Paul gives us more practical advice today about how to deal with each other in a godly way. Yesterday he spoke of the marriage relationship. Today he speaks of the relationship between parents and children and of the relationship between employers and employees.
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." (Ephesians 6:1) Paul says, "It's the Lord's will for you to obey your parents. When you do this, you are doing something that is right in the Lord's eyes." I have to say, it seems like our society has gotten this principle backwards over the past several decades. We quite often see the parents obeying the children instead of the other way around. This is actually very unfair to the children because they need authority figures and strong role models in their lives. I think this is why so many young adults have trouble in their first year of college or in their first job, because at home they were taught that everyone caters to them and that the world revolves around them. It's a very rude shock when they learn this isn't the case. In society we all have to obey those in authority over us, and the first place we need to learn this is in the home. Paul is going to address that very subject as soon as he finishes his instructions to the children.
Honoring our fathers and mothers is one of the ten commandments. Parents have a duty to teach their children to follow it and children have a duty to obey it. A blessing for obeying this commandment is promised by the Lord, so if parents want their children to have a long and happy life they need to teach their children to obey and respect them. If the children want to live a long and happy life they need to take heed to the commandment and the promise attached to it. "'Honor your father and mother'---which is the first commandment with a promise---'so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.'" (Ephesians 6:2-3) (Deuteronomy 5:16)
Next Paul addresses himself to the fathers of the children. This is because, as we learned yesterday, the man of the house is the one to whom God has given the responsibility of setting a spiritual example for the family. We can apply these instructions to mothers as well, since in our day mothers and fathers usually share the responsibility for instruction and discipline, and also because there are many homes where only a mother figure is present. "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4) Some translations of this verse say, "Do not provoke your children to wrath." Parents aren't to be strict and inconsiderate disciplinarians. They aren't to treat the children as if their opinions and feelings don't matter. They aren't to be so hard to please that their children feel like they never do anything right. I know people who've grown up in that type of environment and it has left a lasting impression on them. They find it difficult to think of God as a loving father. Their idea of God as a father was shaped in childhood by a father (or sometimes a mother) who treated them as if they never did anything right. They don't know how to relate to a parental figure in a healthy way and this causes them to have trouble relating to God in a healthy way.
Now we move on to the relationship between employers and employees. Because of the times he was living in, Paul refers to them as slave and master. Slavery was widespread in the Roman Empire, and in many cases it wasn't the type of slavery we once had in the United States. Rome allowed slaves to own their own property and to earn their own money when they weren't on the job. This is how they were sometimes able to buy their freedom, by saving up money they earned on their own time. So in a lot of cases the slave/master relationship was similar to the employee/employer relationship. "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ." (Ephesians 6:5) Do all of us have employers who are Christians? No, but in order to honor Christ we are to show our employers the respect due to the position of authority they hold.
We are to have integrity about our work, not just doing a good job while our boss is watching us, but doing a good job all the time. "Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether slave or free." (Ephesians 6:6-8) Our real Master is Christ. He knows whether we are honest and hardworking even when no one else is watching and He will reward us accordingly.
The employers are to treat their employees with respect and dignity. "And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him." (Ephesians 6:9) Even if our boss isn't a Christian, the principle of treating employees fairly still stands because it is right in the Lord's eyes. A boss who isn't a Christian may not be concerned with what the Lord thinks, but Paul says, "You can be sure that the Master in heaven sees how you treat those under your authority. He isn't going to give you a pass on bad behavior just because you're the boss. That means nothing to Him. He's going to judge your behavior by the same standards He judges anyone else's."
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
The Apostle Paul's Letter To The Ephesians. Day 14, How Christian Husbands And Wives Should Behave In The Home
We've been studying how Christians should relate to others when out in society. Today we study how Christians should relate to each other in the home. One thing we must keep in mind as we read this passage is that it is intended for Christian households. That doesn't mean we shouldn't follow these principles if our spouse isn't a Christian, but we have to remember that we can't force an unbelieving spouse to follow these principles. Performing our own role faithfully will not necessarily cause our unbelieving spouse to perform their role faithfully. Having said that, I think there's a better chance of leading our spouse to the Lord if we do obey the instructions we're about to read.
Paul begins by reminding us that we are all commanded to honor and respect each other, not seeking only our own wellbeing but also being concerned for the wellbeing of others. "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21) Paul will makes this same statement in his letter to the Philippians when he urges them not to just look out for their own interests but to also look out for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3) Christ said the same thing when He commanded us to love each other in the same way He has loved us. (John 13:34, John 15:12) So we see that the main objective in our relationships with others is to love them in a Christlike way.
Paul addresses himself first to the wives. "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." (Ephesians 5:22-24) You can see why it's so important that we recognize that Paul is writing this letter to believers. He's not talking to women in abusive relationships. He's not talking to men who think women are useless except in the kitchen or the bedroom. When the word "submission" comes up these are the things a lot of people think it means. The idea of godly submission has been twisted into something it was never meant to be. Many women think of it as putting themselves in a position where they are inferior and powerless. Many men think of it as an order for their wives to obey their every whim like servants. We don't see Paul telling women to submit to disrespect and abuse; in a Christian household we should never find such things. We don't see Paul advising men to treat their wives as second-class citizens; in the Christian household we should never find this attitude. What he's saying is something like this, "The Lord has given the husband the role of leadership in the home. The husband's job is to love his family and to provide for and protect his wife and children. In obedience to the Lord, respect the position your husband holds in the household. Allowing your husband to have the final word does not make you inferior to him. Christ submitted Himself to God and allowed God to have the final word, but this does not make Christ inferior to God."
Next Paul moves on to the husbands, and I want you to notice that he has far more instructions for the husbands than for the wives. This is because the Lord holds the husband more accountable than the wife for the wellbeing of the family. In putting the man in the role of leader, God gave the man the huge responsibility of setting the spiritual example for his family. The husband isn't fulfilling the requirements of his office if he only provides materially for his family. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:25-27) God is going to hold Christian husbands accountable for the spiritual conditions of their wives. I don't know about you, but I personally don't want to be accountable for someone else's spiritual condition. That is an enormous and frightening responsibility! But after Paul tells the husband to fulfill the wife's need for emotional intimacy by saying, "Love her in the way Christ loves the church, putting her needs before yours", he then says, "Study and know the word of God so you can instruct your wife in godly living. Be the person she comes to when she needs guidance. Be the first person she thinks of when she wants someone to pray with her."
Because Christ loves the church (His bride) so much He'd do anything to protect and care for her, husbands are to follow His example. "In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church---for we are members of His body." (Ephesians 5:28-30) We have a built-in instinct for self-preservation, and it's a good thing we do or else we wouldn't survive very long. Paul tells husbands to feel as protective about the needs of their wives as they feel about the needs of their own bodies. This includes every type of need the wife may have, whether it's material or physical or emotional or spiritual.
Why is caring for his wife the same as caring for his own body? Because the nature of marriage is explained by God in this way: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." (Ephesians 5:31) This quote comes from Genesis 2:24 when God explained that the husband and wife are now one unit. They are no longer two separate people, so they have to always think about what's best for them as a unit and not what is best for them as two individuals.
Christ and His bride the church are one unit now, and this is a subject too big for even the Apostle Paul to understand or explain. "This is a profound mystery---but I am talking about Christ and the church." (Ephesians 5:32) The relationship between Christ and the church, and the love Christ feels for the church, is something none of us can fully understand with our human minds. Why did the holy Son of God love us so much that He was willing to die for us? Why did He want us in His life so much that He was willing to do anything it took to win us over?
