Ephesians 1:15-23

Ephesians 1:15-23

What we pray about tells us a great deal about our faith. When the priority of our prayer life is getting stuff, health, wealth, and happy circumstances, our faith is very likely shallow. What we see Paul praying for and on behalf of the Ephesians was something very different. His prayer begins that they would have a spirit, not specifically the Holy Spirit, but their own spirit or attitude of “wisdom and revelation.” Wisdom means the ability to apply the truth to life’s circumstances. Revelation means to understand the truth. The man who cannot understand the scripture is no better off than the man who has no scripture. The man who doesn't apply what he knows is no better off than an ignoramus.

Paul prays that they will have the eyes of their heart enlightened or opened. It is sadly too frequent that as believers we are oblivious to what is available to us. Paul wants believers to see with their hearts. “Heart” for the ancients was not the emotion but the desire or the will. What Paul wants is for disciples to have a clear vision of the right desires based on three key points.

The first is the “hope of His (Christ’s) calling.” Hope is a preferred vision of the future. We all have hope. It is that future in which our deep heart desires are fulfilled. God has for us a very specific preferred vision of our future. That hope must displace our self-made hope; there isn't room for two hopes in our heart. Never forget God's hope for us is always better.

Second, and related to that, we see “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” So what is this rich inheritance in us? It is that ‘something’ we all lost in Eden and has been restored in Jesus and will be ours again. It has already begun in us and will be fulfilled in the new heaven and new earth.

Finally, Paul also wants us to comprehend “the power towards us who believe.” An eternity with God would not be very joyful for a person who does not want to be with Him or who does not love Him. But the power of becoming a person who would want to be with God is already at work in us. This gives us the power to cope with the challenges we face. It gives us the power to see not from a momentary perspective but from the holy perspective. It is the power that works out in daily living, the eternal life that has already begun in us. By the hope of His calling, by the riches of His glory, and by His power towards us, we are living from the throne room of Heaven even while here on earth.

“Lord, give me the wisdom to apply the understanding of the truth. AMEN”

Ephesians 1:1-14

Ephesians 1:1-14

Paul's letter to the Ephesians is a dynamo of truth and application. If Romans is Paul's systematic theology, then we might call Ephesians his explosive theology. While less orderly, it explodes from Paul's love for the gospel and the audience. Sometimes digressing, sometimes leaping forward, but always exalting the gospel. In fact, Ephesians 1:3-14 is actually one excited sentence that poured off of Paul's pen. In English we have broken it up, but for Paul it was one breathless race toward the conclusion in verse 14: “to the praise of His glory.” It would be a great thing to study in detail every verse and every word of the sentence and book, but for our purposes we will look at two words that can shape us as disciples.

In verse 4 Paul says that we should be “holy and blameless” before God. God’s intention for us from before the beginning of time is that we would be holy and blameless. We must avoid two mistakes as we consider being holy and blameless. The first is to say, “I am forgiven; that makes me perfect, so check that box off.” While that is true, it misses the point Paul is making. The second mistake we might make is to say, “I can't do that, so why even try?” Both of these stem from a misunderstanding of the words holy and blameless. The word holy means different or separate. The temple was holy because it had a different purpose. The Sabbath was holy because it was set apart and different from other days. God is holy because He is completely different from all else. We are to be holy, which is different from other people because we are set apart for God. To be a holy person does not mean that God wants us out of our community to be a monk in the desert. Rather, we are different in our world, a difference that should be obvious.

The second word in this couplet, “blameless,” is not well understood. We think of the word meaning having never done anything wrong. That kind of person would certainly be blameless, but that is not what we are looking at here. The word literally means “no blemish” and was the requirement for a sacrificial animal. A blemish is that which spoils the reputation or causes the blame. Blameless is descriptive of a pattern of life. It is one thing to say something sharp once but different to have a consistently sharp tongue with everyone. Blameless or unblemished describes the person who is not hiding a pattern of consistent sin. The point here is being the real deal. The absence, complete absence, of sin in our lives is the goal; “holy and blameless” is descriptive of the journey we walk by grace to get to being the real deal.

“Lord, help me to be holy and blameless.  AMEN”

Galatians 6:10-18

 Galatians 6:10-18

The cross makes all the difference in the world. The Judaizers were deeply hypocritical in that they pretended to be the purest about keeping the Law of Moses. But Paul charges that all they were really after was a tally sheet of people that they had circumcised. This circumcision campaign would put them in good standing with their overlords among the Jews. It would also keep them from having to pay the high price of persecution for being a follower of Christ. It was, all in all, nothing more than a self- or man-centered religious scheme. 

