A Walk through Ephesians - Pt 27

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:14–20 ESV).

 

The belt of truth is the first piece of spiritual armor described in our reading (cf. Ephesians 6:14-29). This ultimately protects believers to stand firm against spiritual deception. This piece of equipment was a foundational part of the Roman soldier’s dress for battle. For a Roman soldier, the military belt (or balteus) gathered up the loose inner tunic so he could move freely and avoid tripping. Spiritually, truth gathers and secures a person's life, preventing confusion from loose thinking or deceit.

 

However, it also served as the anchor for other pieces of armor. The soldier's belt held his heavy sword and was attached to his breastplate. Without the belt of truth, the rest of the spiritual armor lacks structural support. Paul says it should be "girding to your waist." This is a reference to being fully prepared and alert. Embracing God’s truth prepares a believer to respond to daily spiritual challenges.

 

We should remember that the only source of objective truth is the Scripture. Relying on the absolute truth of Scripture and the character of God rather than shifting cultural opinions is the only foundation from which we may fully equip ourselves for battle. This daily consumption of truth allows us to live a life of personal integrity and sincerity. Living an honest, transparent life free of hypocrisy, duplicity, or deception is essential to turning away the attacks of the devil.

  

A Walk through Ephesians - Pt 26

 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:10–13 ESV).

 

The Apostle Paul now comes to the conclusion of his letter to the believers in Ephesus. He says to “stand firm” (v. 13). Of course, he goes on to explain both the weapons and strategy in this conflict we find ourselves engaged in. Our strategy is to rely completely on the Lord. It is in the power of his boundless strength that we will be able to capture the victory. He also tells us we are to “put on God's complete armor so that you can successfully resist all the devil's craftiness.” We will examine these weapons in the next few days more.

 

Today I want to concentrate on the truth that our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organizations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that roams freely in this dark world. It is for this reason we must learn to use the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist evil in its day of power, and that even when you have fought to a standstill you may still stand your ground.

 

We should remember that we are fighting a spiritual war against enemies who are far greater in numbers, intelligence, subtlety, and power than Israel had to wage war against in terms of their contemporary neighboring nations. And, our enemy is invisible.

 

The word Paul uses for "stand" is a military term for holding on to a position. In effect, before one can launch an attack, he must first hold the position he is in. Believers confront something that we simply cannot overcome except that we also have help in this spiritual realm to draw upon as a resource. We should also understand that these enemies should not be underestimated. Our struggle is not merely against human foes, and it is a war to the death. In fact, here in this chapter, this idea is hidden in the Greek. It is a war to the death against supernatural forces. The word "powers" denotes those who aspire to world control, and ancient writers used the term to designate the savior gods of pagan religions. That is who we are fighting against—demons!

 

The great news of the Gospel is that the ultimate war has already been won. These battles we face are those that lead to that final ending God has already planned and promised. They exact serious consequences in our lives and are not to be taken lightly. However, we have this hope of final victory and eternal life to encourage us to persevere! This perseverance is much easier when we put on this full armor!

 

A Walk through Ephesians - Pt 25

 

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. (Ephesians 6:5–9 ESV).

 

At first glance it would seem that our reading today has little practical application to our time. However, even though these verses apply the gospel to the master-slave relationship of the first-century church, they also frame daily work and authority as service rendered ultimately to Christ regardless of the age in which we live. It is another great example of the timeless nature of the Scripture.

 

The message is quite clear. We are to be worthy of the calling of God into His grace as we “work,” whatever that work might be. You see, it is in gratitude for the benefits granted in our relationship with Christ by faith alone that believers must serve the interests of everyone also united to Jesus (cf. Ephesians 2:8–9; 5:18–21). And as we have seen earlier in this letter (Ephesians 5:22–6:4), our relation to others in the body of Christ determines the practical outworking of our Christian service. Husbands serve their wives through leading them in godliness self-sacrificially. Wives serve their husbands by willingly following their husbands’ leadership. Children serve their parents by honoring them with obedience. Parents serve their children by raising them in their developing faith in the Lord. The same principle now applies to our work relationships.

 

The Book of Philemon is helpful at this point. The context of that letter is within the bonds of ancient slavery. Remember this slavery differed from slavery in the American South, and how God’s regulation of a practice in Scripture does not necessarily mean the practice is His design for humanity. We can all learn from these principles, for we all have authorities over us, and many of us have authority over others.

