How can we not be tossed to and fro (Ephesians 4:14)?

Response

In Ephesians 4:11, the apostle Paul introduces five categories of “office gifts,” or individuals with special gifts, bestowed upon the church by God: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Their role is “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith” (Ephesians 4:12-13). The objective, as stated by Paul, is “so that we may no longer be children, 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,” and that we may “grow up in every way into him who is the head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:14-15;ESV).

The expression “tossed back and forth” is derived from a Greek nautical term that means “to be tossed by waves; to be carried around abruptly due to the violence of waves.” God has provided ministry gifts to His church to serve as a stabilizing anchor that will prevent us from being swayed like immature, easily influenced children, vulnerable to every trendy new human teaching and cunning deception of the adversary. By staying connected to the body of Christ, drawing strength and encouragement from fellow believers gifted to equip and edify us in Jesus Christ, we can avoid being tossed about and having our faith shipwrecked like small, unmoored boats.

For growth to occur, we must actively participate in the process through which the entire body is “joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” «from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work» (Ephesians 4:16).

The body is built up in love. », (Ephesians 4:16, NLT). Solitary Christians cannot minister to others or receive ministry. God’s gifts of equipping and edification are meant to be shared within the community.

Paul instructed the Colossians to remain firmly rooted in their faith to avoid being misled by “persuasive arguments” «And this I say, lest any man should deceive you with enticing words. », (Colossians 2:4, NLT). Mature believers grasp that to walk with Christ, they must consistently nourish themselves with God’s Word while engaging in fellowship with fellow believers: “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ” (Colossians 2:4,6-8;NLT).

Only when we are grounded in God’s truth and devoted to the body of Christ can we discern false teachers and avoid their deceitful doctrines. James advised, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” «But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. », (James 1:6, NLT). Jude cautioned about the cunning of false teachers: “These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead” «These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. », (Jude 1:12, NLT).

Shepherds who care only for themselves are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots” (Jude 1:12; NLT; see also Acts 20:29-31; Romans 16:17-18; Hebrews 13:9; 2 Corinthians 11:3-4).

Members of Christ’s body grow strong and stable—no longer tossed to and fro—when they stay rooted and grounded in God’s Word and minister to one another through loving, cooperative involvement in the church. We belong to one another and need each other to grow (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). Each one of us serves a purpose in the corporate whole. As the body grows up together, each member grows stronger individually. Warren Wiersbe notes Paul’s emphasis on love in the process see Ephesians 4:2, 15, 16: “The body grows as the individual members grow, and they grow as they feed on the Word and minister to each other. . . . Love is the circulatory system of the body. It has been discovered that isolated, unloved babies do not grow properly and are especially susceptible to disease, while babies who are loved and handled grow normally and are stronger. So it is with the children of God” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 2, Victor Books, 1996, pp. 38–39).