The next foundational area that must be clarified is that we understand our transformation. We were not always in this position of authority and power. We have been transformed by being brought from another position and placed into this position. If we don’t understand that we have been transformed – changed from who we were – we cannot adequately enter into spiritual warfare.
If we go back through the Old Testament, we will find example after example of Israel’s finding themselves under bondage to their enemies (the Egyptians, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, etc.). Before Israel experienced deliverance, they had to repent so that God could deliver them. When Ezra saw that Israel had intermarried with the Canaanites, he fell on his knees until the time of the evening sacrifice. (Ezra 9:4) He recognized the wickedness of the people and interceded for the people to be restored. Nehemiah did the same thing. (Nehemiah 1:4) Daniel also prayed and interceded for his people. (Daniel 9:3)
We must have the revelation that we also used to be in bondage, but now God has set us free from that bondage so that we can rightly assume our position of authority. Popular Christian “buzz” words have been, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace,” or “Everybody has to sin a little bit every day; after all, we are still human.” Neither of these statements is true. When a parishioner made reference to being a “sinner saved by grace,” the pastor reached out his hand and said, “This is my dirty hand washed with soap.” It didn’t take an involved theology lesson to get the point across; he simply helped the gentleman see the obvious: if we are in Christ, we are no longer the old sinners we once were; instead we are totally new creatures! We have been brought out of the kingdom of darkness and translated into the kingdom of His dear Son. We have to realize that we are no longer sinners but are now saints. There used to be some sinners who had bodies that looked a lot like ours, but those old men are dead and buried in the waters of baptism, and we have been raised as new creatures who are totally free. We have no excuse to sin because we have been made into totally different creatures by the working of God’s grace.
We have to realize our transformation – where we have been brought from and that we have indeed been brought out. Awesome power is added to our lives and ministries when we realize that transformation. The ex-prostitute, the ex-drug addict, and the ex-sinner have powerful ministries to those still held in the bondage of prostitution, drug abuse, and sin. To this end, Paul made twelve points for us to consider.
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. (verse 2:1‑2)
The only enemy we don’t have to be concerned about is a dead one. Remember all the scenes in the old “Rambo” movies where – after violently fighting against overwhelming odds as he was outnumbered by heavily-armed opponents – he simply walks across their dead bodies. However, there is that unanticipated moment when everything suddenly flares up again as one of the “dead” enemies regains consciousness and reinitiates the attack. This is the picture that the apostle was trying to paint for us. There was a time when we were like those dead soldiers in the movie; we were spiritually dead because of our sins. At that time, the devil did not have to fear us as an enemy; he could walk all over us just like the scene in the movie. But now – just like in that follow-up scene in the movie episode – we are alive in Christ, and he shakes in his boots when he sees us begin to flex our spiritual muscles. That’s a transformation! At one time we walked according to the way the devil wanted us to walk. We need to realize that we were (past tense) subject to those forces, but we no longer are (present tense).
When we make a change, we cannot continue to live the way we lived before the change. We used to be dead; now we are alive. We used to walk according to the prince of the power of the air. Although he still rules in the sons of disobedience, he does not rule in us. We no longer live in his kingdom; we live in another kingdom. When I lived in Indiana, I paid my tax payments to the State of Indiana. Now that I live in Colorado, I no longer send my taxes to Indiana. In the same way, we must learn that we no longer owe any dues to the devil!
The second reality concerning our transformation is that we at one time fulfilled the lusts of the flesh and of the mind.