In contrast, Paul points to the cross. The cross sets apart the disciple from the world and the world from the disciple. Being crucified to the world, the disciple dies to all the advantages that the world has to offer. In a general sense the disciple dies to the carnal and sinful pleasures of the world, but there is more to it than that. For the Judizers, there are two advantages to their system: it would offer protection from persecution because of its association with the law, and it gave the arrogant pride of self-satisfaction to works of religion. 

Paul would rather place his confidence in the work of Christ on the Cross rather than the work of men expressed on his privates. Is it worth noting here that Paul is equating “the world” to circumcision, even though circumcision was part of the Old Testament covenant? He does this because there are only two religious systems in the whole universe: the cross, where God is at work, and the world, where man is at work. Keeping the Mosaic Law is no more capable of saving a man than the dark rituals of pagan sacrifices. There is the Cross and there is everything else.

It is wise to take the measure of two things: what is sad and what is done. We can hear the arguments of both the Judaizers and Paul, but what has each done? The “marks” of the Judaizers will be circumcision. This is the very mark of turning away from confidence in Christ because of suffering and attempting to please man. The marks on Paul’s body were clear for all to see: the scars from stonings and whippings received in the presence of the Galatians. If the Judaizers were going to argue against Paul, Paul would allow his scars to argue against them. The word Paul uses, “brand mark” (NASV), is the root of our word stigma. This was a technical word and was a reference to the ancient pagan practice of devotees of Dionysus being branded with a leaf and vine as evidence of their commitment to their god. The disciple needs no brand or tattoo as a mark of his or her faith. The brands they bear are the scars of life and service; these are the marks of a disciple.

“Lord, mark my life as a life of holiness and service. AMEN”

Galatians 6:1-10

Galatians 6:1-10

We are tempted to look at Galatians 6 as a bit of practical advice Paul throws in as he concludes this little book. While he is offering practical advice for daily living, it is more than that. The behavior described is the logical application of the first five chapters of Galatians. We might sum up all this practical advice with the words of Paul in verse two, “the law of Christ.” While the Judaizers claimed that by keeping the law of Moses a person earned their salvation. In truth we know we have been saved not by earning, but we are living under a law that directs us toward holy living. We see in these 10 verses three practical expressions of this different law.

First, this law of Christ is proactive. While the law of Moses was restrictive, consisting mostly of do not do this or that. The law of Christ is proactive. We see repeatedly that as disciples of Christ we are to go out of our way to aid others. Second, we also see in the law of Christ that we are individually responsible. Which seems to conflict with the aforementioned principle. We are told to think clearly about ourselves, to examine the work we do, and to carry our own burden. Paul is not being inconsistent; rather, he is teaching healthy and appropriate roles in life. We must understand what is our responsibility and what is not and not take responsibility for what is not our stuff, even while helping others with their burdens. The third principle is that our faith, the law of Christ, works from the inside out, not the outside in. The desire to live holy, to be faithful, to do what the Lord wants begins from the inside and works its way to every aspect of our lives. It is less of a problem when our outward actions do not yet live up to the desires for holiness than when our outward actions are merely a façade to cover up internal corruption.

In verse 10 Paul gives us insight that we have often ignored in the church. In recent times the church has often expended much of its time, effort, and resources on good social causes that are so broad and general that they are not effective. Paul indicates the primary recipient of the churches’ “benevolence” ought to be the community of faith. All the efforts of the church to “virtue signal” by being engaged in vague and various causes don’t advance the gospel, nor do they aid the believers, nor do they solve the addressed problem. Stupidity that is well-intentioned is still stupid and is not to be confused with Christian graciousness.

“Lord, help me to live out the Law of Christ. AMEN”

Galatians 5:13-26

 Galatians 5:13-26

One of the challenges we all face is how can we be good without rules to tell us what is good and evil? Legalists of every age have used this challenge to argue for strict adherence to the code of conduct they propose. Two points must be made. First, neither Paul nor the Christian faith will ever argue that behavior is unimportant. In fact, Christian behavior ought to be of the highest quality and holiness. But there is no sense in which salvation can be achieved by the merit of good works. Second, Paul will show that the power to overcome evil comes from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes not through the law but by the grace of Christ. No law, neither Mosaic nor any current form of rule-keeping, can compare to the Holy Spirit’s power to overcome sin.

No one can doubt the power of our carnal and sinful nature. It is like an irresistible itch that, when scratched, becomes more intense, grows larger, and spreads. Every person that has tried has found that against sin ‘willpower’ is helpless. All the rules and laws and proclamations of how evil something is will not reduce its attraction one bit. Often we will engage in sin, pamper it, and make arrangements for it without actually planning or thinking about it. All the while knowing it is evil because the rules tell us so. Never doubt that our flesh will triumph over law in one way or another. The works of the flesh will show up in various forms. Even as one form of evil is defeated, another will surface.

