As
a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by
waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people,
by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are
to grow up in all aspects into Him who is
the head, that is, Christ,
Ephesians 4:14-15 New American
Standard Bible (NASB)
As a result of … what? In
this chapter Paul is talking to the Ephesian church about the unity brought by
the Spirit, how we are all part of one body in Christ, and we are all given
gifts to be used for the betterment of the body and the growth of ourselves.
Life is to be a continual race toward the perfection of heaven where we use our
gifts to help others and seek to grow in our faith. God has given us what we
need to do all of this and is working in us to accomplish His work. As a result
of all this, we should seek to become mature so that we have a foundation of
knowledge in God and the Bible. That way when deceivers and false teachers come
along we will not be deceived or led astray. We need to seek to be solid so
that we can help build up others and become even more solid ourselves. So many
people come along that can cause us to be distracted or led astray with useless
discussions about doctrine, by their own tricky speech or by their desire to
get others to follow them into sin through the misuse of Scripture. That is why
it is so important to have a solid, daily foundation in the Word, so that when
these things come up we can separate the truth from the lies and will not be
led astray. It also helps us use our gifts more accurately and effectively. So
instead of being tossed about we need to speak the truth in love. When we are
faced by those who are speaking untruths, we need to face them in love. We
shouldn’t water down the truth, but we also should not be unkind, prideful or
mean. This is a delicate balance to tread which requires discernment into the
other person and maturity in us, whether they are trying to deceive or are
merely deceived themselves. The difference will determine how we should
respond. There are also those who are so deceived that they will not listen to
truth. In that case it is better to not speak at all, for it will only serve to
cause us both to be upset, but instead to pray for them to see the light. We
need to lean on God’s direction for when to speak, what to say, and when to be
silent. We need to focus on growing up in every way into Christ including love.
We should not say anything if our desire and motivation is not love for the
other person. Our ultimate goal is to become like Christ in every way and we
need to seek how to do that so that we can become solid and wise. Christ is the
head of the body of believers and the one who gives us everything we have, our
faith and our gifts. He causes the growth to be used for His purpose. We should
never lose sight of that. Are you growing? Are you loving? Do you have a daily
foundation in the Word? Do you find yourself getting caught up in useless
debates and discussions? Seek God. Remember Who is working in you and why. Ask
Him to continue that work and to help you focus on Him and what is important
rather than on things that really don’t matter. Ask Him to help you develop a
passion for His Word and the discipline to seek Him continually. Above all ask
Him to help you love others the way that He loves us.
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