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (verse 2:3)
At one time we used to fulfill the lusts of the fleshly and soulical parts of our personalities, but we don’t have to do that any more. Paul tells us that to be spiritually minded is life and peace, but to be carnally minded is death. (Romans 8:6) We are now walking in the spirit – and, if so, we will not fulfill carnal lusts. (Galatians 5:16) We now live by the spirit man who walks in the direction of the Holy Spirit. I have a little illustration that I enjoy presenting occasionally to help people understand what it means to live and walk in the spirit. Holding a piano tuning fork in each hand, I strike one of them against the edge of the table and bring it close to the one in my other hand. Almost like magic, the second tuning fork will suddenly start “singing the same song” as the first one. Because they are both tuned to the same pitched musical note, the vibrations from the first one sets up resonance in the second one – and it begins to give off the same note as the first one. When we have been changed into the image of Christ through the Lord’s regenerative work, we begin to resonate at the same vibration with the Holy Spirit. We are no longer subject to the patterns of the world; instead, we march to the beat of the Holy Spirit’s drum!
Paul described the condition of having our spirits attune to the Holy Spirit as being spiritually minded as opposed to being carnally minded. (Romans 8:6) Perhaps the best way to understand this concept is to think of a light switch. Imagine that light switch as the three parts of our human make-up. The upper terminal is the spirit (the part of us that is in communion with God through the Holy Spirit), the toggle is the soul (the part of us that is in communion with ourselves through our mental, emotional, and volitional capacities), and the lower terminal is the body (the part of us that is in communion with the world around us through our five senses). When we determine to keep our soul (mind, will, and emotions) connected to the spirit (the part that is hearing from God), we have spiritual light; however, when we flick the switch downward and connect with our fleshly nature (the part that is taking its cues from the world – and eventually the devil, the god of this world, as II Corinthians 4:4 identifies him) – that light is extinguished and we are flooded with darkness.
The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. (Luke 11:34)
Point three is that we have been made alive together with Christ.
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.) (verse 2:5)
The King James Version says that we are “quickened” from the deadness of sins. We are made alive. We have been resurrected. That is a transformation! We were dead in sins, but now we are resurrected to life. We are just as alive as Christ is!!
The fourth truth is that we sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (verse 2:6)
Prior to Jesus’ death and resurrection, He was subject to human limitations. Although His life and ministry were characterized by the miraculous, it was only after His sojourn in the grave that He proclaimed, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:18) Paul said that we have been raised with Christ and that we share in the post-resurrection authority. When Jesus sat down in the heavenly places, He began to exercise His authoritative position; we are offered to share in that exercise with Him.
Paul next introduces the concept that we are the workmanship of God.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (verse 2:10)
We are no longer the old man who was the workmanship of the devil. When the devil wanted to turn us this way or that, he had the right to mold us as he wished because we were his subjects. Now, we are under Christ’s working. Now, He has the right to mold us as He wishes. If He wants to put the glory of God upon us, He has the right to do it. If He wants to put the righteousness of God into us, He can do it. He is the one who is molding us. He is the potter, and we are the clay. The great part of that truth is that He has a good plan already pre-designed for our lives. (Jeremiah 29:11) We used to walk according to the will of the devil, now we are being reworked by God and we can begin to walk according to the new nature.
The word “workmanship” could actually be translated as “masterpiece” – meaning that we are not simply generic mass-produced figurines but individually handcrafted pieces of art. (Psalm 139:14) In other words, each one of us is a Mona Lisa! Unlike the department-store art that we have casually hanging on our living room walls, the Mona Lisa is protected by armed guards and laser-beam barriers. That’s because it is a masterpiece. Since we are God’s masterpieces, He also makes special provision to see that we are constantly protected. (Psalm 34:7)
Point six is simply that we are drawn very close to God through His blood.
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. (verse 2:13)
When you were a child, were you ever attacked by a bully or chased by a dog? Horrifying wasn’t it? But, remember how good it felt and how secure you were when you were able to get close to your dad? Being near him instantly mitigated the threat of the bully and the dog! The same is true in our spiritual lives; when we draw near to God, we have the confidence it takes to be able to resist the devil. At one time we were aliens from the covenants, without hope and without God, but now we are in Christ. We were at one time afar off, but we have now been brought nigh. At one time, we were outside the promises of God. We didn’t have the covenant, we didn’t have a relationship with God, and we were afar off. Now we are brought close to God through the blood of Jesus Christ.
