Copyright © 2006-2008 Robert D. Hosken, M.Min., D.Min.
Meditate Word By Word On These Verses:
Eph. 4:12-13.
The Old Testament gives us glimpses into God's glory, but as Heb. 7:11 tells us, the Levitical priesthood had not reached perfection - "Now if there was perfection (teleiosis) through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people have received the law), what further need was there for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?" Chapters 7-10 of Hebrews explain in great detail the Old Covenant's shortcomings. Christ, however, introduces the more perfect priesthood - "But Christ having come as a high priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect (teleios) tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation" (Heb. 9:11). As Elizabeth said to Mary - "Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment (teleiosis) of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!" (Luke 1:45) Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, is indeed the perfection and fulfillment of the Old Testament's hopes and partially fulfilled promises!
Question:
1. Who made perfect the shortcomings of the Old Testament (Heb. 9:11)?
Strong's Dictionaries define teleiosis as "completion, perfection, performance" and the adjective teleios as "complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); of full age, man, perfect."1 The concept of teleiosis relates to diakonia-ministry in the passage that is the central focus of this work, Eph. 4:12-13 (ESV) - "to equip the saints for the work of ministry (diakonia), for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature (teleios) manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness (pleroma) of Christ."2 There is one goal, as we see here, beyond that of "building up the body of Christ," and that is for each and every Christian to attain wholeness, completion, perfection and maturity in Christ, and fullness in Him.
In philosophy the concept of cause is divided into two parts: "Ontology" which investigates and explains the nature and essence of all beings, their qualities and attributes, and "Teleology" which deals with the final causes of things. The Greek root of teleology is teleiosis, the German equivalent is "Ziel" and the Russian is "tsiel," both meaning "goal." All of these teleiosis-related words point to the idea of purpose or meaning. Thus we see that the purpose driven church is the ministry driven church that is aiming toward wholeness and perfection of each believer. The Lord Jesus Himself spoke of this in the Sermon on the Mount - "Therefore you shall be perfect (teleios), just as your Father in heaven is perfect (teleios)" (Mat. 5:48).
The Apostle John's vision of the heavenly Jerusalem encompasses this restoration to wholeness: "He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away. He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new'" (Rev. 21:4-5a). All illness, crying, death, mourning and pain pass away when Christ makes all things new. Notice the tense of the verb: "I am making all things new." This process of restoration to wholeness has already begun!
Question:
2. What Bible passage links teleiosis-wholeness with diakonia-ministry?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
Mat. 5:48
Eph. 4:12-13
Rev. 21:4-5а
And the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Cor. 3:12-18 (ISV) -
"Therefore, since we have such a hope, we speak with great boldness, not like Moses, who kept covering his face with a veil to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of what was fading away. However, their minds were hardened, for to this day the same veil is still there when they read the old covenant. Only in union with Christ is that veil removed. Yet even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord's Spirit is, there is freedom. As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are being transformed into the same image with ever-increasing glory by the Lord's Spirit."3
In v. 18 we find again the continual present action of the Holy Spirit restoring and transforming us into the image of Christ. But it is important to be aware of a potential obstacle to wholeness: social pressure, as we see in vv. 12-13 - "…we speak with great boldness, not like Moses, who kept covering his face…." Why did Moses put a veil on his face? It wasn't because the glory was fading, but because the Israelites told him they couldn't stand to look at the glory (Ex. 34:30-35). People around us say, "Don't be a religious fanatic," and soon we internalize this message so that it becomes self-talk: we inhibit ourselves from striving toward wholeness. Thus, many of the limitations that we feel are inhibitions we have placed on ourselves: "People just don't do that," or "God doesn't act in that way anymore," or the seven last words of the church - "We've never done it that way before." We as disciples of Jesus, however, have such a glorious future hope that we can break out of these false paradigms, and speak and act with great boldness!
