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Chapter 1 |
Chapter 6 |
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Chapter 2 |
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Chapter 3 |
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Chapter 4 |
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Chapter 5 |
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This
epistle, although in Chapter I, verse 1, addressed to,
"the saints which are at Ephesus," is said by some
to contain no such address in what are considered the best
manuscripts, which would leave it with no local
identification. If so, it then would still have the universal
application to the whole church of our Lord Christ Jesus, as
in the second part of the address in our King James Version of
the Bible, "and to the faithful in Christ Jesus."
Whether or not the first part of the address is proper is of
little consequence to us: for the second part includes every
one who believes in our Lord Christ Jesus whether he be at
Ephesus
or in the remotest corner of the world. Also the doctrines set
forth in this letter are much more universal in scope. |
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Chapter
1
(Verses
1 and 2) "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
to the saints which are at
Ephesus
, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: grace be to you, and peace,
from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ."
That
there be no doubt as to the identity of the writer, Paul introduces
himself as "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of
God," thus assuring the reader of two very important things.
First: since he is an apostle of Jesus the Christ, he is authorized
and sent forth by our Lord himself. And therefore what he writes is
not his own word, but that of Christ Jesus: and second; this is not
a position or authority that he has sought or taken upon himself,
but is by the will of God. For witness of the truth of this
declaration, see the account of his activities, given in Acts, from
the time of the stoning of Stephen, until the beginning of Paul's
ministry. He then addresses those to whom this letter is directed.
As mentioned earlier, there is some controversy as to whether or not
the particular reference, "To the saints which are at
Ephesus
" should be included, but there is none concerning the latter
part, "and to the faithful in Christ Jesus." We often use
"faithful" as a synonym for "steadfast" or
"dependable," but in this instance the thought is
"one who believes in Christ Jesus." Then the apostle prays
that to every believer grace and peace may be continued from God our
Father, and from our Lord Jesus the Christ, Who are indeed the only
source of either grace or true peace.
(Verses
3 through 6) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
before Him, in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure
of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He
hath made us accepted in the Beloved."
The
expression, "Blessed be the God and Father_ _ _," in no
way indicates that we are able to confer a blessing upon Him, but
rather that He is to be praised and honored as the One Who has
bestowed upon us all the blessings, gifts, privileges, and other
spiritual benefits in "the heavenlies," to which we have
access in Christ. As will be noted, "places" is a word,
which the translators added, and it was not in the Greek text. In
the King James Version, such are always printed in italics. In this
instance "places" is far too restrictive to be acceptable.
For, in these "heavenlies" are also included such
blessings as experiences of the love and fellowship of Christ,
fellowship with the saints, the comfort and consolation of the
Spirit, as well as many other wonderful privileges and benefits
given unto us in Christ by God the Father, Who made choice of us in
Christ before He laid the foundation of the world and in His love
established that we shall have all guilt wiped off our accounts, and
be enabled to stand before Him holy and without blame. To this end
He has predestinated us to be adopted by (or through) Jesus the
Christ unto Himself. All this was done, not in answer to the prayers
of any who desired it, nor to appease any critic who demanded it,
(for when this was done there was neither petitioner nor critic,)
but all according to the good pleasure of His will. He did it all
for the same reason that He hid things from the wise and prudent and
revealed them unto babes. (Matt. 11:26.) "Even so, Father; for
so it seemed good in Thy sight." The purpose and the result of
this act of the Father are one and the same, that the glory of His
grace be praised. Not only is God to be praised, or His glory, in
general, to be praised, but the glory of one of His special
attributes, His grace, is to be praised. This grace is that in which
He has reached down, taken wicked hell-deserving sinners worthy of
nothing but utter condemnation and contempt, and "in the
Beloved," Christ Jesus, made them holy and without blame before
Him, thus rendering them fully acceptable to Himself.
(Verses
7 through 12) "In Whom we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;
wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His
good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: that in the
fullness of times He might gather together in One all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in
Him: in Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who worketh all things
after the counsel of His own will: that we should be to the praise
of His glory, who first trusted in Christ."
"In
Whom," in verse 7, obviously refers, not to the Father, but to
"the Beloved" Who, of course, is the Son, Jesus the
Christ: for it is His blood through which we have redemption, which
is the forgiveness of sins. All of this is according to the riches
of the grace of God the Father, as it was He, Who sent the Son to be
the propitiation for the sins of His elect. This grace was, of
course, in the Son. The Apostle John says, (John
1:14
,) "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth." And (John
1:17
,) "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ." It is in this grace that the Father has
"abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence." John
1:18
says, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son,
Which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." The
only "wisdom and prudence," or understanding, concerning
the Father, that any one has ever had was given through the Son. He
has both declared, and shown Him to us. (John 14:9) "Have I
been so long time with you, and yet thou hast not known Me, Philip?
He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then,
shew us the Father?" Having thus revealed Himself to us through
His Son, the Father made known to us the mystery, or hidden secret,
of His will. How prophets and saints of the Old Testament days must
have longed to know this mystery! Jesus said, (Matt. 13:17,)
"For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous
men have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen
them; and hear those things which ye hear and have not heard
them." The Father had purposed in Himself that He would reveal
all of this, but it was to be in the manner of His choosing, and at
the time of His appointing. These two came together in the Son; and
thus the Father revealed the mystery of His will, "that in the
dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in
One all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on
earth; even in Him." It is abundantly clear, from the reading
of the prophets, that they could see in the visions given unto them,
both the suffering and the glory of our Lord. However it is equally
manifest that they could not see, nor understand all the difference
between His first coming and His second. Had they been permitted to
see those things which He did, and hear the things He taught at His
first advent, they could have understood much more clearly "the
dispensation of the fullness of times," that is, the measure
and scope of His first and second comings. It is in Christ that the
Father will gather all things, both in heaven and on earth,
together. It is also Christ in Whom we have obtained an inheritance.
Our obtaining this inheritance has been altogether by the merit of
Christ Jesus our Lord, and not by anything that we have done, are
doing, or ever shall do. We were predestinated by the Father to the
praise of His glory. This predestination is according to the purpose
of God, Who works all things after the counsel of His own will. Not
only does He work things as He does, because it suited Him to do so,
but He works them so that they cannot be hindered, altered, or
destroyed. When the matter is finished, the final result will
exactly match the original purpose in every detail. Even the best
laid plans of men often have to be changed to take care of
contingencies; but with God there are no contingencies. The clause,
"who first trusted in Christ," refers to Paul and others
who were brought to Christ before those to whom he is writing, not
to God the Father, as some preachers have tried to interpret it. The
Greek language is much more specific in this matter than the
English, and shows this in the person and number of the verb and
pronoun in the expression. However, the same thing is made clear
enough by comparing this clause to verse 13.
(Verses
13 and 14) "In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that
ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which
is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory."
The
apostle has declared that, he and others trusted in Christ before
these to whom he is writing. And he hastens to point out that this
did not in any way hinder his readers. For he says, "In Whom ye
also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation." Inasmuch as they also trusted in Christ upon
hearing His gospel, there is evidence that they too are embraced in
all the wonderful things said before. Then, after they believed, not
before, they were "sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,
which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory." Although
God's elect were chosen "before the foundation of the
world," and predestinated unto the adoption of children, they
are never sealed until after they believe in Christ. This sealing
"with that Holy Spirit of promise" is the giving of the
assurance that one belongs to Christ. One who does not yet believe
"the word of truth, the gospel of his salvation" may
indeed be, in covenant, one of the elect of God, but it has not yet
been made known to him; and he does not, and can not, have this
assurance until he does believe. When, by the grace of God it is
revealed to him, he will believe the gospel (good news) of his
salvation. And his believing is the earnest, or pledge, of his
inheritance. And it is the sealing "with that Holy Spirit of
promise;" and the apostle says that this sealing is the earnest
of the inheritance "UNTIL THE REDEMPTION OF THE PURCHASED
POSSESSION." That is, until all of God's saints are brought
home to their eternal possession. In Philippians 1:6, Paul says,
"Being confident of this very thing, that He Which hath begun a
good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus
Christ." All of this is "unto the praise of His
glory," the glory of God the Father. Remember that Jesus came
not into this world to glorify Himself, but the Father; and thus it
will also be in His final exaltation. (Philippians 2: 9-11)
"Wherefore God hath also highly exalted Him, and given Him a
name Which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth: and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
The
remaining nine verses of this chapter make up one sentence. So we
shall not give a quotation of the whole, but try to comment on the
thoughts set forth therein. The apostle testifies that, since he has
heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus and the love to all the saints,
which those to whom he is writing have, he constantly remembers them
in his prayers. The burden of his prayer for them, in addition to
his giving of thanks for them, is that the Father of glory, Who is
"the God of our Lord Jesus Christ," will give unto them
"the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of
Him." He does not pray that they be given great revelations of
coming events that they might prophesy, as did the prophets of Old
Testament times; but that they be given the spirit of wisdom, the
ability to understand, and that more knowledge of God might be
revealed to them. He further prays that the eyes of their
understanding may be enlightened; that God will remove all
blindness, or tendency thereunto, from their minds. It is a common
phenomenon of humanity that if we have a prejudice against an idea,
or a preconceived notion about a matter, it will partially, if not
completely blind us so that we will not understand even when the
subject is clearly explained to us. All such as this, the apostle
prays may be removed from these brethren, that they may have clear
light by which to see, and to know "what is the hope of His
[God's] calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance
in the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to
us-ward who believe." In this statement we should take notice
of three things, in particular, which Paul prays that those whom he
addresses may be enabled to know. First is the hope of the calling
of God. The word here translated "hope" is the Greek word,
"elpis," which, according to "Thayer's Greek-English
Lexicon Of The New Testament," means, "expectation of
good; joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation."
Those who are enabled to know this hope can no longer be driven
about with every wind of doctrine, nor can they be overwhelmed by
the many threatening, and sometimes very painful, events of this
life. The second thing he desires them to know is, "what [are]
the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." The
phrase, "His inheritance," by no means portrays God as
receiving an inheritance in, or among, the saints. True enough Moses
said, "For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob is the lot
of His inheritance," but that has no bearing on the present
subject. The word order in the Greek language at the present
instance is, "the inheritance of Him," and is what is
known in Greek grammar as "the genitive of source," thus
meaning only that God is He, of Whom the saints receive the
inheritance. So Paul's prayer is that we might know and experience
this wonderful inheritance which God has so graciously bestowed upon
the saints. Then the third thing for which he prays is that we might
know "the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who
believe." Since the word, in verse 18, that is translated
"know," can also mean "experience," it seems
better in this instance to so consider it instead of as translated.
Thus the apostle prays that we may experience the hope of the
calling of God, the riches of the glory of the inheritance He has
bestowed upon the saints, and the exceeding greatness of His power
toward believers. Would it not be wonderful to have such a glorious
experience?
The
apostle continues, "according to the working of His mighty
power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead,
and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places." This
obviously refers to the experiencing of these things already
discussed. That is, Paul prays that we may be brought to experience
these things by, or "according to," the working of the
power of God, the very same power by which He raised up our Lord
from the dead. Not only did God raise Jesus from the dead, (this He
had done for others, at least two examples in the Old Testament and
three in the New,) but He also set Him at His own right hand in
"the heavenly places." Thus God the Father has
demonstrated His official approval of the work of Jesus the Christ
in offering Himself "as a lamb without spot, and without
blemish" as the sacrifice for the sins of His elect. Therefore,
as He is at the right hand of the Father, He has been elevated to
the seat of highest honor, and is "far above all principality,
and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named,
not only in this world, but also in that which is to come." Not
only is He set above any king, emperor, or other ruler, but far
above all of them together. Solomon's wisdom, power, riches, and
glory, were so great that the queen of
Sheba
said, (I Kings 10:6-7,) "It was a true report that I heard in
mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not
the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the
half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame
which I heard." Yet, all of that was nothing when compared to
the glory of the Christ as He sits on the right hand of the Father.
