corinthians 1:10-13). On the contrary, when each member of the Church dedicates himself to knowing and practicing the doctrine of Christ, he reaps growth, unity, and love (cf. Ephesians 4:11-16). The “secret” of the perfect unity of the Divine home is “only let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel” (Philippians 1:27). The false teacher is discovered through the sound knowledge of the doctrine of Christ (cf. John 7:14-18). Those who fall prey to false prophets are those who did not keep the Holy Scriptures firm in their minds, and follow the desires of their own hearts. The true Christian identifies with each other through what they speak concerning the faith. The prophet Zechariah instructs, “‘these are the things you shall do: speak each man the truth to his neighbor; give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace. Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; and do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,’ says the LORD” (Zechariah 8:16-17, cf. Ephesians 4:25). Therefore, having knowledge of the Bible is vital in our struggle against false teachers, because it is what unmasks them as false. Knowing what God’s will is, and obeying it, is what identifies us as “dear children” of God (Ephesians 5:1). The rebellious nature of the espouser of lies is manifested in his audacity of wanting to change the commandments of God as the devil did from Eden. If the Word of Christ does not dwell abundantly in our minds, then deceivers will be able to seduce us to our eternal death (cf. Colossians 3:16, 1st Peter 4:1-7).