エフェソの信徒への手紙4:1-3 Ephesians 4:1-3,
そこで、主に結ばれて囚人となっているわたしはあなたがたに勧めます。神から招かれたのですから、その招きにふさわしく歩み、一切高ぶることなく、柔和で、寛容の心を持ちなさい。 （エフェソ4:1-2）
神様の招きに「ふさわしく歩む」とはどのような生き方をすることなのでしょうか？そのことが2節の前半で「一切高ぶることなく、柔和で、寛容の心を持ちなさい」と教えられています。「一切高ぶることなく」と言われても、だれでも時には高ぶった気持ちになることがあるのではないでしょうか。ほかの人からほめられたときや、ほかの人のできないことをしたときには、「どうだ！」という気持ちになることがあるのではないでしょうか。しかし、そのようなときには、私たちの代わりに十字架についてくださったキリストのことを思い出したいものです。神の子であり罪のない方であったキリストが、罪人である私たちの代わりに十字架について苦しんでくださったというへりくだりのことを思えば、私たちが何かをしたからと言って高ぶるのは、まったく見当違いであることがわかります。キリストの十字架のへりくだりがなければ、私たちは救われませんでした。救われなければ、善い行いをすることもできませんでした。そのことを思えば、何か善い行いをしたとしても、自分が偉い者であるかのように高ぶるのは間違いであることがわかります。
また、パウロは「柔和で、寛容の心を持ちなさい」と勧めています。「柔和」な心や「寛容の心」は、聖霊の働きによって与えられます。ガラテヤの信徒への手紙の5章22節と23節を学んだときに、聖霊が私たちに与えてくださる賜物として「柔和」や「寛容」があったことを覚えておられる方もおられるでしょう。「柔和」や「寛容」は、私たちが自分自身に「柔和であれ！」「寛容であれ！」と言って聞かすことによって身につけることができるものではありません。私たちが十字架につけられたキリストによって救われたことを思い、聖霊の導きを祈り求めて生きるときに、私たちを超えた聖霊の力によって与えられるものです。どなたでも自分の「柔和」や「寛容」を試されるようなつらい経験をすることがあるでしょう。そのようなときには、聖霊なる神様が自分の心の中に満ちてくださるように祈りましょう。そうすると、キリストが聖霊によって私たちの心を導き、「柔和」や「寛容」をもつことができるようにしてくださいます。 （5月18日の説教より）
Christian teachings include teachings about what our salvation is and teachings about how those who are saved should live. The teachings about what our salvation is further include teachings about how miserable we human beings are and how we can be saved from that miserable state.
These teachings are most clearly organised in the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul first teaches that human beings are in a miserable state of being dominated by sin. In 3:9, he states, “Both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,” and in 3:20, “By works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” These passages teach that human beings are in a miserable state of being dominated by sin. Secondly, Paul begins to teach about salvation from sin. In 3:21-22, he states, “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction.” Thirdly, after discussing salvation from sin in detail, he concludes in 12:1-2, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” In other words, he teaches how those who have been saved should respond to God and live their lives. This structure of teachings can be found not only in the New Testament but also in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, it is recorded that the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt, that the Lord God rescued them from slavery, and that he showed them how to live through the Ten Commandments.
In the Epistle to the Ephesians, the Christian teachings are essentially the same as in the Epistle to the Romans, but they are expressed differently. First, regarding the misery of human beings, it is taught as follows in 2:1-3.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
The description of human beings being dominated by sin is the same as in the Epistle to the Romans, but in this letter, Paul writes, “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience,” emphasising that human beings were dominated by evil spiritual forces. This is probably because the Ephesian people, like the ancient Greeks, believed that there were various spirits in the air that ruled over human beings.
And regarding salvation from the miserable state of being dominated by sin, Paul writes as follows in 2:4-6.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
“Raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” means that God raised those who believe in Christ from the state of spiritual death to spiritual life and freed them from the slavery of sin, seating them with Christ in the heavenly realms. When teaching the Ephesian people, who believed in the rule of the spirits of the gods, about Christ’s salvation, Paul emphasised that those who believe in Christ are physically on earth but spiritually resurrected with Christ and seated at the throne of God, having been freed from the rule of the spirits of the gods.
Furthermore, in this letter, Paul teaches that salvation from sin is achieved through belonging to the community of faith known as the church. He states in 2:19–21 as follows.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
“Fellow citizens with the saints” refer to those who have been chosen and saved by the holy and true God. “Members of the household of God” refer to those who are united with Jesus Christ, the only Son of God the Father, through faith, becoming brothers and sisters of Christ and sons and daughters of God the Father. As sons and daughters of God the Father, they inherit the eternal property of heaven and the grace of forgiveness of sins through Christ’s cross. Such a community of “the household of God” is the Christian church. In 3:6, Paul also writes, “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,” teaching that Christ’s salvation is realised through belonging to the church, which is the body of Christ.