His name is above "every name that is named, not only in this
world, but also in that which is to come." Sometimes men try to
interpret the two worlds mentioned here as the present being the
"Jewish," or "law" world, and that which is to
come, as the gospel church. This is immediately disproved by two
witnesses. First, this epistle is written to the gospel church,
"the faithful in Christ Jesus," which is already in
existence at the time of the writing. Second, the next two verses
tell us exactly where the church fits into this picture. "And
hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over
all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him
that filleth all in all". He is presently, "head over all
things to the church," which now exists, and though not of the
world, is in the present world. One day this present world will be
no more, as the Apostle Peter tells us, (II Peter
3:10
-11,) "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night; in the which the heavens being on fire shall melt with
fervent heat. Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for
new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” The
name of our Lord is above every name named in both of them.
(Verses
1 through 3) “And you hath He quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins: wherein in time past ye walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience;
among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the
lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the
mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”
In
this quotation we are immediately greeted by a phrase that was not
in the original but has been added by the translators. Although it
is certainly true that Paul addressed this letter to persons, whom
God had quickened into spiritual life, the addition of the phrase,
“hath He quickened,” changes considerably the thrust of the
message. Let us read it without the added words. “And you who were
dead in trespasses and sin; wherein in times past ye walked
according to the course of this world.” This shows the emphasis to
be, not upon what God has done for us, but upon our condition before
He did it; and it seems obvious that this is what the apostle had in
mind, for he continues in the same vein through verse 3. He, later,
takes up the work of God in this matter. Here he calls attention to
the wretchedness of our previous condition, saying, “And you who
were dead in trespasses and sins.” In that condition, we were
totally incapable of doing, saying, or even thinking any good thing.
We walked, or lived, according to only one thing, “the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now (yet) worketh in the children of disobedience.”
“The prince of the power of the air,” is a title never applied
to anyone but Satan. He is the spirit, which still holds sway over
“the children of disobedience.” He does not say, “disobedient
children,” but “children of disobedience;” and the meaning
given in the Lexicon for the word translated,
"disobedience," is, in New Testament usage,
"obstinate opposition to the divine will." There can be no
doubt that Paul's reference is to those who have not been quickened,
but are still in the same condition as we all were formerly,
"dead in trespasses and sins." In verse 11, he will pick
up this subject again, but before that he presents several other
thoughts. Lest we begin to think ourselves better than the
Ephesians, let us consider what Paul says in verse 3. "Among
whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and
were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." In
short, our condition was no better than theirs. We were among those
same children of disobedience; and we, just as they, were engaged in
living in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the lustful desires of
our fleshly nature, our natural mind. Our nature was such that had
God left us as we were, there would be nothing left for us but the
wrath of God. We were just like the rest, by our very nature the
children of wrath; and we would still be in the same condition, were
it not for the grace of God, which He bestowed upon us in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
(Verses
4 through 10) "But God Who is rich in mercy, for His great love
wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved:) and hath
raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might shew the
exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man
should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them."
Having
so forcefully reminded the Ephesians of the terrible condition that,
not only they, but we also, were in, Paul presents the only hope
that any of us will ever have, "But God Who is rich in mercy,
for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye
saved)." We were without hope. We were dead. Yet there is One,
Who is rich in mercy. He also loved us with a great love. It would
not be amiss to say that the love wherewith He loved us is as great
as He Himself, for John says, (I John 4:8,) "_ _ _God is
love." Only one reason is ever given for God's showing His
mercy to us in quickening us "even when we were dead in
sins." That reason is: that He loved us. We were dead, by
nature the children of wrath, walking according to the prince of the
power of the air, and fulfilling the lustful desires of the flesh.
We were, in fact, about the most unlikely candidates for the love of
anyone that could be imagined. Yet, while we were in that condition,
God loved us. That love is the moving cause of our salvation. Let us
look back at the apostle's statement. "But God, Who is rich in
mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ." He
quickened Christ, and since, as Paul has abundantly taught in other
places, we are crucified with Christ by being made partakers of His
death, God has also quickened us together with Christ by making us
partakers of His life. Since we had no merit whereby to deserve any
good thing from God, there can be only one conclusion, "By
grace are ye saved." Not only has God quickened us, [made us
alive,] but He has also raised us up and made us sit together with
Christ Jesus in "the heavenlies." Sometimes the words
added by the translators clarify the meaning of the text, but their
addition of "places," in verse 6, could be a little
misleading. Obviously, what is under consideration is fellowship
with Christ, not the place where it is experienced. One would hardly
call the jail at
Philippi
a heavenly place, but there Paul and Silas had a heavenly
experience, see Acts 16:25-34. Surely, no one would call the cross,
upon which the penitent thief was crucified, a heavenly place, but
there he had a heavenly experience of fellowship with our Lord. No
doubt, we can also remember heavenly experiences in our own lives in
places that we would not consider heavenly. When we feel the
presence of our Lord Christ Jesus, we forget about the place,
wherever it may be. In continuing, the apostle tells us that all
this which God has done for us is to bring about one thing which He
has purposed, which is that, "in the ages to come," He may
"shew the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus." Whether the phrase, "in the ages to
come," be considered as the continuation of time until the
return of our Lord in glory, or the span of both time and eternity
may be debated by some, but there seems to be no reason to doubt
that "the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward
us through Christ Jesus" will shine forth even brighter after
our Lord's return than it does now. Then all things will be made
new. The word, which, in verse 8, is translated, "are
saved" is the same as that so translated in verse 5. It can
mean, "rescued from destruction," and it can also mean,
"kept from destruction." Perhaps this will give us a
clearer understanding of the apostle's meaning in both verses. In
verse 5 the expression is, "By grace ye are saved." Since
before that statement, Paul has proved conclusively that there is no
merit on the part of those receiving salvation, not even any faith,
or life, for that matter, he declares, as a parenthetical
expression, "By grace ye are saved," clearly meaning,
"By grace you have been rescued from destruction." Faith
is not mentioned, for, as he has already shown, it was totally
absent. So, in our being brought from death into life, faith has no
part. In verse 8 he says, "For by grace are ye saved through
faith." At this point he has just declared God's purpose
"in the ages to come," and he uses the expression,
"For by grace are ye saved through faith_ _ _," as showing
the means by which God will bring this about, "For by grace you
are kept from destruction through faith_ _ _." This is in
perfect harmony with the Apostle Peter's declaration, (I Peter
1:3-5,) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, Which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again
unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that
fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who ARE KEPT BY THE
POWER OF GOD THROUGH FAITH unto salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time." Also Paul, in Ephesians 1:13-14, says, "In
Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye
were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest
of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,
unto the praise of His glory." In all this we see that faith
has its work, not in the initial rescuing of the soul from eternal
destruction, but in the keeping that rescued soul safe until
"the redemption of the purchased possession", or
"unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
Even so, Paul continues thus: "And that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."
Many times we hear it said, "All you have to do is to have
faith," or "You must have faith before God can do anything
for you." This is totally contrary to the apostle's teaching.
He clearly declares that there is no way in which you can produce
faith, "and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God." Not even all the good works you can do, assuming that you
could do good works without faith, could produce it. If we could do
anything to produce faith, we might have room to boast, not in the
rescuing of ourselves from destruction, for faith is not even
mentioned there, but in the keeping of ourselves after we were
rescued; but we are brought up short in that also, by the apostle's
declaration that we can not have any "bragging rights" in
that either, since the faith also is the gift of God, just as is the
grace. This brings us to Paul's conclusion of this matter: "For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Not only can we not claim any part in the great work of salvation,
whether the being quickened together with Christ, or the being kept
until the revealing of that great salvation at the last time, but we
have to acknowledge that our only access to it is that we are the
workmanship of God, created by Him, in Christ Jesus; and He has set
good works before us, and has before ordained that we shall walk in
them. The word here translated "before ordained,"
literally means, "prepared beforehand." So God has
beforehand made the preparation that we shall walk in these good
works. Thus there is a difference between the life one lived while
"dead in sins" and the life he lives after being quickened
together with Christ. Lest anyone try to use the foolish argument
that some have tried to bring up against this, viz., "When the
word, `should,' is used, it means not that the thing mentioned shall
be done, but only that it ought to be done," let us look at a
very well known verse, John 6:39, "And this is the Father's
will Which hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me I SHOULD
lose nothing, but SHOULD raise it up again at the last day."
Certainly, no one who believes in our Lord Jesus the Christ would
say that He ought to "lose nothing," but that He may, nor
that He ought to "raise it up again at the last day," but
he may fail. Grammatically we have exactly the same thing in both
places, a simple purpose clause. Just as, in John 6:39, it is the
Father's purpose that the Son lose nothing, but raise it up at the
last day, so here it is His purpose that we walk in the good works
unto which He has created us. To be sure, Paul does not, either here
or elsewhere, claim that we will walk in absolute sinless perfection
while in this present life, but he always maintains that there is a
difference in the life of a man before and after the birth of the
Spirit of God.
(Verses
11 through 18) "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past
Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which
is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that
time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of
Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope,
and without God in the world; but now in Christ Jesus ye who
sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For He
is our peace, Who hath made both one, and hath broken down the
middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in His flesh
the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances;
for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and
that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you
which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through Him we
both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."
Notice
that Paul again reminds us from whence we came. Since all the good
that we have, or can ever have, is by the grace of God, we are to
remember that we were "Gentiles," or as the word can be
rendered, "pagans," or "heathen." In this
condition we were despised by the Jews, who called us "the
Uncircumcision," as opposed to themselves, whom they proudly
called "the Circumcision." All of this Paul is setting
forth as the contrast between Gentile and Jew before the coming of
our Lord Jesus into the world. He uses, concerning both Jew and
Gentile, the phrase, "in the flesh." First he says,
"Ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh," and then
"that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh," thus
showing the reason for the enmity that existed between the Jew and
the Gentile. The Jew was circumcised "in the flesh,"
signifying that he was a descendant of Abraham, had access to the
covenants of promise, was a citizen of the commonwealth of Israel,
had hope of blessings to come, and was one of God's chosen people.
At the same time we Gentiles "were without Christ, being aliens
from the
commonwealth
of
Israel
, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and
without God in the world." It is no wonder that there was
enmity between Jew and Gentile. Human nature being what it is, the
Jew was always boasting himself as far better than the Gentile by
reason of the blessings he enjoyed; and the Gentile hated the Jew
for his arrogance. The apostle having shown this contrast, and its
resulting enmity, between Jew and Gentile before the coming of
Christ, continues, "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes
were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." Until His
coming the Gentiles were without any access to the covenants of
promise, to the
commonwealth
of
Israel
, (that is, to the fellowship of the worship of God at the altar of
Israel
,) or to the laws of God. So we were without hope. But in Christ
Jesus we are brought near by His blood. It is only by the efficacy
of His blood that either Jew or Gentile is given a real nearness to
God. By reason of this there is no more excuse for enmity between
Jew and Gentile. Our Lord Christ Jesus is our peace. Not only is He
our salvation and our peace with God, but He is also our peace in
that He has brought Jew and Gentile together in peace. If we are in
Christ, we are in peace, for He has broken down the "middle
wall of partition" between us, and we are no more Jew and
Gentile, but Christians. He has made of both one new man. There is
no more a divider between us; and although this was purposed of God
from eternity before the creation of the world, it was not fully
revealed to men until Jesus was crucified, and rose from the grave.
The writer says, in Hebrews 10:5-7, "Wherefore when He cometh
into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offerings Thou wouldest not,
but a body hast Thou prepared Me: in burnt offerings and sacrifices
for sin Thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, ‘Lo, I come (in
the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O
God.’" So in this body that God prepared for Him, or as Paul
said, in verse 15, "in His flesh" Jesus abolished
"the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in
ordinances." All the commandments contained in ordinances
(these are not what we refer to as "The Ten Commandments,"
but ordinances of the law service to God, including circumcision,
and all sacrifices and offerings,) were only shadows of things to
come. They were, of themselves, not pleasing to God. Only that to
which they, as types, pointed was pleasing to Him. For this reason,
"A body hast Thou prepared Me." So in that body were
fulfilled all these ordinances which had been the source of so much
enmity between Jew and Gentile, and by His fulfilling them in His
flesh, He rendered them no longer serviceable, because, when the
reality has come, the types and shadows have no more place. They are
therefore taken away and abolished. Those who are in Christ are no
longer Jew and Gentile, but Christians, and therefore they are one,
since all are members of the same body, the spiritual body of
Christ. By His dying on the cross, Jesus has now made "in
Himself of twain one new man, so making peace," and He has
reconciled "both unto God in one body by the cross, having
slain the enmity thereby." Since He has abolished the enmity,
He has also preached peace both "to you which were afar off,
and to them that were nigh," that is, both Gentile and Jew, and
all on the same basis. "For through Him we both have access by
one Spirit unto the Father." Although, according to the flesh,
we are Gentiles, we have the same access to the Father that the Jew
has. That access is the Holy Ghost sent by our Lord to comfort and
guide us until the day of His return.
