Ephesians Chapter 4:17 to 5:21
This week Paul focuses us on instructions for moving on into spiritual maturity. Remember last week we ended with Paul urging us to become mature so that we will not be like kids who are moved by every wind of false teaching. He says we are to move into and function in our position within the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:17-19 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
Paul starts this portion of “coaching” by telling us first of all not to live like the Gentiles do. The sort of plain sense of this scripture sort of hit me this time. In the context here Paul tells us not to live like we did before. Then he brings up the way we thought and the way we should now think. Then he mentions the darkened understanding and separation from the life of God resulting from ignorance because of hard hearts. They had no sensitivity to the things of God and that let to a bondage to sensuality. Sensuality takes lots of forms including various forms of religious devotion. But why would God warn us about this? I think the answer is that this is probably the most common trap we as Christian men fall into. We do exactly what Paul insists we must no longer do. We live day by day and moment by moment in the way we did before. We don’t focus on placing God first in our daily lives. We just make all the decisions but say that Jesus is Lord on Sunday. There are implications to calling someone “Lord”. They should be in charge. Often we only cry out when we have trouble. We may ask God to intervene but we tend to decide based on our preferences nearly all the time and take the wheel back just as soon as we are over the bumpy stuff.
It is pretty scary how easy it is to live like I did before I was saved. I don’t always practice the presence of God. We can allow our old nature to press us toward sensuality and lose our sensitivity to the things of God. Our minds and senses are to be used to make us sensitive to the things of God. Instead, because of our fallen nature, our senses and minds can lead us to sensuality (sin) and insensitivity to God. So what do we do? We know what are inclinations are and we are called to work together with God to be pleasing to Him. Stott writes about the word used for hardness of heart. It is used in other contexts to mean a boney calcification or accumulation. I thought that what we know now about plaques in the human heart makes an interesting analogy but the focus is on the insensitivity.
Ephesians 4:20-24 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Well yes we didn’t come to know Christ by living according to our sin nature. Paul is coaching us to work together with the Holy Spirit in our lives to put off our old nature, change our attitude with regard to sensuality, and to put on our new selves. We are supposed to mature into righteousness and holiness. Notice how Paul uses a sort of school analogy here. And remember that your old self is part of your former way of life that is off at salvation. So live like it.
Ephesians 4:25-28 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
Paul gets specific by identifying falsehood, inappropriate behavior when angry, and stealing as sins. Falsehood is something that God can convict you of day by day. However, we spin the truth so well that if we don’t surrender to God we will judge ourselves as good and pure when we are not. Practicing the presence of God is the only real way to let God convict and instruct during your life. Anger is another area in our lives that needs to be yielded to God. God doesn’t say, “don’t get angry” but He says when we are angry that we shouldn’t sin. Some stuff should make you angry but anger doesn’t give us an excuse to abandon being longsuffering and loving and gentle. Boys can’t control there anger but men can. But boys who are the same age as grown men will judge you for controlling your anger. The question in your mind that needs answering is whose judgment matters to you; do you care about God’s judgment or some guy who never grew up. And on the other side, who are you to show apathy at something that makes God angry but remember that the anger of men doesn’t accomplish the righteousness of God. Stott does a pretty good job of discussing all this. We are also warned not to let the sun go down while we are angry. God is saying to deal with it in a mature way and don’t let your anger turn into bitterness.
Ephesians 4:29-32 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Now these commands are harder (I think). We should be speaking to build each other up in God. What we say should be said to benefit those who listen. Now I’m pretty sure that we don’t put that filter on all our communications. Teasing and joking and laughing are not outlawed. Jesus was a guy who people loved to be around and that included kids. Our lives should be naturally attractive to others. But the Holy Spirit is the arbiter in all our communications. We don’t grieve Him. Would you say what you said if Jesus was standing there? And remember not to bore Him to tears OK.
Paul’s particular prohibitions are against bitterness, rage/anger, brawling, slandering, and malice. We are commanded to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving.
Ephesians 5:1-2 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
We are clearly called to a life of service. The word God uses in Agape and it is a decided determined active love.
Ephesians 5:3-7 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.
As we live a live of service to each other we are supposed to guard against sexual immorality, any impurity, greed, obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse joking. We are told to be a people who give thanks. The context seems to indicate that, in this case, the thankfulness is with regard to sex. That makes sense to me here as I read this scripture. Sex is a gift of God and He has given instructions on how to use the gift. The Romans were real jerks in this area and I would say ruined the gift and our culture can head that way too. Stott says, “…the reason why Christians should dislike and avoid vulgarity is not because we have a warped view of sex, and are either ashamed or afraid of it, but because we have a high and holy view of it as being in its right place God’s good gift, which we do not want to see cheapened.”
We are called to live our lives before the face of God. It is laughable that we change our behavior in front of a pastor when we can’t help but be seen by God. Do we think He is distracted from time to time? Well He isn’t. That omniscience and omnipotent thing is something we seem to need to think about more often. Immorality, impurity, and greed are idolatry because we place something in God’s rightful place and give our lives to it. We look to that thing for satisfaction and even attribute security to the products of greed. Rather than being thankful to God we see for and are thankful for the products of immorality, impurity, and greed. You really don’t want to under estimate this scripture because Paul closes with, “let no one deceive you with empty words” and stresses the sin that can be so easily accepted.
Ephesians 5:8-14 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
“Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
So Paul continues to hammer away at my slack attitude. He says that I’m supposed to live as a child of light (showing goodness, righteousness, and truth) and that I’m supposed to figure out what pleases God. Our lives should be offensive in a strange way to those who are outside the Body of Christ. Some commentators think the quote may be from a baptismal hymn. Wouldn’t that be a neat thing to sing while we had a baptismal service?
Ephesians 5:15-21 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
This weeks final coaching tip then is to be careful and don’t be dumb. First Paul tells us to find out what pleases the Lord and here he tells us to understand what the Lord’s will is. Then he uses a contrast in ability to do that. He says don’t get drunk. A drunk isn’t doing what pleases God and can’t understand what the Lord’s will is. But he says we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. That process will produce the kind of communication in the Body of Christ and the thankfulness of attitude that pleases God. The humility and submission to each other are then a natural part of the life of the Body.
Jonathan Edwards, “Resolved: Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can” – a resolution on his 20th birthday.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Ephesians Lesson 4
Ephesians Chapter 3:14 to 4:16
Another lesson on praying is found in this week’s text.
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
“For this reason” is like “therefore” in that you need to see what it is there for before you continue. The Holy Spirit, through Paul, it trying to communicate something to you so this is just part of paying attention when He is speaking.
Ephesians 3:10-13 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
So the “for this reason” connects us back to 1) the mission of the Church in submission to God, 2) the freedom and confidence we have before God because of His work, and 3) to encourage them that his (Paul’s) sufferings are actually their glory as God displays His love for them as Paul is spent for their good. To me, this last aspect seems most closely to be linked in Paul’s mind as we read on.
For this reason I kneel before the Father,
Ephesians 3:15-19 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Paul knows he is being spent for the gentile believers and gives us another great list of things to pray for. We need to pray that from God’s glorious riches we would have
1) inner strength from the Holy Spirit,
2) deep roots in God’s love and a revelation of His love that transforms us and fills us.
Stott calls it a strength, love, knowledge, and fullness ladder that the Apostle prays for us to climb. There is a natural Trinitarian root in all this. Notice that the Father strengthens through His Spirit so that Christ may dwell in your heart.
I love that Paul uses 4 dimensions for God’s love and then says it surpasses knowledge. When we meditate on the immense love of God it is transforming. I have said before and will repeat it here that, reflecting on the magnitude of Creation, it would take a God with love beyond anything we could imagine to simply be aware of our existence. It would make more sense for me to number and name the fire ants in my backyard. But God’s love is obviously infinite. He loved us when we were unlovable and loved us personally. He does know us better than we know ourselves and the God of the universe shows patience with us and doesn’t destroy us for our sins of omission and commission and apathy.
