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Jumpstarter 10 of 10

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The Holy Spirit  /  The Spirit of All Truth  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
Pike presses the point from Ephesians 5:23 (“the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is head of the church”) by asking what happens to Christ-and-church meaning if headship is denied—how should a group discern when a proposed reinterpretation of an apostolic command is actually rewriting the gospel’s theological picture, and what concrete habits would help a church “guard the trust” (Jude 3; 2 Tim 2:1–2; 1 Tim 6:20) rather than drift with cultural pressure?
Another way to ask: If a church rejects the husband-as-head idea in Ephesians 5:23, how might that change what it teaches about Christ and the church? How can a church tell the difference between a faithful rereading of Scripture and rewriting the gospel picture, and what habits help it stay faithful when culture pushes back?

Direct Answer Pike’s discernment test is whether a reinterpretation denies or erases the theological analogy the apostles give—like undermining “Christ the head of the church” by rejecting the husband-headship picture in Ephesians 5. A church guards the trust by treating apostolic teaching as a complete deposit to preserve, transmit, and defend—rather than as raw material for new “enlightened” updates.

Support from Transcript:

  • Pike cites Eph 5:23 and asks: if husband headship is denied, “what happened to Christ in the church? Do you really want to go to a church that Christ is no longer the head of?”
  • He ties drift to a false Holy Spirit paradigm: people claim “further revelation” that makes them “more enlightened than the apostles.”
  • He says Peter endorsed Paul’s writings as God-given wisdom, and warns that people “twist them to their own destruction.”
  • He anchors guarding habits in Scripture: Jude 3 (“contend…for the faith once for all entrusted”), 2 Tim 2:1–2 (commit the deposit to faithful teachers), 1 Tim 6:20 (“guard what was committed”).
  • He adds Gal 1: even if “an angel” preaches differently, reject it; no person or institution can “change the gospel.”
  • He describes the church’s calling: “know it, guard it, defend it, and protect it.”
Discussion Follow-ups What church practices reinforce “faithful transmission” (careful teaching, accountability, testing ideas by apostolic Scripture)? What warning signs show you’re drifting because culture feels more authoritative than the apostolic deposit?

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