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More Gospel, Less Epistles?
More Gospels, Less Epistles?
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” - Ephesians 4:4-6
Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians to promote unity among the Jewish and Gentile Christians who were struggling to worship together. In 2:11-22, he reminded them that Jesus, through the cross, had removed all barriers to their fellowship to bring them together into one spiritual house. The unity that Christ died for was at stake because some among them focused more on the differences between men than the nature of the God who saved them.
In Ephesians 4:4-6, Paul reminds them that the unity believers are to enjoy is rooted in the nature of the Godhead. In John 17:21, Jesus speaks of His unity with the Father, saying, “…even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us…” The Godhead offers a picture of perfect, all-encompassing unity. These three divine persons are united in purpose and function, i.e., they share a plan and carry out their part of that plan in perfect harmony.
For some time, there has been an ecumenical movement among the various denominations that differs considerably from Paul’s call for unity in Ephesians 4. The call has been sounded to unite around a shared faith that Jesus is the Son of God, even though this faith is demonstrated in various often conflicting practices and doctrines. Some of our brethren, I am afraid, are dangerously close to sounding this same cry.
The call these brethren put forth is more subtle and wrapped in the language of grace and mercy, but if heeded, it will transform the definition of fellowship, the work of the local church, and the form of worship. The danger of this call is in its craftiness. It is often presented in a seemingly innocent suggestion to spend more time in the Gospels than in the Epistles. On the surface, this may not sound like a dangerous suggestion; however, we would do well to remember Paul’s warning about “the trickery of men” and “deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14). A wolf in wolf’s clothing is easily guarded against. But, when dressed as sheep, they may walk directly into the flock and wreak havoc.
What is wrong with reading the Gospels? Nothing at all. I highly recommend it. The Gospels share the story of our salvation, the life of Jesus that we must imitate, the love of God in the sacrifice of His Son, and much more. We must spend time in the Gospels and glean their powerful lessons.
The less obvious but essential question is, what happens when we deprioritize the Epistles? If we turn our backs on the Epistles, we lose the majority of inspired writing about the function and purpose of the church. We lose passages like Ephesians 4:11-16, which help us understand the spiritual nature of the edification the church is to be involved in. We lose Ephesians 5:18-21, Colossians 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 14, and other passages that help us to understand what God desires from our worship. We lose the pattern Paul lays out for the church and its activity in 1 Timothy that allows us to build healthy churches.
A discerning examination of this call reveals a facade of Jesus-centered rhetoric that can only be supported by a very selective use of the Gospels. In an attempt to criticize pattern theology, we are told that the Epistles are descriptive rather than prescriptive. In other words, they tell us what happened without the intent to set an authoritative pattern.
This position fails to recognize two key points. First, Jesus utilized pattern theology when answering questions about what is “lawful.” In Matthew 19:4-9, he appealed to the example of Adam and Eve (vs. 4), the express statement of Genesis 2:24 (vs. 5), and applied the necessary inference of this pattern (vs. 6). Next, in John 14-16 Jesus repeatedly states that He would leave and send the Helper (the Holy Spirit) to guide the Apostles in their mission to testify of and glorify Jesus (Jn. 15:26, 16:13). Does this only apply to the doxologies found in the Epistles, or should we understand that the instructions for the work and worship of the church aid us in glorifying our Lord (1 Tim. 3:14-15)? Are we really to believe that the passages from Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Corinthians, and 1 Timothy mentioned above are merely descriptive?
By the way, when treated properly, the Gospels are no easy pill to swallow. In their pages, we see the radical transformation that the Gospel is intended to work in our hearts, minds, and lives. In them, we get a front-row seat to the high cost of discipleship. Interestingly, we find in the pages of the Gospels that some who call themselves believers will mislead those who seek to serve the Lord (Matt. 7:15-23).
During the Grace Unity movement of the 1970s, this call was put forth in a similar manner. A distinction was made between Gospel and Doctrine. Gospel, we were told, revolved around certain facts about Jesus that were considered core to the faith. These were necessary for fellowship. After all, the Gospel is about Jesus. Doctrine referred to essentially everything else and was put into the realm of liberty. Thus whatever was considered doctrine could be dismissed in the name of unity. As long as we are united over the core facts of the Gospel, we were told, we can be in fellowship. At this point, you may think having a list of those core facts would be helpful, but interestingly, there was never a consensus. Some argued for seven, some for four, and others for three. I am sure you can see the irony.
But this illustrates the problem, does it not? By attempting to elevate one portion of God’s word over another in pursuit of “unity,” we leave God out of the mix. No longer are we seeking to be united with Him. We are simply attempting to find horizontal unity — which does not require unity with God. The failures of the Grace Unity movement illustrate the hubris needed for men to abandon God’s wisdom in pursuit of the unity God calls for.
In closing, let me appeal to the reader to be critical critical consumers of articles, Facebook posts, and sermons. By critical, I mean discerning. Why is the writer/speaker saying what they are saying? Does Scripture support the teaching they offer? What are the logical consequences of what is being proposed? The answers to these questions are far more important than the skill of the writer/speaker or the emotions evoked by their work.
“16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NASB95)
Shawn Chancellor
- More_Gospels_Less_Epistles.pages (260.74 kB)