I like what Stott does with the 4 dimensional Love of God. Broad enough to cover Jew and Gentile; long enough to last forever; deep enough to reach to the worst sinner; and high enough to lift us up and seat us in heavenly places in Christ.
The need for fellowship is addressed in the verse stating that we may have power, “together with all the saints” to grasp the love of God. We do it in fellowship not isolated.
Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Paul once again starts to worship Him. How could you not when you thing of God’s love. Rather than stagger at our inability to grasp the infinite, Paul praises God who is able to do more than we can ask or imagine and it is by His power in us not our power. His will His glory. Over and over throughout all generations His will His glory.
Unity in the Body of Christ
Ephesians 4:1-6 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
As a prisoner being spent for you in the Lord, Paul urges us to live worthy. We are to be humble, gentle, patient, all expressed in love. We work for unity since we are one family and we make an effort to keep unity. Stott uses the family analogy to illustrate how we can’t break the family relationship we have but we can allow family relationships to deteriorate.
Ephesians 4:7-10 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”
(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
Paul quotes Psalm 68:18. As we discuss this scripture please keep in mind, “a text without a context is a pretext”. The context is the one body we are called to be a part of. We are being told that Christ has blessed each of differently. We are not a bland monotony of people. Then He encourages us that He is able to bless us abundantly we are told that He has ascended on high, He is Jesus, and He is higher than the heavens and filling the whole universe. This scripture doesn’t teach that Jesus descended to hell. He descended to earth. Some of the early church thought maybe this meant that Jesus went to hell but that isn’t implied in the verse and the context from Psalm 68 was a prayer for God to come down and help Israel. So … earth was the descent and the Cross was what Christ humbled Himself to. I think this verse is a good place to remind ourselves of two things; first, context is important (Psalm 68 included) and second, that Scripture interprets Scripture (this verse must fit into the whole Gospel).
Ephesians 4:11-13 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 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 and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
He gave – His will, His glory – various ministries to prepare us for works of service, to build the Church, to build a unity in understanding the Faith and knowledge of Christ. The human gifts, like Paul, are to be spent to develop maturity in the Church. No Apostles since the canon of Scripture has been complete. Evangelists, pastors, and teachers all work with what God has given us in Scripture through the Apostles. The purpose of our gifting is to work. Whatever you have at some point you must use to be obedient. I’m not saying sabbaticals are bad. On the contrary, they are good. But the parable of the talents wasn’t given to us to ignore.
Ephesians 4:14-16 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
The end result of maturity is that meat is a regular part of your diet rather than a weekly dose of milk. This means that when someone teaches something false you’ll recognize it as false. People do scheme to have a “successful” factions while at best distorting a truth and at worst becoming a cult by teaching a falsehood about God. Attacking the incarnation and divinity of Jesus is a common false teaching. I’ve had neighbors who were Mormons who claimed to have been Baptists. Well, they were tossed here and there by every wind of teaching.
Coram Deo:
The vision for the Church is to show love, unity, diversity, and spiritual growth. That takes balance. Love is sacrificial, unity takes forbearance but you can’t do it by eliminating diversity, and spiritual growth takes right doctrine and belief which can strain unity and must correct diversity if false teaching is present.
We clearly need to learn to live in the right way to keep balance and obey God in all things.
Another lesson on praying is found in this week’s text.
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
“For this reason” is like “therefore” in that you need to see what it is there for before you continue. The Holy Spirit, through Paul, it trying to communicate something to you so this is just part of paying attention when He is speaking.
Ephesians 3:10-13 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
So the “for this reason” connects us back to 1) the mission of the Church in submission to God, 2) the freedom and confidence we have before God because of His work, and 3) to encourage them that his (Paul’s) sufferings are actually their glory as God displays His love for them as Paul is spent for their good. To me, this last aspect seems most closely to be linked in Paul’s mind as we read on.
For this reason I kneel before the Father,
Ephesians 3:15-19 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Paul knows he is being spent for the gentile believers and gives us another great list of things to pray for. We need to pray that from God’s glorious riches we would have
1) inner strength from the Holy Spirit,
2) deep roots in God’s love and a revelation of His love that transforms us and fills us.
Stott calls it a strength, love, knowledge, and fullness ladder that the Apostle prays for us to climb. There is a natural Trinitarian root in all this. Notice that the Father strengthens through His Spirit so that Christ may dwell in your heart.
I love that Paul uses 4 dimensions for God’s love and then says it surpasses knowledge. When we meditate on the immense love of God it is transforming. I have said before and will repeat it here that, reflecting on the magnitude of Creation, it would take a God with love beyond anything we could imagine to simply be aware of our existence. It would make more sense for me to number and name the fire ants in my backyard. But God’s love is obviously infinite. He loved us when we were unlovable and loved us personally. He does know us better than we know ourselves and the God of the universe shows patience with us and doesn’t destroy us for our sins of omission and commission and apathy.
I like what Stott does with the 4 dimensional Love of God. Broad enough to cover Jew and Gentile; long enough to last forever; deep enough to reach to the worst sinner; and high enough to lift us up and seat us in heavenly places in Christ.
The need for fellowship is addressed in the verse stating that we may have power, “together with all the saints” to grasp the love of God. We do it in fellowship not isolated.
Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Paul once again starts to worship Him. How could you not when you thing of God’s love. Rather than stagger at our inability to grasp the infinite, Paul praises God who is able to do more than we can ask or imagine and it is by His power in us not our power. His will His glory. Over and over throughout all generations His will His glory.
Unity in the Body of Christ
Ephesians 4:1-6 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
As a prisoner being spent for you in the Lord, Paul urges us to live worthy. We are to be humble, gentle, patient, all expressed in love. We work for unity since we are one family and we make an effort to keep unity. Stott uses the family analogy to illustrate how we can’t break the family relationship we have but we can allow family relationships to deteriorate.
Ephesians 4:7-10 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”
(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
Paul quotes Psalm 68:18. As we discuss this scripture please keep in mind, “a text without a context is a pretext”. The context is the one body we are called to be a part of. We are being told that Christ has blessed each of differently. We are not a bland monotony of people. Then He encourages us that He is able to bless us abundantly we are told that He has ascended on high, He is Jesus, and He is higher than the heavens and filling the whole universe. This scripture doesn’t teach that Jesus descended to hell. He descended to earth. Some of the early church thought maybe this meant that Jesus went to hell but that isn’t implied in the verse and the context from Psalm 68 was a prayer for God to come down and help Israel. So … earth was the descent and the Cross was what Christ humbled Himself to. I think this verse is a good place to remind ourselves of two things; first, context is important (Psalm 68 included) and second, that Scripture interprets Scripture (this verse must fit into the whole Gospel).
Ephesians 4:11-13 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 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 and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
He gave – His will, His glory – various ministries to prepare us for works of service, to build the Church, to build a unity in understanding the Faith and knowledge of Christ. The human gifts, like Paul, are to be spent to develop maturity in the Church. No Apostles since the canon of Scripture has been complete. Evangelists, pastors, and teachers all work with what God has given us in Scripture through the Apostles. The purpose of our gifting is to work. Whatever you have at some point you must use to be obedient. I’m not saying sabbaticals are bad. On the contrary, they are good. But the parable of the talents wasn’t given to us to ignore.
Ephesians 4:14-16 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
The end result of maturity is that meat is a regular part of your diet rather than a weekly dose of milk. This means that when someone teaches something false you’ll recognize it as false. People do scheme to have a “successful” factions while at best distorting a truth and at worst becoming a cult by teaching a falsehood about God. Attacking the incarnation and divinity of Jesus is a common false teaching. I’ve had neighbors who were Mormons who claimed to have been Baptists. Well, they were tossed here and there by every wind of teaching.
