“They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.” –Epheisians 4:18 Those who walk as the Gentiles do, suffer from a darkened or…
Tag: Culture
Early American History
Christianity has not followed Paul’s leadership and instructions to not “walk as the Gentiles do” (Eph. 4:17) as well as it should have. Many Greek, Gentile, and worldly ideas and practices have been adopted by various versions of Christianity over…
Triumphalism
Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. —Ephesians 4:17 The perspective, known as postmillennialism or triumphalism, has fallen on hard times for…
Edify The World
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, –Ephesians 4:11-12 The work of the ministry is the building up…
Dominion
(from In Christ–the Church at Ephesus, forthcoming.) God is in the process of bringing heaven here, not abandoning this world to Satan. God’s intention is to destroy Satan and his works, but not the world. God’s intention is the destruction…
Wiles
(From In Christ–the Church at Ephesus, forthcoming.) The purpose of wearing the armor of God is to “stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). Schemes (μεθοδεία) is translated wiles in the Authorized Version. It is a compound word…
Sex
(from In Christ–The Church in Ephesus, forthcoming.) And speaking of pheromones, Paul continues to address sexual issues. “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (Ephesians 4:3). Paul’s…
Passion
(from In Christ–the Church at Ephesus, forthcoming.) Paul continued his discussion of the Gentiles, whom we are not to emulate, by saying that “they have become callous” (Ephesians 4:19). The Authorized Version reads, “who being past feeling.” The Greek word…
Peace
(from In Christ—The Church At Ephesus, forthcoming.) And we are to do all of this “in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3), without the ravages of war and strife, without theological conflict and opposition, and with a spirit of harmony…
Forbearance
(from In Christ—The Church At Ephesus, forthcoming.) We are to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience” (Ephesians 4:1-2). The Authorized Version translated μακροθυμία as longsuffering.…