(Verses
19 through 22) "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and
foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the
household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in
Whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy
temple in the Lord: in Whom ye also are builded together for an
habitation of God through the Spirit."
Because
of what Jesus has done we are no longer strangers and foreigners,
pushed aside and shut away from the service of God by a wall, or
divider, but now we are fellow-citizens [equal citizens] with the
saints, and of the household, or family, of God. (Notice the change
of terminology. He speaks no more of "the
commonwealth
of
Israel
" and the "covenants of promise," but of
"fellow-citizens with the saints" and "the household
of God.") In addition to this we are built upon a foundation
that can not fall. That foundation is no other than the apostles and
prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself the chief corner stone. This
expression leads us back to something that our Lord said to Peter,
(Matt.
16:17
-18,) "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou,
Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee,
but My Father Which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That
thou art, Peter, ["PETROS" - a rock, or stone] and upon
this rock ["
PETRA
" -the mother lode, or generic term for stone] I will build My
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
There have been many arguments among men about what Jesus meant by
His statement concerning the rock, Look at what He said just before
that. He declares that Simon is a blessed character because the
knowledge to which he has just testified was not revealed to him by
flesh and blood, "but My Father Which is in heaven." He
follows this with an additional statement, "And I say also unto
thee, That thou art Peter." [PETROS, a small stone, or
boulder.] He is a rock because the Father in heaven has made him so
by revealing to him that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the
living God." Then our Lord says, "And upon this rock I
will build My church," using the generic term "
PETRA
." Just as an architect will select a particular species, and
even a particular color of stone for a building, and say, as he
shows us a small sample of this stone, "This is the stone I am
going to use for this building," so Jesus said, "And upon
this stone I will build My church." The architect would by no
means plan that the one little stone he keeps on display in his
office should be the entire building. Neither did Jesus plan that
Peter would be the whole foundation of His church, nor, as some seem
to think, "The head of it." Paul tells us that we
"are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets_ _
_." Each and every one of them was the same kind of stone as
was the Apostle Peter, because to each of them God revealed His
truth. He then adds, "Jesus Christ Himself being the chief
corner stone." Unquestionably it is the church that is under
consideration; for he continues thus: "In Whom all the building
fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord."
Then, lest anyone think that the matter is just turned over to us to
carry on the growth unto that holy temple, he says, "In Whom ye
also are builded together for an habitation of God through the
Spirit." So the building is altogether the work of the Holy
Ghost.
(Verses
1 through 7) "For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus
Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the
grace of God which is given me to you-ward: how that by revelation
He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery
of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of
men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by
the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the
same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel:
whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of
God given unto me by the effectual working of His power."
This
is a somewhat long, and a slightly complicated sentence. We shall
try to break it down into segments. First, verses 1 and 2, "For
this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if
ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given
me to you-ward." Paul identifies himself as the prisoner of
Jesus the Christ for [for the sake of] these Gentiles to whom he is
writing, if they have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God
which God has given him on their behalf. Oftentimes we find those
who will argue that what Paul means by the phrase, "prisoner of
Jesus Christ," is that he is imprisoned to Christ because
Christ has called him and sent him forth as an apostle, and in this
capacity he is, as he said in another place, "an ambassador in
bonds" which they interpret as being a prisoner. Then they will
try to stir up a little sympathy for themselves by trying to compare
themselves to Paul as being called of God to preach the gospel, thus
"being in bonds," all of which is utterly ridiculous. The
fallacy of this is that, for point one, Paul never considered this
an imprisonment, but rather a wonderful privilege, as is witnessed
by his statement in verse 8 of this chapter and, at the time of this
writing, he is actually a prisoner in Rome, which is exactly what he
means by speaking of himself as "the prisoner of Jesus
Christ." It is for the sake of the gospel of Christ that he is
imprisoned at
Rome
. He is Christ's prisoner for the sake of these Gentiles, because to
him has been given of God a "dispensation of the grace of
God" toward them. This does not mean that to Paul was given the
power to dispense to them the grace of God as he might see fit. In
almost all of his letters he prays that those whom he addresses may
be given, by God the Father and our Lord Jesus the Christ, grace and
peace, thus clearly declaring that not he, but God is still the only
One Who has that authority. Paul is only the one, to whom is
committed the duty and authority of dispensing the gospel and the
necessary precepts for the church according to the grace of God
which has been given him of God. His expression, "if ye have
heard_ _ _," seems to indicate that it is his assumption that
they have heard of it, and that there is therefore no necessity to
discuss or describe it any further than the mention he made of it,
that it is a dispensation that is "to you-ward," that is,
it is for their benefit, and because of it he is in prison. He is
not complaining about his being a prisoner, but is only stating the
fact that they may understand his care for them. Remember his
address to the elders of this church, Acts 20:22-24, "And now,
behold, I go bound in spirit unto
Jerusalem
, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: save that the
Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and
afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither
count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course
with joy, and the ministry which I received of the Lord Jesus, to
testify the gospel of the grace of God." So although bonds, or
imprisonment, and afflictions are to be expected in every place he
goes, his expectation in Christ Jesus our Lord is to finish his
course with joy. There is therefore no place for complaints; and
this is the outlook Paul maintains in all his writings. Through his
suffering of bonds and afflictions, to these Gentiles who have heard
of the dispensation of the grace of God given to him for their
benefit, he bears witness that Christ Jesus, in Whose cause he
suffered these things, is able to strengthen, comfort, and uphold
His people so that they are able through Him to endure and overcome
all things. The next segment of this sentence tells us how Paul, as
well as the other apostles and prophets, came to the knowledge of
this wonderful mystery. Since, by the rules of grammar, a
parenthesis can be left out of a sentence or placed in a different
order without changing the meaning of the sentence, we shall
rearrange this segment to keep continuity of thought. (v. 3-5)
"(as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may
understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) how that by
revelation He made known unto me the mystery; which in other ages
was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto
His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit." Here Paul is
evidently referring to that which he has written in Chapter II, when
he says, "as I wrote afore in few words." He wrote those
few words that we might, by reading them, understand his knowledge
in the mystery of Christ. A mystery is something that is hidden, or
kept secret, and so it was with this great truth of God's eternal
purpose; but in the coming of our Lord Jesus this mystery is
unveiled. So the apostle says, "By revelation He made known to
me the mystery." It is now no longer a mystery, but the direct
opposite, a revelation. That great secret of God which, in all ages
past, has been kept hidden from "the sons of men", all the
human race, the Spirit has now revealed to His holy apostles and
prophets, among whom stands the Apostle Paul, the writer of this
epistle.
In
verses 6 and 7 Paul tells us what is this mystery, or secret, which
has so long been kept from men, and how he was put into the work of
spreading the wonderful news of this no longer hidden purpose of
God. "That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same
body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel: whereof I
was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given
unto me by the effectual working of His power." Although some
of the Old Testament prophecies, such as, Isaiah 9: 1-2, 11:10,
42:1-4, and 49:6, among others, hint at this great eternal purpose
of God, it was never revealed clearly until our Lord came. Now by
His revelation to the apostles we know that Jew and Gentile are made
one in Christ Jesus, and are "fellow-heirs," or equal
heirs of God. They are of the same mystical body of Christ just as
both are redeemed by the suffering of the same body, that of our
Lord. Paul was made a minister [servant] of this gospel, that is, he
was appointed to spread its testimony to the Gentiles, not at his
own volition, nor by reason of any special qualifications or
abilities he may have possessed, but, as he says, according to the
gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of
His power."
(Verses
8 through 12) "Unto me, who am less than the least of all
saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles
the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is
the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world
hath been hid in God, Who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the
intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly
places [the heavenlies] might be known by the church the manifold
wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in
Christ Jesus our Lord: in Whom we have boldness and access with
confidence by the faith of Him."
Paul
declares his feeling of amazement that God would take one so
unworthy as he, and commit to him such a glorious mission as that of
preaching "among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of
Christ." In another place, Paul attributes his unworthiness to
the fact that, before the Lord appeared to him on the road to
Damascus
, he was a persecutor of the church. He, no doubt, would have had
the same feeling of unworthiness, however, if he had never been a
persecutor. It is always true that the greater the gift with which
God blesses a man, the greater also is the man's humility as he
considers the magnitude of the blessing. One without humility is
likely to have a much less important gift than he thinks. Here Paul
sees the riches of Christ to be unsearchable, that is, beyond the
ability of man to comprehend or search out; and he sees himself
blessed with the privilege and responsibility of telling of them to
a people from whom, since the beginning of the world, these things
had all been hidden, and showing to them that they have a part and a
fellowship in this great mystery of Christ Jesus, which is now
revealed by His coming and bringing to light that secret that was
hidden in God from the beginning of the world. What a wonderful, yet
humbling, consideration for any man, especially in view of the fact
that this same Jesus the Christ, Whom he has been appointed to
preach, is the One by Whom God created all things in the beginning.
The purpose of his being thus appointed is that the church, not the
Jew nor the Gentile, but the church, the "ekklesia," those
called out by the Spirit of God, might know the manifold wisdom of
God even unto the heavenlies. Our K. J. V. reads, "in heavenly
places." It seems evident from the context that more than
places are under consideration here, so it seems a better reading to
omit the added word. This great revelation of the mystery which God
had kept hidden in Himself from the beginning of the world does not
signify a changing of His mind concerning the matter, no sudden
decision to try a new experiment, as some seem to think He is always
doing. Instead it is "according to the eternal purpose which He
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Not only so, but it is also
in Christ Jesus that "we have boldness and access with
confidence by the faith of Him," not the faith that He has, but
the faith of which He is the source.
In
verse 13 Paul says, "Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my
tribulations for you, which is your glory." Because God has
blessed him with such a glorious assignment as he has just
described, and because, as he said, (Romans 8:18,) "For I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us," Paul
says that it is his desire that we not faint at his tribulations for
us. His use of the word, "faint," is not as we most often
think of it. It usually brings to mind the picture of one's becoming
limp, and losing consciousness. This is not his meaning. His meaning
is that we are not to weaken in our resolve to follow our Lord, nor
become cowards and give up lest we also suffer. After all, although
no one desires tribulation or suffering for its own sake, Paul tells
us, (Romans 5:3-5,) "And not only so, but we glory in
tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and
patience, experience, and experience, hope: and hope maketh not
ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the
Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Instead of losing our
courage and letting down our guard because of these tribulations, we
should rejoice in them. They are our glory.
(Verses
14 through 19) "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the whole family in heaven and
earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of
His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner
man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being
rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all
saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and
to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might
be filled with all the fullness of God".
The
apostle says, "For this cause," that is, in summation of,
and because of the already stated truths, among which are, the so
long hidden mystery of God, that Jew and Gentile are made one in
Christ, that in Him we have boldness and access with confidence by
the faith which He has given us, and that this is all according to
God's eternal purpose and not some new experiment, he now prays to
"the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" that He will by His
Spirit make us strong, not necessarily with strength of the physical
body, but in the inner man which is our spirit. He reminds us that
the whole family of God, both in heaven and earth, is named of Him,
that is, with Him as the head of the family, we all count our
lineage from Him. This includes all saints, both those who have
already been called home and those who are still on earth. Notice
how strongly Paul ties this strength of the inner man to one
principle, love. First he prays that that same faith which is of
Christ, and gives us confidence in our access to the Father, may be
the means whereby Christ may dwell in our hearts, not just
occasionally visit us, but dwell there. His next petition is that we
may be rooted and grounded in love. He is thus likening us to plants
that have been transplanted, as indeed we have if we have been
brought out of the way of sin and planted in the garden of our
master. The two most important things for a plant that it may not
only survive, but grow and flourish, are that it develop a strong
root system and that it be properly set, or grounded. Certainly, for
the Christian plant there can be no better medium than the love of
God for making a strong root system and making a proper growing bed.