Coram Deo:
The vision for the Church is to show love, unity, diversity, and spiritual growth. That takes balance. Love is sacrificial, unity takes forbearance but you can’t do it by eliminating diversity, and spiritual growth takes right doctrine and belief which can strain unity and must correct diversity if false teaching is present.
We clearly need to learn to live in the right way to keep balance and obey God in all things.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Ephesians Lesson 3
Ephesians Chapter 2:11 to 3:13
This week Paul discusses the nature of the Church as a union of Gentiles and Jews.
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men) — remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
If you see a “therefore” find out what it is there for. Because of the Grace of God that saved you and leads you to obey Him in God works … remember that …
The flesh ruled in your life and you were not a bar mitzvah; a Son of the Law. Before Christ then your position was separated from Israel which was to be sanctified and set apart for God. You were excluded because you didn’t obey the law so you couldn’t be a citizen of Israel or enjoy the promises God gave in His covenant. So you were without hope and without God in the world.
You can forget your failures. God tells us to forget those things that are behind and press on for the mark that he calls us to. However, He has commanded you to remember where you came from. Don’t have an elevated opinion of your origin. Don’t, “get above your raise’n” You were separated, excluded, foreign to the promises, without hope, and without God when He intervened. If you forget what God told you to remember then you’ll underestimate the Grace that saved you.
I think we forget sometimes that we as Gentiles are joined to the Jewish remnant and become one with the Jewish remnant in Christ’s body. The pattern of Grace was clear in the Old Testament as God by Grace saved Israel and kept Israel. It was by Grace also that He added us to Israel. His will His glory.
It is certainly an irritation to other nations for Israel to say that they are God’s chosen people. Well they were. They were chosen by Grace. You are chosen by Grace. God always told them that it was His Grace (undeserved blessing) that they were chosen and He tells us the same thing. He didn’t choose me because I was special in any way. He chose me because He has a plan. I am His possession.
Ephesians 2:13-16 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
This was written to the Gentiles and Paul is constantly seeking to explain to them (an us) where we were and what God did to change or status. He set aside the Law for righteousness sake and joined Jew and Gentile in one body.
Stott describes the wall that separated the court of the Gentiles from the Temple. The penalty was death for trying to sneak into the temple. Paul nearly got killed because it looked like he brought at gentile into the temple. God has eliminated the barrier between us and Him. God has eliminated the barrier between us and Israel. We are in now. Not only did the Cross eliminate the barrier (that the old temple wall was a symbol of) but we are full members by His Grace.
The wall was physically destroyed about AD 70 when the Romans invaded. So while Paul was writing this the wall still existed. From about AD 30 to AD 70 the wall was obsolete. What it stood for had been destroyed by the work of Jesus on the Cross.
Ephesians 2:17-22 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
I was living in Eastern Oregon for a while and it is a part of the US with a significant Mormon population. In rural areas in particular the network of relationships has a significant effect on finances and how you get things done. Once I was with a Christian co-worker and we were discussing some project and which vendors would be used. The two guys were talking to knew that my coworker was not a Mormon and apparently they had figured out I wasn’t because they said, “Well you two are just Gentiles anyway” joking that we wouldn’t get to specify the vendor. We really could have but the politics was generally present anyway. I had a really negative reaction to that and told them that, “No I was not a Gentile that the Mormons were gentiles.” I made it clear that I didn’t like being called a gentile. So they quit calling me a gentile.
As part of the Body of Christ I am a part of Israel by Christ’s work and I’m not giving that up. I’m part of His household. It is better than just citizenship and a source of praise and worship as He dwells in us by His Spirit. The foundation that we are built upon is a rich foundation. Jesus is the chief cornerstone with a foundation of apostles and prophets. In a very practical way this means that we are built upon the scriptures.
This mystery was the union of Jew and Gentile to make a new Israel. The Jews were OK with God working with gentiles as long as they didn’t have to associate with them. Well God intended that we would be one body. The Jews didn’t like that. I don’t blame them and Paul was persecuted for that.
Ephesiand 3:1-6 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Where is God’s Israel? You’re looking at part of it. And the black Zulu’s I spent Easter with one year are Israel and many Jew’s are Israel but they are not all Israel that are called Israel. Do we have no interest in the Nation of Israel? No because we expect that God will move there too the way He moved in our hearts. However, don’t let anyone call you a gentile because, if you are a believer, you’re not and it was bought at a great price.
Ephesians 3:7-9 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Remembering Paul’s conversion this has to rate as a significant understatement. It was some gift and certainly the working of His power. Knocked down, yelled at, and blinded is here described as a gift of God’s Grace and so it is. My conversion was less dramatic but no less an act of God’s Grace. Paul to the Jews wouldn’t have been half the demonstration of God’s grace as sending him to the gentiles. He would have leaned on his own understanding if sent to the Jews but when sent to the gentiles he had to depend on God and His grace.
Ephesians 3:10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
It is truly amazing when you pray and as we obey God that the manifold wisdom of God is made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. This is part of His eternal purpose. The way in which Paul was spent for the Gentiles is God’s blessing and their glory. When you see a person spent in service for you, like Stewart, it is your glory. It is God saying, “My will is going to be accomplished in your life and I’ll spend my servants for you.” Remember when those God is using in your life are under attack … it is for you. Don’t be a soldier who hides behind a bush and just says, “man he should have kept his head down that is really ugly.” Pray for those who God is using in your life that the enemy of your soul would not destroy them.
Coram Deo
You are a member of the Body of Christ. Remember what God tells you to remember and praise Him for the Grace manifested in making you part of His household.
This week Paul discusses the nature of the Church as a union of Gentiles and Jews.
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men) — remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
If you see a “therefore” find out what it is there for. Because of the Grace of God that saved you and leads you to obey Him in God works … remember that …
The flesh ruled in your life and you were not a bar mitzvah; a Son of the Law. Before Christ then your position was separated from Israel which was to be sanctified and set apart for God. You were excluded because you didn’t obey the law so you couldn’t be a citizen of Israel or enjoy the promises God gave in His covenant. So you were without hope and without God in the world.
You can forget your failures. God tells us to forget those things that are behind and press on for the mark that he calls us to. However, He has commanded you to remember where you came from. Don’t have an elevated opinion of your origin. Don’t, “get above your raise’n” You were separated, excluded, foreign to the promises, without hope, and without God when He intervened. If you forget what God told you to remember then you’ll underestimate the Grace that saved you.
I think we forget sometimes that we as Gentiles are joined to the Jewish remnant and become one with the Jewish remnant in Christ’s body. The pattern of Grace was clear in the Old Testament as God by Grace saved Israel and kept Israel. It was by Grace also that He added us to Israel. His will His glory.
It is certainly an irritation to other nations for Israel to say that they are God’s chosen people. Well they were. They were chosen by Grace. You are chosen by Grace. God always told them that it was His Grace (undeserved blessing) that they were chosen and He tells us the same thing. He didn’t choose me because I was special in any way. He chose me because He has a plan. I am His possession.
Ephesians 2:13-16 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
This was written to the Gentiles and Paul is constantly seeking to explain to them (an us) where we were and what God did to change or status. He set aside the Law for righteousness sake and joined Jew and Gentile in one body.
Stott describes the wall that separated the court of the Gentiles from the Temple. The penalty was death for trying to sneak into the temple. Paul nearly got killed because it looked like he brought at gentile into the temple. God has eliminated the barrier between us and Him. God has eliminated the barrier between us and Israel. We are in now. Not only did the Cross eliminate the barrier (that the old temple wall was a symbol of) but we are full members by His Grace.
The wall was physically destroyed about AD 70 when the Romans invaded. So while Paul was writing this the wall still existed. From about AD 30 to AD 70 the wall was obsolete. What it stood for had been destroyed by the work of Jesus on the Cross.
