They that swear by the sin of Samaria and say, ‘Thy god o Dan liveth.’ … even they shall fall and never rise up again. (Amos 8:14 ) As the nation of Israel hurtled towards their final days, one of their last prophets, Amos, would deliver a fiery message in yet another attempt to turn... Continue Reading →
Ephesians 5:17 – Be Wise
Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. In the closing of the commentary on verse 16, we touched on the reason for redeeming the time. The most important things are often not what immediately grabs our attention. Instead, we find ourselves maxed out with important things... Continue Reading →
Ephesians 5:15 – Walking Perfectly
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise": Following the imperative of verse 14, Paul now commands the reader to 'see then'. To "see "can also be translated as 'to look at, to discern'. It's a verb that points to the individual taking action. You see. You look. You discern. The... Continue Reading →
Ephesians 5:14 – Christ the Light
"Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. " Having made the point that it is light that reveals, the writer now goes into detail as to the nature of the revealing light. From where Paul is quoting is not readily apparent as there is no... Continue Reading →
Ephesians 5:13 – The Light
"But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. " What do we do with works of darkness? We bring in the light! All things that are reproved are those works of darkness, those things not acceptable to the Lord. They do not hold up under... Continue Reading →
Ephesians 5:12
"For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. " In the previous verses, Paul has told us what to do when those things we have tested turn out to be works of darkness. He builds on that idea now. "Those things which are done of them... Continue Reading →
Ephesians 5:11
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.Ephesians 5:11 Having instructed the reader to prove what is acceptable to God, now the apostle directs the reader on what to do when those things tested do not hold up. What happens when the coin is not made of the metal... Continue Reading →
Ephesians 5:10 – The Judgmental Christian
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.Ephesians 5:10 It's no coincidence that after declaring the nature of the fruit of the Spirit, Paul now directs the reader to prove what is acceptable. The word for 'proving' can also be translated as 'testing'. In the Greek word, it is closely linked to the idea of metals,... Continue Reading →
Ephesians 5:9 – the Fruit of the Spirit
(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)Ephesians 5:9 Previously, we have seen that God gives light to his children. This light comes in the form of knowledge, an internal light. This light - this knowledge - requires us to transform from the inside out. Knowledge should lead to... Continue Reading →
Ephesians 5:8 – Children of Light
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: For you were sometimes. Sometimes is probably better read as 'previously', thus, For you were previously darkness. In case you should think highly of yourself, don't forget where you were in the past: darkness. There was a... Continue Reading →
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