INSIGHT

On Religion, History & Society:

A Forum for Conservative Christian Thought

Volume 2, No. 1, February 1996

In This Issue:

• World War II: God Was With Us
  • Sidebar: Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
• Ephesians 4:7-16 - an Exegesis (Part 1)
• Blessed Are the Grumblers

World War II: God Was With Us

by Rev. Paul A. Hughes

In 1995, our nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of World War II, as well as mourning its victims. Of all the living veterans of our country's wars, 43 percent served in that great conflict.

It is common for both sides, as in the Civil War, to claim God's sanction. In the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln recognized this. Many consider that in WWII, God was on our side against the forces of evil. Whether or not we can always claim God's approval in our cause, it is clear that the God who regards each sparrow that falls, and will save all who humbly call upon his name, was with "our boys" individually on the battlefield.

Carl Mongrue was a B-17 bomber crewman with the 8th Air Force. Flying long-range bombing missions in broad daylight over Germany, American bombers suffered horrendous losses due to flak and enemy fighters.

Before one particular mission, Carl was fearful and began to pray. According to Carl, "I really did talk to 'the Man.' I said, 'I don't think I can make this.' I knew I heard a voice--you don't have to believe me--but the voice was, 'Carl, don't be afraid, because I'm with you, always, even till the end of time.'"

"That made me go. I said, 'I don't have to worry. I'm protected'" ("All the Fine Young Men," NBC, Inc., 1984).

On February 3, 1943, near Greenland, the troop transport Dorchester was torpedoed and began to sink. Four chaplains were aboard the ship: a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi, and two Protestant ministers.

The chaplains began passing out life vests. When the life vests ran out, they gave their own vests away. When last seen, the four men still stood on the sinking vessel, arm in arm, praying together (Reader's Digest, July 1988).

In this famous act of selfless courage, these four men of God not only demonstrated their faith, but that a faithful God had already proven himself willing and able to meet their every need, even in death and the hereafter.

One serviceman wrote home:

"Dear Dad,

"I am still considering Army life good fortune, no matter what happens. I'm the same fellow you always knew, only a little stronger in my personal convictions. And after being guided through a few recent experiences, I'm inclined to believe that God wants me to return to you again, here on earth.

"With all my love, your son" (from "All the Fine Young Men").

In November of 1943, ball turret gunner Robert ("Mutt") Osborne's B-17 had been badly shot up. The crew had all bailed out except him and the pilot, who was shot in the head and believed killed (though he was actually mortally wounded).

Osborne was about to bail out, but felt something urge him to stay. As he checked on the pilot, he suddenly saw a vision, as if it were reflected in the windscreen. He saw a group of women gathered around a table, praying for him. He recognized the women as his mother and her friends.

Repeatedly, Osborne seemed to hear a voice behind him command him to take the plane back, also giving him the compass heading back to England. When German fighters came after the plane, a dense cumulus cloud suddendly appeared in the path of the plane, enabling him to escape.

Osborne, who was not a pilot, managed to find the airfield and crash-land the big plane. The pilot later died, but for a time regained consciousness. From his deathbed, he recommended Osborne for the Medal of Honor (Guideposts, Feb. 1989).

God is nearer than we often think. God tells his people, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame kindle upon you: for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior" (Isaiah 43:1-3).

But what about those who did not return from war unscathed, those who were killed or horribly wounded? It is human nature to ask why. Why didn't God seem to come through for them? We sometimes blame God, if not for making bad things happen, then for not preventing misfortune. There are no easy answers. But if we believe that God is truly sovereign, in ultimate control of all things, then we must also believe that He alone knows all the answers, and has higher purposes beyond anything our limited minds can imagine.

Around midnight on July 30, 1945, the cruiser USS Indianapolis was returning from a secret mission to deliver a crucial part for the atomic bomb. Struck by a Japanese torpedo, the Indy quickly began to sink. But because her mission was secret, no one knew where they were, or that they were in trouble.

About 400 members of the Indy's crew died in the sinking. The rest resorted to rubber rafts and life vests. There they endured 4-5 days lost at sea. They suffered from their wounds, from thirst and exposure, and many died from shark attack. Some became delirious and swam off toward an imagined island. Of the original 1200 men, only 316 were rescued.