The seventh point closely follows the previous one: we have been made fellow citizens with the saints.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God. (verse 2:19)
Our transformation is that at one time we were strangers and foreigners to God, but now we have a new citizenship. According to I Corinthians 15:50, we are no longer citizens of the kingdom of flesh and blood – which explains why we no longer wrestle against flesh and blood. We have been naturalized into the kingdom of the Son of God (Colossians 1:13) and have our citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20) that is characterized by righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17).
In my work as a college dean, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to see first-hand the power of citizenship. When the students from foreign countries would come here to study, their visas restricted them from working in the country. When the international students would come to my office to ask for assistance in finding employment, I would have to flatly refuse them – unlike the American students whom I could readily help locate more work than they could handle. It wasn’t a matter of discrimination; it was a matter of citizenship.
In biblical times, Roman citizenship meant that no matter where you were, you lived with all the rights and privileges as if you were in Rome itself. When Paul was about to be beaten, he asked if it were lawful for them to do such a thing since he was a Roman citizen. (Acts 22:25) The persecutor backed off because one of Paul’s privileges as a Roman citizen was that he could not be beaten or whipped without a fair trial. Before the apostle announced his citizenship, the soldier sneered as he readied the thongs to lash across his victim’s back. As soon as he heard that Paul was a Roman citizen, he cowered and stuttered as he apologized. When the Jewish authorities were going to lynch him, he demanded that Caesar hear his case. (verse 25:11) All the power, all the resources, and all the forces of the Roman Empire began to work for Paul’s advantage, taking him all the way from Israel to Rome for the very emperor himself to hear his case – all because he had citizenship. If Paul had not had citizenship, he could have been destroyed.
We must walk into spiritual warfare with the revelation that we have citizenship in heaven. We may be in America or in Europe or in Asia; but spiritually, we are seated in heaven and have fellow citizenship with the saints. Our transformation to heaven’s citizenship roll can become the guarantee that we, like Paul, have an entire empire at our beck and call! As citizens, we must learn to appeal to our privileges listed in our “Bill of Rights” including such provisions as Deuteronomy 28:7 (The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.), Psalm 91:7-8 (A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.), and Isaiah 54:17 (No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.)
The fact that we are now the habitation of God is Paul’s eighth point.
In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (verse 2:22)
When my family and I lived in Indiana, we were right in what was known as “tornado alley” – where the question wasn’t “If” but “When” a tornado would strike. And eventually it did. The raging wind picked up a huge tree and tossed it on top of the home of one of our neighbors. Another neighbor had a similar incident with his car. However, the only damage our house suffered was a one-inch dent in the downspout where a tree limb hit it. When we moved to Colorado, we found ourselves living in a wildfire zone – and soon enough we got the call that we had to evacuate our home because a huge forest fire had erupted essentially in our backyard. For the week that we were out of our home, we watched as the flames rushed closer and closer to our property. Eventually, the fire was just over a ridge from our home and was being propelled directly toward our house by a sixty-mile-an-hour wind. Suddenly, the wind shifted and blew the fire into the next neighborhood where it destroyed four hundred homes. When we were allowed to return to our home, there was not even the smell of smoke in the house. Although we were sad for the neighbors who lost their property in the tornado and the forest fire, we rejoiced because we were spared. My wife and I know that our protection was based on the ninety-first psalm – a passage that I have always considered to be my life scripture since my mother handed me a printed copy when I moved out of my parents’ home at age eighteen – Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked…There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. If God went to such an extent to protect my house, imagine how protective He is over His house! And this verse makes the point that we are God’s very dwelling place. Since God Himself lives inside of us, it is difficult to imagine the possibility of defeat or failure!
Grasping hold of that point results in the next point that Paul gave in verse twelve.
In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
We have boldness and access because we are members of the family and because we have citizenship rights. We should have no hesitation to approach God, We can enter into His presence with confidence by faith, but how much more is the boldness when we realize that the God we wish to approach has made His dwelling right inside of us! (Hebrews 4:16)
Point number ten re-emphasized the indwelling of Christ in us, when Paul said that Christ dwells in our hearts by faith.