Being thus rooted and grounded in love, we will be able to
understand "with all saints what is the breadth, and length,
and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ which passeth
knowledge" and be filled with the fullness of God. The
expression, "which passeth knowledge," does not signify
that the love of Christ is beyond our ability to know, or
experience. Rather, the word used here means that it overcomes, or
excels knowledge. This is in perfect harmony with Paul's statement,
(I Cor. 8:1,) "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth."
For this reason charity, or love, surpasses knowledge. Paul uses the
same word here for "love" that he does in I Cor.13, and
although it is there translated, “charity,” it still means
"love." When God enables us to experience the love of
Christ which is greater than knowledge, to the point that we can
comprehend the dimensions of God's love, we will indeed be
"filled with the fullness of God.”
(Verses
20 and 21) "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power
that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ
throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
Not
only is God able to answer our prayers, but He is also able to go
far beyond anything that we can even think of; and He does it by
that same power that works in us. That power is His Holy Spirit. So
unto Him the apostle ascribes glory in the church, not an organized
body, such as the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc., but the
saints of God, the "ekklesia", those called out by the
Holy Ghost, whether Jew or Gentile, whether in Old Testament days,
or even times yet to come. This glory is to be manifested in the
church by Christ Jesus, not only through ages of time, but also in
eternity when this world shall be no more -- "world without
end." To God the Father be all glory for ever and ever.
(Verses
1 through 3) "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech
you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
with all lowliness and meekness, forbearing one another in love;
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace."
Again
Paul reminds us that he is a prisoner for the sake of the gospel of
our Lord. So, because of the wonderful truths with which God has
entrusted him, and because his heart has been burdened with such a
great desire for our spiritual welfare, he beseeches [begs] us to
walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, and at the same
time, to reinforce this plea, he reminds us that it is for the
preaching of the gospel that he has been imprisoned, and is
therefore the Lord's prisoner; and if we recognize the lengths to
which he has gone for the testimony of the Lord, it will add to our
zeal in walking worthy of this calling. Perhaps some might think
this too strong a statement, "Walk worthy of the vocation_ _
_." Certainly if we consider it from the viewpoint of trying to
attain to worthiness, through our efforts, that we might merit such
a wonderful blessing as being called of God out from death in sin
into the light and joy of life in Christ Jesus, it is a total
impossibility. Nevertheless, those who walk in the light of our
Lord, and live a life that bears witness of His work in their hearts
are judged of God to be walking worthy of the vocation into which He
has called them. Paul then sets forth exactly how this can be done,
"in all lowliness [humility] and meekness, with longsuffering,
forbearing one another in love." Is it not strange that, since
all the instructions given by our Lord and His apostles for our
Christian living are so simple, we seem to have such great
difficulty knowing what to do? When asked, "Which is the great
commandment in the law?" our Lord's answer was extremely
simple, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and
greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang
[depend] all the law and the prophets." The apostle says,
"with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering,
forbearing one another in love." First of all, the heart must
be filled with the love of God, as Paul has already said is the
height of his prayer for us. Then he begs us to exercise such love
for one another that we would be humble, meek, and patient in our
conduct one with another. He declares that this is the way "to
keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." How sad it
is when we lose sight of this plea of the apostle! Instead of being
humble, we see ourselves as a little greater or wiser than our
brother; we, instead of being meek, become arrogant; and instead of
being patient, we want "our rights," and we want them NOW.
When the situation develops thus, where is the "unity of the
Spirit?" and what has become of the bond of peace? Remember
Paul's statement, (Romans 15:4,) "For whatsoever things were
written afore time were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." So far
as we of today are concerned that will also apply to what he has
written here. It is in every way as important for us as it was for
the Ephesian Christians.
(Verses
4 through 6) "There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are
called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through
all, and in you all."
No
matter whether one be Old Testament saint or New Testament saint,
Jew or Gentile, being in Christ makes him a member of the body of
Christ, of which Christ Jesus is the head. He is a stone of the
temple of which Christ Jesus is the "chief corner stone."
Thus as there is only one body, all the redeemed are of that body.
Similarly there is only one Spirit, the Holy Ghost. Just as there is
only one body and one Spirit, so there is only one hope of the
calling of those who are in Christ Jesus. The Greek word here
translated, "hope" also means "expectation." The
final expectation of every saint is to be raised in the likeness of
our Saviour, Christ Jesus. There is only one faith, that is, only
one true faith. That faith is the one whose source is Christ Jesus
our Lord; and it holds Him as its object. It starts with Him and
ends with Him. He is "the author and finisher" of it. Also
there is only one baptism. Paul is not here speaking of water
baptism, but the same baptism of which John the Baptist spoke,
(Matt.
4:11
,) "but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, Whose shoes
I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost,
and with fire." Water baptism is only a sign by which we
testify to the world that we believe that we have been baptized
"with the Holy Ghost and with fire," and have thus been
killed to sin, and raised up to newness of life. There is one more
"One" to be considered, the "God and Father of
all." He is sometimes spoken of in scripture as "The God
and Father of Jesus Christ." He is also our God and our
heavenly Father. Since we are, by adoption, His children, (see Eph.
1:5,) we are all of the same family, the family of God; and there is
only one God and Father. He is "above all, and through all, and
in you all." If you have "Christ in you, the hope of
glory," then you have the Father in you; because Jesus said,
"I and My Father are one." (John 10:30)
(Verse
7) "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the
measure of the gift of Christ."
Not
only is salvation initially by the grace of God, but we are
continuously kept by that same grace. It is not given to us
according to our works or merits, neither is it according to our
desires or our will. It is given to each of us separately and
individually according to the measure of the gift of Christ. He,
Christ, is completely sovereign in this matter, and He gives grace
as He sees fit to accomplish His will.
(Verses
8 through 10) "Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high,
He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that He
ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower
parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended
up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.)"
The
apostle tells us here that the prophecy, "When He ascended up
on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men,"
has been fulfilled, and that the purpose of this prophecy was that
"unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure
of the gift of Christ," for it is He Who ascended up on high.
When He ascended, He did it as the conqueror over death, Hades, and
the grave. These three had from the beginning of man's sojourn on
earth, held all men captive: the living, by fear; and the dead, by
force. Death and the grave held the bodies, and Hades held the souls
of those who had departed this life. When Jesus arose from the dead,
they could no longer claim to hold men captive, but they who had
been the captivity of all men were now taken captive by Him. (Rev.
1:18) "I am He that liveth and was dead; and, behold, I am
alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [Hades] and of
death." Therefore, "according to the measure of the gift
of Christ," that is, according to His will, He has given grace
to "every one of us," fulfilling the prophecy, "_ _
_and gave gifts unto men." Paul here inserts a parenthesis to
assure us that He, Who made the ascension is the same One Who first
descended "into the lower parts of the earth," Christ
Jesus our Lord. The phrase, "into the lower parts of the
earth," has been a point of controversy among men for a very
long time. Some argue that it only has reference to the fact that
Jesus died and was buried, as He Himself at one point spoke of His
being buried, "so shall the Son of man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth." Others take the expression
to mean His going into Hades, the abode of departed souls, which the
Jews, as well as the Romans, and some others, thought to be
somewhere in the "lower parts of the earth." I see little
reason to quibble over this matter. The important point is not
whether He arose from Hades and the grave, or just from the grave,
but in what manner He came forth. For the answer to this, review
Rev. 1:18. "I am He that liveth and was dead; and, behold, I am
alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [Hades] and of
death", and Eph. 4:10, "And He that descended is the same
also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all
things". Wherever He may have been "in the lower parts of
the earth," He is no longer there, but "far above all
heavens, that He might fill all things." In this elevated
position He is able to give gifts unto men according to His will.
(Verses
11 through 16) "And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets;
and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect
[mature] man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,
and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of
men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things,
Which is the head, even Christ: from Whom the whole body fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working in the measure of every part,
maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in
love."
Since
our Lord has "given grace according to the measure of the gift
of Christ," it is clear that whatever the gift we have
received, we have also received the necessary grace for that gift to
function properly. Also, since He is the One, Who has given the
gifts, it is totally out of place for me either to envy someone who
has a greater gift than I, or to consider my gift of no value
because someone else has a greater one. And certainly it is out of
place for me to consider my gift better than that of another. They
are all given by the same Lord; and we are to use them for His
glory, not ours. The apostle mentions some of those gifts here. Of
course, this is by no means all the gifts that are given. In other
places in Paul's writings we find more gifts noted. There are also
some, which he never lists. James tells us that, "every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights_ _ _." The ones here mentioned are sufficient
for the apostle's purpose; for here he is concerned with those which
are for a specific purpose, which he also sets before us. Notice
that our Lord did not give to everyone the same gift. Instead
"He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." This by no means
indicates that there is no one to whom more than one gift were
given; nor does it mean that none of these gifts even overlap, as it
were. Certainly the apostles, at least, had multiple gifts. They, in
addition to being apostles, were evangelists and teachers, among
other things. We may even find some today, who have more than one
gift. Nevertheless some may be found who have received one gift, but
would be totally out of place trying to fulfill the office of one of
the other gifts. Paul is simply showing that all spiritual gifts are
given by our Lord as He sees fit, and not according to what we may
desire. Furthermore, all are given for the same purpose, "for
the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ." As before pointed out,
"The body of Christ" is all the redeemed of God; and it is
for the edification of this body that every gift is given. This
edifying is done by the work of the ministry. We sometimes jump to
the conclusion that "the ministry" means the preachers. It
includes them, but is by no means limited to them. The word here
translated, "ministry," according to THAYERS GREEK ENGLISH
LEXICON OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, means "service_ _ _ the
ministration of those who render to others the offices of Christian
affection." This could very well include some, who would never
attempt to preach. What is done by "the work of the
ministry" is "for the perfecting of the saints." The
purpose of all these gifts is to bring the saints to a full
knowledge of the things of God. Sometimes this is done through the
public ministration of the word, the preaching of the gospel. At
others it may be done privately, as in Acts
18:26
, "And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue; whom when
Aquila
and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto
him the way of the Lord more perfectly." Sometimes, by quietly
living a life of witness for God, one may do more than he realizes
toward "Perfecting the saints." Since this is the purpose
of all the gifts, they are to be exercised "till we all come in
the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto
a perfect man, (that is, a mature, or complete man,) unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Notice that
the goal is "unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God". In verse 3 of this chapter, Paul begs us to
endeavor "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace." Here he tells us that these gifts which Christ has
bestowed upon us are for the purpose of bringing us "in the
unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man _ _ _." We are to be brought to the point of
completion, or maturity, but it will have to be done in the unity of
the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God. There is no other
way. "Unity" is simply another word for
"Oneness," the being as one. As long as we are not in the
unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, we can
never come to "the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ" The entire focus of Psalms 133 is on unity. We will
quote only the first verse: "Behold, how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" When, in the
"unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God,"
we come to the level of a complete, or fully informed, man,
concerning the things of God, we reach the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ. We then are no longer "children, tossed
to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the
sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive." But we are by that faith and knowledge made able to
discern the fallacies of these winds of doctrine, and all the
cunning devices that deceivers try to put off on us. So we can
remain firmly anchored in Christ, and "speaking the truth in
love, may grow up into Him in all things, Which is the head, even
Christ." We must pay particular attention to the phrase,
"speaking the truth in LOVE." Surely it is important that
we always speak the truth; but if we do, and do not speak it in
love, very little is accomplished. How sad it is to hear someone
preaching the truth, or even privately speaking the truth, in some
manner other than in love. All his effort is a complete waste,
because without love, more harm than good will likely be
accomplished. On the other hand, when it is done in love, we “grow
up into Him in all things, Which is the head, even Christ."