Recently, over 100 survivors of the Indianapolis gathered in her namesake city for the unveiling of a memorial. "Through this experience, I really knew that there was a God, and it sent me to searching," said survivor Charles McKissick. "I just remembered my mother saying that she knew who could go out there with me, that Jesus could go with me and take care of me--and He did!"

According to Cletus LeBeau, "I was scared to death and I just said, `Lord, help me.' And I just heard a voice saying, `Fear not.'"

Al Havens considered himself a "modern-day Jonah" who had been running away from God. "That's what God wanted," said Havens. "He wanted to lead me into a place where I would say, `All right, it's out of my hands. Now it's in yours, totally."

One survivor added, "He delivered us from the ocean, and I feel like and know that He delivered us for a purpose" (The 700 Club, August 17, 1995).

God does not always choose to deliver us from our valleys. It is in the valleys that we grow and mature, and fight our battles--and it is only through battles that the victory can be won. But if we know him, He will always walk through the valleys with us (see Psalm 23).

Jesus said to his disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

"And If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:1-3). That promise holds true for all who have received Christ as Savior and Lord.

When we turn to God, He hears us. In times of trouble, when we might be too agitated and self-concerned to feel his presence, God is with us. Even in death, the souls of all who believe are secure in him for all time.

Dr. Bill Rittenhouse, pastor of Nassau Bay (Texas) Baptist Church, was the pilot of a B-17 bomber shot down over Rumania. His entire crew were Christians, six of whom went on to preach the gospel. While an enemy prisoner, Rittenhouse was interrogated by a man named John Jinga. Jinga is now a deacon in Rittenhouse's church.

Finally, two stories that complement each other like bookends: In 1942, American B-25 bombers under General Jimmy Doolittle accomplished a remarkable feat. They lauched from the carrier USS Hornet and bombed Tokyo. It was an act of vengeance for Pearl Harbor, a shot in the arm for American morale, and a rude awakening for the Japanese, who had felt secure in their island fortress.

However, Jacob DeShazer, a member of one of the bomber crews, was moved with compassion, and promised God that he would return to Japan one day to preach the gospel. After the war, he started a Christian mission in Japan.

Mitsuo Fuchida was the Japanese pilot who led the raid on Pearl Harbor. He became a hero to his countrymen. After Japan's defeat, however, Fuchida was one of a minority of Japanese who received the gospel and accepted Christ as Savior. Ostracized as a traitor to his culture, Fuchida remained steadfast in his faith, finally dying a U.S. citizen in 1976.

In Christ, those who were once bitter enemies in time of war have now become one.

Sidebar: Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

"Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish--and war came.

"Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease.

"Each looked for an easier triumph and a result less fundamental and astounding.

"Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It seems strange that a man should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us not judge that we be not judged.

"The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither had been fully answered. The Almighty has His own purpose.

"`Woe unto the world because of offenses, for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom offences come.'"

Ephesians 4:7-16 - an Exegesis (Part 1)

No passage of Scripture shows more clearly the connection between Christ's Exaltation and spiritual gifts -- the maturation and edification of the Church

by Paul A. Hughes

Christ did not ascend into heaven without making provision for those He left behind. Sending the Holy Spirit to act in his place as Comforter and Teacher, Christ took his rightful place in the seat of power and authority at God's right hand.

But the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit were not the end of Christ's grand scheme. The individual Christian was never meant to stand alone. It was Christ's intention to build a brotherhood of believers, a Church, against which "the gates of Hades shall not prevail" (Mt 16:18). For this purpose Christ, through the Holy Spirit, has arranged for his Church to be created, organized, and equipped to its task by his providing apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

Most of the study of Ephesians 4:7-16 seems to have centered in three areas: the definition of the terms apostle, prophet, etc.; Paul's use of Psalm 68:18 (= Eph 4:8); and the description of Christ as having "descended into the depths of the earth" (4:9). Without discounting entirely these facets of the text, the intention here is rather to focus upon the nature of the result: the Church, receiving from Christ the leaders and personnel it needs for equipping and edification, is to somehow attain "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of stature of the fulness of Christ."