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. (verse 3:17)
His eleventh point speaks of the stability we must develop in this transformation reality – we are rooted and grounded in love through faith.
In Ephesians 3:17‑19, Paul told us that we now have Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith and we are rooted and grounded in the faith and that we know the unknowable love of God. These things are the result of our transformation. Before we were transformed, Christ was not living in us. We were not rooted and grounded in our faith, and we did not know the love of God. But because of this transformation, we have become totally new creatures that are alive to tremendous reality. We can now go into spiritual warfare with confidence and strength so that we have no question as to who will win.
The final point in this section brings us to a reality that cannot even be comprehended – much less experienced – short of being transformed: we know the unknowable love of Christ.
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (verse 3:19)
We live in a three-dimensional world – height, width, and length; however, Paul said that the love of God is four dimensions – breadth, length, depth, and height. The fourth dimension that he added takes us to the spiritual level beyond anything that we can “wrap our minds around.” There are two numbers that can help us grasp the concept that Paul is presenting here – trinity and infinity. We all understand that trinity means three in one; however, it is impossible for us to explain how God can be three distinct persons yet one divine being all at the same time. Likewise, we all are aware that infinity is beyond the biggest number imaginable; however, there is no way that we can ever comprehend what that actually means. This is why Paul used Greek terms that signify that we can experience the love of God without actually understanding it. In a similar message, Paul told the Corinthian church that the perception of the things that God has prepared for those who love Him is beyond what our eyes can see, what our ears can hear, or what our hearts can perceive – they are understood only through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 2:9-10)
In this section on our transformation, Paul started out by saying that at one time we used to be subject to the enemy whom we are now going to contend with. Thus, we can walk into spiritual warfare with a different relationship to the enemy. If we really know all these truths before we get to the “finally” of verse ten of chapter six, we will walk into the battle knowing that we are now no longer under the authority of our opponent even though we were once subject to his power.
Chapter Four
Our Position in
The Body of Christ
Early on in his letter, Paul has already introduced the next truth that he will now expound. Here he begins to apply the principle to the warfare we are to enter.
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints. (verse 1:15)
It is important for us to function within the Body of Christ to be able to do spiritual warfare. Very few times do we read of successful soldiers who went out on “Lone Ranger” expeditions; yet, history is full of the success stories of soldiers who functioned within the entire army. We cannot just go out and do spiritual warfare on our own. Instead, we are commissioned to link together for security, support, and success. In biblical times when the soldiers went out to war, they had shields with an interlinking hook-and-eye system. By interlocking their shields, the soldiers formed one great mobile wall. They became a human tank marching forward toward their enemy with their shields as one solid wall of protection. If one man stood alone and held his shield in front of himself, he was still in grave danger from his enemy because the blows could come at him from every direction. Unless he was very agile and quick, he could be struck from the left when he was using his shield to guard himself from a blow from the right. However, when he was joined by soldiers on his right and left, his companions and their shields guarded him on the right and left – making him invulnerable. The fascinating realization is that neither of his companions needed to be great muscle men; all that was needed was for them to be in their places, securely fastened to him. Just the fact that they were there covered his vulnerable spots. One contemporary Christian song expresses the necessity of this same principle in the Body of Christ, “I need you to survive.” I love to envision these interlocked shields as the shield of faith that Paul says is “above all” (Ephesians 6:16) in his list of the spiritual armor that God has provided for us. When I do, I imagine soldiers with the letters, “F,” “A,” “I,” “T,” and “H” emblazoned on their shields. As long as the middle soldier is surrounded by his companions, he has faith and is invincible. However, if his comrades abandon him, he is all alone – just “I” – and is an easy target for the enemy.
