Christ's Instructions

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177) Eph 5:2 . . Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself
up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

There were times when Jesus came down on folks pretty hard, but basically
he was a benevolent guy: very helpful, very patient, and very
accommodating.

The kind of love spoken of in that passage is very easy to exemplify. It's
translated from the Greek word agape (ag-ah'-pay) which can be either
affection or benevolence; but more often it's just benevolence. (e.g. John
3:16 & Matt 5:45)

Benevolence is typically helpful rather than harmful; and consists of common
courtesy, kindness, generosity, charity, sympathy, pity, civility, deference,
lenience, tolerance, gentleness, etc; which were no doubt all effective in
compelling Christ to lend his life to rescue his fellow man from the terrible
event depicted by Rev 20:11-15.
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178) Eph 5:3a . . Among you; there must not be even a hint of sexual
immorality

"among you" indicates Paul's concern for a particular congregation, i.e. a
local church. Anyone familiar with the Jews' history in the Old Testament has
seen just how harmful immorality was for God's people.

* One of Chinese Communism's tactics when going about destabilizing a
country and bringing it under their influence is to corrupt its morals; which is
at least one of the reasons why they seek to undermine and/or eradicate
religions and ideologies that encourage piety.
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179) Eph 5:3b . . Among you; there must not be any kind of impurity, or of
greed

Impurities can be defined as contamination and/or pollutants. For example
water is impure when it contains fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides,
parasites, heavy metals like lead and cadmium, untreated sewage, and/or
radioactive fall-out from a nuclear accident.

It's tempting to zoom in on naughty fantasies and porn-like behavior as the
impurities that Paul is talking about; but any conduct unbecoming is an
impurity.

So then, maybe you're an usher in church; but are you dishonest? And
maybe you sing in the choir, but are you a malicious gossip? And maybe you
attend mid-week prayer meetings; but do you deny your children even
common courtesy and their fundamental human rights? And maybe you
teach Sunday school, but do you go over the speed limit, feed parking
meters, J-walk, and drift through stop signs? And maybe you even stand in
the pulpit; but do you have a drinking problem?

Webster's defines "greed" as avarice; which is an excessive, or insatiable,
desire for wealth or gain. Wanting money per se isn't sin. It's wanting
money simply for the sake of accumulating it that's bad.

Ben Franklin once said a penny saved, is a penny earned; but to greedy
people a penny saved is a penny stockpiled. Were you to ask a greedy
person to name the dollar figure and/or the amount of real estate that would
satisfy them, they would likely respond: "more"
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180) Eph 5:4 . . Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking,
which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

"out of place" is a pretty good way to put it; sort of like a fish out of water,
viz: heavenly people are mature up there, and really ought to be down here.

The Greek word translated "foolish talk" basically means silliness, viz:
buffoonery.

Webster's defines a buffoon as: 1) a ludicrous figure; viz: a clown, and 2) a
gross, and usually ill-educated stupid person; viz: an ignoramus. I think I
would put "gross" high on the list of undesirable buffoon-type behaviors. It's
okay for kids to be gross, but thoroughly unbecoming for a mature adult.

The word for "coarse joking" basically means witticism in a vulgar sense;
viz: ribaldry. Double entendres would probably fall into that category along
with suggestive remarks.

The word for "thanksgiving" basically means gratitude; viz: grateful,
appreciative language.

You know "thank you" is not a dirty word, nor is gratitude a bad habit.
Christ's people should never take the attitude that just because somebody is
doing their job that they don't deserve recognition.

One of my favorite romantic comedies is "No Reservations" starring
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart. Prior to filming, Catherine took a
job waiting tables to get a feel for working in a restaurant.

On several occasions, patrons didn't even look up at her nor speak in a
cordial, courteous tone when they ordered. It struck her as remarkable that
some of the people whom she was serving totally took her for granted and
displayed not the slightest inclination to even so much as acknowledge her
as a fellow human being, let alone express any gratitude for her care in taking
care of them.
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181) Eph 5:5-7 . . For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or
greedy person-- such a man is an idolater --has any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with futile words, for
because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
Therefore do not be numbered among them.

Immoral is translated from a Greek word related to prostitution, i.e.
naughty.

Impure is from a word related to filth, i.e. dirty habits.

Greedy is from a word related to avarice, i.e. grasping; never content with
enough.

It appears then, that idolatry isn't limited to the respects one might pay to a
tin god like Ganesha, Persephone, and/or Minerva but includes an all-out
ambition for life's guilty pleasures.

Seeing as it's an absolute certainty that those three impious behaviors are
all Hell-worthy; then we must concede they are thoroughly unbecoming for a
people so closely associated with God as are Jesus' followers.