 

The fundamental tenet Paul unfolds here is that we serve our earthly supervisors with an eye to the Lord. We are servants of Christ before all else (v. 6), and key to serving Jesus well is doing the will of those in authority over us, insofar as that will does not violate God’s law, of course. Our Creator rules His creation through delegated authorities (cf. Romans 13:1–7); consequently, to obey the directives of authorities is to obey God Himself. Simply put, we cannot claim to be Christ’s servants if we do not heed those whom God has put over us. Such obedience must be rendered with respect, not begrudging contempt.

 

There is also an understanding that “work” is what we have been created for in God’s purpose and will. This brings glory to all of creation. Thus we should concentrate on doing whatever our “hands find to do” as if we are doing it to the Lord (cf. Ecclesiastes 9:10). This is how we can work worthy of our calling!

 

[NOTE: For a fuller explanation of work in the plan and purpose of God, please IM me with your email and I will send you an essay I recently wrote on this subject. Of course, there is no cost, nor will your information be shared with anyone.]

 

A Walk through Ephesians - Pt 24

 

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:1–4 ESV).

 

Today we come to another one of the directives of the Apostle Paul that often raises an eyebrow with some. We should remember that the apostle’s emphasis in Ephesians 5:22–6:9 is on the submission of service and how believers fulfill the call to serve one another in love (cf. Ephesians 5:21; Galatians 5:13). In today’s reading, the apostle addresses Christian children, his main audience consisting of kids who still live under the direct care of their parents. Adult children can certainly draw principles from this passage for their relationship with their parents, but the primary instruction is for those who have yet to reach maturity.

 

Ancient Roman society, like most cultures throughout history, believed that children should listen to their parents and respect their elders. Indeed, no one can escape what the created order tells us about the propriety of kids obeying their mothers and fathers. Yet Scripture uniquely addresses children directly, commanding them as individuals with a moral sense of what they should and should not do. This elevates children from the status of mere possessions to persons, conferring upon them a dignity and worth not always given to them in unbelieving societies. Kids are not chattel who can be treated any way their parents like.

 

Addressing children this way presupposes that regenerate young people, especially if they are nearing adulthood, have the duty and ability to obey their parents wisely. No human authority, parents included, deserves absolute allegiance. Abusive, neglectful, and impenitently foolish parents are not to be honored in the same way as good parents. John Chrysostom, the ancient patriarch of Constantinople, addressed this issue, noting Paul’s qualification that youths obey parents “in the Lord.” Chrysostom says, “They [parents] are to be obeyed in whatever way they are not offending against God” (ACCNT 8, p. 191).

 

Obedience “in the Lord” qualifies the child-parent relationship, but it cannot excuse rebellious kids who disobey rules they do not like. God gives us parents for our benefit, and obeying their wisdom, besides being right, brings us many benefits (vv. 2–3). In fact, children who impenitently disobey the godly instruction of their parents mark themselves off as unregenerate (cf. Romans 1:28–32; 2 Timothy 3:1–5). Yet children who profess Christ and render respectful love to their parents demonstrate the reality of their salvation, enjoying many other blessings as well.

 

The Old Testament often speaks of honor for one’s parents by employing language elsewhere associated with the fear of the Lord (cf. Leviticus 19:3, 14, 32). Although no human authority deserves absolute allegiance, we must show proper, biblical reverence to our parents. This applies to us no matter how old we are or how long we have lived outside of our parents’ homes. Let us seek to be models of godliness in how we honor our mothers and fathers.

 

A Walk through Ephesians - Pt 23

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:25–33 ESV).

 

Today’s reading continues the Apostle Paul’s practical instruction of the relationship of the husband to the wife in the family of believers. He says, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (v. 25). This is the foundational biblical command. It directs husbands to lead through self-sacrificial service, deep care, and unconditional devotion. It is modeled after Christ in that it should be a love that is sacrificial, active, and protective rather than passive.

 

Martin Luther once said of his beloved Katherine Von Bora, whom called Katie, or sometimes “Mrs. Dr. Luther”. He observed on one occasion, he said, "If God wanted me to be married to a meek woman, he'd have to carve one out of stone." What he was saying was that Katie was beautiful inside and she had a great spirit, but she wasn't a doormat for anybody, or Martin Luther or anyone else that came into the house. God is not calling women to be doormats, to be slavish in the way they relate to their husbands any more than God will ever tolerate a man exercising a tyranny over his wife.

 

Again, one of the great calamities of our day is the epidemic of wife abuse. I'm going to say this to every man in who reads this devotional, there are lots of sins that I can understand, but I cannot for the life of me understand how any man could ever hit a woman. Never let it be said of you that you would ever let your anger, in a domestic dispute, move you to such an action as to actually hit your wife. That's absolutely unconscionable. There are other ways to “hit” your wife. Emotional abuse, demeaning references, or rude remarks cannot be tolerated either. This is simply not the way of Jesus.

