The Responsibilities of Believers
Introduction.
As born-again believers we have received an incredible, supreme gift. That is of course our salvation. This we did not earn, nor did it come at any cost to us.
Our salvation is a gracious gift from God obtained for us by the suffering and death of His own Son which was God’s plan from the foundation of the world.
This amazing gift is accompanied by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, empowering us towards godly living.
It is not surprising therefore, that we feel the strongest desire to respond to this gift and He who made it possible. We have within us a strong sense of obligation, duty and responsibility. These responsibilities are outlined in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians chapters 4, 5 and 6, and these will now be examined.
Responsibility 1. To Keep the Unity of the Spirit.
In Ephesians 4: 3, Paul states that believers have a responsibility for, and should be “endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
The call to “endeavour” means to make every effort, to work hard to maintain the unity which the Holy Spirit has given us. There are many differences among the members of a fellowship. Of course, both genders are represented. Members of the body vary in age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, life experience, work experience and even, in a limited way, political outlook. These differences do not matter. All true believers have the indwelling of the same Spirit who guides us towards godly living.
In forming the church, God has eliminated the greatest division ever in mankind; the rift between Jew and Gentile. In Yeshua, these distinctions were abolished. We see how Paul wanted to avoid the development of Jewish fellowships and Gentile fellowships.
The Holy Spirit has made all true believers in Yeshua one in Yeshua. This is a basic unity that nothing can destroy.
However, by quarrelling and bickering believers can act as though it was not so. We should be at peace with one another. “Peace” binds the members of the body together despite the wide natural differences between us.
We must submerge our differences, respect each other and work together in peace for the glory of God and our common blessing.
Responsibility 2. To Use Our Abilities for the Church’s Benefit.
In Ephesians 4: 7 Paul writes, “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift”. The clear implication of such gifts is that they are to be used for the church’s benefit; “for the edifying of the body of Christ” (verse 12).
Now, every human, saved or unsaved, has talents and abilities which are useful in a fellowship. (If you are good with figures do the accounts; if you can sing join a choir).
But here Paul is talking about very special giftings given by Yeshua at the time of his ascension. Obviously, these are for believers only. We should be careful to distinguish between divine gifts and natural talents. For example, no matter how talented an orator an unsaved person may be, he could not be an evangelist, pastor or teacher in the New Testament sense of these duties.
The gifts of the Spirit, given by Yeshua, are supernatural. They enable a person to do what would be humanly impossible for them. Yeshua gives these gifts to build up the church. Believers should use all their gifts so that a fellowship can maintain itself, build up every one of its members, so that they can do good work.
Divinely gifted people should not serve in such a way as to make others dependent on them. Rather they should be working toward the day when each individual saint will be able to carry on themselves independently. They should seek the day when all come to a state of unity, maturity and freely willed conformity.
And if one gift seems more successful or spectacular or powerful then another – What of it? It is not because of the superiority of the person who has received it. There is no partiality in Yeshua. It is God who supplies the power to whoever Yeshua chooses.
There is no believer who does not have a purpose in the body of Christ. Gifts are given for that purpose and controlled by the Holy Spirit. As each member fulfils his/her appropriate work, the church grows spiritually and numerically.
If you want to check-out your giftings, please refer to 1 Corinthians 12: 4 – 10.
Responsibility 3. Each Believer has a Responsibility to Grow and Mature.
In Ephesians 4: 14 Paul states that each believer has a responsibility to “…no longer be children, tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.”
Children, as we know, are gullible, vulnerable and easily victimised. They require protection until they grow to maturity. The church needs to work diligently to move “babes in Christ” into mature disciples. Of course, they themselves must be open to be taught.
To aid believers towards maturity requires sound doctrine (there can be no compromise on the fundamentals of faith). And as these new believers receive their gifting and get involved in active service, spiritual growth comes and in every area of their lives they become more like Yeshua. The Lord is not only the goal of growth, but He is the source of growth as well.
Believers need to be completely yielded and obedient to the Lord’s will; subject to His’s controlling power; and like Him in all areas of their lives. Thus, for example, a mature believer can evangelise in love, rather in a cold and sentimental manner. To evangelise effectively requires spiritual maturity and a thorough knowledge of sound doctrine.
Harmful teaching and practices by leaders that undermine the truth are the greatest threat to young believers. Doctrinal falsehood and unrighteous practices are advocated by those driven by self-interest and self-gratification often seen in their pretentious, extravagant and immoral lifestyles. Young believers must learn discernment as they mature.