Ephesians 2:17-22 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
I was living in Eastern Oregon for a while and it is a part of the US with a significant Mormon population. In rural areas in particular the network of relationships has a significant effect on finances and how you get things done. Once I was with a Christian co-worker and we were discussing some project and which vendors would be used. The two guys were talking to knew that my coworker was not a Mormon and apparently they had figured out I wasn’t because they said, “Well you two are just Gentiles anyway” joking that we wouldn’t get to specify the vendor. We really could have but the politics was generally present anyway. I had a really negative reaction to that and told them that, “No I was not a Gentile that the Mormons were gentiles.” I made it clear that I didn’t like being called a gentile. So they quit calling me a gentile.
As part of the Body of Christ I am a part of Israel by Christ’s work and I’m not giving that up. I’m part of His household. It is better than just citizenship and a source of praise and worship as He dwells in us by His Spirit. The foundation that we are built upon is a rich foundation. Jesus is the chief cornerstone with a foundation of apostles and prophets. In a very practical way this means that we are built upon the scriptures.
This mystery was the union of Jew and Gentile to make a new Israel. The Jews were OK with God working with gentiles as long as they didn’t have to associate with them. Well God intended that we would be one body. The Jews didn’t like that. I don’t blame them and Paul was persecuted for that.
Ephesiand 3:1-6 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Where is God’s Israel? You’re looking at part of it. And the black Zulu’s I spent Easter with one year are Israel and many Jew’s are Israel but they are not all Israel that are called Israel. Do we have no interest in the Nation of Israel? No because we expect that God will move there too the way He moved in our hearts. However, don’t let anyone call you a gentile because, if you are a believer, you’re not and it was bought at a great price.
Ephesians 3:7-9 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Remembering Paul’s conversion this has to rate as a significant understatement. It was some gift and certainly the working of His power. Knocked down, yelled at, and blinded is here described as a gift of God’s Grace and so it is. My conversion was less dramatic but no less an act of God’s Grace. Paul to the Jews wouldn’t have been half the demonstration of God’s grace as sending him to the gentiles. He would have leaned on his own understanding if sent to the Jews but when sent to the gentiles he had to depend on God and His grace.
Ephesians 3:10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
It is truly amazing when you pray and as we obey God that the manifold wisdom of God is made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. This is part of His eternal purpose. The way in which Paul was spent for the Gentiles is God’s blessing and their glory. When you see a person spent in service for you, like Stewart, it is your glory. It is God saying, “My will is going to be accomplished in your life and I’ll spend my servants for you.” Remember when those God is using in your life are under attack … it is for you. Don’t be a soldier who hides behind a bush and just says, “man he should have kept his head down that is really ugly.” Pray for those who God is using in your life that the enemy of your soul would not destroy them.
Coram Deo
You are a member of the Body of Christ. Remember what God tells you to remember and praise Him for the Grace manifested in making you part of His household.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Ephesians Lesson 2
Ephesians Chapter 1:15 to Chapter 2:10
This week Paul continues with intercession; tremendous and anointed intercession. Consider that Paul is writing a letter and he has started with praise to God for is work in the Ephesians’ life and now he moves on to intercession for the Ephesians. Remember that this is a letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:15-16 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
Stott points out that the best manuscripts omit “your love” and I was thinking about the use of these words. I think I may understand what happened because of Stotts discussion of the apparently double meaning in the word translated faithful. This combined idea of faithful and full of faith may be in play again and perhaps in the way the Ephesians used the Greek word translated faith. Imagine that the verse was originally written to be read something like this, “For this reason, ever since I heard about your fidelity to the Lord Jesus and all the saints.” My fidelity to the Lord is fundamentally different than my fidelity to the saints. My fidelity to the Lord is that I would submit myself a living sacrifice. My fidelity to the saints is, by and large, and expression of agape love in my life. However, if the use the word fidelity was somewhat idiosyncratic to the gentile believers it makes sense that a later copyist would reword it in a more generally understood manner. I think when we find something like this that is puzzling we may often find that it was so obvious to the original writers and copiers that they didn’t really struggle with it. Sort of a, “well duh factor.” If I was writing to my kids who are part of “Generation X,” I might use terms like “bad” and even some “Super Mario Brothers” references that if you wanted to understand in 50 years (or for some of you right now) you would need to rephrased in a more common manner.
Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
What is the reason we seek wisdom (the right understanding and application of knowledge) and the revelation provided by scripture? The purpose of Paul’s prayer is so that we may know him better. Our knowledge of God should increase throughout our lives. That is the expected process in a normal Christian’s life. A major thrust of Ephesians is an explanation of God’s work in your life and what He did to save you. This is so that you may know Him better and become aware of His will and His Glory. Keep in mind that although a greater and greater knowledge of God is expected it isn’t always common. In addition, a greater and greater knowledge of God should be transforming rather than an accumulation of facts. The Spirit of wisdom and revelation is fundamentally transforming because … we are talking about Spirit with a capital “S”. Also in passing note the Trinitarian nature evident again in this verse.
Ephesians 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
This wisdom and revelation enlightens our heart. The enlightening causes us to know the hope to which we are called. Paul doesn’t pray for something new but rather he prays we would realize what we have right now. You were called by Grace and you were not called because of something in you that was better than what was in someone else; however, you were called with purpose. God has called you to something and certainly hasn’t called you to nothing. He has a plan for your life. The “inheritance” in both Greek and English could be God’s or ours. He calls us an inheritance and has just finished calling us His possession but the context here seems to mean our inheritance in Him. On the other hand both are true for us. We need to know how we exist as His possession and inheritance but we also need to know what we inherit as His children. In this place and in some others in Scripture I find what I call “purposeful ambiguity”. I think when we find some of these portions of Scripture that read both ways that God intended it that way. Here is a word you don’t hear very often, “parsimonious”. It means being frugal and is generally in a cheap way but I don’t mean the following in any negative way. Having worked in biology for a long time and read scripture for a long time I feel that both the general revelation of creation and the special revelation of scripture teach that God is parsimonious. It is as if He really likes things to work in more than one way at the same time. It doesn’t seem to me that He does it motivated by “cheap”, it seems more to me that He does it because He finds it “fun”.
Ephesians 1:19-20 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
His resurrection power is present in us. It had to be present to resurrect our dead hearts but we tend to forget that. Stott says that God’s call looks back to our beginning, His inheritance for us looks forward to our end, and His power covers both beginning and end and everything in between. He has given us a demonstration in Christ of His power.
Ephesians 1:21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
His power has beaten sin and death. Those are our two big enemies. Christ’s position is not just greater but is, “far above all” and the position is for all time. It is important that we see Christ in his exalted position as we move into the next verse.
Ephesians 1:22-23 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
We see our Head, the Head of the Church in supreme authority. We see His headship in the Universe but the point of being Head of the Church is that depth of authority that is His too. He is Lord of your heart. He is Lord of the fine detail not just the big and general. Stott discusses the phrase, “the fullness of Him who fills all in all” and his third option (that he seems to feel is most true to scripture) is consistent with what I’m expressing. Christ fills the Church in fullness or indwelling and fills every nook and cranny with His Lordship. If you’ve got any closets you might as well invite Him in.
Ephesians 2:1-2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
And once again God reminds us of where we were when He resurrected us and made us part of His Body the Church. I was dead and I willingly followed the ways of the ruler of this world. I was a willing slave to my transgressions and sins. To my commissions of rebellion and omission of my duty to God I was a willing participant and also I followed the ruler of the kingdom of the air.
Ephesians 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
All of us (Jews) also were just as lost. We all lived according to our nature. We were fallen creatures living in sin by nature. We were living consistently with our sinful nature. Our wills were not violated since we always chose according to our strongest inclination at the moment. We have no excuse because we were living exactly like we wanted to live and then, naturally, we were objects of God’s wrath since we lived in willful disobedience. Remember however that we are not saying that we were all as bad as we could be. We are also not saying we can blame Adam. We each would have fallen as Adam did so we can not blame him or Eve.
Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
This is a tremendous contrast with the previous verse. God tells us where we were and then He tells us what He has done. His reason is love and mercy. He made us alive by grace (undeserved blessing).
