Ephesians | Session 26 | 5:26-27

In our study today from Ephesians 5:26-27 we address the issue of who is speaking, the difference between interpretation and application, and that these verses are not talking about water baptism or that the church is the Bride of Christ.

 

Verse 26: That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, According to the previous verses, the he here is a reference to Christ. This brings a bit of a different interpretation to everything that he has said since verse 22. As we will see in verse 32, the entire context is Christ's relationship to his church with marriage as an example.

The point is that Christ was willing to lay down his life so that the church could be sanctified and cleansed. Of course, application can certainly be made regarding the husbands responsibility toward his wife also. It is his spiritual duty as the leader of his home to see to the spiritual well being of his bride.

How this to be done? - with the washing of water by the word. In order words, it must be done as we are saturated with the Word of God. There is no other way.

I want to make two points regarding the latter part of this verse: with the washing of water by the word. 1. It has nothing to do with water baptism. 2. These verses cannot be used to make a doctrine for the Body of Christ being also the Bride of Christ. The words Bride of Christ are nowhere to be found in the Bible. The Bible makes it perfectly clear that the New Jerusalem which will be inhabited by Israel is the bride.

God’s Marriage to Israel

Let's take a closer look since I know that many are shocked by this bit of information.

a. God made a covenant and a promise to Israel (Genesis 22:16-18, Exodus 19:5-6; 16:8, 15, 32, 60).

b. God married himself to Israel with the covenants (Jeremiah 2:2-5, 31:31-32). 

c. Israel was unfaithful to the covenant and God divorced (Jeremiah 3:8-14, 20-22).

d. A promise of restoration after the divorce (Hosea 1:9; 2:2, 5-8; 2:11-12, 18-23). 

e. No rest until Jerusalem is established over all the earth (Isaiah 62:4-5). 

f. God is faithful to keep his covenant with Israel (Isaiah 54:4-8, 12-14).

g. The re-marriage is complete in the kingdom come: the bride is the city (Revelation 21:2; 9-21).

h. Jesus came preaching the coming kingdom: be ready, prepare (Matthew 9:15; 25:1-10).

Without Blemish

Verse 27: That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. As Christ desires to present a church without blemish to the Father, so to the man should seek the same for his wife.

Trust me, a man loving his wife in this way will not have a problem with her submitting to his leadership. I have found that when I wife begins to pull away from her husband's leadership, it is because she is doubting his love for her.

 

Ephesians | Session 25 | 5:22-25

In our study today from Ephesians 5:22-25 we take a look at that controversial concept of submission, what it really means, why it is needed, and how God made us to fulfill different roles.

Verses 22-24: Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.  Now he begins to show what true submission looks like practically. This submission, as with any other, is to be done as unto the Lord. I find it interesting that so many decry the plight of the woman in the West in yet they live and walk in the most free societies in history. This is because Christianity has made them equals and not property. 

Women's Liberation has gone too far in my opinion in that they are now destroying themselves. God's plan for men and women are simply different and the more we pull away from that plan, the worse it will become for all of us. 

Obviously, Paul would not have mentioned this if he had not deemed it to be an issue. Actually, it started in the Garden of Eden with Eve when she decided that God and Adam were not acting in her best interest. 

Interestingly, men are never told exclusively in Scripture to submit, but to love. Why? - I can only assume that men have problems loving and women have problems submitting. In actuality, it only works when both play their parts. Of course, that notion is not popular today and the divorce rates, broken families, and single motherhood bare this out. God has established natural order whether we like it or not, and there are consequences when it is not followed (1 Corinthians 11:3-9; Colossians 3:18; Titus 2:5). Any culture that rejects this will be to their own peril whether they believe it or not. 

Verse 25: Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  Now Paul turns his attention to husbands where he tells them to love their wives just as Christ does the church by giving himself for it. In like manner, the husband should be willing to lay his life down for his wife.

Ephesians | Session 24 | 5:14-21

In our study today from Ephesians 5:14-21 we see Paul encouraging believers to wake up, walk carefully, and realize that the time is short and the days are evil.

Awake and Arise 

Verse 14: Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.  Who said it? - Apparently, the Lord did from the context. This must be something that Paul received by revelation because nothing is said in the Old Testament that I can find. It seems to be an encouragement to the one who is spiritually asleep. 

Verse 15: See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,  He then gives an encouragement for them to walk carefully in wisdom and not foolishness. The idea is to take special pains to guard against sins he mentioned above. 

Verse 16: Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Literally to rescue our time and not waste it. Why? - Because the days are evil and their are too many temptations around us everyday to do the opposite. In other words, we are to make the most of the time that we have and not squander it. 

Verse 17: Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.  Wherefore means "on account of this." In other words, he is still adding on form the previous verses about time and evil, i.e., wise up and see what the Lord is doing around us and not become distracted. 

Verse 18: And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;  Drunkeness should be avoided, but instead we should be filled with the Holy Spirit. To be drunk goes against verse 15 regarding walking circumspectly and not as fools. Drumkeness is also addressed in Galatians 5:21; Proverbs 20:1; Proverbs 23:29-33. 

Verses 19-21: Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. These verses list the things that should be the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. They include: 1. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. The point is that being filled with the Spirit results in a desire to worship God. 2. Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. The resulting worship will come from the heart. 3. Giving thanks always. It will result in an attitude of thanks. It has been said that God has not stopped being gracious, we have just stopped being thankful. 

