August 2009 • Volume XII, Issue 16
(Our Vol. 11, Issue 22)
Contents:
One Body Animated by One Spirit
(1)
Hypocrites
in the Church
One Body Animated by One Spirit (1)
Ephesians 4:4-6 declares, “[4] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye
are called in one hope of your calling; [5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
[6] one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you
all.” The outstanding feature of this text is its repetition of the word “one.”
Seven times that numeral is used: thrice in verse 4, thrice in verse 5 and once
in verse 6. Not once does this text use dualities or pluralities. It does not
speak of two hopes or three faiths or four baptisms. It is “one” and only “one”
right the way through: “one body,” “one Spirit,” “one hope,” “one Lord,” “one
faith,” “one baptism,” “one God and Father of all.” This is a remarkable
emphasis on oneness.
But what is the main thought which forms the organizing principle of these
seven “ones”? It is the first “one” of the text: “There is one body” (4). The
one body is the church, as the context teaches. Moreover, the “one body” is to
be taken together with “one Spirit.” Not only is “one Spirit” prominent in the
preceding verse (3) and next in the text (4), but it is also joined to “one
body” by the conjunction “and”—the only “and” between any of the seven “ones.”
Moreover, “one body, and one Spirit” is somewhat separated from the five later
“ones.” So it comes down to this: the main idea is the “one body,
and one Spirit” (4), which is further developed by the five succeeding “ones”
(4-6).
In what sense is the church spoken of as “one body” in Ephesians 4:4? It is not
referring to the various instituted churches. They are not numerically one;
they are many. They are not doctrinally one; they differ among themselves. The
“one body” in the text is the invisible organism of the church—all those who
live out of Jesus Christ crucified, all the elect of
all ages and nations, who are beloved of God who alone sees the heart. This
invisible organism—the “one body”—is what we confess in the Apostles’ Creed: “I
believe an holy, catholic church; the communion of
saints.”
The invisible organism of the church is called a body because it consists of
many parts with various roles and functions, like a human body which has
tendons and ears and knuckles and kidneys and a duodenum, etc., with all its
multitudinous parts joined together into one harmonious whole. The body of the
church is alive, like a human body, for it is united to Jesus Christ, the head.
God’s invisible church is one body—and must be one and can never be two or
more— because it is predestinated as one body, with all the elect having their
own particular role, you included, believer. It is redeemed as one body, for
Christ died for the church and gave Himself for her (5:25). It is glorified as
one body forever and ever in the new heavens and new earth.
Rev. Stewart
Question: “How can exorcists be unsaved (Matt. 7:22-23)? And where does
iniquity figure in the matter?”
Matthew 7:21-23 reads, “Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the
will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity.”
You will notice that, although the questioner asks only concerning verses 22
and 23, I have quoted verse 21 as well, for it belongs to the passage and,
indeed, contains the key to the understanding of the passage.
Further, the broader context in which these words of Jesus are found include
verses 15-20, in which Jesus warns against false prophets who seem to be godly
and pious folk, but who are “ravening wolves” (15) whose sole motive in
entering the sheepfold of Christ is to destroy the flock, frequently by milking
the people of as much of their financial resources as is possible and,
consequently, living in luxury themselves. Today, the world is full of such
preachers and evangelists. They proclaim their false doctrine on radio and TV,
and in huge auditoriums where they can, with advertising that would make many
businesses covetous, display their wares under the guise of religion. It is an
accurate measure of the sad state of religion in the world today that these
charlatans can draw thousands of people and persuade
them to part with their financial resources so easily.
However that may be, the questioner makes two assumptions that are related to
each other but that need to be questioned. The first is that in our modern era
there is something similar to demon possession as was to be found in
But this is quite different from today. Whether there is still demon possession
today in the sense in which it was present in
I say that it is a moot question because the instances of demon possession
present in
In short, exorcists are charlatans. How are today’s demon-possessed people
delivered from demons? By the preaching of the gospel of salvation in Christ,
made effective by the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the elect. That is the
important thing!