Ephesians 2:6-7 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Remember that theme we keep seeing “His Grace His Glory” over and over. We who were by nature objects of wrath were raised up and made to sit with Him in Christ Jesus. We were dead and by nature objects of wrath but He made us alive and raised us up to be seated with Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
This is the Gospel in a nutshell and contains Grace, saved, and faith. The entirety of this grace saving you through faith is all a gift of God. No works of yours so that you have nothing to boast in. What you have is wonderful and it is freely given to you.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Paul reminds us that we aren’t just saved to sit we are His workmanship, created in Christ to do good works according to His plan.
He made us alive, raised us up, made us sit in the heavenly places, and given us purpose as His possession.
This week Paul continues with intercession; tremendous and anointed intercession. Consider that Paul is writing a letter and he has started with praise to God for is work in the Ephesians’ life and now he moves on to intercession for the Ephesians. Remember that this is a letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:15-16 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
Stott points out that the best manuscripts omit “your love” and I was thinking about the use of these words. I think I may understand what happened because of Stotts discussion of the apparently double meaning in the word translated faithful. This combined idea of faithful and full of faith may be in play again and perhaps in the way the Ephesians used the Greek word translated faith. Imagine that the verse was originally written to be read something like this, “For this reason, ever since I heard about your fidelity to the Lord Jesus and all the saints.” My fidelity to the Lord is fundamentally different than my fidelity to the saints. My fidelity to the Lord is that I would submit myself a living sacrifice. My fidelity to the saints is, by and large, and expression of agape love in my life. However, if the use the word fidelity was somewhat idiosyncratic to the gentile believers it makes sense that a later copyist would reword it in a more generally understood manner. I think when we find something like this that is puzzling we may often find that it was so obvious to the original writers and copiers that they didn’t really struggle with it. Sort of a, “well duh factor.” If I was writing to my kids who are part of “Generation X,” I might use terms like “bad” and even some “Super Mario Brothers” references that if you wanted to understand in 50 years (or for some of you right now) you would need to rephrased in a more common manner.
Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
What is the reason we seek wisdom (the right understanding and application of knowledge) and the revelation provided by scripture? The purpose of Paul’s prayer is so that we may know him better. Our knowledge of God should increase throughout our lives. That is the expected process in a normal Christian’s life. A major thrust of Ephesians is an explanation of God’s work in your life and what He did to save you. This is so that you may know Him better and become aware of His will and His Glory. Keep in mind that although a greater and greater knowledge of God is expected it isn’t always common. In addition, a greater and greater knowledge of God should be transforming rather than an accumulation of facts. The Spirit of wisdom and revelation is fundamentally transforming because … we are talking about Spirit with a capital “S”. Also in passing note the Trinitarian nature evident again in this verse.
Ephesians 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
This wisdom and revelation enlightens our heart. The enlightening causes us to know the hope to which we are called. Paul doesn’t pray for something new but rather he prays we would realize what we have right now. You were called by Grace and you were not called because of something in you that was better than what was in someone else; however, you were called with purpose. God has called you to something and certainly hasn’t called you to nothing. He has a plan for your life. The “inheritance” in both Greek and English could be God’s or ours. He calls us an inheritance and has just finished calling us His possession but the context here seems to mean our inheritance in Him. On the other hand both are true for us. We need to know how we exist as His possession and inheritance but we also need to know what we inherit as His children. In this place and in some others in Scripture I find what I call “purposeful ambiguity”. I think when we find some of these portions of Scripture that read both ways that God intended it that way. Here is a word you don’t hear very often, “parsimonious”. It means being frugal and is generally in a cheap way but I don’t mean the following in any negative way. Having worked in biology for a long time and read scripture for a long time I feel that both the general revelation of creation and the special revelation of scripture teach that God is parsimonious. It is as if He really likes things to work in more than one way at the same time. It doesn’t seem to me that He does it motivated by “cheap”, it seems more to me that He does it because He finds it “fun”.
Ephesians 1:19-20 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
His resurrection power is present in us. It had to be present to resurrect our dead hearts but we tend to forget that. Stott says that God’s call looks back to our beginning, His inheritance for us looks forward to our end, and His power covers both beginning and end and everything in between. He has given us a demonstration in Christ of His power.
Ephesians 1:21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
His power has beaten sin and death. Those are our two big enemies. Christ’s position is not just greater but is, “far above all” and the position is for all time. It is important that we see Christ in his exalted position as we move into the next verse.
Ephesians 1:22-23 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
We see our Head, the Head of the Church in supreme authority. We see His headship in the Universe but the point of being Head of the Church is that depth of authority that is His too. He is Lord of your heart. He is Lord of the fine detail not just the big and general. Stott discusses the phrase, “the fullness of Him who fills all in all” and his third option (that he seems to feel is most true to scripture) is consistent with what I’m expressing. Christ fills the Church in fullness or indwelling and fills every nook and cranny with His Lordship. If you’ve got any closets you might as well invite Him in.
Ephesians 2:1-2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
And once again God reminds us of where we were when He resurrected us and made us part of His Body the Church. I was dead and I willingly followed the ways of the ruler of this world. I was a willing slave to my transgressions and sins. To my commissions of rebellion and omission of my duty to God I was a willing participant and also I followed the ruler of the kingdom of the air.
Ephesians 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
All of us (Jews) also were just as lost. We all lived according to our nature. We were fallen creatures living in sin by nature. We were living consistently with our sinful nature. Our wills were not violated since we always chose according to our strongest inclination at the moment. We have no excuse because we were living exactly like we wanted to live and then, naturally, we were objects of God’s wrath since we lived in willful disobedience. Remember however that we are not saying that we were all as bad as we could be. We are also not saying we can blame Adam. We each would have fallen as Adam did so we can not blame him or Eve.
Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
This is a tremendous contrast with the previous verse. God tells us where we were and then He tells us what He has done. His reason is love and mercy. He made us alive by grace (undeserved blessing).
Ephesians 2:6-7 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Remember that theme we keep seeing “His Grace His Glory” over and over. We who were by nature objects of wrath were raised up and made to sit with Him in Christ Jesus. We were dead and by nature objects of wrath but He made us alive and raised us up to be seated with Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
This is the Gospel in a nutshell and contains Grace, saved, and faith. The entirety of this grace saving you through faith is all a gift of God. No works of yours so that you have nothing to boast in. What you have is wonderful and it is freely given to you.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Paul reminds us that we aren’t just saved to sit we are His workmanship, created in Christ to do good works according to His plan.
He made us alive, raised us up, made us sit in the heavenly places, and given us purpose as His possession.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Ephesians Lesson 1
Ephesians Chapter 1:1-14
Background on the Book:
In the introduction Stott says, “Nobody can emerge from a careful reading of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians with a privatized Gospel. For Ephesians is the Gospel of the Church.”
This book focuses on how you fit into the Body of Christ.
John Prine wrote a song that John Denver made popular:
Blow up your tv, throw away your paper
Go to the country and build you a home
Plant a little garden, eat a lotta peaches
Try and find Jesus, on your own
Plenty of people think that seeking Jesus is solely a personal and not corporate practice. Ephesians shows that John Prine doesn’t necessarily teach sound doctrine and that John Denver didn’t know false doctrine when it was offered to him. Of course John Prine doesn’t get serious very often anyway but unfortunately people think that the Gospel is of some private interpretation and implementation forget the difficult and sometimes painful issues of how you fit with other members of His Body.
The authorship was not disputed from the first century till the early 1800s. It was accepted to be Paul since the author says he is Paul (see verse 1). Paul’s epistles do have somewhat different feels as you move from one to another. Authors don’t necessarily cookie cutter everything each time. You can sometimes figure out who wrote what from an analysis of words used and sentence structure. That works OK but if the author is changing focus and has a large vocabulary and actually fits the message to the audience then it can breakdown. I think the divine inspiration of Scripture further complicates this process. Stott quotes Hodge as saying that, “The epistle reveals itself as the work of the Holy Ghost as clearly as the stars declare their maker to be God.”