● Col 3:1-4 . . Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts
on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your
minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is
now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then
you also will appear with him in glory.
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182) Eph 5:8-9 . . For you were once darkness, but now you are light in The
Lord. Live as children of light (for its fruit is in all goodness, righteousness
and truth)

Goodness is from a Greek word pertaining to benevolence, i.e. kindness.

Righteousness is from a word pertaining to fairness, i.e. lacking bias,
disparity, and or favoritism.

Truth is from a word pertaining to verity, i.e. fact; actual.

When a Christian is exemplifying and/or practicing those three elements of
light, something miraculous is taking place that's best described by the verse
below:

● Rom 8:11 . . If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in
you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your
mortal bodies through His spirit, who lives if you.

That verse isn't talking about the resurrected bodies that Jesus' followers are
on track to receive in the future. Those bodies won't be mortal; they will be
immortal. So then, the verse is speaking of improvements that take place for
us now, prior to our passing on.

According to Rom 7:5-25 the bodies we have now literally drive us to sin.
However, the Spirit of Him who raised up Jesus is well able to overcome
those drives; thus freeing his followers from permanent slavery to their
impulses. (cf. Jer 31:31-34 & Ezek 36:24-27)
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183) Eph 5:10 . . Find out what pleases The Lord.

This is speaking of the process of discovery, i.e. research and investigation;
which involves learning by means of books, sermons, lectures, seminars,
radio Bible teachers, Sunday school classes, and personal Bible reading.

"Seek The Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the
wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to The
Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely
pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My
ways-- declares The Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isa
55:6-9)

This work has to include the Old Testament in total to avoid the possibility of
missing important principles because that which pleases The Lord isn't
limited to commandments carved in stone.

● Rom 15:4 . . For whatever things were written before were written for our
learning

● 1Cor 10:11 . . Now all these things happened to them as examples, and
they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have
come.
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184) Eph 5:11-12 . . Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of
darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of what
the disobedient do in secret.

For example: Genesis is mute about the despicable things that the
Sodomites had in mind for the two men sheltered in Lot's home. It's as if
inspiration drew a curtain over Sodom and said: This is just too shocking.
I'm not going to spell out what the people of Sodom wanted that night. You
will just have to use your imagination.

Jude didn't give away much either. He simply, and concisely, wrote that they
were utterly unchaste, and longed for inappropriate relations; even to the
point of having their way with innocent visitors. (Jude 1:7)

I think it's fair to ask just exactly how one might "expose" shameful deeds
without at least identifying them and/or describing them to some degree.

The Greek word for "shameful" basically pertains to indecorum; defined by
Webster's as: impropriety. In other words, despicable acts should never be
described explicitly in polite company, nor in the presence of children; which
quite obviously precludes the use of a pulpit for explicit descriptions since
congregations are an aggregate of men, women, wives, husbands, dads,
moms, and underage children.

I don't think The Lord's instructions forbid any and all mention of despicable
acts. In other words, they don't say that we cannot speak in polite company
about how that the Bible disapproves gays, lesbians, bestiality and
pedophiles, etc. just so long as we don't start describing those disturbing
facts of life in all their lurid detail.
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185) Eph 5:14 . .Wake up, O sleeper! . . rise from the dead, and Christ will
shine on you.

That exhortation seems sort of like preaching to the choir especially when
it's considered that the letter to the Ephesians was written to Christian folk
for whom Paul said all that glowing stuff in the very first chapter.

Sleeper and dead are probably talking about indifference. So Paul's remark
likely targets Christians who honestly think that compliance with their Lord's
commands is not all that important.

● Rom 8:12-13 . . Brothers, we have an obligation-- not to the sinful nature,
to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will
die." ( cf. John 15;1-11)

Christianity is not only a faith to believe in, but it's also a faith to live by

● Jas 2:17 . . Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Dead faith is still a faith, but it's not a vigorous faith, viz: dead faith lacks a
lifestyle that's compatible with divine values. (cf. 1Thess 5:5-11)
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186) Eph 5:15 . . So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who
are wise.

"Wise" of course meaning to live your life in such a way that it counts for
Christ instead of only counting for yourself and/or counting for the world. For
example: if you get pulled into the worlds of corporate management,
political activism, and/or civil disobedience; I can just about guarantee that
your life is not counting for Christ because those are really big distractions
and sometimes its players have to break the law, compromise their integrity,
and/or play dirty to be effective.

The "fools" then can justly be described as people who live with little regard
for scruples; defined by Webster's as an ethical consideration or principle
that inhibits action. For example, the pioneer of a currently very popular
social network stole the idea. That particular theft of intellectual property
broke no laws, but it was unethical, ergo: it was the work of a fool rather
than wise
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187) Eph 5:17 . .Therefore do not be uninformed, but understand what The
Lord's will is.