But not being able to completely comprehend the love of Christ for the church should not hinder us from using His relationship with the church as our example for marriage, so Paul concludes by saying, "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." (Ephesians 5:33) He says, "Husbands must love their wives as Christ loves the church. Wives must respect their husbands as the church respects Christ."
You can see why this only works well in a marriage where both partners are Christians. However, if a Christian woman is married to an unbeliever, and if he is not an abusive man (no one is telling a woman to submit to abuse), showing him the respect due a husband has the potential to win him over to Christ. If a Christian man is married to an unbeliever, and if he loves and cares for his wife as the Bible says he should, he may well win her over to Christ. We should not, of course, marry someone who is an unbeliever, but there are cases where after marriage one partner became a believer and the other did not, so in today's passage we find instructions for how to behave so that the unbelieving spouse can admire our obedience to the Lord. In admiring our behavior, this person may come to admire Christ and may give his or her heart to Christ.
Paul begins by reminding us that we are all commanded to honor and respect each other, not seeking only our own wellbeing but also being concerned for the wellbeing of others. "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21) Paul will makes this same statement in his letter to the Philippians when he urges them not to just look out for their own interests but to also look out for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3) Christ said the same thing when He commanded us to love each other in the same way He has loved us. (John 13:34, John 15:12) So we see that the main objective in our relationships with others is to love them in a Christlike way.
Paul addresses himself first to the wives. "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." (Ephesians 5:22-24) You can see why it's so important that we recognize that Paul is writing this letter to believers. He's not talking to women in abusive relationships. He's not talking to men who think women are useless except in the kitchen or the bedroom. When the word "submission" comes up these are the things a lot of people think it means. The idea of godly submission has been twisted into something it was never meant to be. Many women think of it as putting themselves in a position where they are inferior and powerless. Many men think of it as an order for their wives to obey their every whim like servants. We don't see Paul telling women to submit to disrespect and abuse; in a Christian household we should never find such things. We don't see Paul advising men to treat their wives as second-class citizens; in the Christian household we should never find this attitude. What he's saying is something like this, "The Lord has given the husband the role of leadership in the home. The husband's job is to love his family and to provide for and protect his wife and children. In obedience to the Lord, respect the position your husband holds in the household. Allowing your husband to have the final word does not make you inferior to him. Christ submitted Himself to God and allowed God to have the final word, but this does not make Christ inferior to God."
Next Paul moves on to the husbands, and I want you to notice that he has far more instructions for the husbands than for the wives. This is because the Lord holds the husband more accountable than the wife for the wellbeing of the family. In putting the man in the role of leader, God gave the man the huge responsibility of setting the spiritual example for his family. The husband isn't fulfilling the requirements of his office if he only provides materially for his family. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." (Ephesians 5:25-27) God is going to hold Christian husbands accountable for the spiritual conditions of their wives. I don't know about you, but I personally don't want to be accountable for someone else's spiritual condition. That is an enormous and frightening responsibility! But after Paul tells the husband to fulfill the wife's need for emotional intimacy by saying, "Love her in the way Christ loves the church, putting her needs before yours", he then says, "Study and know the word of God so you can instruct your wife in godly living. Be the person she comes to when she needs guidance. Be the first person she thinks of when she wants someone to pray with her."
Because Christ loves the church (His bride) so much He'd do anything to protect and care for her, husbands are to follow His example. "In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church---for we are members of His body." (Ephesians 5:28-30) We have a built-in instinct for self-preservation, and it's a good thing we do or else we wouldn't survive very long. Paul tells husbands to feel as protective about the needs of their wives as they feel about the needs of their own bodies. This includes every type of need the wife may have, whether it's material or physical or emotional or spiritual.
Why is caring for his wife the same as caring for his own body? Because the nature of marriage is explained by God in this way: "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." (Ephesians 5:31) This quote comes from Genesis 2:24 when God explained that the husband and wife are now one unit. They are no longer two separate people, so they have to always think about what's best for them as a unit and not what is best for them as two individuals.
Christ and His bride the church are one unit now, and this is a subject too big for even the Apostle Paul to understand or explain. "This is a profound mystery---but I am talking about Christ and the church." (Ephesians 5:32) The relationship between Christ and the church, and the love Christ feels for the church, is something none of us can fully understand with our human minds. Why did the holy Son of God love us so much that He was willing to die for us? Why did He want us in His life so much that He was willing to do anything it took to win us over?
But not being able to completely comprehend the love of Christ for the church should not hinder us from using His relationship with the church as our example for marriage, so Paul concludes by saying, "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." (Ephesians 5:33) He says, "Husbands must love their wives as Christ loves the church. Wives must respect their husbands as the church respects Christ."
You can see why this only works well in a marriage where both partners are Christians. However, if a Christian woman is married to an unbeliever, and if he is not an abusive man (no one is telling a woman to submit to abuse), showing him the respect due a husband has the potential to win him over to Christ. If a Christian man is married to an unbeliever, and if he loves and cares for his wife as the Bible says he should, he may well win her over to Christ. We should not, of course, marry someone who is an unbeliever, but there are cases where after marriage one partner became a believer and the other did not, so in today's passage we find instructions for how to behave so that the unbelieving spouse can admire our obedience to the Lord. In admiring our behavior, this person may come to admire Christ and may give his or her heart to Christ.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
The Apostle Paul's Letter To The Ephesians. Day 13, Make The Most Of Every Opportunity
Every day we are faced with opportunities to do good and with opportunities to do evil. Paul instructs us to be focused on the Lord's will for our lives and to make the most of every opportunity to guide others to Him. We live in a dark and fallen world; our job is to be the light.
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord." (Ephesians 5:8-10) In yesterday's passage Paul warned us not to have close fellowship with those who claim to be believers but whose manner of living proves they are not. He doesn't want us to get pulled back into our old ways by hanging out with the wrong crowd, so he says today, "You used to live in that kind of darkness, but that's not who you are now. You are the children of the light. You can't live in the dark anymore. Study the words of the Lord and learn what pleases Him---and do it!"
In Paul's day prisons were often in underground dungeons or in the basement areas underneath the homes of government officials. It was dark and gloomy there. A person could eventually go mad if he were kept chained in the darkness long enough. Before we knew Christ we were like prisoners chained in the dark dungeon of sin. Now that we've been set free and brought out into the light, why would we ever willingly go back? What would a pardoned prisoner do? He'd run out the prison door the minute he was set free. He'd turn his face up to the warm sun and breathe in the fresh air. He'd vow to make the most of every day of the rest of his life. Nothing on earth could entice him to willingly go back into the dark dungeon and chain himself to the wall again, but this is what we are doing when we allow ourselves to become enslaved to sin again after we have been set free. Paul isn't promising us that if we try hard enough we will never make a mistake; he's telling us not to fall back into a sinful lifestyle. He's saying, "Don't you dare go back into that dungeon! Christ shed His blood to earn your pardon. He gave everything He had so you can walk in the light of day and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air of the new life you have in Him. Use this freedom to honor the One who set you free. Use this freedom to guide others out of the dark."
"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful to even mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible---and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: 'Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'" (Ephesians 5:11-14) The light of Christ exposes the works of darkness. It shines into every corner of the human heart. Until He shined His light into our hearts we ourselves were darkness, as Paul has said, and now that we are in Christ we are called to be the light of the world. If we are like Him, then those around us are going to experience some light shining into their own hearts. They are not going to be able to help comparing their lifestyles with ours. They are going to notice the joy and peace we have now that we have been made right with our God. They are not going to be able to deny the change Christ has made in us. We can't force them to give their hearts to Christ, but we can certainly make this choice look very attractive to them.