But when we are filled with the Spirit, the terms of the struggle change. We will still have to make an effort to cooperate with God’s Spirit, and He will produce in us the fruit of the Spirit. It is incredibly important to see that it is the Spirit producing the fruit and not us. There is no merit of our own. He is the one making it happen. And while the law is ineffective at changing hearts or behaviors, no law opposes or could oppose the fruit of the Spirit. All the promises of the Judaizers for a better faith proved hollow, capable of neither right standing with God nor producing genuinely better behavior. The faith we have in Christ is neither a license to sin nor lower morals; rather, it is the power to be and to do right by the Spirit.

“Lord, produce in me the fruit of the Spirit. AMEN”

Galatians 5:1-12

Galatians 5:1-12

Paul begins to summarize his arguments in this passage showing that without Christ we are without hope. Verse 1 would be better attached to the last verse of chapter 4. Galatians 5:1 has often been taken out of context and used as a political proof text, for political sermons, about political freedom. This is not at all a political or national freedom of which Paul speaks. In Christ we are free but in keeping the law a person is a slave to the law. So what does it mean to return to the law?

First the redemptive work of Christ is set-aside in an attempt to be saved by the law. Second it means that accepting one part of the law a person must also keep the entire law. If there is anything less than perfect obedience to every part and aspect of the Law then the law does not save, it only condemns. Third, those who have decided to return to the law as their hope of salvation have severed themselves from Christ. The word severed here means to make it inert or powerless. If we want to be justified by keeping the law we have taken ourselves out of the realm where Christ has any impact or influence. What a terrible state to have fallen from grace.

Paul also put circumcision in its place. For those who trust in Christ, the reality of circumcision or non-circumcision is of no effect. This distress about circumcision didn’t come from Christ. Nor did it come from Paul. If Paul still taught circumcision, he would not be persecuted by the Jews and would have protection from Roman pressure as well. No, this business didn’t come from Christ or Paul. Ultimately this attempt to crossbreed Christianity and Judaism would fail. In verse 12 Paul makes a strong and somewhat humorous point, suggesting the Judaizers should castrate themselves. Since they seem to be so interested in surgery on men’s private parts, they ought to take it to the next level. In doing so they would keep themselves from reproducing literally as well as metaphorically. There were numerous cults that practiced castration of their priests. Perhaps to Judaizers, with all the talk about circumcision, they should prove their commitment is just as strong. Paul here shows us that sometimes we can teach by making fun of dumb ideas.

“Lord, forbid that I would attempt to justify myself by good works. AMEN”

Galatians 4.31

 Galatians 4.31

What Paul wrote in this passage was possibly the most stinging rebuke he could have possibly directed toward the Judaizers. It was also a statement of prophecy that at the moment may have seemed impossible. Paul uses an allegory, the only time this word is used in the New Testament, to make several comparisons between the Law and faith in Christ. The Judaizers would, no doubt, have claimed to be sons of Abraham. Paul points out that Abraham had sons by two women, actually several, but these two have special standing. In ancient times it was not uncommon for a slave girl to have a child by the master of the house, which would be considered the son of her mistress. This child would have a different standing than simply a child of a slave. The child would be the quasi-legal child of the master’s wife while being biologically the son of a slave. That was the condition for Ishmael. 

While no list can be fully descriptive in this case, a list of contrasts will be helpful. Abraham has two sons:

• One was by a slave girl. One was by a free woman.

• One was the result of non-spectacular natural circumstances. One was the result of supernatural intervention.

• One is a symbol of the law, Mt. Sinai, and earthly Jerusalem. One is the symbol of the Faith, Mt. Zion, and Heavenly Jerusalem.

• One meant slavery. One meant freedom. 

• One woman was naturally fertile and spiritually barren. One was naturally barren and spiritually fertile.

• One was not a blessing and would provide limited offspring. One was a blessing to all people with innumerable offspring. 

• One son was a persecutor. One son was persecuted.

• One was ultimately expelled. One received the inheritance. 

The Galatians were confronted with a dramatic choice. They can choose Ishmael, who was a dark and disgraced figure, as their ancestor spiritually, and their mother a slave. Or they can choose Abraham, who served as a type for God, and as their mother, a free woman, the church. We do not need to offer more than a passing glance at the church as our mother and the bride of Christ. As the Judizers read this passage, they were no doubt furious because it was insulting, true, and irrefutable. We must never imagine that any rule-keeping can ever compare with the delight of being a child of grace. 

“Thank You Lord for my spiritual heritage. AMEN”