continue in him 3

In the correspondence given to the ancient believers in Ephesus, there are a number of words given as pastoral instruction to the church. There is a certain tone in one pastor speaking to another that shapes and colors these letters, for of central concern is the well-being of the community as it seeks to put its theology into practice. Those who have been called to leadership among such groups have an important role in setting the tone for the church. The pastor's voice speaking to Timothy comes in this context, which elevates the language from simple Christian idealism to a pragmatic expression of the gospel.

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" (1 Timothy 2:1–2).

In all godliness and holiness

One of the key words in this passage is what many English Bibles translate as godliness. According to Trebilco's in-depth study, this concept was used widely in popular Hellenistic culture (361). I find this sort of claim interesting, although not in a way that makes me doubt its accuracy. There is a tendency among cultures to carry a concern for what is spiritual and mysterious, often described in terms of what is godly, or even holy. We can not say that the Hellenistic culture of ancient Ephesus was compatible with the ethics of the Christian message – the letters written to the believers in this community are clear that such is not the case. But there is ample evidence from all sides that the Hellenistic culture was quite enamored with deities and spiritualities, which led to the inevitable clash of cultures once the exclusivist claims of Christ came to town.

The spiritualized culture prized those who were able to demonstrate a certain piety which was deemed acceptable in their world. Congratulations were bestowed on those who were faithfully committed to the idealism of which society approved. The words of the pastor into this context was aware of this tension of definitions, which is why he emphasizes peace and encourages the believers here to demonstrate the gospel to everyone, regardless of disposition or devotion. And, in a world where ethics and laws were most-often (if not exclusively) dictated from the ruling class to the ordinary citizen, these petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings are to also begin there.

And so we have here a clash of meanings, both linguistically and morally, though this is not the primary concern of the pastor's heart. Though his command of language shows that he is quite able to debate the meaning of words, here he instead keeps his focus on the behavior of the believer. Words, like concepts and lives, can be redeemed if we have the humility, strength and courage to demonstrate the gospel. While the world applauds those who exemplify the approved morality of the day, the believer is called to demonstrate godliness as a means of life before the God who is revealed in the gospel. Such lives show the true meaning of holiness in a world filled with hallow parodies.

Furthermore, it is important that we recognize that there is a season for every activity under heaven in this context. The voice of the pastor is not ignorant to the reality of suffering and martyrdom that so often comes as a result of this clash of cultures – his world had its fair share of dangers the he could not ignore such a possibility. But here he speaks of living peaceful and quiet lives, which is a powerful message for the riots in Ephesus that had accompanied the gospel's work in the community. At this moment it was time for those who were expecting the church community to be a difficult group to get along with to be met with the love and grace and peace of a gospel of life.

Societies will have their own popular barometer of what is right and wrong, which comes along with a set of ethics that will hand out its own merit badges of self-righteousness. Along with this are the alternate definitions of words, phrases and concepts. This does not change the truth of the gospel, nor does it derail its mission. But it sets its work into a context that must be recognized, lest having found the words of eternal life lack the ability to point anyone to them. The strange and dark days that presently fill our culture are not too far from those things that made Hellenistic Ephesus what it was. If we can still hear the voice of the pastor, we might find that a more dedicated lifestyle to the true meaning of what truly represents godliness might be more powerful than all of the debates and riots we could ever initiate.

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In the seven oracles given in Revelation 2–3, mention is made of the Nicolaitans. This group had been a factor in the Ephesian community (2:6), though not much is known about them. So it is difficult to assess what sort of challenge the Nicolaitans presented to the church, but the Ephesians are commended for deeming such theology and practice as false. The name Nicolaitan means something along the lines of "conquered the people," and Bauckham has wondered if this isn't a statement about those who would follow the ways of conquering, in the same manner as the Beast in later Revelation.*

If this is the case, then Bauckham further gives us insight in to the name Nicolaitan being connected to Balaam and Jezebel, both also mentioned in the seven messages to the churches. This gives us some better footing on which to understand the influence of the Nicolaitans, and the challenge they presented to the Ephesians.

Acclimating the Gospel

In the seven messages to the churches in Revelation we are hearing the words of Christ. He speaks as one who walks among the lampstands, which represent each of the congregation (2:1). Thus, he has intimate knowledge of these churches, and is close in their struggles. When he offers his commendation and criticism he does so from within the situation, not as a far-off bystander. It is common for scholarship to speak about John's polemic here, but he is seer who simply writes what he sees and hears – it is the risen Christ who evaluates his church, a point that many historians will not likely accept. We can be certain that John does not approve of the Nicolaitans, but his position is formed by the powerful presence of Jesus before him.

Clearly, the Nicolaitans were advocating a way that was contrary to the gospel that was first brought to Ephesus under apostolic authority. On the surface we see a conflict arising from food sacrificed to idols, and idolatry itself. For the modern world these appear as foreign practices on many levels, although beneath the surface there is a great theological battle being waged. The Ephesians were inundated with pagan religion; the presence of idols and their sacrifices was a constant presence in Ephesus. This was a very real and present danger for those cities in the Roman Empire, and Ephesus was the third largest in this dominant civilization.

The Nicolaitans advocated for more openness and accommodation to the larger culture, believing that there was a less-rigid way of being a people in-the-world-but-not-of-the-world than had previously taught by the apostles. They thought that culture could be experience without surrendering one's theological commitment to the Christian message, and that the more mature believer was equipped to navigate the more mature aspects of society. Advanced spirituality meant an increased participation in the life of the city would not contaminate the truly committed heart. (While we are mentioning it, it is probably safe to say that this was an ancient voice that would have denied the existence of a 'slippery slope,' if the phrase had been around.)

