Ephesians | {love &} respect I’d like to review Paul’s passage on marriage one last time (Ephesians 5). For Christ and husbands, we see the actions . . . the roles . . . the doing. What do we see through the Church’s lens and the wife’s eyes? As a church are we not the receiver of God’s grace? In some way, is not the wife the recipient of the husband’s love? There’s a different way to view this passage... Read more
love {& respect} However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5.33, ESV) Wesley Adams writes in the Full Life Bible Commentary, “5:33 summarizes the entire passage: The husband ‘must love his wife,’ and ‘the wife must respect her husband.’”[1] Thomas Nelson publishes Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires, the Respect He Desperately Needs, by Emerson Eggerichs.[2] Love and Respect has been transforming marriages... Read more
Ephesians | a Word about the wife in the Roman Empire Christians are noticed Christians are not noticed for political statements, their military, or their royalty. Christians are noticed by the public for their unique Christian conduct in homes. Because the public notices Christians, Peter and Paul write Household Codes.[1] in the ancient Near East {aNE} there would be nothing more noticeable than a male leader of the house who treats his wife, children, and servants with respect and great... Read more
Ephesians | roles of the husband in family 2 Disclaimers: Judging by how I understand the terms, there is a fine line between gender equality and egalitarianism. Under my present means of interpretation, I personally do not believe the latter is Scriptural. Leaving roles out of the family can be difficult, unless one wants to ignore Biblical teaching. I certainly agree, slavery cuts against the grain of any modern belief. Even so, Paul is granting rights to women, children, and... Read more
Ephesians | marital sexuality We’ve got some ground to cover and this is a sensitive topic, but . . . I’ve found that sexuality is like money. Christians have to talk about both. We don’t want to learn too much about either one from the wrong sources Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he... Read more
Ephesians | time to consider the change of sanctification We’re discussing the Christian household code in Ephesians 5. We’re spending a little extra time with the Husband and Wife. Jesus reveals truths about His love for His Church in this relationship. Ephesians | church & the marital relationship CLICK marital glory, sanctity & mystery CLICK Spirit control in community CLICK interpreting Paul on submission CLICK now our focus is on sanctification We talked a little about the household code. The... Read more
Ephesians | interpreting Paul on submission In the ancient Greco-Roman Empire something unique takes place. Philosophers begin to influence the private lives of citizens with ethics for private life that are known as household codes. Philosophers like Plutarch and Aristotle teach them. The great Hebrew philosopher Philo teaches household codes as well. He lives during the first century as a contemporary of Christ and the Disciples. To fully grasp family passages in the New Testament like Ephesians 5-6, we need... Read more
It’s about control. Paul is warning us not to yield control to anything else. This whole article explores a long sentence in the Greek, written by Paul (Ephesians 5.18-21). It all actually goes together in the original language. So let’s consider these thoughts the way Paul writes it. 1st: Paul says what being Spirit led is not. 2nd: Paul describes what being Spirit filled is. 3rd: He shares the how’s and why’s of a Spirit directed community Paul says what... Read more
What does the Bible say about the Mustard seed and faith? The Bible does not say a lot about the mustard seed and faith. It’s the smallest of all seeds at the time and place. It grows to be the largest tree/bush in the garden. The injunction is, do you see what little faith you have? Now do you see what your faith, even the smallest bit of faith, can grow into? For readings about the mustard seed and faith, see... Read more
classic voices on the love of money Hebrews xiii.5-6, Fresh Start Bible NLT Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, So I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” There are some voices from not so long ago capable of providing an amazing interpretation of Scripture. After all, the... Read more
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