Because we are called to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14a), we are in a position to bring others into the light, so it matters how we live. Everything we do, everything we say, and every attitude we display is being watched by those who are not yet in Christ. "Be very careful, then, how you live---not as unwise but as wise. making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16) I love the way the KJV renders this verse, for it instructs us to "redeem the time". Now that we've been saved by Christ, we aren't just marking days off the calendar until we leave this life to be with Him. We should be actively working to build His kingdom, and that work consists of leading souls out of the dungeon of sin into the light of Christ. The word translated as "redeem" is the Greek "exagorazo" which means "to buy up, to ransom, to rescue from loss". Paul is telling us, "Use your remaining days on earth in meaningful ways that will have eternal significance. Your lives are not your own. You were bought with a price: the precious blood of Christ. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) You don't belong to yourselves, but to Him. Your time doesn't belong to you, but to Him. Use your time to help others out of darkness. Use your time to rescue souls from loss. Be the light of Christ to others so they can see their way out of the dark prison of sin." This is the Lord's will for us, so Paul commands us not to live as if we don't know the Lord's will. "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." (Ephesians 5:17)
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul told his readers that one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. (Galatians 5:23) Therefore he says to the Ephesians that no one who is in Christ should indulge in things that weaken self-control. "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery." (Ephesians 5:18a) It's quite difficult to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the vine at the same time. Indulging in things that weaken our self-control will not help us to be a light to unbelievers.
"Instead be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:18b-20) Paul instructs us, "Don't sing the song of the drunkards! Be sober and sing songs of praise to the Lord!"
What is it about drinking that makes some people want to break into song? I've often said this must be the reason Karaoke parties in restaurants and bars are held after 10pm, because it takes that long for the attendees to become intoxicated enough to think they have talent. Paul wants us to think about how this type of behavior looks to those around us. Would we be offended if we walked into a restaurant and saw our pastor drunkenly singing into a microphone? Of course we would! But we sometimes fail to consider that people would be offended if they saw us engaging in the same behavior. As the old saying goes, we are the only Bible some people read. Unbelievers expect Christians to set an example for godly living. They may not be interested in being Christians themselves, but they expect to be able to examine our lives and find enough evidence to conclude that we are sincere about our faith. We are never going to be able to light their way out of darkness if they conclude we are hypocrites.
Today is a new day and opportunities are going to come our way to redeem the time we are spending here on earth. Paul's words challenge us to step up our game. We have kingdom work to do. Souls are at stake. Let's go out and be the light.
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord." (Ephesians 5:8-10) In yesterday's passage Paul warned us not to have close fellowship with those who claim to be believers but whose manner of living proves they are not. He doesn't want us to get pulled back into our old ways by hanging out with the wrong crowd, so he says today, "You used to live in that kind of darkness, but that's not who you are now. You are the children of the light. You can't live in the dark anymore. Study the words of the Lord and learn what pleases Him---and do it!"
In Paul's day prisons were often in underground dungeons or in the basement areas underneath the homes of government officials. It was dark and gloomy there. A person could eventually go mad if he were kept chained in the darkness long enough. Before we knew Christ we were like prisoners chained in the dark dungeon of sin. Now that we've been set free and brought out into the light, why would we ever willingly go back? What would a pardoned prisoner do? He'd run out the prison door the minute he was set free. He'd turn his face up to the warm sun and breathe in the fresh air. He'd vow to make the most of every day of the rest of his life. Nothing on earth could entice him to willingly go back into the dark dungeon and chain himself to the wall again, but this is what we are doing when we allow ourselves to become enslaved to sin again after we have been set free. Paul isn't promising us that if we try hard enough we will never make a mistake; he's telling us not to fall back into a sinful lifestyle. He's saying, "Don't you dare go back into that dungeon! Christ shed His blood to earn your pardon. He gave everything He had so you can walk in the light of day and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air of the new life you have in Him. Use this freedom to honor the One who set you free. Use this freedom to guide others out of the dark."
"Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful to even mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible---and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: 'Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'" (Ephesians 5:11-14) The light of Christ exposes the works of darkness. It shines into every corner of the human heart. Until He shined His light into our hearts we ourselves were darkness, as Paul has said, and now that we are in Christ we are called to be the light of the world. If we are like Him, then those around us are going to experience some light shining into their own hearts. They are not going to be able to help comparing their lifestyles with ours. They are going to notice the joy and peace we have now that we have been made right with our God. They are not going to be able to deny the change Christ has made in us. We can't force them to give their hearts to Christ, but we can certainly make this choice look very attractive to them.
Because we are called to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14a), we are in a position to bring others into the light, so it matters how we live. Everything we do, everything we say, and every attitude we display is being watched by those who are not yet in Christ. "Be very careful, then, how you live---not as unwise but as wise. making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16) I love the way the KJV renders this verse, for it instructs us to "redeem the time". Now that we've been saved by Christ, we aren't just marking days off the calendar until we leave this life to be with Him. We should be actively working to build His kingdom, and that work consists of leading souls out of the dungeon of sin into the light of Christ. The word translated as "redeem" is the Greek "exagorazo" which means "to buy up, to ransom, to rescue from loss". Paul is telling us, "Use your remaining days on earth in meaningful ways that will have eternal significance. Your lives are not your own. You were bought with a price: the precious blood of Christ. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) You don't belong to yourselves, but to Him. Your time doesn't belong to you, but to Him. Use your time to help others out of darkness. Use your time to rescue souls from loss. Be the light of Christ to others so they can see their way out of the dark prison of sin." This is the Lord's will for us, so Paul commands us not to live as if we don't know the Lord's will. "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." (Ephesians 5:17)
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul told his readers that one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. (Galatians 5:23) Therefore he says to the Ephesians that no one who is in Christ should indulge in things that weaken self-control. "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery." (Ephesians 5:18a) It's quite difficult to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the vine at the same time. Indulging in things that weaken our self-control will not help us to be a light to unbelievers.
"Instead be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:18b-20) Paul instructs us, "Don't sing the song of the drunkards! Be sober and sing songs of praise to the Lord!"
What is it about drinking that makes some people want to break into song? I've often said this must be the reason Karaoke parties in restaurants and bars are held after 10pm, because it takes that long for the attendees to become intoxicated enough to think they have talent. Paul wants us to think about how this type of behavior looks to those around us. Would we be offended if we walked into a restaurant and saw our pastor drunkenly singing into a microphone? Of course we would! But we sometimes fail to consider that people would be offended if they saw us engaging in the same behavior. As the old saying goes, we are the only Bible some people read. Unbelievers expect Christians to set an example for godly living. They may not be interested in being Christians themselves, but they expect to be able to examine our lives and find enough evidence to conclude that we are sincere about our faith. We are never going to be able to light their way out of darkness if they conclude we are hypocrites.
Today is a new day and opportunities are going to come our way to redeem the time we are spending here on earth. Paul's words challenge us to step up our game. We have kingdom work to do. Souls are at stake. Let's go out and be the light.
Monday, December 17, 2018
The Apostle Paul's Letter To The Ephesians. Day 12, Avoid Those Who Claim To Be Christians But Whose Deeds Are Disobedient
Paul spoke yesterday about the importance of purity of speech and purity of body. Today he picks up from there but moves on into reminding us that we are no longer in the dark and that we shouldn't live like people who don't know the truth. Because we know the truth, we ought to be able to recognize false teachers. He instructs us to have nothing to do with them.