Stott stresses that Ephesians is intercessory, affirmative, and evangelical. Paul intercedes for the Ephesians, he affirms their faith, and makes statements about the role of the Church in spreading the Gospel.
The epistle seems less personal than some of Paul’s other epistles so it seems likely that it was meant, from the beginning and even in Paul’s mind, for more than just the Ephesians. The key persons addressed are gentile Christians and it was probably intended to be circulated among the cities to intercede for, affirm, and encourage them to evangelism.
As a theme we see new life, new society, new standards, and new relationships. This “new” theme is repeated as we are new creations in Christ.
Ephesians 1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have the authorship and Paul’s confession that he is an apostle because God made him one. He didn’t apply for apostle school. He was simply knocked down, yelled at, and blinded by God who made him into an apostle; an apostle to the gentiles.
Saints are who we are as Christians. We are set aside for a particular purpose. We are sanctified. The word “faithful” is an interesting word that Stott expounds on. It seems the author may have intended a blending of “being a believer” and “being faithful” and if so makes it even a richer sentence than it would be otherwise. Christians are addressed as sanctified and faithful believers. I don’t feel like I deserve the salutation but I do know God intends for me to receive it. I think that is how Gideon must have felt when he was hiding to thresh a little grain and the Angel of God said, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”(Judges 6:12). God has the full perspective and sees the end from the beginning. Never forget that God’s evaluation is the right one. Believe Him. It is a work of Grace (undeserved blessing) in your life and that is why the text continues “Grace” first and then “Peace” from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The work of God your Father who loves you is being accomplished by the omnipotent power of the Lord Jesus Christ and you CAN BE AND WILL BE sanctified and faithful believers. That should give you tremendous peace.
Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Verses 1 and 2 have got to make you want to worship God, right?, and so Praise to Him who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing through our position in Christ. I have absolutely no further spiritual needs apart from abiding in the vine. He has blessed me with every spiritual blessing. I will never exhaust His provision for me. He “daily loadeth me with benefits.” Psalm 68:19. Stott points out that verses 2-14 are one complex long sentence. What a full sentence.
Ephesians 1:4-6 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
We are naturally sure that we are the ones in control of our salvation experience. That God made a way and we found it. Remember the mid 70’s nation wide evangelistic effort in which we put bumper stickers on our car that said “I found it”? Of course then other bumper stickers showed up such as “I lost it” and “Give it back”. It is our experience that we chose God and that we found Him through our searching. However, after our salvation God uses Scripture to instruct and correct us. He lets us know how desperate our situation was and that He was the one who did the choosing and selecting. Once again I’m old school. If I spin something with the spin of the last 500 years I hope someone will stop me. I hope I die standing with the reformation and with the early Baptists cause I think they had it right. They had a plain reading of Scripture and let it speak for itself.
So what is He saying? He is saying that He chose me before the world was made and furthermore He decided I would be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined me to be adopted according to His will and good pleasure. His will is good through and through. It is richly good with nothing capricious or happenstance about it.
It is all Grace, sola gratia, feely given to us in the One He loves, sola Christos. God knows what it felt like when you got saved. But He exercised His will first and the Holy Spirit moved on you and then you chose. You get no glory and all the glory goes to God for His marvelous grace. Your falleness kept you in chains and you would daily chose your chains when daily the Gospel was available until the day He moved. The reason you got saved and the guy next to you didn’t was not because you listened, or were a better person, or had the right life experiences, or any thing in you. The reason was God’s Holy Spirit. He chose you. The day the Gospel sounded so sweet and true was the day the Holy Spirit made your dead spirit breath. All Grace all the time with all the glory to God and none to any part of man. Like Bob Dylan said in the lyrics to the song Saved, “I was blinded by the devil, born already ruined, stone cold dead as I stepped out of the womb”. I wasn’t born spiritually sick. I was born spiritually dead. I didn’t need to be resuscitated. I needed to be resurrected. I’m saved by the mercy and grace of God and by His love I’m made secure.
Before He moved I was still responsible for my decisions. I always chose according to what I wanted but my cold heart was dead. I think one of the frightening things is to look back as God instructs me and see that my inclination was not to Him. I remember seeking Him and now He tells me that was the Holy Spirit. He came to seek and save that which was lost. I could have and would have lived my life apart from Him, denied him, loved the world and the things in the world. By His Grace He gave me spiritual life.
Ephesians 1:7-8 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
He redeemed us by paying the price with His blood. You have forgiveness of your sins because He paid for them in full. Grace is free but it wasn’t cheap. He has lavished it on us when we were not lovable. He also gave us understanding with regard to what is going on in history after saving us by His grace. Redemption and forgiveness of sins is glorious but He goes on to teach us so much more.
Ephesians 1:9-10 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
One of the things He teaches us it that He plans to bring all things into submission to Christ. He lets us know that He intends to bring a harmony to all of creation. This epistle is written to gentiles and so this comment foreshadows future discussions of how the gentiles are related to, in fact become, children of Abraham and equal in the body of Christ. There are not first and second class positions. He has made us one body.
Ephesians 1:11-12 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
In him means in Christ and links back to verse 10 as Paul keep praising God for His work and for raising us up for the praise of His glory. We who were the first refers to the Jews and Paul’s heritage. So the believing Jews were chosen.
Ephesians 1:13-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
And you gentiles now were also included because you heard, believed, were sealed with an earnest, until He completes the redemption of His possession to the praise of His glory. So the believing gentiles were also chosen. Christ is the one who reconciles us as one body. So you can wander into a church on the other side of the planet with Zulu Christians and know they are part of your body. The answer to “why are you” is always repeated, “His will, His glory”
Note that this section of scripture is clearly Trinitarian. We have God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Meditate on the fact that you are God’s possession. It is naturally to the praise of His glory but think about what it means to be His. Can anyone take you from Him? Will you behave as you did before you were redeemed? You are “for the praise of His Glory”! That is your answer to, “Why am I?” Now how are you going to live?
Background on the Book:
In the introduction Stott says, “Nobody can emerge from a careful reading of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians with a privatized Gospel. For Ephesians is the Gospel of the Church.”
This book focuses on how you fit into the Body of Christ.
John Prine wrote a song that John Denver made popular:
Blow up your tv, throw away your paper
Go to the country and build you a home
Plant a little garden, eat a lotta peaches
Try and find Jesus, on your own
Plenty of people think that seeking Jesus is solely a personal and not corporate practice. Ephesians shows that John Prine doesn’t necessarily teach sound doctrine and that John Denver didn’t know false doctrine when it was offered to him. Of course John Prine doesn’t get serious very often anyway but unfortunately people think that the Gospel is of some private interpretation and implementation forget the difficult and sometimes painful issues of how you fit with other members of His Body.
The authorship was not disputed from the first century till the early 1800s. It was accepted to be Paul since the author says he is Paul (see verse 1). Paul’s epistles do have somewhat different feels as you move from one to another. Authors don’t necessarily cookie cutter everything each time. You can sometimes figure out who wrote what from an analysis of words used and sentence structure. That works OK but if the author is changing focus and has a large vocabulary and actually fits the message to the audience then it can breakdown. I think the divine inspiration of Scripture further complicates this process. Stott quotes Hodge as saying that, “The epistle reveals itself as the work of the Holy Ghost as clearly as the stars declare their maker to be God.”
Stott stresses that Ephesians is intercessory, affirmative, and evangelical. Paul intercedes for the Ephesians, he affirms their faith, and makes statements about the role of the Church in spreading the Gospel.
The epistle seems less personal than some of Paul’s other epistles so it seems likely that it was meant, from the beginning and even in Paul’s mind, for more than just the Ephesians. The key persons addressed are gentile Christians and it was probably intended to be circulated among the cities to intercede for, affirm, and encourage them to evangelism.