That is, we mature in Him in all things; and He is the head. We are
only members of the body. As Paul continues, he tells us what takes
place as we are brought to the proper state of maturity in unity and
love, with Jesus Christ as our head, and with one another as the
members of the body. We are then matured in Him, "from Whom the
whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every
joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure
of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of
itself in love." Thus, with Jesus as the head, and all the
members joined together in "the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace," the work of every gift causes the whole body to grow
"unto the edifying of itself in love." Too much emphasis
can not be put upon love. Love of our Lord and love to one another
overcome all things that would otherwise separate us, and together
are the moving cause of the unity which has been so many times
mentioned.
(Verses
17 through 19) "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord,
that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of
their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from
the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of
the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given
themselves over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with
greediness."
The
word translated, "testify," in verse 17, is defined by the
lexicographer, Thayer, as, "1. to cite a witness, bring forward
a witness, call to witness, to affirm by appeal to God, to declare
solemnly, to protest. 2. to conjure, beseech as in God's name,
exhort solemnly." So, as Paul says that he does this in the
Lord, it is obviously, something that is not to be disregarded or
taken lightly. What he said to the Ephesians, he also says to us,
since we too are Gentiles, as were they. His plea, or warning, or,
since it is in the Lord that he speaks, his commandment, is that we,
from this time forward, forsake the way of living that other
Gentiles [pagans or heathen] follow, which is in, or according to,
the vanity [emptiness or worthlessness] of their minds. This is the
same "lifestyle" that is described in Chapter 2, verses 2
and 3. The apostle extends the description of that conduct, first
telling why they follow it and then how totally they abandon
themselves to it. The cause of such conduct is that their
understanding is darkened, causing in them such ignorance that they
are alienated, (or shut out, as the word can be rendered,) from the
life of God, by the blindness of their hearts. Since God has not
enlightened their hearts by His Spirit, they have no desire for
"the life of God," that is, a life that is according to
His will and commandments, and are still "dead in sin," as
were we all before God shed His grace upon us, and "quickened
us together with Christ." So, being "past feeling,"
that is, having neither any feeling of nor desire for a godly life,
they turn themselves over to the working of, or practicing of,
whatever evil or unclean thing that may come into their minds; and
they do it with greediness, as if they cannot get enough of whatever
evil they may be engaged in.
(Verses
20 through 24) "But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be
that ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is
in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation [manner
of living] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on
the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true
holiness."
Notice
that Paul did not say, "If you have heard about Christ, and
have been taught about Him." Instead, he says, "If so be
that ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is
in Jesus." Any man, although gifted with great ability of
oratory, can tell people about Christ as long as he can hold out to
speak, and still all he can do is to teach about our Lord. Until
Jesus Himself, through the Holy Ghost, speaks to the heart of a man,
that man will not "Have heard Him, and been taught by
Him." But those who have had this experience have not learned
Him to be One, Who is pleased with such lives as these "other
Gentiles" live. "But ye [those who have had this
experience] have not so learned Christ." Since the truth is in
Jesus, that which we learn in hearing Him, and being taught by Him,
must, of necessity, be true. So the message, or commandment, if you
will, is that we "put off the old man," and "put on
the new." The analogy is that, as, if we were attired in a suit
of clothes which we thought, until now, was the finest available,
but have discovered that it is so tattered and filthy that we would
be embarrassed to be seen in it, we would make every effort to take
it off, and put on one of better quality and appearance. The
"old man" is the old manner of living which Paul has just
described, and the "new man" is the new life of
righteousness and true holiness which is "after God," that
is, it consists of following Him. Certainly no one, especially not
the Apostle Paul, would claim that laying aside the old manner of
living, and putting on the new is as easy as changing a suit of
clothes, but with the renewing of the spirit of our minds we are
able to work toward that end. So he tells us what to do that we may
accomplish this.
(Verse
25) "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with
his neighbor: for we are members one of another."
This
is, without doubt, the first step for any of us to take. Put lying
away. Forsake the practice of it, and even the consideration of it.
Then, having done this, "speak every man truth with his
neighbor;" and, while doing this remember verse 15,
"speaking the truth in love." Sometimes even the truth
itself can be used to cause trouble; but never when spoken in love.
We are also to remember that "we are members one of
another." Sometimes we get into a frame of mind, which makes it
difficult to remember that my neighbor and I are members of the same
body, and therefore members one of another. Then we have to call to
mind verse 3, "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in
the bond of peace."
(Verses
26 and 27) "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down
on your wrath: neither give place to the devil."
Paul
is not here encouraging or commanding us to be angry. But, on the
contrary, he is telling us that when we do become angry, as we all
do, at one time or another, we must not let that anger lead us into
sin, as it surely will if we hold on to it. So he says, "Let
not the sun go down on your wrath." If for any reason we become
angry, we should make sure that we overcome that anger, and lay it
aside before the end of that day. Just as surely as we hold on to
that wrath, or, what is more to the point, let it hold on to us, and
carry it over to another day, we have opened the door for the devil
to come in. Then ANY KIND of trouble can result. We, as far as God
will enable us, are to close every door through which Satan can
attack us, "neither give place to the devil."
(Verse
28) "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him
labour, working with his own hands the thing that is good, that he
may have to give to him that needeth."
The
fact that one has been a thief does not make it impossible for God
to change him. We have the Lord's promise to the dying thief on the
cross. Yet those thieves whom He pardons, and to whom He gives a
continuation of life are commanded to "steal no more,"
just as He said to the woman who was brought before Him, accused of
adultery, "Go, and sin no more." Whatever may be our
prevailing sin, as well as any other of which we are guilty, it is
to be forsaken when we are brought to Him. Notice, however, that
Paul did not tell the ex-thief to restore those things, which he had
stolen. Some might wonder why he gave no such commandment. Perhaps,
one reason might be that those things he had formerly stolen may no
longer be available to him for restoration. Then too as long as he
worked at trying to restore those things, he would be constantly
reminding others that he had been a thief. And although from Chapter
II on Paul has been reminding us of what we all were before the Lord
shed His grace upon us, and although it is right that each of us
remember from whence he has been brought, we are to forget the past
of our brother and sister, and look only at their present and
future. Thus, in working "with his own hands" that which
is good in order that he may have that with which to relieve the
needs of others, the ex-thief may be constantly reminding himself of
his former sins, but his brethren will only see a servant of the
Lord helping those in need, and they will glorify God for him. In
reality, when the Lord puts away the sins of anyone, those sins are
not to be remembered nor counted against him by others, no matter
how heavily they may weigh upon the mind of the one forgiven.
Witness Paul's statements from time to time concerning his
unworthiness by reason of his having persecuted the church. Yet this
was never called in question by others after they saw that God had
changed him, and made him an apostle.
(Verse
29) "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister
grace unto the hearers."
Sadly,
there are some among us who evidently think that this applies only
to preachers, and that only while they are in the pulpit, or at the
farthest, on the churchyard. In I Cor. 15:33, Paul says, "Be
not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners".
Without any controversy, the meaning of this statement is that, evil
doctrine, the use of evil or foul language, or the constant
discussion of evil things will surely lead on to the doing of evil.
So we are to refrain from the use of evil or filthy language, and
from talking about evil and filthy subjects. Let our speech, even in
private be such that it will minister grace to the hearers, or
hearer, if only one is present.
(Verse
30) "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are
sealed unto the day of redemption."
Whatever
of evil we do or say, or even think, is grieving to the Holy Spirit
of God. Therefore we are to strive to lay aside all evil, separate
ourselves from it, and cease to practice it. Otherwise we do grieve
the Holy Ghost, by which we are sealed unto and until the day of
redemption. In Chapter I, verses 13 and 14, Paul says, "_ _ _in
whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession." This Holy Spirit of
promise is the earnest, or pledge, of our inheritance, even until
the time when we shall receive that inheritance in full. So let us
be careful not to grieve Him. When we do grieve Him we are not able
to feel the full assurance of our salvation that we would like to
enjoy.
(Verses
31 and 32) "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
This
is a concise summation of verses 20 through 30. As Christians, we
are to lay aside, put completely away from us, all these evil things
of which Paul has already told us; and while we are at it, we should
be sure to cast out all malice. While we are considering the word,
"malice," it may be well to look at the dictionary
definition of it. "Malice: enmity of heart; a disposition to
injure others for mere personal gratification, or from a spirit of
revenge; spite; ill will". With this definition we can readily
see that malice must be cast out if there is ever to be "unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Then he says, "be ye
kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Show kindness to one
another. To be tenderhearted is to be able to feel the distress of
another as one's own distress. This is to be our attitude toward one
another. Further, he says, "forgiving one another, even as God
for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." This is the hill that
seems hardest for most of us to climb. So often we say, or hear
someone else say, "I would be glad to forgive him (or her), but
he (or she) will have to apologize to me first." Did God say,
"I will be glad to forgive you, but before I do it, you will
have to apologize to me first?" Absolutely, NOT. He forgave you
for Christ's sake, not yours; and that before you either knew or
cared anything about your having offended Him. Had He waited until
you apologized, He would still be waiting. We are to forgive, not
for the sake of him who has offended,
but for Christ's sake, because both he and we belong to Christ, and
that immediately upon remembering that our sins have been forgiven
by God for Christ's sake. Otherwise, regardless of what we say, we
will not forgive him though he apologize a hundred times.
Forgiveness is not a matter of saying, “I forgive you". It is
a matter of taking your blame upon myself, thus "giving myself
for you." The word is made up of two words, and in making the
compound word the two original words were reversed in order. It is
always best to keep in mind that those words are "give
for"; and if we keep this before us, we will indeed practice
true forgiveness; and thus we will be filled with and surrounded by
"the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
In
this chapter, Paul continues his instructions as to how we ought to
live, telling us what we are to do and what we are to refrain from
doing, and finally setting forth the relationship of husband and
wife as a type of Christ and the church.
(Verses
1 and 2) "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given
Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet-smelling savour."
After
reminding us in the preceding chapter that God has forgiven us for
Christ's sake, Paul tells us to be "followers of God, as dear
children." We are to follow God's commandments and instructions
just as children who hold their parents in love and great respect
obey them. This we are to do in love, not in fear of punishment, nor
under a feeling of distaste, as if it were a great burden; but in
the same manner as Christ, for the great love He had for the Father,
and the love He had for us, was obedient even unto the death on the
cross, whereby He gave "Himself for us an offering and a
sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." "Savour,"
or as it is spelled in our modern dictionary, "savor,"
means "flavor, taste, or smell," and in the present case,
the whole expression signifies that it might be well pleasing to
God. So just as Jesus gave Himself for us, we are to give ourselves
for one another, thus giving ourselves for Him.
(Verses
3 and 4) "But fornication, and all uncleanness, or
covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh
saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting,
[joking] which are not convenient: but rather giving of
thanks".
The
apostle here sets out six things that saints are not even to speak
of as ever acceptable to them, since they certainly are not
acceptable to God. These things are fornication, uncleanness,
covetousness, filthiness, talking foolishly, and jesting, or joking.
Surely none of these things need to be explained. We all know very
well what he is talking about. None of these are acceptable to God,
and so they cannot be acceptable to His saints. The fact that he
lists covetousness along with fornication and all uncleanness, and
foolish talking and jesting along with filthiness seems to indicate
that the first three have to do with conduct, and the last three
have to do with talking. The fact comes through very clearly that
all are forbidden. Notice that foolish talking and jesting, which,
as we all know, is joking, are just as unacceptable as filthiness.
The Greek word, "eutrapelia," which is here translated,
"jesting," is defined thus: "pleasantry, humor,
facetiousness." Paul says that these things are "not
convenient," the Greek word's meaning, "unbecoming or
discreditable." Since all these things are unbecoming or
discreditable to a Christian, they are to be avoided; and those who
will not leave them off should themselves be avoided. It is
particularly annoying that some, who claim to be gospel ministers,
will try to be comedians, and that even in the pulpit.
(Verses
5 through 7) "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor
unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any
inheritance in the
kingdom
of
Christ
and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of
these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of
disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them."
