Ben Brinkerhoff - Class 5: The Meaning of One

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   This is day five of the 2019 Idlewild Bible School. Our second period teacher is Brother Ben Brinkerhoff. His general topic is unity in Ephesus, the story of the ecclesia in Ephesus. Today's topic is the meaning of one. Brother Ben. Good morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Good morning. I essentially began this study way back when to understand Ephesians chapter 4, verses 4 to 6.

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   Because there's a theme of a youth conference I was speaking at. I looked at this verse, I asked myself this question at the very start. Why does Paul need to give this lesson to that ecclesia? Why the emphasis on the word one? When we read Ephesians chapter 4, verses 4 to 6 together, you can't mistake it.

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   It's sitting there in plain language. There is one body, one spirit. It means you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all. Why the sevenfold emphasis on the word one? Now to answer that question, we're going to go on a little bit of a detour.

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   I've tried to avoid detours for the most part in these studies, but this one might be unavoidable. So the detour takes us back to Genesis chapter 3, to verses I'm sure are very, very familiar to you. To the first temptation, the first sin, the first rebellion against God. And the words there are, And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.

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   For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. What is sin, brothers and sisters? Is sin simply acting against the will of God? Or at some deeper level, Is sin an attempt, a desire, to be your own God?

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   To decide for yourself what is good for you and what is evil for you. And of course, Your version of good and evil works for you, and it's probably different than my version of good and evil, and those two are probably different again than God's version of good and evil. And so following serpent logic, we all become our own God and the judge of our own version of righteousness without any consequence, because you shall not surely die.

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   So what's God really supposed to do with that exactly? Is God right? Or are we right? Is there such a thing as good and evil? Or is it all just relative?

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   See, the greatest commandment of the law you know. The Lord, our God, is one Lord. Mark chapter 12, verse 29. What does that mean exactly? Well, it must mean that there's no other God but Him. There's no other authority than Him. As God, He decides what's right and wrong. He decides what is good, and He decides what is evil.

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   In other words, He's sovereign. He's king. He is one Yahweh. He's one ruler. Things are right because God says that they are right. Things are wrong because God says they are wrong. He is one Yahweh. So what's at the essence then, brothers and sisters, of man's first sin? From the very beginning, man has wanted to rule with God.

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    He's wanted to decide for himself. Man's wanted to decide what he thinks is right. Man's wanted to decide what he thinks is evil. God may be an influence, I suppose, but ultimately, man wants to make his own decision.

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    In this way, man essentially made himself God in the garden and so makes himself today, equal or superior to God. Man is a God to himself. So what was God supposed to do in the garden that day, brothers and sisters? Would God allow an eternal challenge to his supremacy and oneness? He could not.

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    So he acted that day to destroy the challenge with death, and death ultimately shows conclusively that God is almighty, and man, man is mortal. So let me try to illustrate this, right? There's one God. He decides what's good and evil, and man is commanded to obey. But man, he says, you know what?

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    I want to decide what's good and evil. So what does God do? Let me prove to you who's God. I just want to point out how incredibly relevant this is to Ephesians, to the Ephesians, and to those in Asia. Let's just say that I'm an Ephesian, and I believe I'm enlightened, and I'm inclined towards Gnostic views anyway, so I actually think that there's, in some way, that God is literally, not figuratively, but literally dwelling inside of me through my immortal soul.

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    And this indwelling God has authority that's equal to, or maybe even greater authority, to the one God is expressed in the word of truth. So let's express that in a figure. That's our figure. Man decides, and an indwelling God guides. That's equal to what the one God decides through Scripture, what is good and what is evil.

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    Okay, if that's true, then I have some questions for you, right? Question number one. Does having my own indwelling God mean that I get to decide, or have my own unique, divinely authorized version of good and evil? Well,

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    would that God allow me to contradict the real God's commands regarding good and evil? Does the God within me sanction my evil acts through grace, acts that include even things like adultery, so that, according to Nicolaitans, men and women, men and women really aren't one flesh that God has joined together. does my belief that I have an immortal soul mean that I shall not surely die?

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    Now, what I want these questions to illustrate for you, brothers and sisters, is to lead you to a very simple but important fact that Gnostic beliefs contradict nearly every part of God's word in the Garden of Eden regarding good and evil, regarding marriage, and regarding death. In fact, I even read one scholar, and I couldn't back this up by looking at primary documents, a scholar that said that in Gnostic literature, Eve is a hero.