Responsibility 4. To Put Away Old, Sinful Ways.
In Ephesians 4: 22 Paul instructs his readers to “put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.”
Because of Yeshua’s sacrifice for us, we are called to put on a new morality, putting off every trace of our past life and put on the values and excellence of Yeshua.
New believers will find that their past lives, although perhaps busy, were essentially aimless. They previously had no capacity to understand spiritual truth and were living far from God because of a wilful hardness of heart. They were shameless; giving themselves over to so-called “pleasures”.
But the Spirit of God produces a complete about-face in their thinking; from moral impurity to holiness of life.
What is required is a mind dedicated to God’s truth. But any and every slip back into the old self, produces the risk of a return to the mind-set of the world. That can only produce a life tossed back and forth by the currents of culture. It then becomes difficult to resist the temptations of that culture. Only a mind dedicated to God’s truth can stand the test of time and requires meditating on God’s word and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and shape our thoughts and behaviour in daily life.
Our lives should look very different from that of the ungodly even though sin retains a foothold in our temporal flesh with its corrupted desires.
The believer has no greater calling than to imitate the Lord. Limitless spiritual power is available for every believer who submits to God’s word and His Spirit. All those who discipline their minds to study God’s word, understand it and live by it, will be empowered by the Holy Spirit and find solid ground.
Responsibility 5. To Speak Honestly and Purely.
In Ephesians 4: 29 Paul states that believers have a responsibility to “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth”.
A “lying tongue” was of course one of the abominations listed in Proverbs 6. But “corrupt words” has a deeper meaning. The Greek word rendered “corrupt” refers to something foul and rotten like food that has gone off. This is more than simply making falsehoods but suggests also exaggeration, adding fabrication to something which is true, cheating, betraying a confidence, making false accusations, making false excuses and all kinds of untruths which the believer should have no part in.
On the positive side, our speech should be edifying to those around us. Having put on the “new man” there should be striking changes in our everyday lives.
For a believer to be caught in a lie by the unsaved would bring disrepute on our faith. The believer’s word should be absolutely trustworthy. We have a responsibility to live and talk in a manner worthy of salvation, dispensing with any form of conversation that is frivolous, empty and worthless.
Responsibility 6. To Do What the Spirit leads Us to Do.
In Ephesians 4: 30 Paul instructs his readers thus: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”.
To be “sealed” by the Holy Spirit speaks of His ownership of us. He will guarantee our preservation until Yeshua returns. Our eternal salvation is one of the strongest reasons why we should not sin.
The “Holy Spirit of God” should never be pushed away, ignored or rejected. Worthless talk, lying, unrighteous anger and stealing all these hurt Him who lives within us. We need to remember that and be very careful about what we think, read, watch, say and do. We know that evil thoughts are a temptation even for those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit. He loves us, as only a person who loves can be “grieved”.
The favourite ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Yeshua and to change our behaviour into His likeness. When we do not listen to Him and sin, He must turn from His first-choice ministry to one of restoration. It grieves Him to see a believer’s spiritual progress interrupted by sin. He must then lead the believer to the place of confession of sin and repentance, but this slows his progress towards godly living.
Responsibility 7. To Imitate God.
In Ephesians 5: 1 Paul instructs his readers to “be imitators of God as dear children”.
In natural life children bear the family likeness and should seek to uphold the good name of the family. In spiritual life, we should manifest our Father to the world and seek to walk worthy of our calling as beloved children.
We have no greater calling than to imitate the Lord. This is the very purpose of sanctification; that we grow in likeness to the Lord while serving Him on earth. Our faith is designed to reproduce godliness as modelled by our Lord. Believers should follow the example of God’s action; that He loved us when were still His enemies. The Father showed us mercy by not leaving us to the punishment we deserved. We, therefore, should show mercy to others.
Yeshua set an unattainable standard of conduct which sums up all that the Law demands. Though His standard is impossible for us to meet, God could not lower His standards of perfection to accommodate our sinful nature, but He does empower us that we should be holy as He is.
Responsibility 8. To Walk in Love.
In Ephesians 5: 2 Paul instructs his readers that they have a responsibility to “walk in love, as Christ also loves us.”
We should resemble the Lord by walking “in love”; that is, being willing to give ourselves for others as He did in a sacrifice of unimaginable devotion. He took God’s wrath for human sin on Himself.