In this way, Paul, who has taught about the miserable state of human beings under the dominion of sin and salvation from that miserable state, praises God’s glory as follows in 3:20-21, which precede today’s passage.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
The words of praise glorifying God indicate that this passage marks a major turning point in the letter. In other words, the words of praise in 3:20-21 conclude Paul’s teachings in chapters 1 through 3 of this letter. And with the first half of the letter, which teaches about human misery and salvation from that misery, now complete, 4:1 begins the section that teaches how those who have been saved should live.
In the first half of 4:1, Paul says, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you.” As I mentioned earlier, when Paul wrote this letter, he was probably imprisoned in Rome awaiting trial by the emperor. This was expressed in 3:1 as “I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus.” Here, by saying, “I, a prisoner for the Lord,” Paul is expressing that he is a prisoner because he believes in and proclaims the Lord Jesus Christ. This shows that Paul is a faithful Christian. That is, as a faithful Christian, Paul is exhorting the believers of the church in Ephesus to live in this manner.
The first way of life that Paul recommends for Christians is found in the latter half of verse 1: “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” “You have been called” means that God chose the believers of the Ephesian church beforehand as those who would be saved, and called them to believe in Christ. In 1:4-5 of this letter, Paul says, “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” When he says that God “chose” or “predestined” certain people, some may think that this is unfair. However, Christians do not believe in Christ by their own power, but by God’s mysterious guidance. When we consider why some people are led to believe in Christ while others are not, we cannot help but call it the “mystery.” Therefore, is it not the only way to express it as “chosen” or “predestined”? The teaching that God chooses certain people to be saved is not only found in the New Testament but also in the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 7:7-8, it is written as follows.
It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
In this passage from Deuteronomy, it is stated that the Lord God chose and saved the people of Israel, who were slaves, because of his love for the weak. In the same way, God saved people who were suffering under various spiritual dominions simply because of his love. And he made them children of God who would inherit the property of heaven. Paul is urging the believers of the Ephesian church to “walk in a manner worthy of” that calling from God.
So, what kind of life does it mean to walk in a manner worthy of God’s calling? This is taught in the first half of verse 2: “with all humility and gentleness, with patience.” Even though we are told to be humble, there are times when we all feel proud. When we are praised by others or when we do something that others cannot do, we may feel a sense of pride, thinking, “Look at me!” However, at such times, we should remember Christ, who took our place on the cross. When we consider the humility of Christ, who was the Son of God and sinless, yet suffered on the cross in our place as sinners, we realise that it is completely misguided to be proud of anything we have done. Without Christ’s humility on the cross, we would not have been saved. Without salvation, we would not have been able to do good works. When we think about this, we realise that it is wrong to become proud, thinking that we are great, even if we have done something good.
Paul also exhorts us to have “gentleness” and “patience.” A heart of “gentleness” and a heart of “patience” are given to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Some of you may remember that when we studied Galatians 5:22-23, we learned that “gentleness” and “patience” are gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit. “Gentleness” and “patience” are not something we can acquire by telling ourselves, “Be gentle!” or “Be patient!” They are given to us by the power of the Holy Spirit that transcends us when we remember that we have been saved by Christ crucified and live our lives seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Everyone will experience difficult situations that test their “gentleness” and “patience.” At such times, let us pray that God the Holy Spirit will fill our hearts. Then, Christ will guide our hearts through the Holy Spirit and enable us to have “gentleness” and “patience.”
In the latter half of verse 2 and verse 3, Paul teaches more specifically how to live in a way that is worthy of God’s calling. It is the teaching of “bearing with one another in love” and “to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” “Bearing with one another in love” is difficult to put into practice. Even if we tell ourselves to “love” and to “bearing with one another,” it will be difficult to do so depending on kinds of other persons. In such cases, let us stop being preoccupied with what the other persons are doing or worrying about them within ourselves, and pray for the help of God the Holy Spirit. As it says, “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit,” the unity of Christians can be maintained by the Holy Spirit.
Sadly, even Christians sometimes behave in ways unworthy of the grace given by God. Even in the Christian church, there are times when they speak or act in ways unworthy of the name of Christ. And there are various reasons for this. One major cause is that they walk without earnestly seeking the help and guidance of God the Holy Spirit. We are unable to live in a way worthy of the grace given to us by God through our own strength. Nevertheless, if we delude ourselves into thinking that we are good Christians or that our church is good, we will end up doing the opposite of what is taught in today’s Scripture passage. We may become proud, thinking ourselves great, being lenient with ourselves and strict with others, unable to endure, and causing strife. In each of our daily lives and in the activities of the church, let us continually pray for the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and walk in “gentleness,” “patience,” “love,” “forbearance,” and “peace” that the Holy Spirit gives us.