Question:
3. What sort of obstacles to wholeness and transformation do we encounter in this earthly life?
The Apostle Peter also writes that it is God's glory and virtue "by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust" (2 Pet. 1:4).
What a great comfort to the maimed, the lame and the blind as we minister diakonia to them! We know that our earthly suffering is not senseless and pointless, but rather it brings us toward perfection and sanctification: this is comforting to the hurting soul - "May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thes. 5:23). True diakonia is ministering the whole Gospel to the whole person: "spirit, soul, and body," aimed at restoring people to wholeness.
Along with wholeness (teleiosis), fullness is our goal: to attain “to the measure of the stature of the fullness (pleroma) of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). In Christ, history reached “the fullness (pleroma) of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in Him” (Eph. 1:10). And God the Father “gave Him [Christ] to be head over all things for the Church, which is His body, the fullness (pleroma) of Him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22b-23). Only in the Church, not as isolated individuals, can we experience the fullness of Christ. St. Paul then prays that “you” (plural, the church in Ephesus) will “know [experience] Christ's love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness (pleroma) of God” (Eph. 3:19). This amazing promise of experiencing “the fullness (pleroma) of God” can only be fulfilled when we are members of the Church, the Body of Christ.
But there is a price to pay for this wholeness and fullness. If we cling to material things, we will never achieve wholeness and perfection, as the story of the rich young ruler explains - "Jesus said to him, 'If you want to be perfect (teleios), go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions" (Mat. 19:21).
Question:
4. Why couldn't the rich young man (Mat. 19:21) attain eternal life?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
Because his attachment to possessions prevented him from striving toward wholeness and holiness, without which no one can see the Lord.
Because he had great riches, and all rich people are damned.
Because he didn't want to punish himself (paideuo) for his wealth.
Another aspect of the price to pay for wholeness and fullness is found in chapter 12 of the letter to the Hebrews. In the first two verses the author encourages us to "keep running with endurance the race set before us"4 (ISV) as we keep our eyes on Jesus. Then the author tells us that even Jesus learned obedience through suffering and being disciplined - "paideuo" which means to "teach, instruct, train up, discipline, punish." So we also must accept discipline as God's way of training up His children, bringing them to maturity. In the Russian Synodal Translation these verses use "punish" for every instance of paideuo in this passage, which lends a much harsher meaning to this text. Our Agape-Biblia revision of the RST uses all of the meanings of paideuo, "teach, instruct, train up, discipline, punish," because each meaning fits in its given context. But then we come to the portion on holiness, restoration to wholeness, and sanctification in verses 10-11, where it states that God disciplines us "for our good, so that we may share in his holiness." The word "holiness" is hagiotes, which refers to the final state of perfection and sanctity that we will enjoy with God in heaven. This is ultimate wholeness!
But to reach that goal requires training and discipline, as we see in verses 12-14 (ISV) - "Therefore, strengthen your tired arms and your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not become worse but rather be healed (sodzo). Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord."5 This describes specific actions to take to attain wholeness: using strength-building exercises to overcome weakness and muscle atrophy due to lack of use, contractures from a shoulder, or elbow or knee remaining too long in one position, and using means to help a person walk straight so that he can be healed, made whole. The next verse mentions "holiness" again, but it is hagiasmos, not hagiotes, and would be better translated "sanctification" or the day-to-day pursuit of becoming holy, a work-in-process. So here we have practical advice for physical wholeness sandwiched between two instructions on spiritual wholeness, which is holiness!
Question:
5. What steps toward wholeness and holiness are found in the 12th chapter of Hebrews? How does this relate to disabled people?
How then can we attain wholeness and perfection? Recall what we found in 1 John 3:16-18 when we were considering agape-love: if we see our brother in need, we must not ignore him because that is in reality hating him. Rather we must open our heart of compassion to him and perform diakonia-ministry for him, because this is what genuine agape-love does. In the next chapter the Apostle John writes -
"In this love has been made perfect (teleioo) among us, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect (teleios) love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect (teleioo) in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn't love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother" (1 John 4:17-21).