"For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person---such a person is an idolater---has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." (Ephesians 5:5) Paul isn't saying we are doomed if we have ever committed these sins. If that were true then he would be doomed himself, for he told us in Romans 7:7-12 that he was once a very covetous man. Covetousness is a form of greed, and greed is a form of idolatry according to his words in verse 5. I think what he's saying here is that the person who comfortably lives an immoral, impure, and greedy life has not been made a new creature in Christ. The person who is not troubled by his sin has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ because he doesn't belong to Christ. The person who lives a life ruled by sin is not serving the Lord but idols. This person would probably never dream of bowing on his knees before a graven image, but he's bowing his knees to sexual immorality or to dishonest gain or to other things that serve the carnal flesh instead of the living God. When we don't allow God to be the Lord of our lives, we are going to put someone else (usually ourselves) in His place or we will put other things in His place. This turns us into idolaters.
"Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them." (Ephesians 5:6-7) We've seen in previous letters by Paul that teachers of false doctrine were working hard to lead the Gentile believers astray. He hasn't really had anything to say on this subject up to now in his letter to the Ephesians, but we can be certain that Satan was just as interested in corrupting the believers of Ephesus as he was in corrupting the believers of other cities. The trick to getting people to believe false doctrine is in not teaching a gospel that is vastly and obviously different than the gospel the people have already heard. A lie like that would stick out like a sore thumb. False doctrine consists of subtle changes in what God has actually said. An example of this would we what Satan asked Eve in the Garden of Eden: "Did God really say that you must not eat from any tree in the garden?"
Satan knew God had said Adam and Eve could eat from every tree in the garden but one. But his question was intended to pull Eve into conversation with him by causing her to try to correct what she thinks is a misunderstanding on the serpent's part. In pulling her into conversation with him, Satan is able to cast doubt on the goodness of God by making her wonder, "Why would God give us access to every tree but one? What is He keeping from us? Why is He holding things back from us? God must be selfish if He doesn't want us to know good and evil. He's afraid we will eat the fruit and know as much as He does and not have to depend on Him anymore."
We can see why Paul warns his readers not to "be partners" with those who are speaking the empty words of false doctrine. There's never a good reason to get into conversation with the devil, and that is what we are doing when we allow teachers of falsehood to draw us into a debate about what God has or has not said. Have you ever known anyone who asked you questions about your faith just so they could argue with you? They aren't interested in hearing your viewpoint; they are just waiting for their turn to speak so they can put forth their own viewpoint. Paul says not to waste our time with this, or as the Lord Jesus said, "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." (Matthew 7:6) Jesus reveals to us the true motives of the false teachers: their intention is to destroy us. The Apostle Peter also compared false teachers to dogs and swine in 2 Peter 2:22. Dogs and swine were unclean animals according to Jewish law and this meant that having contact with them made a person ceremonially unclean for a time. In the same way, having contact with teachers of unholiness is more likely to make us unclean than to convert the false teachers.
We often feel compelled to get into conversation with people like this because we think we are going to change them by better explaining the truth to them. But they aren't interested in listening to us anymore than Satan was interested in listening to Eve. It's not impossible for people like this to be converted, but it's probably going to take some type of major intervention of the Lord in their lives, just as it took a major intervention of the Lord in the life of Saul of Tarsus to turn him into the Apostle Paul. In the meantime, we aren't to have close fellowship with those who stir up debate about the holy word of God. Instead of us being a good influence on them they may become a bad influence on us.
Paul isn't saying not to have contact with unbelievers. We couldn't share the gospel if we never had anything to do with unbelievers. What he's saying is not to hang out with those who claim to be believers but whose behavior says otherwise. This is the same thing he said in 1 Corinthians 5:11, "You must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people." To eat with a person is to treat them as an equal and to view them as someone who has a lot in common with us. But since light has nothing in common with darkness, we who are true believers have nothing in common with those who claim to be believers but aren't. Paul knows these false teachers aren't riding into town proclaiming a different gospel; they are slipping in with an altered gospel. They are saying that since people have been saved by Christ, it's okay to live however they want. They are assuring people, "The Lord knows your mortal bodies are tempted by sin. He isn't going to discipline you for it. Go ahead and live a little! After all, did God specifically say that the particular thing you're considering doing is wrong? Did He actually say you could never have any fun? If you can't enjoy some carnal and illicit pleasures now and then, how are you going to have any fun?"
The Christian life is fun. There's nothing more exciting than realizing God knew and loved us long before we were ever born, and that He made wonderful plans for us, and that He intends to do exciting things in our lives, and that He is allowing us to take part in the building of His kingdom, and that He wants to have a personal relationship with us. It's a lie that the Christian life is a life of deprivation, but Satan has been telling this lie since the beginning and he is still convincing some of those who allow themselves to be drawn into conversation with him. There's no point in debating anyone who claims to be a believer but who is teaching false doctrine. The best thing we can do is remove ourselves from that situation and pray for the person's heart to be changed by Christ. We aren't being unloving toward them because we can still love those who claim to be Christians but who are living in error. We can and should pray for them. But engaging in debate over the holy word of God with them is at best going to prove fruitless. At worst, instead of making them more like us it's probably going to make us more like them.
"For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person---such a person is an idolater---has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." (Ephesians 5:5) Paul isn't saying we are doomed if we have ever committed these sins. If that were true then he would be doomed himself, for he told us in Romans 7:7-12 that he was once a very covetous man. Covetousness is a form of greed, and greed is a form of idolatry according to his words in verse 5. I think what he's saying here is that the person who comfortably lives an immoral, impure, and greedy life has not been made a new creature in Christ. The person who is not troubled by his sin has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ because he doesn't belong to Christ. The person who lives a life ruled by sin is not serving the Lord but idols. This person would probably never dream of bowing on his knees before a graven image, but he's bowing his knees to sexual immorality or to dishonest gain or to other things that serve the carnal flesh instead of the living God. When we don't allow God to be the Lord of our lives, we are going to put someone else (usually ourselves) in His place or we will put other things in His place. This turns us into idolaters.
"Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them." (Ephesians 5:6-7) We've seen in previous letters by Paul that teachers of false doctrine were working hard to lead the Gentile believers astray. He hasn't really had anything to say on this subject up to now in his letter to the Ephesians, but we can be certain that Satan was just as interested in corrupting the believers of Ephesus as he was in corrupting the believers of other cities. The trick to getting people to believe false doctrine is in not teaching a gospel that is vastly and obviously different than the gospel the people have already heard. A lie like that would stick out like a sore thumb. False doctrine consists of subtle changes in what God has actually said. An example of this would we what Satan asked Eve in the Garden of Eden: "Did God really say that you must not eat from any tree in the garden?"
Satan knew God had said Adam and Eve could eat from every tree in the garden but one. But his question was intended to pull Eve into conversation with him by causing her to try to correct what she thinks is a misunderstanding on the serpent's part. In pulling her into conversation with him, Satan is able to cast doubt on the goodness of God by making her wonder, "Why would God give us access to every tree but one? What is He keeping from us? Why is He holding things back from us? God must be selfish if He doesn't want us to know good and evil. He's afraid we will eat the fruit and know as much as He does and not have to depend on Him anymore."