This is the heart of the matter. Knowing Christ's purposes in regard to his Church, how do these correspond to the fulness of Christ? What, in fact, is the "fulness" of Christ--is He in any way empty or incomplete? Is it the Church's responsibility to fulfill Christ?

Delineation of the Passage

While the Nestle-Aland critical text¹ does not include a paragraph break between verses 6 and 7, the UBS text² supports such a break. Even if that were not the case, a paragraph break is implied. Verse 7 marks the introduction of the "gift" theme. This theme carries on through verse 16, after which both texts paragraph, and the theme shifts.

Textual Variants

There are few textual variants in this passage which could have any bearing upon the outcome of this study. Nevertheless, two variants must be considered: first, the end of verse 15 reads, "who is the head, Christ." The variant here reads instead, "who is the head of Christ." The question is whether we are to grow up into Christ or into God himself, since it is God who is the head of Christ. The variant is testified to only by Papyrus 46 which, although considered a significant manuscript, does not by itself weigh heavily enough against the others. Moreover, the text of Ephesians has already spoken of Christ as head of his Body, the Church (1:20-23), and named its goal as that of attaining the stature of Christ (4:13).

Second, the end of verse 16 reads, "unto the edifying of itself (heautou), referring to the Body, while the variant uses the masculine/neuter form autou (him/itself). This is testified to most significantly by Codex Sinaiticus, while Papyrus 46, Alexandrinus, Vaticanus and others weigh against it. The significance of the variant is that, while "of itself" (autou) could refer back to "the body" (to soma), as it almost certainly does, it could also be taken to refer to Christ from verse 15, when one might ask again, does Christ need to be built up or made complete? Essentially, the variant seems to demonstrate a split between the Alexandrian witnesses--those favoring the text on the one hand, those which seem to stem from Sinaiticus on the other (except Codex Bezae [original corrector], a sixth-century Western witness). If one must choose, then, between Sinaiticus/Bezae and the Alexandrinus/Vaticanus/Papyrus 46 combination, the latter must prevail.

Christ's Purposes for His Church

Paul introduces here the theme of "gifts," adapting Psalm 68:18 (= Eph 4:8) to his purpose.³ In verses 9-10 he relates the earthly Jesus to the Christ who now reigns in heaven, "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion" (Eph 1:21, NASB). This same Christ has given "gifts" to his Church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

Paul states the overall purpose of these gifts in verse 12, "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (pros ton katartismon ton hagion eis ergon diakonias, eis oikodomen tou somatos tou Christou). It is very important here to observe his usage of the prepositions pros and eis. Many grammars scarcely recognize their use to express purpose or result, except when accompanied by a verb in the infinitive.⁴ The generally preferred conception of pros with the accusative case is often simply "with reference to."⁵ "Towards" is also generally accepted, though usually with strict qualifications. It is the idea of "towards" which tends, however, to imply an expression of purpose or expected result, i.e., "moving towards" a result, especially when clearly outside of a local, spatial, or temporal context. C. F. D. Moule has recognized the possibility of "tending towards" or "leading to." More specifically, he translates pros oikodomen in Romans 15:2 as "making for upbuilding,"⁶ while Blass-Debrunner lists the same phrase (from Eph 4:29) under "Purpose, result, destiny."⁷

Eis is treated similarly: it is recognized as occasionally expressing purpose or result, when used with the infinitive. But Dana-Mantey gives examples of such usage with an accusative case noun: "this do in (eis) remembrance of me," clearly indicating that the action was intended to produce a remembrance (1 Cor 11:24; cf. Mt 3:4, 34; 2 Cor 2:12).⁸ Furthermore, Albrecht Oepke conceives the idea of "leading to," as in "unto life" (eis zoen, Mt 7:14, 18:8f.), indicating an action which was to be life-inducing.⁹