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    Why would Eve be a hero in Gnostic way of thinking? Because she sought after the knowledge of good and evil. So, the reality, though, is if those Gnostic ideas were truth, it would mean that God accepts and condones multiple versions of good and evil, his own and the one he sanctions inside the enlightened believer.

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    And if that were true, then God is no longer one. It means that there must be at least two gods. There's Yahweh and his version of good and evil, and there's the God of my personal enlightenment and its contradictory version of good and evil.

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    So, can you see how important it is then, if that's true, how important it is for Paul to point out that unity hinges, it's a critical thing, it hinges on the idea that there's only one God. Paul stresses the issue beautifully in his poetic way because it touches on the point that if the Ephesians listened and understood this point, they would see that the whole fabric of their religion is critically flawed.

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    Paul points out to the Ephesians that there is one God, only one God. As our brother Dennis Bevins pointed out to me earlier this week as that word one really means there. There's only one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all. If you think you have God in you, that's not a different God.

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    God, there's only one God. You see the point? One, not many, one. That means if you hold ideas that contradict God's righteousness and the holiness of God, that's not God in you.

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    Frankly, that's just you. So why is one God then the foundation of all unity? For the simple reason that once I grasp that there's one God, then my pride, what I think I'm right about, my version of good and evil is ground to dust. You see, at the heart of it, brothers and sisters, do you know the thing that separates me from you?

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    Really? It's what I'm right about. And as long as I'm right and you're wrong, I can justify to myself cold separation. But as soon as I realize in my heart that I'm wrong and I realize that you're wrong, but that God alone is right, on that basis God can connect with you because we have mutually, the two of us have mutually humbled ourselves before God and have unity then in God's oneness.

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    Now let me try to illustrate this to you. Okay, here's our problem. I'm right and you're wrong. That's a problem. It's not a problem for me. And you think the same. You think, I'm right and you're wrong and I'm going, no, no, I'm right and you're wrong. So we have a conflict here, isn't it?

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    Okay. But here's one God and he decides what is good and what is evil. I say, I'm wrong. God's right. You say, I'm wrong too.

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    God's right. So we now have unity in God's oneness. God's right. God's right. This is why sound scriptural reasoning is the only basis for resolution of conflict in Ecclesias as opposed to wars of personalities, family dynamics, philosophies, ideas. We simply can't base unity on anyone's personal ideas because God alone is right and God alone is who makes others right through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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    What's fascinating about God's oneness and the expression of it and his righteousness is what he asks me to do because of it. Because going back to Mark chapter 12 which is a key verse here, Mark chapter 12 and verses 29 to 31, we read this. This is very important. And Jesus answered him, the first of all the commandments is, hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and with all thy strength.

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    This is the first commandment. And the second is like namely this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. So what has God commanded me to do on the basis of his oneness, his absolute authority? He would have me love him and and he would have me love you.

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    So, so, my love for you is the expression of my willingness to be commanded by God because of his oneness. It's an expression that I believe his righteousness is above my own. And so, the supremacy of his oneness is the means by which we'll unite and God, because of his character, he asks me because of his supremacy to love you.

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    And so, I have to even if you make it hard on me or I make it hard on you as I look at my sister. if I look back at my ecclesial situation, I was really convinced I was right.

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    Ironically, based on this study, I had a lot of pride about it and that pride filled, fueled anger and it fueled ill will towards those that disagreed with me. And although I believe my view is biblically sound, do you know what the problem was? It became my view. See, when it became my view rather than God's, even a scripturally right position becomes attitudinally wrong.

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    wrong. I need to pause and think about that for a moment, brothers and sisters. When your pride is caught up in it, even a scripturally right position becomes attitudinally ! wrong. Who here can deny that this hasn't been the case for themselves?

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    Let me lay this out sequentially, okay? There's one God, he decides what's good and evil. Me. Well, I think God's right. That's good. God says, well, Ben, since you've decided that I'm one and you are humble and under me, I have a command for you. thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Okay, so I have to love my neighbor.

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    But I say, well, because God is right, I'm not going to love you because I think you're doing something that's wrong. And because you're doing something wrong, I'm in conflict with you. And because I love God so much, I'm now going to stop loving you. If I do that, I deny God's righteousness in the very act of defending it.

