Gifts of Grace: Redemption of Ignorance

What is an ignorant Christian?

Is it the caricature of Christians portrayed by the media? (If you believe this, by the way, what are you doing to counter the misrepresentation?)

Is it the attitude, "The Bible is the only book I need to read," expressed by some Christians? (If you believe this, by the way, do you want your Christian doctor or lawyer to have the same attitude?)

Is it ignorance of certain sins, e.g., "I don’t know what it’s like to cheat on my spouse."?

Is it ignorance of how the world works?

Adlai Stevenson, two-time candidate for President and former governor of Illinois, when asked by a heckler what he believed, once said, "For my part I believe in the forgiveness of sin and the redemption of ignorance." What would an ignorant Christian—and a not-so-ignorant Christian—look like to Adlai?

In the NIV, the word ignorant occurs 12 times: Ps. 73:22; Pr. 30:2; Is. 44:9; 45:20; Rom. 11:25; 1 Cor. 10:1; 12:1; 15:34; 1 Th. 4:13; Heb. 5:2; 1 Pet. 2:15; 2 Pet. 3:16. [1] What do these ignorant people have in common?

Ephesians 6:18-22

Commentary

v18 This verse is on the cusp of last week’s sermon and this week’s. Vigilant prayer is a necessary part of the armor of God (v10-18) and it is also a necessary part of the ongoing revelation of the kingdom of God. Where is God at work? In part, the more you pray, the more you see where God is working. The one who despairs is least likely to be looking to see God in action.

v18-20 is one, long run-on sentence in Greek and it is difficult to render into readable English. The grammar is more accurately conveyed in the NKJV. Whereas the NIV gives three commands to pray—as well as commands to be alert & to keep on praying—in fact these verbs are all participles. As such, praying, being alert, and persevering in prayer are not extra orders to follow, but rather the means by which we are to accomplish our other orders (i.e., last week: being strong, standing firm, and putting on the full armor of God).

v20 ... as I should. Three little words, so easily skipped over—looking like an afterthought—and yet so important. Not speaking is not an option; speaking without boldness is unacceptable. Paul knows his commission is to speak boldly on all occasions about the mystery of the gospel. Now, about the necessity to speak: is that a special commission given just to Paul, or are we all expected to speak as well?

v21-22 Building up the body has been a theme throughout Ephesians, and Paul is sending Tychicus for the sake of building up the Ephesian church. Tychicus will tell them everything (v21): the good (e.g. the spread of the gospel) and the bad (e.g. Paul in chains, v20).

That you may know … Three times Paul reveals his intention—that people might know (v19, 21, 22) the power of God in the advance of his kingdom and the preservation of the saints. [2] In the Bible, knowledge implies understanding, and understanding is meant to change how we live and act.

Points to Ponder

Ignorance in the Bible always refers to ignorance of God, his ways, and his mighty deeds. Frequently the Bible calls us to remember what God has done; more often it calls us to know, to understand, and to act.

What you think is what you know, but what you believe is what you do. Paul’s revelation is solely for the purpose of building the Ephesians up—changing how the Ephesians live & act. When we practice our faith in private, when we are quiet about the highs & lows of our spiritual life, we fail to build each other up.

It’s easy to understand how praises build us up as a church, but how does sharing problems build us up?

You might not see yourself as a Paul, but can you be a Tychicus? What would that look like in church?

End Notes

1 - How curious that the people called ignorant most frequently is the church of Corinth, which was preoccupied with spiritual gifts. What statement is Paul is making by calling them ignorant?

2 - When I preached in church this morning, I gave one of the youths the assignment to search for all of the important words that get repeated in this Scripture. The answer is: pray (5x); fearlessly (2x); and know/known (3x). That's just about the entire sermon right there: Pray fearlessly that you (and others) might know the power of God at work in your life.I think fearless praying really is talking about praying in public for the good and the bad in your life--often are we don't want to draw attention to ourselves by talking about the good and we are ashamed of the bad, but Paul says pray fearlessly about it all!