As a theme we see new life, new society, new standards, and new relationships. This “new” theme is repeated as we are new creations in Christ.
Ephesians 1:1-2 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have the authorship and Paul’s confession that he is an apostle because God made him one. He didn’t apply for apostle school. He was simply knocked down, yelled at, and blinded by God who made him into an apostle; an apostle to the gentiles.
Saints are who we are as Christians. We are set aside for a particular purpose. We are sanctified. The word “faithful” is an interesting word that Stott expounds on. It seems the author may have intended a blending of “being a believer” and “being faithful” and if so makes it even a richer sentence than it would be otherwise. Christians are addressed as sanctified and faithful believers. I don’t feel like I deserve the salutation but I do know God intends for me to receive it. I think that is how Gideon must have felt when he was hiding to thresh a little grain and the Angel of God said, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”(Judges 6:12). God has the full perspective and sees the end from the beginning. Never forget that God’s evaluation is the right one. Believe Him. It is a work of Grace (undeserved blessing) in your life and that is why the text continues “Grace” first and then “Peace” from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The work of God your Father who loves you is being accomplished by the omnipotent power of the Lord Jesus Christ and you CAN BE AND WILL BE sanctified and faithful believers. That should give you tremendous peace.
Ephesians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Verses 1 and 2 have got to make you want to worship God, right?, and so Praise to Him who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing through our position in Christ. I have absolutely no further spiritual needs apart from abiding in the vine. He has blessed me with every spiritual blessing. I will never exhaust His provision for me. He “daily loadeth me with benefits.” Psalm 68:19. Stott points out that verses 2-14 are one complex long sentence. What a full sentence.
Ephesians 1:4-6 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
We are naturally sure that we are the ones in control of our salvation experience. That God made a way and we found it. Remember the mid 70’s nation wide evangelistic effort in which we put bumper stickers on our car that said “I found it”? Of course then other bumper stickers showed up such as “I lost it” and “Give it back”. It is our experience that we chose God and that we found Him through our searching. However, after our salvation God uses Scripture to instruct and correct us. He lets us know how desperate our situation was and that He was the one who did the choosing and selecting. Once again I’m old school. If I spin something with the spin of the last 500 years I hope someone will stop me. I hope I die standing with the reformation and with the early Baptists cause I think they had it right. They had a plain reading of Scripture and let it speak for itself.
So what is He saying? He is saying that He chose me before the world was made and furthermore He decided I would be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined me to be adopted according to His will and good pleasure. His will is good through and through. It is richly good with nothing capricious or happenstance about it.
It is all Grace, sola gratia, feely given to us in the One He loves, sola Christos. God knows what it felt like when you got saved. But He exercised His will first and the Holy Spirit moved on you and then you chose. You get no glory and all the glory goes to God for His marvelous grace. Your falleness kept you in chains and you would daily chose your chains when daily the Gospel was available until the day He moved. The reason you got saved and the guy next to you didn’t was not because you listened, or were a better person, or had the right life experiences, or any thing in you. The reason was God’s Holy Spirit. He chose you. The day the Gospel sounded so sweet and true was the day the Holy Spirit made your dead spirit breath. All Grace all the time with all the glory to God and none to any part of man. Like Bob Dylan said in the lyrics to the song Saved, “I was blinded by the devil, born already ruined, stone cold dead as I stepped out of the womb”. I wasn’t born spiritually sick. I was born spiritually dead. I didn’t need to be resuscitated. I needed to be resurrected. I’m saved by the mercy and grace of God and by His love I’m made secure.
Before He moved I was still responsible for my decisions. I always chose according to what I wanted but my cold heart was dead. I think one of the frightening things is to look back as God instructs me and see that my inclination was not to Him. I remember seeking Him and now He tells me that was the Holy Spirit. He came to seek and save that which was lost. I could have and would have lived my life apart from Him, denied him, loved the world and the things in the world. By His Grace He gave me spiritual life.
Ephesians 1:7-8 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
He redeemed us by paying the price with His blood. You have forgiveness of your sins because He paid for them in full. Grace is free but it wasn’t cheap. He has lavished it on us when we were not lovable. He also gave us understanding with regard to what is going on in history after saving us by His grace. Redemption and forgiveness of sins is glorious but He goes on to teach us so much more.
Ephesians 1:9-10 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
One of the things He teaches us it that He plans to bring all things into submission to Christ. He lets us know that He intends to bring a harmony to all of creation. This epistle is written to gentiles and so this comment foreshadows future discussions of how the gentiles are related to, in fact become, children of Abraham and equal in the body of Christ. There are not first and second class positions. He has made us one body.
Ephesians 1:11-12 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
In him means in Christ and links back to verse 10 as Paul keep praising God for His work and for raising us up for the praise of His glory. We who were the first refers to the Jews and Paul’s heritage. So the believing Jews were chosen.
Ephesians 1:13-14 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
And you gentiles now were also included because you heard, believed, were sealed with an earnest, until He completes the redemption of His possession to the praise of His glory. So the believing gentiles were also chosen. Christ is the one who reconciles us as one body. So you can wander into a church on the other side of the planet with Zulu Christians and know they are part of your body. The answer to “why are you” is always repeated, “His will, His glory”
Note that this section of scripture is clearly Trinitarian. We have God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Meditate on the fact that you are God’s possession. It is naturally to the praise of His glory but think about what it means to be His. Can anyone take you from Him? Will you behave as you did before you were redeemed? You are “for the praise of His Glory”! That is your answer to, “Why am I?” Now how are you going to live?
Galatians Lesson 8
Let the Spirit Lead
Lesson Passage: Galatians 5:16-26
Galatians 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Walk in the Spirit.
The NIV uses the term live by the Spirit. Walk is in the original Greek and we use walk the same way. “A Walk to Remember” “Don’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk”.
The Holy Spirit’s dwelling within the believer is a sign that the believer is part of God’s people and an heir of the covenant promises given to Abraham (3:14; 4:6; 5:5). The Spirit’s presence is also a sign that in the final day God will declare the believer righteous (5:5; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5).
Walking or living in the Spirit is Grace empowered and enabled but requires our participation.
Galatians 5:17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
the flesh = Sinful nature.
Paul says in 6:13 that the agitators in Galatia want to circumcise the Galatians in order to glory in their “flesh,” and in 2:16 Paul says that by observing the law “no flesh” (that is, no one) will be justified. The word “flesh” is used at least three ways by Paul. The broadest use is a simple reference to humanness. Another use is for the physical body. The narrowest use, especially when placed in contrast to “spirit,” is to refer to the sinful human nature, which includes the mind and soul. If the Galatians abandon Christ and place their confidence in the law, they will be turning back to reliance on the flesh, and thus to existence under the law’s curse.
There is hope as well as warning in Paul’s words. Although the desires of the flesh oppose the Spirit, the desires given by the Holy Spirit deliver us from the flesh and the law.
Sanctification: The Spirit and the Flesh
Sanctification is “the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.”
It does not mean that sin is instantly eradicated, but it is also more than a counteraction, in which sin is merely restrained or repressed without being progressively destroyed
Regeneration is birth; sanctification is growth. In regeneration, God implants desires that were not there before: desire for God, for holiness, and for glorifying God’s name in the world; desire to pray and worship; desire to love and bring benefit to others. In sanctification, the Holy Spirit “works in you both to will and to do” according to God’s purpose, enabling His people to fulfill their new, godly desires (Phil. 2:12, 13).
Believers find within themselves contrary urgings. The Spirit sustains their regenerate desires and purposes, but their fallen instincts (the “flesh”) obstruct their path and drag them back. The conflict of these two is sharp. Paul says he is unable to do what is right, and unable to restrain himself from doing what is wrong (Rom. 7:14–25). This conflict and frustration will be with Christians as long as they are in the body. Yet by watching and praying against temptation, and cultivating opposite virtues, they may through the Spirit’s help “put to death” particular bad habits (Rom. 8:13; Col. 3:5).