The Nicolaitans were probably attractive to many because they appeared to have mastered the art of faith and civic life, and they didn't suffer as much persecution as a result. On a very important level, they were chameleons in the city – Christians who did not awkwardly stand out in a crowd, even if they were supposed to be.

Our present culture might not struggle with what to do with food sacrificed to idols, but when it comes to adapting our Christian spirituality to the wider culture we have proven ourselves to be masters of the art. The common evangelical in America can go through every aspect of life without raising an eyebrow, perhaps even achieving such blended spirituality as to never give the world any reason whatsoever to think about gospel in the same breath as the individual.

What is worse, we have churches and leaders who advocate this interaction – even celebrate our assimilation into the pagan culture. This is done under the guise of Christian freedom, but is nothing more than adolescent faith masquerading as something advanced – the foolish being used to appear as wise. The church is being made to accommodate culture, a practice that, whenever God's people are guilty, is referred to as spiritual whoredom. So it is no surprise that the evaluation of the risen Christ here is that he "hates" the practices of these Nicolaitans – those who would act as conquerers in the manner of the Beast, as opposed to being victorious in the Lamb.

The Ephesian church is here commended for evaluating the teaching of the Nicolaitans and rejecting them. They do well in this part of their faith, though they still fall short. It appears that maybe the Nicolaitans might have had a different effect than they intended, for they were able to take the Ephesian church off their game. For while this congregation had won a theological battle, they are still summoned to get back to their first love by working out their faith as they had when they first believed. So, theirs is a matter of practice driven by theology. Now that they had their theological understanding of how to live, their summons was to indeed live as the church in the midst of the great city of Ephesus. As John writes these words he can envision the hard work that lay before the church, who could hear the Spirit and become victors in the kingdom of God.



*Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993), 127.
**For this series, see the detailed study: Paul Trebilco, The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008).

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There is a lot going on around Ephesus in early Christianity. The NT has numerous writings that are somehow linked to that city – more than many people even realize. Yet we can identify this city as a leading Christian center within the early church, and note that Ephesus was capital of the province of Asia, and the third largest city in the Roman Empire (see Trebilco for more historical data). In a series of blog posts I wish to explore some of what was said to this community and its context.

Certain People

Key to understanding The Pastoral Letters is to recognize the unique concern the author has for the welfare of the believers and the local church community. Many scholars believe that the letters of 1 & 2 Timothy reflect the situation in and around Ephesus, and we can reasonably think of them as being written to the Ephesian community. When facing issues related to the well-being of this community, it is the pastor's voice that speaks, keeping in mind "the goal of this command is love" (1 Tim 1:5).

According to this pastoral voice, there are "certain people" who have risen up in the church community that are deviating from the true message of the gospel (1 Tim 1:3). These are competing leaders, who have certainly been identified by the community as persons of influence. To many in the congregation they are seen as people of good Christian character, with a theological understanding that is worthy of a hearing. In fact, these certain people probably do not think of themselves as corrupting the faith, but of moving it forward. These are voices from within the church community, and such situations always begin to bring about shades of right and wrong.

The pastoral voice of Paul speaks to Timothy and urges him to address this head-on, because what is being taught among these certain people is more fanciful mythology and fantastic conjecture than the true nature of God's work in the gospel. Although they believe they are on the right track (and, who knows that they aren't sincere in their quest), when compared to the gospel of Christ they are clearly in the wrong. Timothy is called to the often-difficult pastoral work of confrontation, made more difficult still because of the growing acceptance being given to these alternative voices. We can imagine that he was met with ready defense as he made his challenge: That's your opinion! or Who made you the judge of such things? or They are growing the church! or, perhaps, What harm are they really doing if they bring people to the church?

We might well imagine such things because church life dynamics don't really change that much over time. Today there are just as many (most likely more) voices that become so concerned with matters that distract from the gospel, that reinterpret the truth of Christ, and which lead the church  away from advancing God's work. What is more is that the difficult pastoral work of confrontation is becoming all-the-more-difficult still, with more voices rising up to challenge those who would hold firm to the truth of the gospel. All of this and we have yet to leave the doors of the church. It is often from those who are regarded as leaders in the church and community that exert this influence; seldom do those with little social status hold this type of sway. But the pastor voice is certain of one thing: these wanna-be teachers actually know nothing about what they talk about, and now must be challenged before the church (1 Tim 1:7).

It is important for us to see that the pastoral voice, the concern for the community and the gospel, the directive given from a seasoned apostle to the younger leader is a head-on collision of truth and corruption. Paul writes as a warning so that this teaching might be stopped dead in its tracks, even if it meant that certain people would be handed over to Satan himself (1 Tim 1:20). The first and most basic principle of dealing with this sort of division and opposition within the community is to remove all of the oxygen from it, that it might suffocate and drown in a sea of truth. The only way that this corruption can spread in the community is if it is allowed to circulate as though it were acceptable to the leadership of the church. If it is called out and compared to the truth of the gospel, then it will not stand in the power of message of Christ.

Perhaps we have become overly conditioned to a cultural context that suggests that everyone who means well does well, that we forget that in all of the love with which we may speak, it must be loving speech about truth. There will be those who are uncomfortable with this, and there is room for pastoral sensitivity to those who are weaker. But to those who corrupt the message – willingly or not – there must be accountability. Those who dare to stand for the gospel will quickly discover the challenges that come with questioning those popular and influential voices, especially when it begins to turn into a popularity contest (which many certain people will be more-than-happy to hide behind). But the church needs men and women who are willing to stand as shepherds, not hesitating to take out the wolves that find themselves in with the sheep – these are those certain people that will not take the correction of the gospel, but will bare their teeth at the sign of any disagreement.

This is why the pastoral voice speaks to Ephesus, and why we must speak to our local churches today. God's people are to continue in him, not being swayed by certain people who are motivated for their own interests than for the gospel.