Although the questioner refers especially to exorcists in his question, the
Lord is not limiting Himself to such quacks. He speaks of those who prophesy,
who do many wonderful works, who say “Lord, Lord” and claim to glorify His
name. That is, there are hypocrites in the church world who claim that they are
religious and pious, who profess that they serve the Lord, but who, in fact, do
not. These hypocrites are everywhere, filling the minds and hearts of gullible
people with false ideas concerning what religion is all about. They are a
plague on the church and give to true religion a bad name throughout society.
But there are also hypocrites in the true churches. These are people who
profess to be children of God, who are in church every Lord’s day, who do not
commit adultery with their neighbour’s wife, who
never defraud their fellow man and who even have religion on their lips. They
are frequently heard to say, “Lord, Lord.”
Whether they be in the local Pentecostal tabernacle, in the studio of a
television network, in the mission committee of a local church or distributing
pamphlets on religious subjects, their piety is external. Even if they claim to
prophesy, to cast out devils, to do great works “for the Lord,” their religion
is external and of no account before God.
God is interested in only one thing: “Does Mr. Smyth do My will?” That is all.
He that doeth the will of the Father which is in heaven is the true citizen of
the kingdom. Not an outward religion, not mighty works of charity, not charisma
on the TV screen, not eloquent words of a religious sort: nothing of this kind
is good in God’s sight.
The same high-powered evangelist who claims to heal the sick is out driving
past beggars in his new Jaguar and has just left his sixteen-room mansion. The
man in the front pew on Sunday morning can not wait to get outside to play his
18 holes of golf. The chairman of the church’s building committee has just
divorced his wife. The leader in the Sunday School flirts with some young girl
in one of his classes.
But there is also the man who seems to be listening intently to the sermon, but
who comes to church only out of fear of an elder’s visit, or must, he thinks,
leave his fellow parishioners with an exalted view of his extraordinary piety,
or is plotting how he can outwit his boss to earn a little extra money, or who
donates vast sums to the church’s many projects, but takes the Lord’s name in
vain on his job.
The church has people who listen to the preaching and rave about the powerful
sermon they have just heard as the minister tells them how good they are, but
who ignore the preaching that condemns sin and calls to repentance, and who are
quick to point their finger at the man across the aisle, while in their hearts
they almost literally mimic the Pharisee, “God, I thank thee, that I am not as
other men are” (Luke 18:11).
Thankfully, there are also those who do the will of the Father in heaven. They
confess with awe and amazement that the everlasting God is their Saviour and they bring their silent prayers of thankful
worship to Him every day. They are frequently mothers in the home who bear the
burdens of caring for their children and families and who are intent on showing
their children the ways of God’s covenant. There are homes where fathers lead
their families in Bible teaching and prayer and who work long, hard hours that
they may help the poor, support Christian education and promote the preaching
of the gospel. They do not sit in church critical of the minister, of the
sermon, of the elders or of their fellow saints. As they listen, a tear may
fall down their cheeks as, in humble repentance, they confess their sins and
plead for mercy.
Their deeds are written in the records of heaven, because no one but God
notices them. They are continually in prayer for divine succour,
for they know with absolute certainty that God gives grace to the humble and
strength to those who rely on Christ.
And at the judgment, they are not to be found among those who say, “Lord, when
saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in
prison, and did not minister unto thee? Did not we send a check for a thousand
dollars to
But there are others who say to Him who is on the great, white throne, “Lord,
when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when
saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? We can not remember doing
any of these things, for we are great sinners who deserve nothing.” To them the
Lord will say, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of
the least of these my brethren [to your little children when with a kiss you
put a plaster on a skinned knee and told them to look to the Lord; to a
crippled saint in your church for whom you baked a cherry pie], ye have done it
unto me.” Read Matthew 25:31-46. Prof. Hanko
Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
Lord’s Day services at 11 am & 6 pm • Ballymena Protestant Hall, Galgorm Road
Pastor: Angus Stewart,
Phone: (028) 25 891 851 • E-mail: pastor@cprc.co.uk •
Website: www.cprc.co.uk