We can see why Paul warns his readers not to "be partners" with those who are speaking the empty words of false doctrine. There's never a good reason to get into conversation with the devil, and that is what we are doing when we allow teachers of falsehood to draw us into a debate about what God has or has not said. Have you ever known anyone who asked you questions about your faith just so they could argue with you? They aren't interested in hearing your viewpoint; they are just waiting for their turn to speak so they can put forth their own viewpoint. Paul says not to waste our time with this, or as the Lord Jesus said, "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." (Matthew 7:6) Jesus reveals to us the true motives of the false teachers: their intention is to destroy us. The Apostle Peter also compared false teachers to dogs and swine in 2 Peter 2:22. Dogs and swine were unclean animals according to Jewish law and this meant that having contact with them made a person ceremonially unclean for a time. In the same way, having contact with teachers of unholiness is more likely to make us unclean than to convert the false teachers.
We often feel compelled to get into conversation with people like this because we think we are going to change them by better explaining the truth to them. But they aren't interested in listening to us anymore than Satan was interested in listening to Eve. It's not impossible for people like this to be converted, but it's probably going to take some type of major intervention of the Lord in their lives, just as it took a major intervention of the Lord in the life of Saul of Tarsus to turn him into the Apostle Paul. In the meantime, we aren't to have close fellowship with those who stir up debate about the holy word of God. Instead of us being a good influence on them they may become a bad influence on us.
Paul isn't saying not to have contact with unbelievers. We couldn't share the gospel if we never had anything to do with unbelievers. What he's saying is not to hang out with those who claim to be believers but whose behavior says otherwise. This is the same thing he said in 1 Corinthians 5:11, "You must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people." To eat with a person is to treat them as an equal and to view them as someone who has a lot in common with us. But since light has nothing in common with darkness, we who are true believers have nothing in common with those who claim to be believers but aren't. Paul knows these false teachers aren't riding into town proclaiming a different gospel; they are slipping in with an altered gospel. They are saying that since people have been saved by Christ, it's okay to live however they want. They are assuring people, "The Lord knows your mortal bodies are tempted by sin. He isn't going to discipline you for it. Go ahead and live a little! After all, did God specifically say that the particular thing you're considering doing is wrong? Did He actually say you could never have any fun? If you can't enjoy some carnal and illicit pleasures now and then, how are you going to have any fun?"
The Christian life is fun. There's nothing more exciting than realizing God knew and loved us long before we were ever born, and that He made wonderful plans for us, and that He intends to do exciting things in our lives, and that He is allowing us to take part in the building of His kingdom, and that He wants to have a personal relationship with us. It's a lie that the Christian life is a life of deprivation, but Satan has been telling this lie since the beginning and he is still convincing some of those who allow themselves to be drawn into conversation with him. There's no point in debating anyone who claims to be a believer but who is teaching false doctrine. The best thing we can do is remove ourselves from that situation and pray for the person's heart to be changed by Christ. We aren't being unloving toward them because we can still love those who claim to be Christians but who are living in error. We can and should pray for them. But engaging in debate over the holy word of God with them is at best going to prove fruitless. At worst, instead of making them more like us it's probably going to make us more like them.
Sunday, December 16, 2018
The Apostle Paul's Letter To The Ephesians. Day 11, Purity In Speech And In Body
For the past several days we've been studying the proper behavior of the Christian. Paul has told us to put off the old man and put on the new man. We have been made into new creatures on the inside, so what's on the outside should reflect our new identity in Christ. Today we tackle the subjects of the type of language the Christian should not use and the ways in which the Christian should not satisfy physical desires.
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephesians 4:29) Unwholesome talk includes things like cursing and telling dirty jokes. Paul says the test of what comes out of our mouths should be this, "Is what I'm about to day going to benefit anyone?" Or, as the Lord's brother James puts it, "Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be." (James 3:10) I'm reminded of a T-shirt I saw not long ago. It said, "I love Jesus, but I cuss a little." Paul and James tell us this shouldn't be the case. We may sincerely love Jesus, but unbelievers around us are going to doubt it if our speech sounds just like theirs. As Paul has been telling us, becoming a Christian means we have to clean up our act, and cleaning up our act means cleaning up our mouths. Do we sometimes say a bad word when we shut our finger up in a drawer? Do we sometimes repeat an off-color joke to a friend? Paul says these forms of speech fail the test, for they don't build up or benefit the listener.
Paul says that unwholesome speech is not only unseemly for the Christian but that it also grieves the Holy Spirit. "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:30-32) Before we became Christians we might have handled our conflicts with others by yelling at them, holding grudges against them, and slandering their names. But God, even though we don't deserve forgiveness, has forgiven us because of our faith in Christ. Therefore we ought to forgive others. Do they deserve it? That's not the issue, because we didn't deserve forgiveness either. Are they sorry for what they did to us? If they are living in the will of God they will be. But even if they aren't sorry, we are called to let go of bitterness and leave the situation up to God. Hanging onto unforgiveness is harmful to us, so God tells us to to forgive the person so we can go on with our lives with peace in our hearts. If any vengeance needs to be taken on our behalf, God will handle it. We don't need to concern ourselves with that, for He has said, "Vengeance is Mine. I will repay." (Deuteronomy 32:35) Since we have been forgiven by God, Paul says we are to be like God in our attitude toward those who have wronged us, "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:1-2)
As new creatures it's important to keep not just our lips pure but our bodies pure as well. "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." (Ephesians 5:3-4) Before we became Christians we may have satisfied our physical desires in immoral ways. I was twenty-two years old when I became a Christian and I'd been in the habit of dealing with physical desires by sleeping with the young men I dated. So obviously my act needed a lot of cleaning up after I came to Christ. I met the man who is now my husband three weeks after giving my heart to Christ and I had to learn how to be in a romantic relationship with a man without also being in a physical relationship with him. Was it worth it? Yes, because it taught me how to develop a mental and spiritual relationship with a man. When we got married we knew our attraction to each other was based on something that had a chance of standing the test of time. We knew we had more than just a physical connection. Has our marriage always been easy? Oh no, we've thought seriously about giving up quite a few times. And I think we would have given up long ago if our connection had been based only on something as shallow as physical attraction. That's something that changes and fades as time goes on, so you can't base a solid marriage on it.
When Paul speaks of physical immorality he again brings up the subject of unwholesome speech, and I think that's because these things can go hand in hand. We are on shaky ground when we engage in this type of speech with others. For example, maybe you are a woman and an attractive male co-worker tells you an off-color joke at work today. You laugh at it so he feels emboldened to start being flirtatious with you from time to time. This can lead to one or the other of you making a physical move. The next thing you know, you may be involved in a physical relationship with a person to whom you are not married. One or the other of you (or both) may already be married to someone else, and suddenly you find yourselves engaged in adultery. The things we say can lead us to places we never thought we'd end up, so Paul reminds us again to watch our mouths.
Paul is asking us, "Did Christ save you so you could go on living in immorality? Did He not save you so that you could be new creatures with a new purpose in life? He paid a huge price to buy you out of slavery to sin. You owe it to Him to honor Him with purity of living."
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephesians 4:29) Unwholesome talk includes things like cursing and telling dirty jokes. Paul says the test of what comes out of our mouths should be this, "Is what I'm about to day going to benefit anyone?" Or, as the Lord's brother James puts it, "Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be." (James 3:10) I'm reminded of a T-shirt I saw not long ago. It said, "I love Jesus, but I cuss a little." Paul and James tell us this shouldn't be the case. We may sincerely love Jesus, but unbelievers around us are going to doubt it if our speech sounds just like theirs. As Paul has been telling us, becoming a Christian means we have to clean up our act, and cleaning up our act means cleaning up our mouths. Do we sometimes say a bad word when we shut our finger up in a drawer? Do we sometimes repeat an off-color joke to a friend? Paul says these forms of speech fail the test, for they don't build up or benefit the listener.