In other words: Christians are not supposed to fly by dead reckoning, rather,
fly by instruments: viz: fly intelligently; and that entails ground school
before going up in the air at the controls of an actual airplane.

Certain kinds of "play books" are essential to one's success. For example war
lords can profit from studying The Art Of War by Sun Tzu, politicians can
profit from studying The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, and socialists can
profit from studying Utopia by Thomas Moore.

Moses instructed his people that there is no need to go on a special "golden
fleece" quest to discover what The Lord's will is; either out in space nor
across the ocean in a foreign land. No, The Lord's will is easily accessible
between the covers of even the cheapest second-hand Bible on the shelves
of a thrift store.

However; no Bible-- no matter how cheap, nor how expensive, nor what
version-- is of any real use if it's not studied. But even systematic Bible
study is quite thwarted when the information isn't heeded.

● Jas 1:22-25 . . Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive
yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do
what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking
at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the
man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and
continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he will
be blessed in what he does.
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188) Eph 5:18 . . Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

( It isn't forbidden to drink; only to get intoxicated, a.k.a. hammered. )

Webster's defines "debauchery" as extreme indulgence in bodily pleasures.
Alcohol, then, can be a gateway vice leading to some much worse, e.g.
controlled substances and immorality.

Some people can limit themselves to one drink. But for many, that one
quickly becomes six.

I've heard of studies indicating that some people have a genetic weakness
for alcohol, viz: a natural-born predilection. Nevertheless, drunkenness is sin
and Christians are under orders to subdue it.

● Col 3:5 . . So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.

Why do people get plastered anyway? Isn't it to make themselves feel good
and better able to cope with life's difficulties? Alcohol therefore could be said
to be an antidote to one's existence.

So in that respect, alcohol is a crutch. I'm not saying a crutch is a bad thing;
I mean, after all, God created Eve as a crutch for Adam so then if all
crutches are bad, then women are bad too. No, crutches per se are not bad;
it's one's choice of crutch that matters.

God's Spirit is a crutch for believers; but His effectiveness is moderated by
their conduct.

● Rom 8:13 . . If you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if
by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,

In other words; Christ's followers should not expect to be filled with the
Spirit when their conduct is unbecoming.
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189) Eph 5:19 . . Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs: singing and making melody with your heart to The Lord

That verse is actually pretty good justification for a church choir; but I really
think it should also be used to justify hymn books in the pews too so the
congregation can all sing together. And make very sure the topics of your
music are a credit to The Lord rather than celestial celebrities; e.g. saints,
angels, and/or Jesus' mom.
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190) Eph 5:20 . . Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Moses' people were so accustomed to God's providence that they began to
take it for granted, and would get upset with Him when He failed to produce.
Be on your guard; don't let that happen.

"We should not test the Lord, as some of them did-- and were killed by
snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did-- and were killed by the
destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were
written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has
come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!
(1 Cor 10:9-12)

"in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" indicates that any and all providence
that comes our way is due to Christ's work on the cross. It was his sacrifice
for the sins of the world that makes it possible for God to come alongside
and bless rather than curse. We don't ever want to forget that.
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191) Eph 5:21 . . Submit to one another out of respect for Christ.

The Greek word translated "respect" basically means fright; which is
intended that way quite a few times throughout the New Testament. But I
really don't think this verse is saying Jesus' followers should be afraid of him
like folks will be gripped with terror during the Tribulation; e.g. Rev 6:15-17.

No; here in Ephesians respect is likely speaking of a social grace whereby
we're careful to avoid disappointing folks who mean a great deal to us like
spouses, grandchildren, and BFF.

The Greek word translated "submit" means to subordinate (as a verb) which
is just the opposite of equality, dominance, and/or control. A workable
synonym for the kind of submission we're talking about here is "deference"
which Webster's defines as: affected, or ingratiating, regard for others'
wishes; viz: honor.

So then; this isn't about a pecking order. What we're talking about here is
consideration; defined by Webster's as thoughtful of the rights, and the
feelings, of others.

The thing is: it means a lot to Christ when we regard people as worthy of
more honor than ourselves not because we have to, but because doing so
makes his day. (cf. John 14:23)
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192) Eph 5:22 . .Wives, submit to your husbands as to The Lord.

In other words; it's not the husband himself who merits his wife's best
behavior, rather, it's his position in the home. For example:

"To the woman he said: Your husband . . he will rule over you." (Gen 3:16)

Adam was ranked superior to Eve not because of his gender, rather, because
he was the senior of the two, i.e. Adam was born first; thus all men,
including Christ, are entitled to seniority relative to women simply by virtue
of the fact that they are Adam's paternal descendants.

