Ephesians 4:14 14so that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Paul expresses another outcome to the training of the people of God by the godly leaders of v. 11. If believers are being remade into the likeness of Christ, they will be growing in the knowledge and experience of his love. This is more than an emotion or a feeling of goodness or peace within, although those are benefits of this love. This knowledge must also be factual and based on the truth of Scripture. There are many false teachings in the world today, even by so-called Christians. Those who are called by Christ to lead his church must know the truth of the Bible and know how to explain and defend the gospel message. These leaders must then train up the church in this knowledge.
The outcome of knowing and experiencing the love of Christ within and knowing the truth of the gospel will be growth into maturity. Being children in the faith makes us vulnerable to false teaching and temptation. Growing to maturity gives us a solid foundation to fight the battles against he forces of evil in this world. A mature believer will be equipped with the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-17.
Paul uses the image of a ship on the sea to illustrate the danger of spiritual immaturity. A ship that has no sail, rudder, or poor steering will be tossed back and forth by the waves and carried about by the wind. As believers, we must know the right direction. Our leaders are tasked with pointing out this way to us. Paul includes the first-person plural in this verse because we are all involved in this journey of faith. We need each other to guide one another, to keep one another accountable, to pray for one another, and to hold each other up when the battles of life seem too difficult for us.
Paul next describes the false doctrine or “teaching” (didaskalias) that make cause a shipwreck of a person’s faith (1 Timothy 1:19). The first description is human cunning or trickery. This indicates more intentional deceit by the “waves” of false teaching. Paul had to deal with false teachers on many fronts, especially in Ephesus when he wrote Timothy in 1 and 2 Timothy. This letter may have been written before the letters to Timothy, so these words would be important for the church to heed.
The next two descriptions echo the first: craftiness and deceitful schemes. These also indicate more intentionality in teaching wrong doctrine. The best defense again heresy is to know the truth of the gospel. Babies in the faith are vulnerable to such teaching because they do not have a firm foundation in the faith. All believers need to be trained in knowledge and grow in their faith and obedience in order to experience the love of Christ more deeply in their lives.
For older posts, click here.