Paul says that unwholesome speech is not only unseemly for the Christian but that it also grieves the Holy Spirit. "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:30-32) Before we became Christians we might have handled our conflicts with others by yelling at them, holding grudges against them, and slandering their names. But God, even though we don't deserve forgiveness, has forgiven us because of our faith in Christ. Therefore we ought to forgive others. Do they deserve it? That's not the issue, because we didn't deserve forgiveness either. Are they sorry for what they did to us? If they are living in the will of God they will be. But even if they aren't sorry, we are called to let go of bitterness and leave the situation up to God. Hanging onto unforgiveness is harmful to us, so God tells us to to forgive the person so we can go on with our lives with peace in our hearts. If any vengeance needs to be taken on our behalf, God will handle it. We don't need to concern ourselves with that, for He has said, "Vengeance is Mine. I will repay." (Deuteronomy 32:35) Since we have been forgiven by God, Paul says we are to be like God in our attitude toward those who have wronged us, "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:1-2)
As new creatures it's important to keep not just our lips pure but our bodies pure as well. "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." (Ephesians 5:3-4) Before we became Christians we may have satisfied our physical desires in immoral ways. I was twenty-two years old when I became a Christian and I'd been in the habit of dealing with physical desires by sleeping with the young men I dated. So obviously my act needed a lot of cleaning up after I came to Christ. I met the man who is now my husband three weeks after giving my heart to Christ and I had to learn how to be in a romantic relationship with a man without also being in a physical relationship with him. Was it worth it? Yes, because it taught me how to develop a mental and spiritual relationship with a man. When we got married we knew our attraction to each other was based on something that had a chance of standing the test of time. We knew we had more than just a physical connection. Has our marriage always been easy? Oh no, we've thought seriously about giving up quite a few times. And I think we would have given up long ago if our connection had been based only on something as shallow as physical attraction. That's something that changes and fades as time goes on, so you can't base a solid marriage on it.
When Paul speaks of physical immorality he again brings up the subject of unwholesome speech, and I think that's because these things can go hand in hand. We are on shaky ground when we engage in this type of speech with others. For example, maybe you are a woman and an attractive male co-worker tells you an off-color joke at work today. You laugh at it so he feels emboldened to start being flirtatious with you from time to time. This can lead to one or the other of you making a physical move. The next thing you know, you may be involved in a physical relationship with a person to whom you are not married. One or the other of you (or both) may already be married to someone else, and suddenly you find yourselves engaged in adultery. The things we say can lead us to places we never thought we'd end up, so Paul reminds us again to watch our mouths.
Paul is asking us, "Did Christ save you so you could go on living in immorality? Did He not save you so that you could be new creatures with a new purpose in life? He paid a huge price to buy you out of slavery to sin. You owe it to Him to honor Him with purity of living."
Saturday, December 15, 2018
The Apostle Paul's Letter To The Ephesians. Day 10, Dealing With Anger Without Sinning
Paul has been talking about the proper "clothing" (behavior) that the Christian ought to wear. Today he mentions several specific behaviors the Christian is to avoid, and he pays particular attention to the subject of anger.
First he begins by reminding us that we are not to deceive each other. Is there anything that makes us angrier than knowing someone is lying to us or realizing they have cheated us somehow? Is there any quicker way to make someone angry at us than having them find out we lied to them? It's easy to see why Paul starts off with commanding us to be honest in our dealings with one another. "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body." (Ephesians 4:25) When we hurt a member of the body of Christ we are hurting ourselves at the same time. Thinking we can hurt a brother or sister in Christ without hurting ourselves in the process is as illogical as saying, "It's ok if I stub my big toe really hard. My toe is just a small part of my body. It won't bother me." Our whole body feels it when we stub a toe. A message goes straight from the nerve endings in our toe to our brain and then we experience a sensation of intense pain. Knowing this, who would ever want to stub their toe on purpose? Probably no one! We try our best to protect every part of our bodies so that we won't cause ourselves pain. In this same way we should try our best to avoid causing pain to a member of the church, because that member is a part of us, and when we hurt a member of the church we are doing harm to ourselves. We are harming our reputations, our testimonies, and our relationships.
The apostle now quotes the words of David from Psalm 4:4, "'In your anger do not sin.'" (Ephesians 4:26a) Even after we become Christians, there are things that are going to make us angry. Some things ought to make us feel righteously indignant, such as injustice and abuse. We see things on the news sometimes that we wish we could unsee. This fallen world is a world in which the weak and the innocent and the naive often suffer at the hands of the unscrupulous and cruel. Such things ought to make us feel upset because they are wrong, but even in those cases we have to learn to handle our emotions in ways that aren't sinful. A way to deal constructively with these emotions is to "overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21) by doing works that relieve some of the injustices that we're aware of. Have we heard a story about animal abuse? Then maybe we can do our part to help animals by adopting or fostering, or by donating time or money to animal charities. Has an elderly widow in our neighborhood been swindled out of most of her savings? We could take her a load of groceries or pay her overdue light bill. Are there children in our church who have horrible home lives where they don't receive approval or kindness? We can show them the love of Christ by taking an interest in them and by helping them to build a healthy self-esteem. These are just a few examples of how we can channel our anger into things that are helpful instead of sinful.
But I think primarily Paul is not talking about the things that moral people naturally feel indignant about. I think he's talking about personal conflicts between church members and I think he's talking about the things that happen to us out in society that really push our buttons. He's warning us not to sin when we become angry over trespasses that are made against us. I often think of verse 26 when I'm going through one of the many four-way stops in my community. At a four-way stop each car is supposed to pull out in the order in which it arrived at the stop sign. But pretty much every day someone will sail on through in front of all the rest of us even though they arrived at the stop sign last. This is not only rude and aggravating but dangerous as well. This is one of the situations where I am most likely to be angry and to sin! Their behavior startles and scares me, plus it makes me feel trespassed upon, and I sometimes find myself wishing I could just tell that person off. (No, I don't make any rude gestures at them, but I have been known to say out loud to myself exactly what I think about people who have no consideration for the feelings or safety of others.) In fact, things that happen on the road are the things most likely to push my buttons. Rudeness of any kind has the tendency to make me feel very angry inside, and although I don't often act out, the feelings in my heart are sinful at those times.
I'm just being honest here, so while I'm at it I'll go ahead and tell you I have problems obeying the second half of verse 26 too. "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." (Ephesians 4:26b) I've heard several people in long-term marriages proclaim, "In the fifty years we've been together, we've never once gone to bed angry at each other!" I'm always tempted to ask, somewhat jokingly, "Did you stay up a lot of nights?" My husband and I have been married twenty-four years and I don't know exactly how many nights we've gone to bed angry at each other. If someone paid us a dollar for every time it's happened I would say we would at least have enough to eat a very nice dinner out. Maybe enough for two dinners! But in a lot of those cases what we were doing was calling a temporary cease fire; we were still angry but we were tired and we were going to stop arguing and go to sleep. After all, a lot of things look better in the morning. Many times by morning we were over whatever had made us angry. I think there's a difference between calling a cease fire and in tossing and turning all night while we fume with anger. (We've spent some night like that too.) But in my marriage there have been way more cease fires than nights spent tossing and turning in anger. So I believe Paul is saying, "When evening comes, lay your differences aside. Don't allow them to fester overnight. Don't lie awake in bed turning the problem over and over in your mind, thinking about all the mean things you wish you'd said, planning what angry things you intend to say in the morning. Think of it this way: When you allow a physical wound to fester it becomes worse instead of better. It can even turn into an deadly infection that affects the whole body. The same thing happens in relationships. If you allow anger to fester it will begin to infect the whole relationship. It might even kill the relationship."