The
apostle, as he lists the covetous man, gives an appositive that
identifies him more clearly, "who is an idolater." It is
evident that even though any degree of covetousness is undesirable
and unacceptable, he is here especially considering the man who is
covetous to the extent that he makes worldly possessions his god.
Such, together with whoremongers and other unclean persons have no
inheritance in the
kingdom
of
Christ
and of God. This declaration simply means that such characters are
not saved. Notice that the tense used here is the present; they
"have no inheritance_ _ _." What God may do for them in
the future is still in His hands, not ours. After listing many evil
persons, and declaring that they shall not inherit the
kingdom
of
God
, Paul says, I Cor. 6:11, "And such were some of you: but ye
are washed, ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." So if, and when,
God sees fit to call one, no matter how evil that one may be, He
washes, or cleanses, sanctifies, and justifies that one "in the
name of our Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God." Our Lord
tells us, in Mark 3:29, that there is only one sin for which there
is no forgiveness. Still we must not forget that as long as one
continues in sin, with no change in him nor his life, we have no
evidence that he is one of God's elect, no matter what God may do
for him in the future. Therefore the apostle tells us to let no man
deceive us with vain words. Vain words are empty words, words that
have no substance in fact. In this modern age the land is filled
with Sodomites who try to thrust themselves into every facet of
social, political, economic, and, in many cases even religious life,
crying, "God loves us just as much as He does anyone
else." These are vain words, they are not supported by the
facts. When God changes them from their wickedness, which He Himself
has condemned, and washes them, and shows them to be His elect, they
will have a legitimate right to claim His love; and surely He can do
that if He sees fit. Yet, until He does, "let no man deceive
you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of
God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers
with them." We not only are to refuse their vain words so that
we will not be deceived thereby, but we are also to refuse to take
any part with them in these things. These are the very things that
bring the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Two things
are always to be kept in mind. First, the wrath of God never comes
upon the children of God; the sacrifice of our Lord Christ Jesus
guarantees that. Second, Paul does not say that this wrath comes
upon "disobedient children;" instead he says that the
wrath of God comes upon the "children of disobedience."
The Greek phrase is, "tous huious tas apeithias," which
translates into "the sons of obstinacy," and, according to
the Lexicon, the standard usage of this word in the New Testament
denotes "obstinate opposition to the divine will". It is
no wonder that the apostle warns us, "Be not ye therefore
partakers with them."
(Verses
8 through 10) "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye
light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the
Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) proving what
is acceptable unto the Lord."
Let
us, as we have done before, re-arrange this sentence by grouping
together all the segments that carry the continuity of thought, and
placing the parenthesis at the end. "For ye were sometimes
darkness, but now are ye light
in the Lord: walk as children of light, proving what is acceptable
unto the Lord: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
righteousness and truth.)" The "sometimes" to which
Paul refers is exactly the same as his former reference, in Chapter
II, verses 2 and 3, that is, the time before God "quickened us
together with Christ." In those times our condition was such
that, not only were we in darkness, but that darkness was so great
that we were darkness itself; but now the situation has been
changed, and so also has our condition. No longer are we dead in
trespasses and sins, thus being darkness, but now we are
"quickened together with Christ," so having been made
light in the Lord. Therefore, with both our condition and position
changed, the apostle instructs us to act accordingly, "walk as
children of light, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord."
This statement is, although of different wording, the same message
as that of our Lord, (John
7:17
,) "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself." The more
closely we follow the doctrine and examples of our Lord, the greater
assurance we have that this is acceptable to Him. "For the
fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and
truth." In Galatians 5:22-24, this same apostle tells what is
the fruit of the Spirit, and follows this up thus, in verse 25,
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the
Spirit." When we examine the list he gives of the fruit of the
Spirit, it is immediately apparent that not only is the fruit of the
Spirit "in all goodness and righteousness and truth," but
also that it can be found nowhere else.
(Verses
11 through 14) "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even
to speak of those things that are done of them in secret. But all
things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for
whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore He saith, Awake
thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give
thee light."
When
he says, "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness," it is abundantly clear that Paul's meaning is that
we are to take no part in these works, which are the same as
"the works of the flesh," which he lists in Galatians
5:19-21, and follows with this declaration, "I tell you before,
as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things
shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Some may think that
there is some kind of fruit in these works; but if so, it is a very
bitter fruit indeed, and since Paul is concerned only with the fruit
of the Spirit, his description of them is still correct: they are
"unfruitful." The reason that they are unfruitful is that
the fruit of the Spirit is only found in goodness, righteousness,
and truth. Not only are we to take no part in such works, but we are
to reprove them. Here are a few of the meanings of the word here
translated, "reprove:" "to convict, to refute, to
confute, by conviction to bring to light, to expose, to find fault
with, to correct, to reprehend severely, to chide, to admonish, to
reprove, to call to account, to show one his fault, to chasten, or
to punish." By using a word with so wide a range of meanings,
and none of them even remotely related to approval, Paul leaves no
doubt that we are to stand firmly against all such things. He
further declares that it is a shame, or is disgraceful, to even
speak of, or discuss, those things that are done in secret by evil
men. Sometimes we have heard brethren try to apply this expression
to what are often called "secret societies," such as The
Masonic Order, The Odd Fellows, The Moose Lodge, etc. Although we
certainly are commanded, "Be not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers," which we indeed would be in any oath-binding
order that gives preference to its own members above anybody else,
this is definitely not Paul's meaning here. Rather, he is warning us
that it is a shame for Christians to carry on a conversation about
these evil deeds that wicked men do. It has usually been the case
that wicked people prefer secret for doing their evil works although
one must admit that they are becoming bolder all the time with their
wickedness. Some may try to argue that Paul "speaks" of
these evil things which he says it is a shame for Christians
"to speak of." He does indeed mention them, but he never
makes any one of them a subject for detailed discussion; and every
time he mentions one of them, he reproves it in the strongest of
terms, declaring God's judgment against it and those who engage in
it. Here he continues, "But all things that are reproved are
made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is
light." He is not saying that by our reproving these evil
works, we will "bring them out of the closet," as the
expression has recently come to be so much used, but rather by
refusing to take any part in such, and rebuking those who would
attempt to entice us into evil, we make manifest the fact that such
things are not acceptable to God nor to us. In doing this we are
walking in the light; and that light shows up (makes manifest) these
evil ones and their works. "Wherefore He saith _ _ _".
Notice carefully that, despite all claims people may make to the
contrary, Paul did not say, "He has instructed His ministers to
say_ _ _," nor even, "He has instructed His apostles to
say_ _ _." One might contend that this is making a distinction
without a difference, but such is not the case. Let us examine this
message in the light of what Paul has already established in the
foregoing chapters, and of some things done by our Lord while He was
still here on earth. First, we should review the message,
"Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ
shall give thee light." It is obvious that this message is made
up of three parts: the first two parts are commandments to someone,
or some ones, who is, or are, asleep with the dead, while the third
part is a declaration of what Christ is going to do. Note that there
is not an "if" in the whole sentence. Now, as we look back
to earlier statements made in this epistle, we find that God has
"predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ
to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will," that
He has “quickened us together with Christ," that He has
“created us in Christ Jesus unto good works," that we
"who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of
Christ," and that all of this was done "according to the
eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Much more could be cited, but this seems sufficient to prove that
not we, but God has done all these things through Christ Jesus our
Lord. "Wherefore HE SAITH, awake thou that sleepest, and arise
from the dead_ _ _." Those who have not been born of the Spirit
are among the dead, and to us they are dead; but to God they are
only asleep until He may see fit to awake them. Compare a scene
recorded by Mark. (Mark 5:39-42) "And when He was come in, He
saith unto them, ‘Why make ye this ado, and weep? The damsel is
not dead, but sleepeth.’ And they laughed Him to scorn. But when
He had put them all out, He taketh the father and mother of the
damsel, and them that were with Him, and entereth in where the
damsel was lying. And He took the damsel by the hand, and said unto
her, ‘Talitha cumi:’ which is, being interpreted, ‘Damsel, I
say unto thee, arise.’ And straightway the damsel arose, and
walked." Just as God, (since Jesus Himself declared, "I
and my Father are one,") spoke to the daughter of Jairus, and
said, Damsel, I say unto thee arise", He also says to His elect
that are still dead in sin, but to Him only asleep, "Awake thou
that sleepest, and arise from the dead." This statement is,
indeed, the summation of all the great truths Paul has set forth
from the beginning of this epistle; and he introduces it with
"Wherefore," signifying that it is because of those truths
that "He saith." Since all the wonderful works involved in
the salvation of God's elect are according to His eternal purpose,
He, in keeping therewith, says, (and this is to be considered as
"the historical present,") "Awake thou that sleepest,
and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."
Paul has gone to considerable length to show that we are no more
darkness, as we once were, but are now "light in the
Lord," and here he tells us that this light is given of Christ,
and is to every one whom God awakens from that sleep among the dead.
(Verses
15 through 21) "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as
fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the
Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be
filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the
Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to
another in the fear of God."
"See
that ye walk circumspectly." To see that you do something is to
put forth special effort to do, or to make sure that you do, that
thing; and that to be done is, "walk circumspectly," that
is, be very watchful and cautious about where you go and what you
do. Fools, those with no understanding, will pay little, if any,
heed to their conduct, and will do whatever may at the time appeal
to their desires, with no regard for the consequences of their
actions. We are not to be like them, but to be wise. If we are to be
wise, we must fear God, and depart from evil; for we are told,
(Psalms 111:10,) "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom," and, (Job 28:28,) "And unto man He said, Behold,
the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is
understanding." Certainly we cannot "redeem the time"
in the sense of paying some redemption price for it, and getting
back the time that we have already wasted while in darkness and
death in sin, so that we might be able to make better use of it than
we formerly did. First, we have nothing of our own worthy of being
offered for it, and second, time past is forever gone. Yet when,
after God has awakened us from that sleep among the dead, we spend
the time which He does afford us in serving Him, and shunning the
pitfalls of Satan, we are accounted as "redeeming the
time." Paul tells us that we are to do this "because the
days are evil." This signifies two things. First, there is so
much evil around us, and so many temptations constantly trying to
entice us, that we must put forth every effort to walk in the light
lest at any time we stumble and thus lose any part of the time He
has so graciously given us to serve Him. Second, the expression is
one that was commonly used to mean the same as one we often use
today, "time is short," or "time flies." We have
already wasted so much of our time, "wherein in time past ye
walked according to the course of this world," (Eph. 2:2,) that
we have little left. For this reason he says, "Be ye not
unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." There
are three things we can do to understand what the will of the Lord
is. Since the Holy Bible is the written revealed word of God, we can
study it and learn His will. The psalmist, (Psalms 119:105,) says,
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path." Next we can pray to God for wisdom; for James tells us,
(James 1:5,) "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,
that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall
be given him." Then we can walk according to His will as set
forth in His word. Jesus said, (John
8:31
-32,) "If ye continue in My word, then are ye my disciples
indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free. Also, in John
7:16
-17, "Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not Mine,
but His that sent Me. If any man will do His will he shall know of
the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of
Myself."
Now
Paul says, "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be
filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing, and making melody in your heart to the
Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to
another in the fear of God." This needs little explanation. It
is so clearly stated that no one should have any difficulty in
understanding it. Nevertheless, there are a few things which,
perhaps, should be mentioned, more for emphasis than explanation.
Let us refresh our minds with the definitions of a couple of words
herein. "Hymn_ _ _a song or ode in honor of God_ _ _a sacred
lyric; a song of praise, adoration, or thanksgiving."
"Psalm_ _ _a sacred song or hymn." With these two
definitions in mind, let us review Paul's instructions:
"speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs," (songs of the Spirit). If we are to speak to ourselves,
or others either, in songs of any kind, we must speak the words so
that they can be understood. We have already seen, by definition,
what sort of songs are to be used for this purpose. We should be
very careful that the songs we use set forth the truth of God in
their words. When we sing, we are to make melody in our hearts to
the Lord. While, as we probably all would agree, the sound of
singing is much more pleasant to our ears when done by voices that
are all very good and very well trained, this does not rule out the
participation of one whose voice fits neither of these conditions.
