RJ Hamster
Ephesians 4:11-16 – Why Christians Need Godly Shepherds for…
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Ephesians 4:11-16(11) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (12) For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (13) 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: (14) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (15) But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: (16) 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. King James Version Change email Bible version Sometimes, circumstances conspire to scatter Christians into small groups or even from all contact with other believers and from the ministry Jesus Christ gives to the church to equip them and encourage their growth—in the biblical metaphor, leaving the sheep without a shepherd. However, if sheep should choose to become “without a shepherd,” they are rejecting one of the Chief Shepherd’s major gifts to His flock, willfully taking themselves outside of His established order.Sheep may choose to do this, reasoning that Christ is their Shepherd, which is certainly true. It is likewise true that our relationship with God is individual, without a man in the middle. Nevertheless, none of this nullifies the fact that Christ has gifted human shepherds to aid in bringing all the sheep “to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). By implication, the only time a sheep of His pasture does not need an under-shepherd is when he has grown completely into the image of the Lamb of God.Our Savior oversees the under-shepherds, holding them accountable for failures in their responsibilities, which there will be simply because they are human. However, to purposefully become a “sheep without a shepherd” is to put oneself in serious danger, for the Christian is then likely to turn to his own way, develop bad spiritual habits, become stuck in a rut, make himself a prey for Satan, and ultimately become malnourished and spiritually diseased. He may not even realize his life is in danger—until it is too late.Christ clearly establishes that, rather than wandering away from God’s shepherds, the sheep have the responsibility to submit to the godly shepherds, not considering them infallible, by any means, but comparing their instruction with what God has already established in His Word. As I Corinthians 11:1 teaches, sheep are to follow a shepherd’s faith only as it complements and corresponds with the teachings of Jesus. As Acts 5:29 points out, “[W]e ought to obey God rather than men,” whenever the two are not in alignment.— David C. GrabbeTo learn more, see: The Shepherd’s Guidance (Part Three) Topics:Human ShepherdsJesus Christ as ShepherdObeying God rather than menSubmitting to EldersSubmitting to godly shepherdsThe Shepherd’s GuidanceUnder-Shepherd Commentary copyright © 1992-2026 Church of the Great God Subscription InformationThis daily newsletter was sent to you at peterhovis@me.com because you subscribed at www.theberean.org on Apr 14, 2017.Email Preferences | Unsubscribe Church of the Great God P.O. Box 471846 Charlotte, NC 28247 803-802-7075About The Berean | Archives | Random Berean | Subscriptions |