Since the armament described in Ephesians chapter six is all frontal gear, it is absolutely necessary that we have brothers and sisters linked to us on our right and left; otherwise, we are in danger of the enemy’s blows. As we link together in a group effort, synergism (the whole is greater than the sum of the parts) occurs. Imagine a firecracker and a match. Neither one is very significant on its own; however, when they are put together, we get “the Fourth of July.” This is what happens when Christians unite in faith – two can chase ten thousand while one can chase only a thousand. (Deuteronomy 32:30) Remember, God is in the business of building an army, not just collecting individual soldiers.
When Paul spoke of the shield of faith, he said that it was above everything else. Some versions emphasize that the shield is above all because it is in front of the other elements; other translations imply that the shield is the most important part of the armament and, therefore above all else. Regardless of the interpretation, once we realize that it is the shield that links us to the rest of the Body of Christ in order to bring us to mutual strength and protection, we can see why Paul says that it is above all else. As individual warriors, we would each have to struggle against our opponent; however, as a united force, we are able to solidly stand our ground. Notice that Paul addresses my brethren when he admonishes us to take up the armor of God. He does not speak to us as individuals but as a corporate body with this plural noun. Putting on the armor of God is a corporate function of the entire body of faith.
We must learn to live and work together within the Body of Christ without concern for the carnal differences that tend to divide us. If you saw the movie, Wind Talkers, you will remember how difficult it was for the soldiers to overcome their prejudices and accept the Navajo recruits. Many of the white soldiers had grandfathers who had fought in the battles against the American Indians and they had all grown up playing “cowboys and Indians”; therefore, it was hard for them to see the Navajo soldiers as their comrades rather than their enemies. But you’ll also remember that it was these very Native American radio operators who saved the lives of the men who were so resistant to having them as comrades. Those Native American recruits played a significant role in winning the war because the Axis intelligence forces weren’t able to decode the messages when they were transmitted in the Navajo language. What’s true in the natural army is especially true in the spiritual army: we must establish unity within the Body of Christ because our lives depend upon what the other members (very often the ones whom we don’t want to befriend in our natural selves) can supply.
Paul says that we are to walk worthy of our calling. (verse 4:1) We must not walk outside of what God has called us to do. We should not walk in disrespect for what God has called us to. Instead, we are to walk in a lifestyle that matches up to our calling. Each soldier must recognize his position and fulfill it with the greatest dignity, diligence, and deftness.
Next, the apostle began to give us some pointers on how we can walk in a way that will make others willing to link together with us. Lowliness, humility, and the practice of edifying one another in love are qualities that make others willing to cement themselves to us.
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love. (verse 4:2)
The devil knows the power of pride. It was pride that destroyed him (Isaiah 14:13-15), and pride has become one of the most powerful tools he uses to destroy others (Proverbs 16:18). Nebuchadnezzar, whom God Himself called the head of gold among the empires of history, became like a wild beast because he allowed pride to control him. (Daniel 4:28-33)
Here, Paul amplified our calling and responsibility as members of the Body of Christ. He told us that walking worthily has to do with our relationship to those people around us. It is not only a matter of refraining from sin that makes us worthy of our calling. It also has to do with being lowly, gentle, patient, and forbearing. It has to do with upholding one another and blending in with the Body of Christ. We are called to link arms with our brothers as part of this unified force.
Humility draws people together while pride drives wedges between them. We can’t have unity without humility, and we can’t stand without unity – meaning that humility is foundational for the church to survive and thrive. Dr. Lester Sumrall used a clever little saying to emphasize the significance of staying in our places in the Body of Christ, “The first banana to leave the bunch is the one that’s going to get skinned.” We must get to the point where we realize that we need each other in order to survive. No one is an island, standing alone. Instead, we must realize that we are more like men in a boat. Perhaps that is why we refer to ourselves as being in fellowship – several fellows all in the same ship!