Sinning in our anger does nothing to help the situation. It hurts our own character and testimony. It hurts the other person or persons involved. It displeases the Lord. And, if those things aren't enough to make us stop and think before we act out in anger, we need to take into account what Paul says next, "And do not give the devil a foothold." (Ephesians 4:27) Allowing our anger to cause us to sin actually gives Satan an advantage over us. First of all, it shows him what pushes our buttons. You can bet he will try to put those things in our path as often as possible now that he knows how they affect us. This is like opening the door just enough for him to stick his toe into our business. Second, giving way to our anger hardens our hearts against feelings of guilt over the things we do when we're angry. The first time we lash out we might feel quite bad afterwards. The second time we may not feel as bad. The third time we are even less bothered by it. Eventually we are going to feel justified about any behavior we produce when we're angry. This opens the door even further and allows Satan to get his whole foot inside. Third, when we start giving in to one particular sin we become more likely to give in to other sins. The Holy Spirit will still be shouting out warnings to us, but our consciences will have become dull of hearing. It's at that point we are in serious danger, because we can open up the door so wide to sin that Satan gets a stronghold in our lives. He will be all the way inside the door where he can more effectively persuade us to go down a dark road with him to places we never imagined ourselves going. We can end up putting ourselves in circumstances where we lose the respect of our fellow Christians, where our testimony of faith means nothing to anyone around us, and where relationships we hold dear have been badly damaged or even severed forever.
Anger seems like a little thing at first. Giving in to it now and then seems fairly harmless to us. But it's a thing that festers and grows. It's a thing that can lead to other forms of sin. Today's passage is one I know I really need to take to heart, and maybe some of you do too. Let's shut the door firmly on Satan by getting control over our anger issues with the help of the Lord. The Lord wouldn't tell us not to sin while we're angry if He wasn't willing to help us to gain control over anger. He's not going to command us to do something without giving us the power to obey Him.
First he begins by reminding us that we are not to deceive each other. Is there anything that makes us angrier than knowing someone is lying to us or realizing they have cheated us somehow? Is there any quicker way to make someone angry at us than having them find out we lied to them? It's easy to see why Paul starts off with commanding us to be honest in our dealings with one another. "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body." (Ephesians 4:25) When we hurt a member of the body of Christ we are hurting ourselves at the same time. Thinking we can hurt a brother or sister in Christ without hurting ourselves in the process is as illogical as saying, "It's ok if I stub my big toe really hard. My toe is just a small part of my body. It won't bother me." Our whole body feels it when we stub a toe. A message goes straight from the nerve endings in our toe to our brain and then we experience a sensation of intense pain. Knowing this, who would ever want to stub their toe on purpose? Probably no one! We try our best to protect every part of our bodies so that we won't cause ourselves pain. In this same way we should try our best to avoid causing pain to a member of the church, because that member is a part of us, and when we hurt a member of the church we are doing harm to ourselves. We are harming our reputations, our testimonies, and our relationships.
The apostle now quotes the words of David from Psalm 4:4, "'In your anger do not sin.'" (Ephesians 4:26a) Even after we become Christians, there are things that are going to make us angry. Some things ought to make us feel righteously indignant, such as injustice and abuse. We see things on the news sometimes that we wish we could unsee. This fallen world is a world in which the weak and the innocent and the naive often suffer at the hands of the unscrupulous and cruel. Such things ought to make us feel upset because they are wrong, but even in those cases we have to learn to handle our emotions in ways that aren't sinful. A way to deal constructively with these emotions is to "overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21) by doing works that relieve some of the injustices that we're aware of. Have we heard a story about animal abuse? Then maybe we can do our part to help animals by adopting or fostering, or by donating time or money to animal charities. Has an elderly widow in our neighborhood been swindled out of most of her savings? We could take her a load of groceries or pay her overdue light bill. Are there children in our church who have horrible home lives where they don't receive approval or kindness? We can show them the love of Christ by taking an interest in them and by helping them to build a healthy self-esteem. These are just a few examples of how we can channel our anger into things that are helpful instead of sinful.
But I think primarily Paul is not talking about the things that moral people naturally feel indignant about. I think he's talking about personal conflicts between church members and I think he's talking about the things that happen to us out in society that really push our buttons. He's warning us not to sin when we become angry over trespasses that are made against us. I often think of verse 26 when I'm going through one of the many four-way stops in my community. At a four-way stop each car is supposed to pull out in the order in which it arrived at the stop sign. But pretty much every day someone will sail on through in front of all the rest of us even though they arrived at the stop sign last. This is not only rude and aggravating but dangerous as well. This is one of the situations where I am most likely to be angry and to sin! Their behavior startles and scares me, plus it makes me feel trespassed upon, and I sometimes find myself wishing I could just tell that person off. (No, I don't make any rude gestures at them, but I have been known to say out loud to myself exactly what I think about people who have no consideration for the feelings or safety of others.) In fact, things that happen on the road are the things most likely to push my buttons. Rudeness of any kind has the tendency to make me feel very angry inside, and although I don't often act out, the feelings in my heart are sinful at those times.
I'm just being honest here, so while I'm at it I'll go ahead and tell you I have problems obeying the second half of verse 26 too. "Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." (Ephesians 4:26b) I've heard several people in long-term marriages proclaim, "In the fifty years we've been together, we've never once gone to bed angry at each other!" I'm always tempted to ask, somewhat jokingly, "Did you stay up a lot of nights?" My husband and I have been married twenty-four years and I don't know exactly how many nights we've gone to bed angry at each other. If someone paid us a dollar for every time it's happened I would say we would at least have enough to eat a very nice dinner out. Maybe enough for two dinners! But in a lot of those cases what we were doing was calling a temporary cease fire; we were still angry but we were tired and we were going to stop arguing and go to sleep. After all, a lot of things look better in the morning. Many times by morning we were over whatever had made us angry. I think there's a difference between calling a cease fire and in tossing and turning all night while we fume with anger. (We've spent some night like that too.) But in my marriage there have been way more cease fires than nights spent tossing and turning in anger. So I believe Paul is saying, "When evening comes, lay your differences aside. Don't allow them to fester overnight. Don't lie awake in bed turning the problem over and over in your mind, thinking about all the mean things you wish you'd said, planning what angry things you intend to say in the morning. Think of it this way: When you allow a physical wound to fester it becomes worse instead of better. It can even turn into an deadly infection that affects the whole body. The same thing happens in relationships. If you allow anger to fester it will begin to infect the whole relationship. It might even kill the relationship."