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    In other words, can I love God and thus seek to obey his commands so much that I don't love you because you're not? no. Why? If I truly believe God's righteous, I am constrained to obey his commands and he has commanded me to love my neighbor second only to my love for him because my love for you is infused and energized by my love for him.

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    So there's no way for my ego to turn. You see, as I, soon as I withhold my love for my brother because I'm right, I'm wrong because God is one. He is right, not me. I must love him with all my heart. So I can't withhold love for you because I'm right, because I'm not right.

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    But if I withhold my love of you because God is right, I'm wrong. Because God told me that in response to his righteousness, I must follow his command to love my neighbor as myself. See, my ego has nowhere to turn. I can't turn anywhere in my pride. I have no pride. I have no ego.

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    There's nowhere for ego to go here. I must simultaneously hold that God alone is right as expressed in his word and love you. That is my only option and there's no room for pride there.

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    So can I turn away from a brother in anger who has another view on any number of non- gospel-based disagreements in the brotherhood? I cannot. I must forbear in opening up the scriptures and seeking God's truth and letting him speak or her speak and constantly reminding myself to put down my pride and put down my fears.

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    The central issue of the truth is that both sides must see that the answer is God is right and both sides must be humble. And the frustrating thing is when I do that, the thing I really don't like about it is I see there's lots of principles at work and the issues are exceedingly complex.

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    I don't know if my definitive view, which is very convenient for me and my family, is correct. But I'm sure that God's view is. And I'm willing to listen and learn and it's amazing what you can learn when you don't need to be right. and perhaps equally so, it's amazing what unity can be affected on the basis of lowliness and meekness with long suffering for bearing one another in love.

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    Because really, love is the only basis on which we really can forbear. See, in Ephesus, Paul was dealing with brethren which held some kernels of truth. And Paul, as we saw in the last class, he was eager to point those out, wasn't he? But they held many things in air, and I suppose the easy thing would have been to create a black and white situation and take the brethren with a hint of Nicolaitan or Gnostic thinking and remove them from the ecclesia.

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    But instead, Paul chooses to love them and encourage them back into the truth, and save as many as he could, expressed beautifully at the end of the book where Paul says, peace be to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.

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    Amen. Amen. But here's the truth. Okay? Now, you notice I began this class in the first session saying the issues in this ecclesia are exceedingly complex. And I said at many times I struggled. It seemed that scripture was turning me here. And I do a little bit more study. It's like, no, no, no, it's turning me here.

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    I do a little bit more study. It's like, no, no, it's turning me here. I said, what about this? I forgot. And I got confused and I said to you that there's a lot going on and I don't know that I have it all figured out. and I don't. Because the truth is that not all the brethren in that ecclesia love the Lord Jesus Christ with sincerity.

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    John Carter in page 95 in his Epistle to the Ephesians study and book says this, it is not a cause for dismay, though it may be for sadness, that the career of the one body from apostolic times has not been one of uninterrupted progress as viewed by the world. Even from the days of the apostles there were difficulties.

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    For Paul writes to the Corinthians, there must also be heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. The apostles insisted on an unqualified acceptance of their teaching, now I beseech you brethren, by the same thing, that there be no divisions among you, but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

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    But some spoke other things, saying that the resurrection was past already, that Christ had not come in the flesh, and many other doctrines, as the apostasy developed. The epistles for the most part are illustrations of the apostolic endeavor to keep the unity by instructing in truth

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    despite Paul's efforts to convince and bring the wanderers back, some persisted in teaching error, and while Paul exhorts this to forbear, if the brethren persist to hold false doctrine, there comes a point where the ecclesia cannot bear any longer. And that point was reached in Ephesus, and we know that because in Revelation chapter 2 verses 1 to 2 we read this, to the angel of the church in Ephesus write the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands, I know your works, your toil, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men.

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    There comes a point where as an ecclesia we cannot bear. So the brethren in Ephesus will take action against hardened Nicolait and remnant. And this is right because they continue to teach things like you shouldn't follow sound moral teachings. They followed the first sin in the garden. They believed they were immortal. They believed they wouldn't die.

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    They denied that God made man and woman one flesh. They desired to eat the tree and to know and have knowledge of good and evil. They thought that was a good thing. They made themselves God. They could not remain in the ecclesia.

