Passage Read: Ephesians 3-4
Meditation Verses: 4:14-15
Thought
We are no longer to be children. We are no longer to be subject to every whim and doctrine of men, carried away by them, confused and tossed about. We should come to a sure knowledge of the truth. Through the faithful testimony and teaching of godly men: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. There should be one single, unified message and teaching on all things. There should not be five different versions of godly living, every man doing what is right in his own eyes or every denomination teaching what it believes to be pure, unadulterated truth about God and Christian living. There should be only one. Each one has its own beliefs and interpretations, but they should all fade into one correct interpretation, as revealed and explained in Scripture. There is only one God! Since the time Paul wrote this, there has been a multiplication of apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers, and some have sought to serve the truth, but some have sought to serve their own purposes. Two thousand years of corruption have filled the Church, alongside two thousand years of earnest, humble seeking of God and proclaiming what He has revealed. How do we discern what is the truth? We're down to one measuring rod: the Bible. Which version? We can't go wrong with what all varieties of believers--even false believers--agree on, which leaves about 66 books.
Application
It doesn't matter how good the arguments are on one side or another of a particular issue. What matters is what the Scriptures actually teach. To come to maturity and no longer be tossed about by every group's particular view on things, I need to trust and believe all the Scriptures teach. I need to be careful neither to go beyond nor ignore what is actually written. Maturity is possible; clarity and truth are attainable. I need to be careful not to be distracted by the debates of others; instead, I need to seek and study and know all Scripture, and what I gain through that I may not have a perfect grasp on, but I must be closer to the truth. If on some point I think differently from others, I may not fully grasp God's intent. So I can trust God to show that to me or to them, to whomever is seeking the same goal in the same humility and faith. But I can gain confidence in the truth, if I have a full and complete grasp of all Scripture and the God who wrote it. Whatever firm ground I believe I have attained, I need to make sure it is what the Bible actually teaches, rather than the trickery and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. So I need to put the time in with the Word of God, with all of it that is sure, in order to know what is of God and what is of men.