While the general meaning of pros and eis, "with respect to" or "with reference to," could well be used here, it seems more likely in this context that purpose or result is intended. Paul's construction with both pros in verse 12 and eis in verses 12 and 13 is identical, but an idiomatic difference is probable. Paul obviously chose different words for a reason. This writer shall propose here that Paul has intended that pros express purpose, whereas eis is intended to denote an expected result. Therefore, the "gifts" have been provided for the purpose of the equipping of the saints, with the expected results being mutual service and the building up of the saints. This inference can probably be carried on through verse 13, since "until" (mechri) is used conjunctivally, i.e., what follows it is "a punctiliarly conceived future event preceded in time by the action of the main clause."¹⁰ It is therefore plausible that mechri subordinates the rest of the passage through verse 16 under the originally expressed purpose, "the equipping of the saints." (All other purpose/result clauses in these verses are expressed with eis, as result, except for "in (pros) their deceitful scheming," which is part of the "infants" (nepioi) clause and thus parenthetic to the main argument.) In that case, further expected results of this "equipping" of the saints are unity, a complete (mature, perfect) man, and the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.¹¹ As far as can be drawn here, these latter results are to come, in turn, as a result of the work of service and the building up of the Body.

NOTES

1. Novum Testamentum Graece, ed. Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland et al., 26th ed. (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelstiftung, 1979).

2. The United Bible Societies, The Greek New Testament, ed. Kurt Aland et al., 3d ed. corrected (Stuttgart: Biblia-Druck GmbH., 1983).

3. Cf. T. K. Abbott, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians, ed. S. R. Driver, A. Plummer and C. A. Briggs, The International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1897; rpt. ed. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1968), pp. 112. Abbott states, "The supposition that St. Paul does not intend either to quote exactly or to interpret, but in the familiar Jewish fashion adapts the passage to his own use, knowing that those of his readers who were familiar with the psalm would recognise the alteration and see the purpose of it, namely, that instead of receiving gifts of homage Christ gives his gifts to men, is not open to any serious objection, since he does not found any argument on the passage."

4. H. E. Dana and Julius R. Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1955), pp. 104, 110. A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of HIstorical Research, 5th ed. (New York: Harper and Bros. Publishers, 1923), p. 626.

5. F. Blass and A. Debrunner, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, trans. and rev. Robert W. Funk (Chicago: The Univ. of Chicago Press, 1961), p. 124. Robertson, p. 626.

6. Charles F. D. Moule, An Idiom Book of New Testament Greek, 2d ed. (Cambridge, Eng.: At the University Press, 1971), p. 53.

7. Blass-Debrunner, p. 124.

8. Dana-Mantey, p. 104.

9. Albrecht Oepke, "Eis," in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Friedrich, trans. and ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1968), 2:424.

10. Nigel Turner, "Syntax," A Grammar of New Testament Greek, vol. 3, by James H. Moulton (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1963), p. 111.

11. Note the exclusion of eis auton (v. 15) which expresses the result of auxesomen, and likewise eis oikodomen (v. 16), the result of poieitai. On the other hand, hina meketi omen nepioi in itself expresses the purpose or result of "the equipping of the saints."

Blessed Are the Grumblers

How should leaders deal with complaints in the church? Do people sometimes complain that the sanctuary is too cold, the music is too loud, the sermon was too long, or you don't sing enough songs from the hymnal?

Complaints in the church are often poorly received. Those who register a complaint are sometimes accused of opposing the leadership or stirring up strife. Knowing this, most church members learn to keep their concerns to themselves.

But can complaints sometimes be constructive and justifiably welcomed by organizational leaders? Jean R. Herman, a business consultant, thinks so. In "Don't Complain About Complaints" (DBA Houston, March 1995, p. 56), Herman reports the findings of the Technical Assistance Research Program (TARP).

According to the 1989 study, only 5%, or one out of 20 dissatisfied patrons, bother to report their problem. That leaves 95% who, instead of keeping it to themselves, tell an average of 10 to 12 people about their complaint. Of those who do complain, however, 97% have their problems resolved to their satisfaction and remain customers.

The conclusion? According to Herman, "The complaining customer should be viewed as a free marketing source."

Applied to the Church, a complaint gives the leadership the opportunity to correct problems or inconveniences that might otherwise drive potential converts and church workers away, making it "The Church of the Revolving Door." As one may surmise from the TARP study, dealing with one complaint in a sensitive, thoughtful manner might preserve not one, but twenty workers for the church or souls for the Kingdom.

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ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

Rev. Paul A. Hughes, M.Div., is an Assemblies of God minister, Bible teacher, writer, musician, and songwriter. Rev. Hughes is available nationally for pulpit ministry, Bible teaching, singles seminars, Holy Spirit conferences, and music ministry.