Yeshua’s offering of Himself for fallen mankind pleased and glorified God, His heavenly Father, because it demonstrated in the most complete and perfect way God’s sovereign, perfect, unconditional and divine kind of love.
Those of us who have been forgiven much by God, should, of all people, be able to forgive the mostly relatively small offences committed against us by others
The reason for pursuing a holy manner of living is that believers are associated with God and must treat Him and His word with respect and reverence. It must never be forgotten what Yeshua achieved through His atoning death on the cross. He delivered us from the darkness of the world system ruled by Satan.
Responsibility 9. To Find Out What is Acceptable to God.
In Ephesians 5: 10 Paul instructs his readers that they have a responsibility to “find out what is acceptable to God.”
We find out what is “acceptable” by putting every thought, word and action to the same test – What would the Lord think of this? Of course, we can only answer these questions for ourselves if we have an extensive and intimate understanding of scripture and how it effects every aspect of our lives. We can then do accurate self-scrutiny in such areas as our words, our actions, our work, our leisure, our property, our friendships, our holidays etc.
If we can get to think the way the Lord thinks, as revealed in scripture, we can experience the direct influence of God in our lives. And if we do begin to go off track, the Holy Spirit will make His reproach known. But we must yield ourselves wholly to the Lord; always testing out our instincts to hear what is truly honouring to God.
Responsibility 10. To Make the Most of our Time.
In Ephesians 5: 16 Paul instructs his readers that they have a responsibility to “see that you walk circumspectly … redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
One’s “walk” in scripture represents the sum total of the activities in an individual’s life. To “walk circumspectly” means to conduct one’s life in a precise and careful manner.
The term “the time” refers to the lifetime of the believer. Believers should be aware of the brevity of life, and we could be called home at any time either individually or collectively, in the Rapture.
We are to be “redeeming the time”. We need to recognise that every day may bring its openings. We should be living lives noted for holiness, deeds of mercy and words of help. God will not always strive with mankind. The days of grace will soon close. The opportunities for open worship, witness and service on earth will soon be ended in this age.
Responsibility 11. To be Filled with the Spirit.
In Ephesians 5: 18 Paul instructs his readers that they have a responsibility to “be filled with the Spirit.”
The “filling of the Spirit” which Paul is talking about here is not the once and forever beginning of the indwelling of the Spirit which comes at the moment of salvation. He is talking about a moment-by-moment experience.
This experience of being “filled” is not automatic but is the result of obedience and is a continuous process – today’s filling will not do for tomorrow. It is the ideal condition for the believer on earth. It means that the Holy Spirit is having His way in the life of the believer in a relatively ungrieved way and the believer is fulfilling His role in God’s plan at that time.
It requires confession and the putting away in all known sin in our lives; yielding ourselves completely to the control of the Spirit; letting the word of Yeshua dwell in us richly; and, putting off our self-interest.
The closer we are to God, the more we will experience this. But we will also realize our own unworthiness. There are four results of being filled with the Spirit: the desire to share the things of the Lord; inward joy and desire to praise God; a deep sense of gratitude even in life’s storms; and the ability to submit to one another.
Responsibility 12. To Submit To One Another.
In Ephesians 5: 12 Paul instructs his readers that in meeting their responsibilities they should be “…submitting to one another in the fear of God.”
Every true believer will be humble and submissive. Yeshua, of course, was our example. Although fully equal with the God the Father, He assumed a submissive role during His Incarnation. No believer is inherently superior to another. In our standing with God, we are equal in every way.
Serving is more important than being in authority over others. Again, Yeshua is our model. He served and never demanded obedience. We should demonstrate a modesty of demeanour, humility, an unwillingness to dispute, and gentleness.
To be “in the fear of God.” means to hold God in reverence.
Pride should never be our motivation. When people in a fellowship think they know best and push to get their own way, you end up with factionalism, rivalries and partisanship. All the result of the desire for personal glory and motivated by personal ambition. This is not the way of the Lord and does not lead to the glorification of Yeshua.
Responsibility 13. To Have Marriages Which Honour God.
In Ephesians 5: 22 – 33 Paul instructs on the responsibilities we have towards God in our marriages: a husband should “love his own wife as himself” and that the wife should ensure that “she respects her husband.”
Let us look first at the role of the believing wife. Just as Yeshua (the second person of the triune godhead) was not inferior to the Father, so wives are the equals of their own husbands. Yet in a marriage relationship, the wife should voluntarily submit to her own husband, mirroring her own submission to Yeshua.
