A Study in Ephesians (continuing)
Chapter 5
1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly
loved children 2 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.
3 But among you there must not be even a
hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because
these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be
obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather
thanksgiving. 5 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. 6 Let no one deceive you
with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are
disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you
are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the
fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and
find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the
fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is
shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But
everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is
illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not
as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity,
because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but
understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on
wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking
to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make
music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to
God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Instructions for Christian Households
21 Submit to one another out of reverence
for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own
husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 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. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives
should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ
loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her
holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the
word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church,
without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In
this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who
loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated
their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the
church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For
this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife
and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but
I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one
of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect
her husband.
My Friends,
It is obvious that the world and many who call themselves
Christian have absolutely no clue what this life entails, the first seven
verses alone make this painfully obvious. Our Lord knows that we will sin, the
Father in heaven understands this and it is through the Son that we can have
forgiveness for the sin that we commit but does this mean that we can
completely ignore instruction and the nature of design? Never recognizing our
sin while we continue to worship God
through Jesus the Christ as if nothing is wrong? No, should I repeat this
word? NO and again NO!
‘These people draw near to Me
with their mouth, and honor Me with their
lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship
Me, teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men.
Many of today’s so called Christian church members no longer
care for the words of Jesus Christ.
The first twenty verses of this chapter tell us how we are
to live, if we claim Jesus Christ then we are obligated to walk as Jesus
Christ, obeying His commandments and letting the world see Him through us, we
are to be living examples of Christ on earth. What is the job of the church? Is
it not to unite all true Christians to one another? Is it not also to re-unite
all of mankind to our Creator? How do we do our job if we do not walk in the
footsteps of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ? We are no longer to walk in
darkness but in light. Yet far too many choose to be each his/her own shining
light, agreeing with the society of darkness while fooling ourselves by
worshiping the Lord.
The next verses; 21 - 33 cause much contention in the church
and in the world, why is it that we in the church refuse to submit to each
other out of reverence for Christ? Is this not what we are told, today’s woman
seems to despise the verses; 22 Wives, submit yourselves to
your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 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. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also
wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Yet these women attend
worship and claim Jesus Christ. This is pride and ego, the sins of Satan and
yet the other side of the problem is the men.
Many of today’s men are no longer men; I have heard this time
and time again from women in the church when they marry a man outside of the
church, they say that they did so because they are looking for am man, one who
can do things and who has a strong character. This my friends is lacking in the
church today. What does this chapter tell us regarding the husband? Are the men
not commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the church? A holy love,
Jesus gave his life for his bride; the church, in this manner men are to love
their wives.
Many men attempt to carry this instruction out as if they are
some sort of dictator, they attempt to make this a master/slave relationship,
this is not loving your wife. The man needs to be strong in the Lord, his life
needs to be a life that reflects Jesus Christ and his actions need to be of
nurturing and caring, ready to give his life for his wife, all decisions that
he makes should be based on sound reasoning and consulting the Lord for
guidance. This does not mean the opposite of the master/slave relationship
either, every whim of his wife does not need to be met because in practice
there may be no end to the whims. Decisions should be made as partners, where
did our Creator create the woman from, a bone in the foot so that she is kept
under, no, from the side of the man, a partner working together, by separating
the two God not only removed a rib but He split the personality as well, the
man and the woman contain all aspects of personality but some are greater in
the one than in the other and it is for this reason that the two become one, a
marriage or the uniting of man and woman is the bringing together of the
separated parts so that they work together as one.
This is the design, there are times when one must have a
final decision and as commanded by our Creator from the time of sin, the man
shall be the one and the woman must yield. But for this to be so, a man must be
a man and a woman must be a woman as we are created to be and each must conform
to the likeness of Jesus Christ, each living his/her role in the scheme of
creation. There is no other way.
May you be blessed with the understanding of the creation of
man and woman, may you be blessed with all desire to fulfill each your role in
Jesus the Christ realizing that there can be no other way that we can live if
we are to call ourselves Christian.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
In Christ,
Monk Michael
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