The Pulpit Commentary — Ephesians — Section 185

nppointed him. He drnnk the cup which his heavenly Father put into his hand. He suffered sublimely for those whom he came to save. And if we arc to attain unto the measure of tho stature of the fulness of Christ, we must be ready to suffer, to bear the contradiction of sinners, to sh1id tears over sinners. For if there is anything which betokens the Christian style of character, it is sympathizing with men as lying under sin, so that wo ca!l. suffer for them and from them, if so be that we may compass their good. (d) Gospel ministry needed up to goal. The teaching here is that the gospel ministry is the means by which the final unity is to be brought about, by which spiritual manhood is to be reached. It is true of the teacher that he makes his work superfluous. The child grows up to be able to do without his help. And so with the "gift" of the teacher in the Church; his work is to make himself unnecessary. The time is coming when no man shall need to teach his brother, saying, " Know the Lord;" for all shall know him, from the least to the greatest. But, until the goal is reached, the gospel ministry will be needed. And nothing could set forth its position more strongly than that. It is not to be supposed that it does everything. It rather comes in as a supplement to what Christians can do by themselves. Even when the person sitting in the pew has a better understanding than the rrson occupying the pulpit, he may reap benefit, if only truth (however imperfectly is presented to bis mind. Let no one say that he has got beyond the help of the C ristian ministry. If it is earnest, it may be expected to have Divine power with it. We know that Christ, who did not come to bis manhood till the last (albeit that even while he was coming to manhood he left every other immeasurably behind), did not dispense with the teaching of the sanctuary. For he went, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the sabbath day. And shall we say of even the greatest literary man of the day who bas a sonl to care for, that be is bGtter at home than sitting in church? (e) Gospel ministry needed to deliver from the dangers incident to childhood. "That we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in crnftiness, after the wiles of error." There are some who are necessarily in spiritual childhood from their recent spiritual birth. There are others upon whom it is e. reflection that they are in their childhood, seeing that they might be.ve got beyond it with the opportunities tbe.t they have bad. It is the latter rather that are described here. They are at the mercy of false teachers, or the opinion- ntivc. They are like waves tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind. In their simplicity and inexperience they are made a handle of by those who are lJractiscd in the wiles of error. A certain sleight of hand is practised on them. The word "sleight" is literally" dice-playing." 'l'he dice-player can by trickery (loading the di~c is part of the trickery) throw them so that the numbers turn up which suit his purpose. So there are religious tricksters who can turn texts of Scripture to suit their purpose. For instance, it is said by those who advocate the indiscriminate ministry of all that a stated ministry was only a temporary arrnngement. And they get the simple-those whom the apostle hero calls children-to believe that. This indiscriminate ministry is very much o. playing upon men so that they are tossed to and fro and carried about, now believing this and now believing that, as the crafty influence them. A stated ministry is meant to deliver from the evils of such a condition, to carry the inexperience<! past instability into a certain established state. (/) Process of development toward the goal described. (a) What we have to do in the determination of the development. "Dut speaking t111th in love." It is not certain that" speaking truth'' is the right translation. If it had been the intention of the apostle to convey this idea, wo should have expectc,l the same form of expression which is used in the twenty-fifth verso, where two words arc used, and not the one word here, which primarily is truthing it. What is certain is that the apostle means to convey the idea that, instead of ho.ving to do with the wiles of error, we are to have to do with truth. We must be guided by truth ifwo would come to the goal set before us. We are to be.veto do with the truth in love. It is implied that there is an intimate connection between truth and love. If truth directs, love impels. : Love is the highest law of being, and therefore we must have our being bathed in it if : we would understand the truth of things, e.nd speak and act tho truth. (fl) (Jhrist has a principal part in the development. "May grow up in all things into him which is the Head, even Christ." It is from the head that the regulation of tho body, in all its movements, proceeds. So it is from Christ as tho Head that the whole regulation  THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.