Once we have this paradigm shift, we’ll understand the significance of this little Jewish fable. It seems that a man took out a drill while the boat was in the middle of the sea and began boring a hole in the hull underneath his seat. When the other passengers began to panic and ask what he thought he was doing, he replied, “But the hole is only under my own seat.” Unfortunately, too many of us fail to see that nothing we do affects only us and that nothing anyone else does occurs without affecting the rest of us. The power of each individual Christian is actually the power of the whole Body of Christ working together. Out of the American Revolution was birthed the phrase, “United we stand; divided we fall.” A modern reworking of that expression proclaims, “Divided we stand; united we fall,” emphasizing the fact that we are all destined to collapse if we try to stand individually rather than as a unified whole. Paul was insistent that we understand the vital importance of being a unified body when he told us in verses four through six that
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Unfortunately, the Body of Christ continues to allow simple things like baptism to divide us. Many Christians totally lop off whole segments of the Body simply because they baptize in the names of all the members of the Trinity while others baptize only in the name of Jesus. Dr. Sumrall once ministered to a congregation for a full week but, when the church took communion on Sunday, was asked to leave the building simply because he had not been baptized the same way they were.
Ephesians 4:2 talks about making sure within ourselves that we are the kind of people who can link arms with one another. He says that we are to have the right attitude and not to get heady and high-minded, which would prevent us from linking together with the other brethren. In verse three, Paul tells us to put forth the effort to see that this unity is maintained. We are to do what it takes to make our brothers able to link together with us. He tells us to do everything we can to keep unity in the Spirit so that other Christians will be willing to link with us. The term “endeavoring” means working hard. Keeping a bond of peace and unity in the Spirit with our brothers is not an easy job; we must work hard at it.
Paul stated in his next point where there are certain God-appointed leadership positions in the Body of Christ.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. (verse 4:11)
There are different functions within the Body. As we have seen, it is important for everybody to link together, but there still has to be someone who calls the shots and gives the directives. Just like in a natural army, we need people in leadership positions so that we can function as the Body. When Paul talked about these leadership positions – the fivefold ministry gifts – he told us why God put these leaders into the church: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. (verses 12-13) Their purpose in the Body is not so that they can be exalted, but so that they can perfect the saints to the point that we are no longer tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine but rather are made into the stature and fullness of Christ. (verses 14-15)
The purpose of the drill sergeant is not so he can look important but to bring the individual soldies into one army moving with total unity of purpose. Going into spiritual warfare without properly submitting to spiritual leadership could become a suicide mission. The purpose of the fivefold ministry is to bring the Body into unity. As we have already seen, being one united force is the key to strength and victory. First John 5:4 declares that the victory with which we are to overcome the world is our faith. With these realities in mind, we can see how vitally important it is that we have godly leadership to bring us to that unity in the faith – an interlocking shield of faith that protects the entire church as well as each individual member.
Paul next turned to the words we speak.
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. (verse 4:15)
Words can heal or kill. How often a little word of encouragement has saved a ministry, a marriage, a man. Unfortunately, it is probably more often that the lack of such a word has allowed discouragement to destroy many more ministries, marriages, and men. Although constructive criticism is the foundation for correction, negative and criticizing words carry lethal poisons. Edifying words are words of truth that are spoken in love with the benefit of the Body of Christ as the motivation.
At this last point in this section, we come back to our illustration of the Roman soldiers with their moving wall of shields. Here Paul said that we, as the Body of Christ, are fitly joined together.
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (verse 4:16)
We are expected to come to the place where there is one whole body – not a soldier here and a soldier there – but all the soldiers coming together as one compact unit with every joint (every member) doing what it is supposed to do.
The picture of the Roman soldiers marching together shows each one as a joint, a flexible place where each shield hooks into the eye of the neighbor’s shield. However, when all of them were hooked together, there was a connectedness that allowed them to move forward as one solid army. Perhaps the reason Paul described us as joints rather than bones was because so much “hinges” on us and we must be careful not to get “out of joint” with one another.
