Commentaries:
This is why the ministry exists. What does God mean by this? Perfecting is a term that can be used to refer to "setting a broken bone." It means "putting into the condition in which it should be." The ministry guides and directs us into a spiritual condition acceptable to God. The saints are being prepared for the duty of ministering in divine things. We are not just called to be saved; we are called to perfection—developing the mature, spiritual character we must have to serve in divine matters. There is a whole world that will one day soon require conversion, and it is for this we are now being trained!
John O. Reid
Tithing
An apostle is "one sent forth" with Christ's gospel message of the coming Kingdom of God. The apostle also supervises the proclaiming of that message to the world by means and persons other than himself. Also, an apostle has supervision over all the local congregations or churches of God (I Corinthians 16:1; II Corinthians 11:28).
The prophets set in the foundation of the church are those of the Old Testament era, whose writings were used to form a considerable part of New Testament teaching and functioning. The word "prophesy" is often used in the sense of "to preach or proclaim." So some of the preachers in God's church might well be termed "prophets"—but no literal prophets in the early New Testament church are mentioned as having any executive, administrative, or preaching functions.
Evangelists in Paul's day were leading ministers proclaiming the gospel to the public, even raising up local churches and having supervision over some churches under an apostle. Therefore, an evangelist may hold executive function under the apostle in the church today. An evangelist is not necessarily stationed in one place.
Pastors are ministers placed over a local church or group of local churches.
In the early New Testament church there were also teachers who were not necessarily preachers. Yet all ministers and teachers are called elders in other New Testament passages. Therefore, in God's church today there are both preaching and non-preaching elders. Preaching elders pastor local churches. Then some elders, not all of whom are preachers, are called local elders in the church today.
What and Why the Church?
The Father begets. He does not "bring forth"; the mother does that, later. After the father's part, which initiates the process, there is always a lapse of time leading to final birth. At the time of begettal, birth (parturition) has not yet occurred. In the case of human beings, it follows about nine months later.
During the intervening time, just as the mother nourishes and protects the unborn son or daughter in her womb during the gestation period, so the true church is commissioned to nourish and protect true Christians in her spiritual womb—to "feed the flock." God's spirit-begotten children must be nourished on the spiritual food supplied by God—the words of Scripture—and live by every word of God, in order to grow up spiritually.
If by the return of Jesus Christ we have grown and matured in spiritual character, we will become born "children of God," being "children of the resurrection" as Christ was at His resurrection. We will then no longer be subject to death (Luke 20:35-36). But if the spirit-begotten child of God does not grow spiritually, he can become a spiritual miscarriage.
What It Means to Be Born Again
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The members of God's church do not establish their own doctrines. If they did, confusion would result, for each member is at a different level of growth in knowledge and character. God's church is organized, speaking the same thing, unified through the authority God has placed in His ministers. The doctrines of God's church come from God through Jesus Christ through His Word and His inspiration in the men He has chosen to direct His church. Let it be emphasized that the church's purpose is not merely to give salvation to church members—the purpose is to teach and train them to become the instruments God will use to save the vast majority.
Pentecost: Only 'Firstfruits' Now Called!
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Jesus Christ is the standard and example, the pinnacle of all things a human should be. Not only was He legally sinless, He was also humble, meek, merciful, sacrificial, kind, encouraging, positive, and patient. When considering what He was in His total personality for the purpose of comparing ourselves to Him, we need to recall Romans 3:23: "All . . . fall short of the glory of God." None of us measure up to His standard in any area of personality, and this is what hamartia ("sins") and paraptoma ("trespasses") describe: falling short of the ideal. Together, hamartia and paraptoma directly tie what we might think of as minor, unimportant, and secondary issues of conduct and attitude into the Ten Commandments.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Elements of Motivation (Part Seven): Fear of Judgment
When He ascended, He was resurrected as very God. He was an immortal spirit being once again!
These verses show the goal, the focus, the very reason the church exists—why we have been impregnated by the Spirit of God: "till we come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God." Paul is describing something that will not occur while we are still physical beings, yet he is pointing to the great goal that lies beyond the resurrection of the dead!
Our hope and goal is found in verse 13. What we have to do is begin to expand on what Jesus Christ is now—that is what the apostle Paul is pointing to. Our standard is not Jesus merely as a man before He was crucified and resurrected, but the great goal is Jesus Christ as He is now—ascended and at God's right hand!
We are still mortal and physical, but we are in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), not just in form and shape. The image of God that He is concerned about is the fact that we have the power of mind. Because of this and with the help of the gifts of God, we can come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
John W. Ritenbaugh
We Shall Be God! (Part 1)
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Matthew 13:52
Luke 19:22-27
John 8:31
1 Thessalonians 5:21
1 Timothy 2:12
1 Peter 5:1-3
Library resources that contain this verse:
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