Our focus should be, not upon making a pleasant sound for the ears
of man, but upon making "a joyful noise unto the Lord."
See Psalms 5:1, 66:1, 81:1, 95:1-2, 98:4 and 6, 100:1, as well as
numerous other selections. When just a child, I heard two elderly
men discussing singing. One of them was, perhaps the most
outstanding bass singer in his area of the country. And this is what
he said: "When you are at a singing convention, where there are
many well trained voices, and the singers are mostly showing off
their abilities, if you think your voice does not sound so good, it
might be all right to just sit and listen. But when you are in
church service, you should be praising the Lord. Therefore you ought
to join in, whether you have a good voice or not. Sing with melody
in your heart, and make a joyful noise unto the Lord." I am
convinced that this advice is in perfect harmony with that of the
Apostle Paul. Further, the apostle tells us to give "thanks
always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ." Some may quibble at the phrase, "all
things." Certainly no one would advocate that we should be
thankful for our sins, faults, errors, etc., but, knowing that we
are guilty of them, we, by all means, should thank God for the
chastening which He lays upon us. The chastisement, of course, is
not pleasant. But notice what the writer says, in Hebrews 12:5-11.
"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you
as unto children, ‘My son despise not thou the chastening of the
Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: for whom the Lord
loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.’
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what
son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and
not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which
corrected us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much rather
be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they
verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He
for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now no
chastisement for the present seemeth joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." There are
two very important things which chastisement does for us. The first
is that it gives us assurance that God is dealing with us "as
with sons;" therefore He must have received us as His sons. The
second is, it corrects us and turns us away from the sin or error
which we have committed, and sets us in the way of truth, thus
yielding to us the peaceable fruit of righteousness." Sometimes
we hear people say, "Christ paid the penalty for all of our
sins committed before regeneration, but we have to pay for every
error and sin which we commit after regeneration." This is
totally contrary to the teaching of God's word. We never pay the
penalty for any sin, whether committed before or after regeneration.
There is only one penalty for sin. Paul tells us in Romans 6:23,
"For the wages of sin is death." Our Lord, on Calvary's
cross, paid all the "wages," "penalty,"
"price," or whatever term one might use for the result of
the sins of His elect; and we are never required to pay any part of
it. We are, however, chastised for every wrong we do. Some might
question, "What is the difference between paying the penalty
for something and being chastised for that thing?" The
difference is very simple. When a penalty is established for the
violation of some rule or law, it is set up as what will be accepted
to make satisfaction (propitiation} for that violation. It is not
designed as a corrective measure, but only to exact payment for the
violation, although the fear of that payment may serve, to some
extent, to prevent violation of the precept. On the other hand, true
chastisement, though it may seem grievous at the time, has as its
purpose and design only the correction and instruction of the one
receiving it. So it is "for our profit." Consequently, by
receiving the chastening of our heavenly Father when we go astray,
we are corrected, and taught to walk more closely to Him, thus being
made thereby "partakers of His holiness." Therefore, in
this manner, even the chastisement, which seems grievous at the time
it is received, afterward yields "the peaceable fruit of
righteousness to them that are exercised thereby." Some may
object to considering tribulations and afflictions as things for
which to give thanks. If so, consider the example set before us by
the apostles, as recorded in Acts, chapters 4 and 5, and culminating
in chapter 5, verse 41: "And they departed from the presence of
the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame
for His name. Also consider Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail,
(Acts
16:25
,) "And at
midnight
Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God_ _ _." Many
other examples are found in the word of God, but these should
suffice, since He tells us that "in the mouths of two or three
witnesses shall every word be established." It seems, from the
witness of the scriptures, that we must thank God, not only for
pleasant things, but unpleasant ones also. Otherwise we are missing
a great many opportunities for praising Him. While thus thanking Him
for "all things," we are also to submit ourselves
"one to another in the fear of the Lord." In our fear of
God we are to remember that others have rights before Him, and we
are not to trample on those rights, but as Paul said, (Romans
12:10
,) "in honor preferring one another."
The
remainder of this chapter deals with two subjects. The first is the
relationship between the natural husband and wife; the second, the
relationship between Christ, as the husband, and the church, as His
bride. The two subjects are so closely interwoven that it is
impossible to completely separate them. However, for the sake of
clarity, we shall attempt to regroup the verses, trying to exercise
care not to change the meaning of any, although some will, no doubt,
overlap. We shall first try to deal with the relationship of the
natural husband and wife.
(Verses
22 through 25, 28 and 29, and 31 through 33) "Wives, submit
yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband
is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church:
and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is
subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in
every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved
the church, and gave Himself for it:_ _ _So ought men to love their
wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and
cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:_ _ _This is a great
mystery: but I speak of Christ and the church. Nevertheless let
every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and
the wife see that she reverence her husband."
What
Paul has here declared as the proper relationship between husband
and wife is by no means acceptable to the modern proponents of so
called "women's rights." That, however, has no bearing
upon the truth. Surely it will be readily admitted by any true
Christian, man or woman, that, a relationship which fulfills all
that is here set forth would be the most pleasant, most peaceable,
and most lovely situation possible. If only one side of it is
implemented, it will, of course, be much less satisfactory. First
the wife is told to submit to her own husband in every thing. That
is, she is to defer to his judgment in all things, and strive to
please him in all things, because he is the head over the wife just
as Christ is the head over the church. Further, as Christ is the
Saviour [protector, supporter, keeper, or defender] of the church,
so is the husband of the wife. Although Christ certainly is the
Saviour of the church in that it is He Who has redeemed it, the
sense here is more that He is its Saviour in that His constant
protection is over it, and He is the One Who provides for it in all
things. In this manner the husband is "the saviour of the
body" for the wife. This may not be quite so readily apparent
to people today as it was in the time of Paul's writing, since today
many wives have careers outside the home, and, in some instances,
may even have higher paying careers than their husbands. In Paul's
day a wife was entirely dependent upon her husband for support. The
fact that the economics of the situation have changed in no wise
voids the word of God. His word still stands, and it always will. We
have, so far, looked at only one side of the relationship. Let us
look at the "other side of the coin." Although the husband
is the "head of the wife," the very first statement
addressed to him is, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ
also loved the church, and gave Himself for it." This is
followed by "So ought men to love their wives as their own
bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself." This is a far
cry from authorizing a man to be a slave driver, or to treat his
wife roughly, in either word or deed. When we consider loving
someone as "Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for
it," we can find no words in the languages of men that will
even begin to describe such love. Action is the only way in which it
can be shown; and even at the best we can do it only feebly shows
it. His was the glory of the Father, for it was by Him that the
Father created the worlds. Yet, for the love of His bride, He laid
it all aside, came to this world of sin, took upon Himself a body of
flesh; and in that flesh suffered, and died, all for her sake.
Paul's statement, "He that loveth his wife loveth
himself," immediately brings into focus its opposite, "He
that loveth not his wife loveth not himself;" and it is equally
true. We should consider something that the Apostle John tells us,
(I John
3:16
-18,) "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down
His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the
brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother
have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how
dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love
in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." Since in
all his instructions, Paul likens the relationship of husband and
wife to that of Christ and the church, it is not at all out of place
to compare their love to our love of God and the children of God.
Therefore, if the husband's love for his wife is only in word, and
not in deed, we might well wonder whether or not he loves her at
all. Paul further declares that "No man ever yet hated his own
flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it." Since, therefore, if
he loves his wife as his own body, he will be as gentle and loving
in his treatment of her as of his own body. The fact that husband
and wife "are no more twain, but one flesh" is the
foundation cause of their leaving the homes of their parents, and
establishing one of their own. The final instruction embraces both
husband and wife. "Nevertheless let every one of you in
particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that
she reverence [respect] her husband."
It
would be totally unrealistic to expect the world to follow these
instructions; but Paul was not writing to the world. Instead he was
writing to "saints," persons whom God has called by His
Spirit, and quickened into life in Christ Jesus our Lord. These
should be expected to live by these admonitions. If we who claim
that we believe the word of God would only give diligence to follow
them, how much more joy and peace we would have in our churches, and
in our homes!
Now
let us consider the other, and even greater, subject which Paul is
here addressing. We have already touched on a little of it inasmuch
as both subjects are somewhat interwoven in the apostle's writing.
(Verses
25 through 27, 29 through 30, and 32) "Husbands love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for
it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church,
not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should
be holy and without blemish._ _ _no man ever yet hated his own
flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the
church: for we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His
bones._ _ _This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ
and the church."
Our
Lord has loved us, the church, so much that "He gave Himself
for it." He laid aside the glory that He had with the Father
before the world was, that He might come into this world, testify of
God to the world, seal His testimony by His death on the cross, rise
from the dead, and ascend back to the Father. (This is what is meant
by saying that He gave Himself.) For what did He do this? He did it
that He might sanctify and cleanse the church, His bride, "with
the washing of water by the word." The Greek word that is here
translated "word" is not "logos" as in John 1:1,
but "Hrama" as in John 6:63, where Jesus says, "The
words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are
life;" and, as there, it means the "spoken word".
Since He is the One, Who has given Himself for the church, He it is
also, Who, by speaking to it the words that are both spirit and
life, sanctifies it "with the washing of water by the
word." This is in reference to the practice, required by God's
law, of sanctifying, or purifying, those things that were for the
service of God by washing them in water, which was the shadow, or
type, of His cleansing with the "Holy Ghost and with
fire." See John 7:37-39, where Jesus speaks of water, and John
explains that He was actually referring to the Spirit. The purpose
of His cleansing the church is that He will "present it to
Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Not
only has our Lord given Himself for the church and is thus initially
its Saviour, but He continues to nourish and cherish it: "for
we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones," in
the same manner that the wife is "one flesh" with her
husband. (Gen. 2:23) "And Adam said, This is now bone of my
bone, and flesh of my flesh_ _ _." Paul says that this oneness
of husband and wife "is a great mystery: but I speak of Christ
and His church." Since our Lord considers us as "members
of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones," surely He will
take care of us, nourish us, and cherish us, until that day when we
will be finally presented by Him to Himself holy and without
blemish. This is the fundamental hope of every Christian.
Chapter
6
In
this chapter Paul gives instructions regarding the relationship of
children and parents, and servants and masters. Then He tells us how
to prepare that we may be able to carry on the warfare with which we
are charged. Next he asks an interest in the prayers of those to
whom he is writing, and he introduces a brother whom he has sent to
comfort them and to give them a report on his condition. Finally he
sets forth his prayer for them.
(Verses
1 through 4) "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this
is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first
commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and thou
mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your
children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord."
We
have reached an era in which people, in general, have completely
discarded these teachings; and the results should be obvious to all.
A great many children today, instead of obeying their parents, are
"running the show themselves." How often we hear a mother
or father say, concerning a child not yet in his teens, "I just
can't do a thing with him (or her)!" Then those who make such
complaints will start trying to lay the blame on every one and every
thing except the ones who are really blameworthy, THEMSELVES. We all
recognize the fact that, in spite of the best efforts parents can
make, some children will go astray; but when the problem is as great
as at the present time, there must be a cause. This cause in many
cases today is parents who have not brought their children up
"in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." There are two
things that must be done in order to accomplish this. No doubt there
are other actions that will help; but these are basic. First, the
parents must themselves live before the children in keeping with the
admonition of the Lord, and second they must begin at the beginning,
not only telling the child what to do and what not to do, but
following through to see that he does it when told. Does the parent
use alcohol, tobacco, drugs, profanity, filthy language, or threats
of violence? Does he, or she, tell lies, cheat, steal, or commit
acts of violence? Certainly there are many other things that can be
listed, but these are perhaps the most basic evils. If such things
as these are seen and/or heard at home by the child, how can he be
expected to grow up without partaking of the same? On the other
hand, if the parents police their own actions and language, read
their Bibles, regularly discuss the word of God, show love and
reverence for God, and love and respect for each other, while at the
same time, beginning when the child is a baby, teaching him, (or
her,) by both precept and example, to live according to the word of
God, there is a great likelihood that the child will grow up to be a
much better member of the family and the community. Proverbs 22:6
tells us, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when
he is old he will not depart from it". In order to be
effective, the training must start early, and must be consistent.