In Ezekiel chapter thirty-seven, God showed the prophet a vision of a valley filled with dry bones. They were lifeless and useless until the prophet prophesied to them and the Spirit moved upon them. At that instant, they came together – as the old song says, with the toe bone connected to the foot bone, the foot bone connected to the anklebone…all the way to the head bone! Once they came together, verse ten says that the reconstructed soldiers stood up on their feet. That is exactly what Paul is trying to birth inside us as members of the Body of Christ: if we will only come together in the unity of the Spirit, we will be able to stand as God’s great army. It is interesting that the thing that brought these dried-up bones together and then brought them to life was the words of the prophet. Paul emphasized here that it is the words of truth that we speak through love that will bring the same result in the Body of Christ. Notice how Ezekiel summarizes the results of restoration of these bones – an exceeding great army. (verse 10) That’s exactly the result we can expect when we apply the principles the Apostle Paul is giving us here.
An old saying goes, “The chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” Each person in the Body of Christ has to realize, “I am very important to the whole because if I am weak that is exactly where we are going to fall apart.” Any place where somebody is not hinged into the next one leaves an hole for the devil’s forces to come in. Just as a thief breaks in through a window or door rather than blasting through the solid wall, the devil will always attack at the weakest point. We must recognize the importance of keeping a strong link with every member. If you aren’t there, I’m not protected; if I am not there, you are not protected. For your benefit as well as my own benefit, I have to do everything I can to link together with you in the bond of peace. I have to do everything I know to keep love and unity between us. If I don’t have you, I am wide open for attack; if you don’t have me, you are also vulnerable. We must endeavor to keep the bond of peace.
The reason God saw fit to give apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to the Body of Christ is so that we can grow up until we learn how to fit together in this full-grown Body. Twice, the apostle uses the word “perfect” in reference to the job that the fivefold ministry is to accomplish. Verse twelve says that they are to perfect the saints, and verse thirteen says that they are to bring the Body of Christ into a perfect man. When we realize that the Greek word for “perfect” means mature, we are able to see a very significant point about what it is that makes the Body of Christ work – maturity. Mature people are able to get over their differences. Mature people are able to work together with people from different backgrounds or with different opinions about things. Mature people are able to see the bigger picture of what is best for the whole community rather than to look for what will benefit them individually.
There was a centurion who came to Jesus for the healing of his sick servant. (Matthew 8:1) This military officer knew that Jesus didn’t have to physically come to his house. He understood that Jesus had the authority to stand in any place and wage spiritual warfare miles away by simply speaking the Word. The centurion was convinced that his servant would be healed even without Jesus’ presence in his room. He explained to Jesus, I am a man who is under authority. He was saying that he understood the spiritual principles because of his position under a commander above him who gives an order that the centurion immediately obeys. It is likely that this Roman officer really disliked the idea of having to leave the fertile valleys of Italy to serve in the deserts of Palestine. However, he submitted without complaint when handed the deployment orders. Having a proper relationship with his superiors, he could expect those under him to obey his commands because they also had a proper relationship with his authority. Because he worked within a “body” of soldiers, he understood spiritual authority. He knew that Jesus did not have to come to his house and physically shake the demon off of his servant or slap the sickness out of the man. He understood that Jesus had the authority so that, when He commanded the spirit or illness to go, He could expect it to obey. This revelation is very important. Our spiritual warfare is not in slapping and shaking. Jesus did not have to become physically involved with the servant, yet He could do spiritual warfare. Our spiritual warfare is using the same spiritual authority as Jesus because we are members of His Body. The authority of the Head flows through the whole Body as long as there are no breaks and divisions to hinder its flow. We might think of it as electricity flowing through a wire. As long as there are no disconnected points, the voltage is just as strong at any point along the circuit as it is at the generator. In the properly connected Body of Christ, each member can minister with the full authority of Jesus Himself. That is why we are taught to pray in the name of Jesus – exerting His full authority into every prayer we pray.
Much of the teaching today relates to physical involvement in spiritual warfare, but that is not what Paul taught. If we understand our relationship to God, our transformation from the kingdom of darkness, and our position within the Body, we are prepared to do spiritual warfare with tremendous authority.