Believing wives, no matter what her abilities may be – in education, knowledge of scripture, spiritual maturity or any other quality where she may excel over her husband – should regard her husband’s authority.
In the marriage relationship, the husband and wife have different roles. Let us consider the husband.
His authority is not something to be demanded by the husband. It comes from the responsibility of the husband in regard to his wife. Husbands are to love their wives with the same sacrificial love which Yeshua shows to the church. Husbands are to nourish and cherish their wives. Believing husbands have the twin responsibility for her needs to help her to grow in maturity in Yeshua and to provide warmth and tender affection to give her comfort and security.
If husbands loved their wives as themselves and wives continually respected and obeyed their husbands, there would be no strife, no separations and no divorces. Our homes could be a foretaste of heaven!
Responsibility 14. To Honour God in Our Families.
In Ephesians 6: 1 – 4. Paul instructs his readers in their responsibilities in family life: “children obey your parents” and “fathers do not provoke your children to wrath.”
Family life as designed by God, shows that beautiful balance which is so prevalent in God’s word. Children are to obey their parents and parents are to treat their children in such a way that they will want to obey.
For children, the fifth Commandment is the only one which carries a definite promise. If children obey and honour their parents, the family’s future will be secure. The parent-child relationship is ordained by God. Children are immature, impulsive and inexperienced. They should submit to their parents who are older and wiser. In general, a life of discipline and obedience is conducive to longevity (of course, there are exceptions). Whereas a life of rebellion and recklessness is more likely to lead to a premature end in disaster.
Now let us consider parents’ responsibilities. Parents have a duty not to be unduly severe with their children, ridicule them or discourage them. A parent should train their children in the same manner in which God trains and teaches them. Parents should have warmth and affection balance by concern and discipline.
Responsibility 15. To Demonstrate Integrity in the Workplace.
In Ephesians 6: 5 – 9. Paul instructs believers in their responsibilities as employees and employers: “Bondservants be obedient to those who are your masters” and “you masters, do the same things to them.”
In the Roman empire of Paul’s time “bondservants” were slaves, considered mere property, who could be abused or killed by their masters without consequence. But not so in the church. Slaves and their masters were equals and no doubt in that atmosphere, some who were slaves proved themselves to be gifted spiritual leaders.
In modern times, employees being “obedient” refers to a continuous, uninterrupted submission to one’s employer; the only exception being in regard to any command that involved clear disobedience to God’s word. That submission is to be upheld even if the employer does not deserve respect in his or her own right. It should nevertheless be given as if one were serving Yeshua. To serve one’s employer well is to serve Yeshua well.
Believing employers should be guided by the same principles as their believing employees. Employers have a duty not to take advantage of their employees but instead to offer just wages, proper benefits and adequate rest. They should be treating their employers well, remembering that they themselves have a master in heaven.
Responsibility 16. To Stand Strong Against the Forces of Evil.
In Ephesians 6: 10 – 18 Paul instructs his readers that they have a responsibility to “be strong in the Lord … that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
In this section of Paul’s letter, we have the extended metaphor of the soldier’s armour and equipment representing what is required to be strong against the forces of evil I.e., Satan’s subtle tricks to attempt to defeat believers in spiritual warfare.
The believer’s life is a struggle. The hosts of Satan are determined to hinder and obstruct the work of Yeshua and to knock any believer out of action. The more effective the believer, the more he/she will experience the savage attacks of the enemy. In our own strength we are no match for this evil.
But we should remember that ultimately Satan’s power over believers is already broken and the great war has been won by Yeshua’s death and resurrection, which forever conquered the power of sin and death. So, what do we need to stand strong against the forces of evil: truth; righteousness; a readiness to go out with the good news of peace; a firm confidence in the Lord; knowledge of our ultimate victory; the Word of God; and prayer of all kinds.
Conclusion.
So, there we have it, sixteen areas of responsibility for believers who have been equipped by the Holy Spirit and which we acknowledge as our reasonable service in view of the salvation which we have been graciously given.
Here again are these responsibilities: to keep the unity of the Spirit; to use our abilities for the church’s benefit; to keep growing and maturing; to put away our old selves; to speak honesty and purely; to do what the Spirit leads us to do; to imitate God; to walk in love; to find out what is acceptable to God; to make the most of our time; to be filled with the Spirit; to submit to one another; to have marriages which honour God; to honour God in our family life; to demonstrate integrity in the workplace; and to stand strong against the forces of evil.
Amen.