Ephesians (W7D4) No Longer Infants
Thursday: No Longer Infants
PRAY: Ask God to speak to you from His Word.
READ: Ephesians 4:14
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
UNDERSTAND: get a deeper understanding of the key words
Infants (Greek: nēpios): a metaphor for being childish, untaught, unstable
Paul said the Corinthians were worldly and childish (1 Corinthians 3:1).
We start as infants in Christ but should not stay that way (1 Corinthians 13:11).
Tossed Back and Forth (Greek: klydōnizomai): metaphor for being mentally agitated
Blown Here and There (Greek: peripherō): to be carried away, driven by doubts
Wind of Teaching (Greek: anemos didaskalia): various types of false doctrines
Paul is warning believers that if they are not mature and grounded in the Word of God, they will believe and/or doubt anything.
A sign of maturity is a stable faith grounded in the truth of God’s Word.
Cunning (Greek: kybeia): trickery, fraud, deception
Craftiness (Greek: panourgia): cunning, false wisdom
Deceitful Scheming (Greek: planē methodeia): wrong opinion of morality
Appealing to the flesh to justify immoral behavior.
For more on false teachers, see 2 Peter 2:17-22.
APPLY: What is this passage calling me to do?
Much like today, the early church faced a number of false teachers. They deceive believers into greedy and self-centered doctrines that tear the church apart. This is why Paul warns against believers acting like infants. If we are not grounded in God’s Word, we will believe anything that sounds good to our ears. If we listen to false teachers, we will derail our faith with doubts, controversy, and worldly living. Maturity in our faith, the study and application of God’s Word, is the only way to guard against false doctrine.
Have you ever been carried away by false teaching? What was the result?
What do you need to do to guard yourself against false teaching?
PRAY: Ask God to help you become more grounded in His Word.