Sometimes parents seem to think it "cute" to have very
young children do or say things that later on are not so considered.
Sometimes they will punish a child for doing, or saying something
they earlier taught him because they thought it was
"smart." Care should always be exercised to start at the
beginning with good instructions, and maintain them all the way.
When this is done, not only can we advise children to obey their
parents, but we can actually see that advice followed.
(Verses
5 through 9) "Servants, be obedient to them that are your
masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in
singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eyeservice, as
menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God
from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and
not to men: knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the
same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And
ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening:
knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect
of persons with Him."
Someone
might say, "This doesn't have any application to us, in this
country, seeing that slavery has been abolished." That is a
grave mistake. As long as you are an employee of another you are his
servant, albeit a hired servant instead of a bondslave.
Nevertheless, the instructions are just as valid for a hired servant
as for a slave. Also if you are an employer, the admonitions to the
master apply to you. The employee is thus commanded to render
obedience to those in authority over him. This is to be done, not
from fear of those in authority over him, but in the fear of God. We
are responsible to God to do the best we can at any job we
undertake. So we are to render obedience to our overseers, not as
their servants and just trying to please them, but as servants of
Christ, and from the heart trying to do His will. We may not always
like what we have to do, but if it is a legitimate part of our job,
we have a responsibility to God to do the best we can. So let us do
it with good will, remembering that it is something that the Lord,
not man, requires of us; and we know "that whatsoever good
thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether
he be bond or free." Our Lord is always watching over us, and
He sees everything that we do. When we do well, He rewards us; and
when we do poorly, He chastises us. The employer is instructed to
render the same respect to the employee that he expects from him, to
leave off threatening, and to remember that even though he may be
the "boss" in his relationship to the employee, there is
One in heaven Who is his Master, and He has no more respect for the
slave driver than for the slave. Thus it behooves us all to keep our
eyes, not upon our fellow man, but upon God, Who is over all.
(Verses
10 through 12) "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord,
and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that
ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Having
heretofore covered God's wonderful works through Christ Jesus on our
behalf to bring about our salvation, how we should live together in
the church, the relationship of Christ and His church, of husbands
and wives, of children and parents, and giving instructions to both
servants and masters, Paul exhorts us to "be strong in the
Lord, and in the power of His might." The way we can do this is
by putting on the whole armor of God so that we will be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil. Later he will tell us of what
this armor consists; but first he explains what kind of warfare we
have to wage. The first point, and a very important one, is that
this warfare is "not against flesh and blood." This is not
a battle to be fought with the weapons that are usually used against
men, because our fight is not against them. If our enemies are not
men, who are they? In the vanguard of our enemies we find
principalities and powers. Notice that Paul mentions these two
things in Romans 8:38, where he declares that neither these nor any
other created thing "shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." These, together
with the "rulers of the darkness of this world," are the
evil spirits, or demons, that in Matt. 25:41 are referred to as
"his [the devil's] angels." Not only are we to fight, or
"wrestle," against these, but also against that which they
bring about, "spiritual wickedness in high places" [or
things]. Having thus described the warfare, the apostle now tells us
how to prepare for the battle.
(Verses
13 through 20) "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having
done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about
with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all,
take the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all
the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always
with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and
for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my
mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I
am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I
ought to speak."
Since
our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against all the evil
forces of the devil, as well as the wickedness that has by him
already become entrenched in high places, (or in high things,) it is
necessary that we have proper means to carry on the fight. For this
purpose God, Who knows all our needs, has provided sufficient armor
and weapons. Paul, accordingly tells us to take unto ourselves
"the whole armour of God," which he has already instructed
us to put on that we "may be able to stand against the wiles of
the devil;" and again he says, "that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." This
statement may seem slightly redundant, but he is emphasizing the
importance of both being fully equipped and putting forth maximum
effort. We are to put on the "whole armour of God," that
we may be prepared to withstand the onslaught of the evil forces
when they come against us, (in the evil day, or the day of battle,)
and when we, thus equipped, put forth the very best effort we can,
("having done all,") we will stand. On the other hand, the
inference is that, even when properly equipped, we still cannot
stand unless we fight with all the ability God has given us. Then,
piece by piece, the apostle describes the armor with which we are to
arm ourselves. Notice that God furnishes the armor. It is the "armour
of God;" but if we ever wear it, we must put it on. "Stand
therefore, having your loins girt about with truth,_ _ _." The
loins of a man were always considered the source of his strength and
virility; and to have them girded with a proper girdle supported him
and added to his strength, as well as serving to prevent the
extraordinary strains that may be encountered in hand to hand combat
from possibly causing a hernia, and thus disabling him. Also his
loins, if not properly protected, are subject to receiving painful
and disabling wounds. So the picture before us is that of making
sure that our strength and durability are protected. In the type of
warfare we, as soldiers of Christ, must fight, what better girdle
can we have than truth? Although, in essence there can be but one
truth, since our Lord said, "I am the way, the truth, and the
life," there are at least three things we should consider
concerning the truth, in the matter of having our loins girded
therewith. First, we must know the truth as it is in Christ Jesus
our Lord, as witnessed by the written word of God, as well as by an
experience of His grace in the salvation of our souls. Then we must
speak the truth, and stand firmly by our word. Finally, we must live
honestly, openly, and truthfully before all men, so that there will
be no "skeletons in our closets" for people to dig out and
use to put us to shame. "And having on the breastplate of
righteousness." Of course, the only righteousness that will
stand between us and the wrath of God is the righteousness of Christ
Jesus our Saviour; but what Paul is primarily concerned about at
this point is our living a righteous life, as nearly as we possibly
can. Remember his discussion of this in Romans 6:14-16, "For
sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law,
but under grace. WHAT THEN? shall we sin because we are not under
the law, but under grace? GOD FORBID. Know ye not, that to whom ye
yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye
obey; whether of sin unto death, or obedience unto
righteousness?" Again in II Timothy
2:19
, "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having
this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one
that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity". Many
other passages could be cited from Paul's writings to prove that he
always maintains that all who claim to be the soldiers of Christ
must live in a manner that supports the claim; otherwise that claim
has no validity. This is especially true of anyone claiming to be a
gospel minister. Notice the apostle's statement, (I Timothy 3:7,)
"Moreover he must have a good report of them that are without
[outside the church]; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of
the devil." Thus if we have on the "breastplate of
righteousness," live a life above reproach before all men, we
have, as it were, our vital parts protected so that we can boldly
face the enemy. Further, he says, "And your feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace." Since our feet are the
members of our bodies designed to carry us from place to place, and
to support us in battle, it is essential that they be properly shod.
Some, perhaps, may have wondered why our military forces, especially
those units who travel mostly on foot in battle, are equipped with
such heavy high-topped shoes. The answer is simple. They give the
best protection and greatest support to the feet. Likewise we, in
our warfare, are better protected and supported when our feet are
shod with "the preparation of the gospel of peace," that
is, when we are making every endeavor "to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace," as Paul said in Chapter IV. In
Galatians
5:15
, the apostle says, "But if ye bite and devour one another,
take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." Amid such
conduct as that, how could our feet be shod with the preparation of
the gospel of peace? And how could we stand against the wiles of the
devil? On the other hand, our Lord said, (Matt. 5:9,) "Blessed
are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of
God". Certainly, this in no wise means that we should
compromise with Satan and his forces, and make peace with them. To
do so would violate the most important rule of our warfare,
"Neither give place to the devil." We must, nevertheless,
strive for peace among those who love our Lord, that we may be able
to oppose the forces of evil with a united front. Next, we are thus
instructed: "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith
ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."
One might ask, "How can I `take' faith? Does not God have to
give faith, since it is a fruit of the Spirit? The answer to the
latter question is, unequivocally, "Yes, God does have to give
the faith." The situation here, however, is one in which God
has already done that. The fact that this letter is addressed to
"the faithful in Christ Jesus," assures us of that fact.
So by "taking the shield of faith," is simply meant making
use of it. No doubt there are times when we have doubts and fears.
Even John The Baptist, when in prison, sent messengers to Jesus,
asking, "Art Thou He that should come, or look we for
another?" Remember the answer Jesus sent back to him: "Go
and tell John AGAIN those things which ye do hear and see." He
then enumerated some of the things He was doing, all of them things
which John had already heard and seen. Consider also the apostle's
statement, (Heb.
10:32
-35,) "But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after
ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;
partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and
afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that
were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took
joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye
have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away
therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of
reward". From these two witnesses we see that the best way of
reviving our faith, and thereby "taking the shield of
faith" is by calling to mind those things through which God has
already brought us, knowing that He Who has taken care of us thus
far will never leave us nor forsake us. With this shield we can
"quench all the fiery darts of the wicked," such as
doubts, fears, depression, and despair. Then we must "take the
helmet of salvation." We must let our thoughts be centered upon
Him Who "is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption," all the wonderful blessings of
salvation. Isaiah declared, "Behold God is my salvation; I will
trust and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my
song; He also is become my salvation." See also Exodus 15:2 and
Psalms 118:14. Keeping in mind that our Lord is indeed our
salvation, we can rest in the assurance of Romans 8:38-39, "For
I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, [created thing,]
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord." With this for a helmet, our head is
fully protected. Notice should be taken that every article of this
armor so far mentioned is for defense. The only offensive weapons
given us are those next mentioned, "and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God: praying with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance for all saints." "The word of God" is an
expression which we find used in at least two different ways in the
scriptures. It is sometimes used to mean the living Word, Which is
none other than our Lord Christ Jesus. The other most common usage
of it is to indicate the Holy Scriptures, which are the written word
of God. This latter is the usage here. To be fully assured of this,
all we have to do is to consider the temptations of our Lord, as
recorded in Matthew 4 and Luke 4. Notice that in each temptation His
defense against it was the same, "It is written." In order
to use this "sword efficiently," one must be well
acquainted with it, because Satan himself can quote scriptures when
he thinks they suit his purpose; and if one is not very well
acquainted with the word of God, Satan can confuse him by the
misapplication of scripture. In the second temptation of our Lord
(as Matthew gives their order) Satan attempted to use scripture to
enhance his temptation; and his quotation was accurate, but his
application was wrong. So our Lord answered him with, "Again it
is written_ _ _." Even when a temptation seems very enticing,
and a scriptural quotation is used to enhance it, we must be able to
set it in its rightful place by comparing it to the rest of the
"word of God," keeping always in mind that His word
contains no contradictions. The only way we can do this is by
familiarity with the scriptures; and the only way to obtain this
familiarity is to study the Bible, and pray to God for understanding
of His word. One caution that should always be observed in the study
of the word of God is, Be sure to study it to find out what is
written, not to support some pre-conceived idea nor to tear down
some idea someone else has set forth. In addition to studying God's
word we are to be constantly in prayer and always begging God in the
Spirit to strengthen, enlighten, and lead us; and not only us, but
all saints. To this end we are to watch "with all
perseverance," not just once in a while. Paul then requests
these saints to also pray for him, as he says, "that utterance
may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known
the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds:
that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Paul, at
the beginning of this letter, declared himself to be an apostle (the
word means, "a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with
orders") of Jesus the Christ. Thus he was sent forth with
orders from Christ Jesus to make known the mystery, or secret, which
God had heretofore kept hidden in Himself, but now, according to His
own eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ from eternity, He
has revealed. Thus he, as such an ambassador, ought to boldly
declare this message in spite of bonds, imprisonments, threats, or
whatever persecutions may come his way. And he requests the prayers
of the "faithful in Christ Jesus" that he may do this, and
not be intimidated by anything that may come upon him.
Paul
then introduces to these brethren one, "Tychicus, a beloved
brother and faithful minister in the Lord," whom he sent to
report to them on his condition while in prison. This brother, in
addition to reporting Paul's affairs to them, will comfort their
hearts not only by this report, but since he is a faithful minister
in the Lord, by reminding them of the Lord's promises and
admonitions. Finally, Paul closes out this letter thus: "Peace
be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus
Christ in sincerity. Amen."
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