One particular trap is to forget our hearts nature and allow our fallen instincts to become clothed with a “spiritual” frosting.
Galatians 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
Galatians 5:20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
Galatians 5:21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Selfish ambition, dissensions, factions = contentions … heresies.
Paul lists gross sins that the legalists would condemn, but follows them with the very sins they were guilty of (v. 15).
will not inherit the kingdom of God.
One of four occurrences of this phrase in the Pauline letters (1 Cor. 6:9, 10; 15:50; cf. Eph. 5:5). Paul’s point is that those who do not exhibit the graces of the Spirit (v. 22) in their lives will not take part in God’s eternal kingdom.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
fruit of the Spirit.
Paul uses the metaphor of fruit to describe the conduct of the believer in Rom. 6:22; Eph. 5:9; and Phil. 1:11. John the Baptist likewise claimed that true repentance would produce the “fruit” of concrete ethical behavior (Matt. 3:8; Luke 3:8). The love produced by the Spirit is like the love of Christ. It goes far beyond the performance of legalistic self-righteousness (Luke 10:25–37).
Fruit singular with these characteristics … a representative but not exhaustive list.
A sacrificial purposeful love, God’s love that can stand in the fire.
Joy independent of circumstances.
Peace, shalom not just without conflict but a completeness, a state of full well being.
Patience in suffering and discomfort.
Kindness includes aspects of gentleness, generosity, honesty, and goodness.
Goodness in the second mile
Faithfulness implying trustworthiness, reliability, and dependability
Gentleness – meekness in KJV carries with it the idea of a teachable spirit and/or submission to God’s will. Doesn’t imply wimpy but a person who controls their emotions and strength in service to others. For example, Moses.
Self control – temperance in KJV, control in struggle against temptation to sin.
Against such things there is no law
In the context of this epistle remember that the law must bow before the work of God’s Spirit empowering and enabling you to be truly pleasing to God.
Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].
Amplified New Testament;The Amplified New Testament
Against the product of the Holy Spirit in your life no law can bring a charge against you.
Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
have crucified the (sinful nature) flesh.
For the people of Christ, the Cross broke the grip of the law (2:19) and also the grip of the flesh. By faith they recognize the reality of their union with Christ in His death. So, too, they have been raised to new life in the Spirit of Christ and therefore walk in the Spirit (Col. 3:1, 3, 5).
Therefore, we should live as disciples (under discipline).
Galatians 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Keep in mind the problem Paul was addressing. Legalism produces conceit that provokes strife and envy that feeds our sinful nature (flesh).
Keep in step – military term meaning be in a line. We need to line up with the Holy Spirit.
Provoking means an attitude of combat
Coram Deo
Lesson Passage: Galatians 5:16-26
Galatians 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Walk in the Spirit.
The NIV uses the term live by the Spirit. Walk is in the original Greek and we use walk the same way. “A Walk to Remember” “Don’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk”.
The Holy Spirit’s dwelling within the believer is a sign that the believer is part of God’s people and an heir of the covenant promises given to Abraham (3:14; 4:6; 5:5). The Spirit’s presence is also a sign that in the final day God will declare the believer righteous (5:5; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5).
Walking or living in the Spirit is Grace empowered and enabled but requires our participation.
Galatians 5:17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
the flesh = Sinful nature.
Paul says in 6:13 that the agitators in Galatia want to circumcise the Galatians in order to glory in their “flesh,” and in 2:16 Paul says that by observing the law “no flesh” (that is, no one) will be justified. The word “flesh” is used at least three ways by Paul. The broadest use is a simple reference to humanness. Another use is for the physical body. The narrowest use, especially when placed in contrast to “spirit,” is to refer to the sinful human nature, which includes the mind and soul. If the Galatians abandon Christ and place their confidence in the law, they will be turning back to reliance on the flesh, and thus to existence under the law’s curse.
There is hope as well as warning in Paul’s words. Although the desires of the flesh oppose the Spirit, the desires given by the Holy Spirit deliver us from the flesh and the law.
Sanctification: The Spirit and the Flesh
Sanctification is “the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.”
It does not mean that sin is instantly eradicated, but it is also more than a counteraction, in which sin is merely restrained or repressed without being progressively destroyed
Regeneration is birth; sanctification is growth. In regeneration, God implants desires that were not there before: desire for God, for holiness, and for glorifying God’s name in the world; desire to pray and worship; desire to love and bring benefit to others. In sanctification, the Holy Spirit “works in you both to will and to do” according to God’s purpose, enabling His people to fulfill their new, godly desires (Phil. 2:12, 13).
Believers find within themselves contrary urgings. The Spirit sustains their regenerate desires and purposes, but their fallen instincts (the “flesh”) obstruct their path and drag them back. The conflict of these two is sharp. Paul says he is unable to do what is right, and unable to restrain himself from doing what is wrong (Rom. 7:14–25). This conflict and frustration will be with Christians as long as they are in the body. Yet by watching and praying against temptation, and cultivating opposite virtues, they may through the Spirit’s help “put to death” particular bad habits (Rom. 8:13; Col. 3:5).
One particular trap is to forget our hearts nature and allow our fallen instincts to become clothed with a “spiritual” frosting.
Galatians 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
Galatians 5:20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
Galatians 5:21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Selfish ambition, dissensions, factions = contentions … heresies.
Paul lists gross sins that the legalists would condemn, but follows them with the very sins they were guilty of (v. 15).
will not inherit the kingdom of God.
One of four occurrences of this phrase in the Pauline letters (1 Cor. 6:9, 10; 15:50; cf. Eph. 5:5). Paul’s point is that those who do not exhibit the graces of the Spirit (v. 22) in their lives will not take part in God’s eternal kingdom.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
fruit of the Spirit.
Paul uses the metaphor of fruit to describe the conduct of the believer in Rom. 6:22; Eph. 5:9; and Phil. 1:11. John the Baptist likewise claimed that true repentance would produce the “fruit” of concrete ethical behavior (Matt. 3:8; Luke 3:8). The love produced by the Spirit is like the love of Christ. It goes far beyond the performance of legalistic self-righteousness (Luke 10:25–37).
Fruit singular with these characteristics … a representative but not exhaustive list.
A sacrificial purposeful love, God’s love that can stand in the fire.
Joy independent of circumstances.
Peace, shalom not just without conflict but a completeness, a state of full well being.
Patience in suffering and discomfort.
Kindness includes aspects of gentleness, generosity, honesty, and goodness.
Goodness in the second mile
Faithfulness implying trustworthiness, reliability, and dependability
Gentleness – meekness in KJV carries with it the idea of a teachable spirit and/or submission to God’s will. Doesn’t imply wimpy but a person who controls their emotions and strength in service to others. For example, Moses.
Self control – temperance in KJV, control in struggle against temptation to sin.
Against such things there is no law
In the context of this epistle remember that the law must bow before the work of God’s Spirit empowering and enabling you to be truly pleasing to God.
Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].
Amplified New Testament;The Amplified New Testament
Against the product of the Holy Spirit in your life no law can bring a charge against you.
Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
have crucified the (sinful nature) flesh.
For the people of Christ, the Cross broke the grip of the law (2:19) and also the grip of the flesh. By faith they recognize the reality of their union with Christ in His death. So, too, they have been raised to new life in the Spirit of Christ and therefore walk in the Spirit (Col. 3:1, 3, 5).
Therefore, we should live as disciples (under discipline).
Galatians 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Keep in mind the problem Paul was addressing. Legalism produces conceit that provokes strife and envy that feeds our sinful nature (flesh).
Keep in step – military term meaning be in a line. We need to line up with the Holy Spirit.
Provoking means an attitude of combat
Coram Deo
- Don’t forget our dependence on the Holy Spirit
- Don’t forget that our hearts are tricky (deceitful)
- Scripture is sure but our hearts are sure not
- Your sanctification is a work of Grace that you participate in
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