Lastly, Paul says something that is very controversial in our society today that balks at the idea of submission. 4. Submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of God. The word submit means to accept or yield to a superior force or authority. It is really what I call deference. Deference refers to a certain amount of respect or esteem that we give to others. Our culture is quite honestly not very good at it today and I believe it is one of the reasons our society is failing. He will continue to build on this principal in chapter 6. 

Notice that he concludes the verse with all of these things need to be done  in the fear of the Lord. One commentator puts it this way, "a believer's continual reverence for God is the basis for his submission to other believers." Proverbs 9:10 says that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

Ephesians | Session 23 | 5:5-13

In Ephesians 5:5-13 Paul continues to address how followers of Christ should walk, the vices and sins that they should stay away from, and how to respond to those who are not doing so.

No Inheritance 

Verse 5: For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.  Paul seems to be making a reference to verse 3. He is not questioning their salvation, but their behavior.

The verse gets a little confusing at nor covetous man, who is an idolater for me. Barnes says of this, "the covetous man bestows on money the affections due to God" and uses Colossians 3:15 where Paul said almost the same thing, Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. The point is that the worship of material wealth is just as idolatrous as the worship of a piece of wood or block of stone. And of course, idolaters have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. The reasoning is that you either worship God or the god of this world. Jesus said that no man can serve two masters in Matthew 6:24. 

Be Not Partakers 

Verse 6-7: Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.  This verse seems to be targeted at someone specifically that was spreading this stuff. Paul has dealt with the issue before in  when he said to the Romans Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them (Romans 16:17). He wrote to Titus A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself (Titus 3:10). And finally to the Thessalonians And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15). We in the Body of Christ need to stay away from confront, rebuke, and stay away from these people. 

Sometimes in Darkness 

Verses 8-9: For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)  He now reminds them that at one time they, Gentiles, were in darkness, but no longer as they have now come to the light and need to walk as such. Notice that verse 9 is parenthetical. He seems to be referring to the fruits of the Spirit that he is going to list in Galatians 5:22-23. 

What is Acceptable 

Verse 10: Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.  When we walk in the light we are proving or showing what is acceptable which are the things that are good, righteous, and true. The verse is similar to Romans 12:2 when he wrote And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Verse 11: And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.  Albert Barnes said, "Instead of fellowshipping with the darkness, we need to reprove it." This verse does not mean necessarily verbally, but with our lives and influence. That only happens as we are walking in the light. Our lives should be a standing rebuke to the sinful world around us. Paul wrote of this to the Corinthians Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). 

Done in Secret 

Verse 12: For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.  It is a shame to even talk about the things that are done in the dark. I have heard far too many testimonies that did just this. The miracle is not what He saved us from, but that he even saved us at all. 

Verse 13: But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. The things that are reproved are the works of darkness mentioned in verses 8-12. The light is whatever is used to manifest it.

Ephesians | Session 22 | 4:31-5:4

Our study today is taken from Ephesians 4:31-5:4 where Paul continues to speak of practical matters for the believer regarding how not to grieve the Holy Spirit in our relationships with others and ourselves.

Put it Away From You 

Verse 31: Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: This verse presents a bit of challenge because of the last three words, with all malace. Is he saying that the ones before it should not be done with malice or simply listing malice as another vice? Malice by definition is to do something with ill-will or with the intent to hurt the other party. Well, how can any of the afore be done without malice? (Clamour speaks of brawling). Or is it saying that the last vice of evil speaking (slander) should not be done with ill intent? Can you speak evil or slander someone without ill-intent? I don't think so. 

Even as God Hath Forgiven You 

Verse 32: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Instead, Paul says that it is better to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, and forgiving just as Christ has forgiven us. Which leads right into the next chapter.

Chapter 5 

As Dear Children 

Verse 1: Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; Paul continues to be practical. The word followers means imitators. In other words, we are to be imitators of God as dear children. Just as a child would imitate their earthly fathers, so they should imitate their heavenly Father. 

Walk in Love 

Verse 2: And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.  Notice that the believer is to walk in the love that Christ had for us. Christ is to be our standard (2 Corinthians 10:12). 

The rest of the verse demonstrates how much Christ loved us in that he and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God. We are to walk in that same love. That is a tall order for sure. 

As Becometh Saints 

Verse 3: But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;  Now he lists sins that should not be named among believers. Fornication includes all sexual sins. Other translations translate it as immorality. Uncleanness speaks of impurity. Covetousness means holding or desiring more or greed. These things should not be named among them as becometh saints. Becometh can be translated as fitting or proper. Believers should not be involved in these things, period, full stop. 

Giving of Thanks 

Verse 4: Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.  Filthiness is obscene and speaks of the portrayal of sexual matters. Foolish talking  is just silly talk or buffoonery. Jesting is turning words in a negative sense or twisting in a vulgar sense. We would call it today innuendo which is very prevalent. Not convenient simply means appropriate. In other words, we should not be doing the afore mentioned things because they are inappropriate for one who professes to believe in Christ. Instead, of doing those things, we should be giving thanks. Barnes says of this, "Instead of filthiness, foolish talk, and jesting, we should be using that time in the service of God.