Sinning in our anger does nothing to help the situation. It hurts our own character and testimony. It hurts the other person or persons involved. It displeases the Lord. And, if those things aren't enough to make us stop and think before we act out in anger, we need to take into account what Paul says next, "And do not give the devil a foothold." (Ephesians 4:27) Allowing our anger to cause us to sin actually gives Satan an advantage over us. First of all, it shows him what pushes our buttons. You can bet he will try to put those things in our path as often as possible now that he knows how they affect us. This is like opening the door just enough for him to stick his toe into our business. Second, giving way to our anger hardens our hearts against feelings of guilt over the things we do when we're angry. The first time we lash out we might feel quite bad afterwards. The second time we may not feel as bad. The third time we are even less bothered by it. Eventually we are going to feel justified about any behavior we produce when we're angry. This opens the door even further and allows Satan to get his whole foot inside. Third, when we start giving in to one particular sin we become more likely to give in to other sins. The Holy Spirit will still be shouting out warnings to us, but our consciences will have become dull of hearing. It's at that point we are in serious danger, because we can open up the door so wide to sin that Satan gets a stronghold in our lives. He will be all the way inside the door where he can more effectively persuade us to go down a dark road with him to places we never imagined ourselves going. We can end up putting ourselves in circumstances where we lose the respect of our fellow Christians, where our testimony of faith means nothing to anyone around us, and where relationships we hold dear have been badly damaged or even severed forever.
Anger seems like a little thing at first. Giving in to it now and then seems fairly harmless to us. But it's a thing that festers and grows. It's a thing that can lead to other forms of sin. Today's passage is one I know I really need to take to heart, and maybe some of you do too. Let's shut the door firmly on Satan by getting control over our anger issues with the help of the Lord. The Lord wouldn't tell us not to sin while we're angry if He wasn't willing to help us to gain control over anger. He's not going to command us to do something without giving us the power to obey Him.
Friday, December 14, 2018
The Apostle Paul's Letter To The Ephesians. Day 9, Put Off Your Old Self
The apostle tells us that now that we are in Christ we must put off (in the sense of taking off an old garment) our old selves. He gives us instructions about how to live as the new creatures we are.
"So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed." (Ephesians 4:17-19) Paul tells his Gentile readers not to live as the Gentiles do. This is because, now that they belong to Christ, they are new creatures simply known as "Christians." Their identity is not as Gentiles anymore but as Christians. It doesn't matter what anyone's background was before they came to Christ, for, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)
We are to live with the knowledge that the most important part of our identity is that we are Christians. Our Christianity is more important than our genealogy or race or sex. We are to live as Christians should live; we are not to cling to our former sins or to whatever form of morality (or immorality) our culture teaches. Paul knows the Gentile believers live in an immoral society and that they may find it difficult to ignore or avoid the temptations their culture throws at them, so he reminds them who they really are in Christ. If they keep this in the forefront of their minds, they will be far less likely to fall back into their old ways.
"That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus." (Ephesians 4:20-21) Here in Ephesians 4 we find Paul saying something like, "When you heard the gospel and learned about the teachings of Christ, you realized that His truth was not in line with the 'truth' you formerly lived by. You used to serve idols, if you served any gods at all. Some of you had rejected even the false gods of the pagans and refused to submit to any authority. In times past you renounced the moral code of a holy God and chose to live according to your own desires. You likely did some of this in ignorance, since this was the culture you were born into, but you can claim ignorance no longer. You know the character of Christ. You know you must live in a way that brings honor to the name of the One who saved you by His own blood."
When the Gentiles came to Christ they needed instruction in Christian living. Their culture allowed all sorts of immorality and wickedness, such as adultery and fornication, witchcraft and other occult practices, greed and deceit in business practices, perversion of justice in exchange for bribery, and so on and so on. They had never been taught to love their neighbors as themselves but instead they lived by the code of the carnal man which says, "It's every man for himself." When people do not serve a holy God, holy living does not come naturally. The Gentiles served gods of their own making, gods who were much like humans, gods who possessed the same faults as humans like anger and jealousy and greed. But now they serve the living God, the one and only God, and He says, "Be holy because I am holy." (Leviticus 11:44-45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:7)
In giving instruction in Christian living, Paul taught the Ephesians to put off the old self and put on the new self. "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-23) In the original Greek Paul is telling us to change clothes, to throw aside the old dirty set of clothes and to put on the new clean set of clothes. Would it be appropriate for Christians to accept Christ but still keep behaving in the same old ways? No, because we are not who we used to be. If a king rode by in his chariot and saw us lying drunk and homeless and hopeless in the gutter, and if he invited us home with him to be part of his family, would we still keep wearing our filthy stinky clothes in his household? Or would we put on the clothing appropriate for children of the king? This is what Paul is saying to the Ephesians and to all believers everywhere, "It doesn't matter who you used to be. That's not who you are now. So put off the behaviors of the old man and put on the behaviors of the new man. You've been made new in your hearts, now be made new in your minds by learning about Christ and growing in your relationship with Him. Don't keep wearing the nasty stained clothes of the past. That's not who you are now! Put on the royal robes of the sons and daughters of the King."
"So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed." (Ephesians 4:17-19) Paul tells his Gentile readers not to live as the Gentiles do. This is because, now that they belong to Christ, they are new creatures simply known as "Christians." Their identity is not as Gentiles anymore but as Christians. It doesn't matter what anyone's background was before they came to Christ, for, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)
We are to live with the knowledge that the most important part of our identity is that we are Christians. Our Christianity is more important than our genealogy or race or sex. We are to live as Christians should live; we are not to cling to our former sins or to whatever form of morality (or immorality) our culture teaches. Paul knows the Gentile believers live in an immoral society and that they may find it difficult to ignore or avoid the temptations their culture throws at them, so he reminds them who they really are in Christ. If they keep this in the forefront of their minds, they will be far less likely to fall back into their old ways.
"That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus." (Ephesians 4:20-21) Here in Ephesians 4 we find Paul saying something like, "When you heard the gospel and learned about the teachings of Christ, you realized that His truth was not in line with the 'truth' you formerly lived by. You used to serve idols, if you served any gods at all. Some of you had rejected even the false gods of the pagans and refused to submit to any authority. In times past you renounced the moral code of a holy God and chose to live according to your own desires. You likely did some of this in ignorance, since this was the culture you were born into, but you can claim ignorance no longer. You know the character of Christ. You know you must live in a way that brings honor to the name of the One who saved you by His own blood."
When the Gentiles came to Christ they needed instruction in Christian living. Their culture allowed all sorts of immorality and wickedness, such as adultery and fornication, witchcraft and other occult practices, greed and deceit in business practices, perversion of justice in exchange for bribery, and so on and so on. They had never been taught to love their neighbors as themselves but instead they lived by the code of the carnal man which says, "It's every man for himself." When people do not serve a holy God, holy living does not come naturally. The Gentiles served gods of their own making, gods who were much like humans, gods who possessed the same faults as humans like anger and jealousy and greed. But now they serve the living God, the one and only God, and He says, "Be holy because I am holy." (Leviticus 11:44-45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:7)
In giving instruction in Christian living, Paul taught the Ephesians to put off the old self and put on the new self. "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-23) In the original Greek Paul is telling us to change clothes, to throw aside the old dirty set of clothes and to put on the new clean set of clothes. Would it be appropriate for Christians to accept Christ but still keep behaving in the same old ways? No, because we are not who we used to be. If a king rode by in his chariot and saw us lying drunk and homeless and hopeless in the gutter, and if he invited us home with him to be part of his family, would we still keep wearing our filthy stinky clothes in his household? Or would we put on the clothing appropriate for children of the king? This is what Paul is saying to the Ephesians and to all believers everywhere, "It doesn't matter who you used to be. That's not who you are now. So put off the behaviors of the old man and put on the behaviors of the new man. You've been made new in your hearts, now be made new in your minds by learning about Christ and growing in your relationship with Him. Don't keep wearing the nasty stained clothes of the past. That's not who you are now! Put on the royal robes of the sons and daughters of the King."
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