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    You know, Jesus knew exactly the heir of these brethren that the Ephesian ecclesia couldn't bear. The parallel between the sin in the garden and gnostic beliefs in overturning everything that happened in the garden like seeking for the tree of knowledge is a good thing. Jesus knew that that was the basis on which they fell out of the truth.

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    Because Jesus will end his letter to the Ephesian ecclesia to those that overcome in Revelation chapter 2 verse 7 with these words brothers and sisters. He who has an ear let him hear what the spirit says to the ecclesias to him who conquers or overcomes I will grant to eat the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.

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    Jesus says to those who overcome that refuse to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to think that they are immortal to those that refuse that doctrine and that way of life Jesus will instead grant to eat of the tree of life in the paradise of God because apparently brothers and sisters you can only eat from one tree you can eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or you can eat of the tree of life choose life choose life overcome brothers and sisters we don't know what is good and evil other than we have been instructed by the spirit through the word of truth so chronologically after a next comes first timothy probably written two or three years later i'm thinking around ad64 or thereabouts as is clear through the letter the controversy has grown i mean between ephesians and first timothy the controversy has grown because we now see that hominae and alexander are delivered at satan we now see that that paul is commanding that they teach no other doctrine right paul says in first timothy chapter 1 verse 5 the aim of the spirit in us is love and the development of a good conscience paul will say as he opens the letter the aim of the spirit the aim of our commission our charge is the development of a conscience in love paul says so paul is very clearly aiming at this issue and he's going to warn about false science or gnosis causing some to err from the faith perhaps two or three years later ad 67 or 68 paul is re-arrested

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    by the romans and writes second timothy knowing that he's facing death he also knows the doctrinal problems in ephesus are not overcome so what can he do well paul warns timothy of the ongoing danger of the controversy and we read this earlier in our studies paul says to timothy with a bit more context study to show thyself approved unto god timothy a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth but shun profane and vain babblings he says for they will increase unto more ungodliness as their word will eat as doth a canker of whom is hymenaeus and philatus who concerning the truth of er saying

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    the foundation of god stand sure having the seal the lord knows them that are his and let everyone that nameth the name of christ depart from iniquity so paul says the teachings of of this heresy that they increased ungodliness they undermine the truth saying the resurrection was passed already because they think the resurrection was just my spirit being enlightened and coming to life within me paul says that someone is really a believer you're going to know they're a believer because they try to overcome iniquity so to combat this to combat this air because paul knows he's about to die right so to combat this air what does he give timothy for a set of tools how does he combat this air in the ecclesia well second timothy chapter three verses 16 and 17 you've read this this is a sign school verse I think for most of us that have memorized verses when we were growing up all scripture is given by inspiration of God he says and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto good works imagine a gnostic brothers and sisters who believes that God is literally dwelling in their immaterial and immortal soul and such a one would believe that God is within him and that one that is within him that God within me it inspires me it enlightens me it instructs me such a one I don't need to consult the scriptures the spirit tells me what to do I follow the guidance of the spirit it is giving me everything I need if

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    it contradicts the scripture that doesn't matter because I have the spirit I just need to consult that inner being but Paul says to Timothy scripture is given by God's inspiration it is God breathed Timothy therefore it reproves us it corrects us it instructs us in righteousness with the scripture Timothy there is nothing lacking it's not that the scripture is not enough Timothy it's not that I need some spirit to guide me the scripture is incomplete Timothy no the scripture has everything that you need Timothy and do you know what the scripture does Timothy it doesn't instruct you in wickedness it instructs you Timothy in righteousness that's what the scripture does you are not incomplete Timothy don't listen to them don't listen to them telling you that they have something you don't have don't listen to them telling you that they have some guidance that you don't have Timothy that you're incomplete with what you have Timothy you have everything you need because that word of truth and that word of truth Timothy will never lead you or guide you or instruct you in wickedness it will reprove you and correct you it will not accept of your evil ways it will change you and perfect you for righteousness Timothy brothers and sisters we have the scriptures where are we if we lose the scriptures the scriptures not there just to prove that we're right and some other religion is wrong the scriptures are there to change us they're there to correct us they are there to perfect us and instruct us in doing those things which are right and good and just and lovely but the