When we operate on the level of punishment instead of love, we are operating on the level of law. Punishment need not be enacted; its utility is based on the fear of punishment. If parents renounce the use of punishment (spankings), the child will soon realize that he can do anything and get away with it. When that child grows up, the only hope is that the law, the police, will restrain him behind bars for a less serious crime before he kills someone! He hasn't learned to fear the threat of punishment. I don't advise that parents should use physical punishment often, but it must be kept in reserve, in the background. In order to raise a child to maturity (teleiosis), parents must lead him through the stage of law before he is able to understand love. God loved the world so much that He gave His Son to take the punishment for our sins. This implies that the sinful nature of humanity, including our children, is a real problem! Paul writes in Gal. 3:24-25 (KJV) - "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."6 The law was a necessary stage in the development of human society before Christ could appear on the world stage, and law is therefore a necessary stage in every child's development.
Children need teachers or tutors because they have not yet internalized the disciplines of study. But law is only a "schoolmaster" to bring us to faith in Christ, which means to believe in and to accept the gift of God, eternal life. Only then can we begin the journey to full maturity (teleiosis), selfless, perfect (teleios) love that isn't based on profit-and-loss or on reward-and-punishment. Genuine, mature love is not a profit-based exchange of goods and services. Because I truly love my wife I will love her and be faithful to her when she is ill, when she grows old and isn't the same pretty twenty-one year-old person as when we met. I will love her for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. Why? Because that's just what love is!
Question:
6. In order to bring up a child to teleiosis-maturity, what stage must he go through (Gal. 3:24-25)?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
disappointment
loving pampering
law
A beautiful example of wholeness, although not using the word teleiosis, is when Jesus returned to land after calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee - "And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; and besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole"7 (Mat. 14:35-36, KJV). The King James Version is more accurate here, because the Greek word for "perfectly whole" is diasodzo, literally, "through" (dia) plus "heal-and-save." Wholeness operates on the same two levels, physical and spiritual, as soteria, healing and salvation. Another example is in Acts 14:9-10, when Paul met a man who was crippled from birth - "He was listening to Paul speaking, who, fastening eyes on him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole (sodzo), said with a loud voice, 'Stand upright on your feet!' He leaped up and walked." From all of this we see that the diakonia-ministry of Jesus and the Apostles involves bringing people to physical and spiritual wholeness.
We should keep in mind, however, that we all live in "earthen vessels," clay pots that some day will crack or break. Consider the demographics: western churches are "graying" faster than the general population, which means that in a few decades there will be a significant decline both in membership and in the total number of churches, unless we devise a strategy to better utilize our accumulated resources of life experience, wisdom and wealth. We can turn this trend around and restore the church to wholeness and growth if we boldly step out and adopt this new strategy.
There is much more that could be said about restoring people to wholeness. My wife, who holds an R.N. and B.S. in nursing and an M.S. in rehabilitation psychology, is a specialist in post-trauma and vocational rehabilitation, and has developed a six-course interactive program entitled "Social Ministry of the Church" on the fundamentals of rehabilitation, covering the spiritual, psychological, medical and vocational aspects for children, working-age adults and elderly people. You can take it as an online course at www.agape-restoration-society.org/index04.htm in English and in Russian, and we also intend to publish it in Russian as a 900-page book. It has recently been translated into Chinese and published. Take the course: learn to do the Social Ministry of the Church!
We begin this ministry by working with disabled people in their homes, rehabilitating them and restoring them to wholeness, both physically and spiritually. We pray with them and read the Bible to them. Then others among their family and friends become interested, and we can bring them to church. This is preparing the soil, earning their trust and learning if we can trust them. But it is just the beginning, as we will see next.
Question:
7. On what two levels does teleiosis-wholeness operate in Mat. 14:35-36?
Endnote:
1. Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, op. cit.
2. English Standard Version, op. cit.