So then:

"Demonstrate your fear of God by standing up in the presence of elderly
people and showing respect for the aged. I am The Lord." (Lev 19:32)

Rising to one's feet for the elders among us carries over to revering God
because He too is an elder among us. God likely doesn't look His age--
except maybe in a figure of speech, e.g. Dan 7:9 --but we really should keep
in mind that He's among us as not only a better, but also a senior. So we
would do well to step aside for God, carry His bags, and/or hold a door open
for Him not only because he's a deity and a monarch, but mainly because He's
older.

The Greek word for "submit" is the very same for submit in Eph 5:21 which
shouldn't be taken to mean wives are supposed to take orders from their
husbands as if marriage were an arrangement similar to a monarch and a
commoner. What we're talking about here is deference rather than obedience.

Deference is agreeable, approachable, tactful, and diplomatic. Deference
isn't confrontational, demanding, assertive, militant, dominating, nor always
clamoring: I am woman! Hear me roar!

In a nutshell: deference is just the opposite of defiance. Christian wives
striving for equality with their men have not yet learned what it means to
associate with a husband as they would Christ.
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193) Eph 5:23-24 . . 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. Now as the church
submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in
everything.

Christians, no less, have tried to circumvent those instructions by quoting
Paul to refute Paul; for example Gal 3:26-28

But if we were to make Gal 3:26-28 a rule in family affairs; then Christian
marriages would be non binary unisex arrangements; and that, to say the
least, is quite unacceptable.

Though both husband and wife are equals as believers, and equally Christ's
body, they are definitely not equals in marriage though they be one flesh;
just as Christ and his Father are not equals in the Godhead though they be
one deity.
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194) Eph 5:25-27 . . Husbands love your wives, etc.

The English word translated "love" in that passage is conjugated from the
Greek verb agapao which is a very easy kind of love to practice because it's
more about benevolence than affection: agapao-- unlike phileo --doesn't
require that we like people or be fond of them.

Examples of agapao are: kindness, courtesy, greetings, civility, loyalty,
thoughtfulness, sympathy, loyalty, lenience, tolerance, patience, charity,
long-suffering, deference, hospitality, generosity, etc.

This is very fortunate because some wives are impossible to like. However,
the command to love one's enemies also applies in a man's relationship with
a difficult woman who's just as much his enemy as any other.
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195) Eph 5:28-33a . . Husbands ought to love their wives as their own
bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his
own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- for
we are members of his body.

. . . For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to
his wife, and the two will become one flesh. That's a profound mystery-- but
I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also
must love his wife as he loves himself,

That, of course, is a practical application of the so-called golden rule; which
first shows up in the Bible at Lev 19:18, is applied at Lev 19:34, and
reiterated at Matt 7:12 and Luke 6:31.

The opposite of the golden rule would be for a husband to do unto his wife
the very things that he does not enjoy being done to himself; either by word
or by deed.

I'm not a qualified marriage counselor, but in my unprofessional opinion,
were couples to practice the golden rule in their association with each other,
it would go a long ways towards preventing their relationship from becoming
a cold war instead of a home.

There are toxic wives out there who do not deserve their husband's
affections; and in fact have done all in their power to destroy them.
Nevertheless, it is his Christian duty to continue looking after her, and to
treat her well as if his very life depended upon it in spite of the fact that she
may be someone he deeply regrets courting.
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196) Eph 5:33b . . The wife must respect her husband.

The Greek verb for "respect" essentially refers to fright; and is used just that
way in numerous places throughout the New Testament.

Some translate it "reverence" defined by Webster's as honor or respect; felt
or shown; which means that wives don't especially have to like their
husbands in order to respect them, nor even have to admire them. An
attitude of respect will do in lieu of felt respect. In other words: the Christian
wife would do well to stifle the disgust she feels for husband and make an
effort to be civil. (Matt 5:43-48, Luke 6:31-33)

I overheard a female caller on radio imperiously announcing to Dr. Laura
that she couldn't respect her husband. So Dr. Laura asked her why. The
caller responded: Because he doesn't deserve it. So Laura asked the caller:
Have you earned your husband's love? The caller retorted: I don't have to
deserve his love. It's a husband's duty to love his wife just as she is.

So Laura pointed out that the caller was practicing a double standard. She
demanded that her husband love her unconditionally, while refusing to
respect him unconditionally. And on top of that; had the chutzpah to dictate
the rules of engagement regardless of how her husband might feel about it;
thus making herself not only impossible to like, but also quite difficult to live
with.
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