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    scriptures sometimes compared to Christians who are saying I have the spirit which many Christians and evangelicals are I have the spirit I've talked to many of them I don't know your discussions you're talking to people I talk to them a lot and you know I've had some guy he said I can't listen to me because the spirit the spirit gave me guidance last night that you're wrong I know I'm wrong the scriptures are right I've already established that point okay you know the scriptures can appear weak can't they we can feel like they have this wonderful thing this spirit inside they're singing very enthusiastically and loudly and I just have this book and the book can seem weak to us so Paul anticipates that he says Timothy Timothy there's going to come a time will not endure sound doctrine Timothy but after their own lusts they shall heap up to themselves teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and thou shalt be turned unto fables what are itching ears itching ears are ears that desire to be soothed and satisfied with speech that puts the mind and puts the heart at rest you see sound doctrine brothers sisters sound doctrine encouraging repentance sound doctrine that reproves sound doctrine that corrects sound doctrine that instructs sound doctrine that takes your ego and grinds it down a little bit that doesn't soothe do you want soothes when your friends or other instructors tell you Ben follow your passions follow your passions Ben there's these things you love right you're really good at this you can make a lot of money

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    doing that just work a little bit of extra time you know work a little bit harder you love it you're good at it go for it tell me some more tell me how good I am keep talking no no no keep going oh my ears are itching them you know ever have a bit of a scratch in your ear ever have a bit of a scratch in your ear and it just driving you nuts like sometimes after you get out of the ocean and you scratch and you oh yeah do you know what scriptures don't really do that very much do they they instruct us you know humanism and the pursuit of happiness in our day I believe have filled the philosophical framework that Nicolaitanism and Epicurean philosophy was fulfilling in Paul's day so humanism and Epicureanism and Nicolaitanism they're just philosophical constructs in which one can decide to build life around and we still have them today these philosophies have not died and they have not weakened and they are getting stronger yet Paul says to Timothy he should preach the word reprove rebuke exhort with long suffering and doctrine other words even though sound doctrine is not endured nevertheless take the scriptures preach with them even if no one listens even if confronted with counter doctrine that teaches and preaches that sin is okay because you're just following your passions there's no right and wrong isn't that what we're told today isn't that what our children are force fed in the schools there's no good and evil take of the tree take of the tree of good and evil have a bite decide

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    for yourself what's right and wrong but this was not the last chapter in this conflict nor the last chapter regarding this ecclesia God was not finished working here and even though the apostle Paul was soon to be martyred the apostle John still had a very important and relevant role to play against the apostasy and defending the truth in Ephesus against air so I've been told that I need to summarize so let me summarize a little bit okay and then I'll sit down there is one God that one God is the basis brothers and sisters of all unity because God is one he has commanded me that I love him and because I love him he has commanded me that I love you if I'm in conflict with you because I'm right on some level I have been drawn into the belief that I have moved God's righteousness and acceded it to my own and I'm right either on my own basis or because I'm being right on God's behalf and on either of those two basis I might take away love from you and in either case I am wrong my ego has nowhere to turn I must love you if I don't love you I have not followed the command of God and therefore I would be denying the thing that I affirm if I love him so much I don't love you I would be denying him and affirming him and contradicting myself in hypocrisy pride has no place thus the scriptures do have a place because they provide for us that basis on which we may be reproved and corrected and instructed

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    there is nothing lacking in them they are perfect they can equip a man in everything he needs for good works and if any other religion or any other basis say there's another basis of right and wrong there's another basis by which we ought to make a decision that is what we fight against we cannot resolve ecclesial conflict on the basis of personality or what works for my family or that brother I don't want to argue with him we must decide and make decisions on the basis of scripture so Paul told Timothy study then Timothy show thyself approved rightly dividing the word of truth and it may seem weak Timothy and other people may say decide they have something better that they're more complete than you are but they are not Timothy and the way that you know Timothy that the scripture is the way is it does not lead to unrighteousness Timothy it instructs !

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    in righteousness and although they may have itching ears Timothy and although they may not want to hear it and although it may not make them feel good there is no other basis that we're given upon which the truth may be held and the scriptures are for us in our day not weakened and God's arm isn't shortened we have all that we need then for dissolving every problem between us and in the ecclesia on the basis of a humble accepting of God's right I'm not right you're not right but he is God is right and so we can come together with the scriptures Bible open letting him instruct us not needing to be right willing to listen understanding that issues are complex but the Bible will keep us in God's way