 

We must take care to treat our wife as our own body, nourishing and cherishing her. We should show mutual respect, building a unified partnership rooted in spiritual commitment. Some of the ways we can do this is through praying for your wife's spiritual and emotional well-being; listening actively during regular, open, relational communication; serving her daily needs through small, thoughtful acts of kindness; and, prioritizing dedicated time together without distractions.

 

This is the way of Jesus. It ought to be our way as well!

  

A Walk through Ephesians - Pt 22

 

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:22–24 ESV).

 

Never let it be said that I refuse to “wade out into the deep water”! Today I come to the deepest water in the Apostle Paul’s letter. In the coming verses he will deal with the God-directed structure of the Christian’s home. It is a complex portion of the letter and has been abused and falsely taught for centuries. However, it is essential to the growth and development of the family. So, let me begin by saying our reading today does teach male headship and wifely submission in marriage, modeled after Christ and the church. This submission means a Christ-dependent disposition to follow the husband’s leadership, but it excludes obeying a command to sin or enduring abuse of any kind.

 

So, let’s take a look at some of the essentials of the characteristics of this “submission.”

Wifely Submission: Paul calls wives to submit to their own husbands as to the Lord. The word “submit” is not actually found in verse 22 as most translations add it as the verb. It is a continuation of the previous verse where Paul says we are to be in a state of “… submitting ourselves to one another in reverence of Christ” (v. 21). However, there is the addition of what this relationship is to look like in marriage. The apostle gives some detail.

 

First, he states the limit of submission. Wives must never follow their husbands into sin or remain in situations involving domestic abuse, as abuse directly violates God's law. And the husband's role as head mirrors Christ's leadership as a protector and provider. Of course, since husbands are finite and sinful, this headship must never be practiced in a tyrannical, domineering, or abusive manner. There is also a mutual imperfection where spouses are called to obey these roles even when their partner fails to act perfectly, pointing back to grace found in Christ.

 

Paul will have much more to say about how this relationship should work. Today, suffice it to say that it should look just like Jesus as relates in grace and love. It should never be positional, but relational. It should never be seen as a competitive relationship; nor should it appear to be a reference to authority or dominance.

 

A Walk through Ephesians - Pt 21

 

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:15–21 ESV).

 

Our reading today continues the Apostle Paul’s instruction for believers to live distinct, careful, and holy lives that contrast sharply with the surrounding secular culture. This is one of those verses that the King James Version uses a word that is very interesting in the English translation of the first verse: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise” (v. 15). In the original language (ἀκριβῶς) it may be translated as exactly, accurately, carefully, or diligently. Helps Word Studies says, “The root of this word (akrib-) refers to gaining exact information with the highest level of accuracy ("exactness") and is acquired by probing investigation to provide a comprehensive circumspect (precise) view in strict adherence to the facts.” I believe the apostle chose this word to emphasize that the life of believers is based on opinion or worse, false teachings. So, he says there are some core themes the apostle touches upon.

 

First, he says we are to look carefully at our choices. Believers must evaluate their choices and consider consequences rather than living carelessly. This is the basis of the often-cited idiom “look before you leap.” Some things often sound so appealing that we are tempted to rush headlong into them only to realize that the consequences are destructive.

 

Second, he says we should make the best use of time. Because the cultural climate is evil and hostile to God, Christians should treat time as a precious, fleeting resource. I often encouraged others to realize that time is the only non-renewable resource we possess. Doing that we can plan the use of our time accordingly. We budget our money far better than we do our time; and, that’s often a mistake.

 

Third, we should understand God's will. Wisdom means grasping God's overarching purpose to unite all things under Christ and applying it practically in daily life. This may be one of the most challenging things about the believer’s life. Since we do not have the same perspective as God, it is often difficult to see purpose in all of our circumstances until much later. This is when we must trust the goodness of God, knowing that His desire is to produce only good in our lives.

 

After Paul writes these larger principles, he says some things that are a bit more specific. He says we are to avoid drunkenness. Drunkenness is a destructive mark of the ungodly world and explicitly forbidden. He also says we should be filled with the Holy Spirit. Instead of being controlled by substances, believers are to be constantly directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This leads us to be filled with worship and gratitude. The Spirit-filled life naturally overflows with communal singing, mutual encouragement, and constant thankfulness to God the Father. And then, he concludes with the admonition toward mutual submission. It is a calling to all church members to put others first out of reverence for Christ. This will set the stage for specific household roles that follow.

 

How does your life measure up against these principles?