Doctrine and Practice in Ephesians

[charity]

I’m sorry to hear that but understand.

While Ephesians is my favorite NT book, I’m not sure how to contribute to this thread. Any advice?

Hi @Wrangler,

I am glad that Ephesians is your favourite NT book, for it is mine too.

Don't worry about contributing to this thread. I thought it would be helpful to match up practice with doctrine, in order to portray how the doctrinal truths are intended to work out in our daily lives. However, I do understand that it does not of itself promote discussion.

Everyone has responded so kindly to me, including yourself, and I do appreciate it. My chin was well and truly on the ground as I began this thread, and this was my attempt to lift myself out of that 'slough of despond' (Pilgrim's progress).

Thank you
Within the love of Christ our Saviour
Chris

 

[charity]

Enjoyed your Thread's commentary..

Discipleship is the literal "working out of our salvation in awe and wonder".

IN other words......WE learn to exist within what we have been given.
We've been given the "gift of Salvation"..
So, to work that out, is to learn how to exist within it .......within how it works....and that is true discipleship.

Many falsely think that true discipleship, is simply "present your body a living sacrifice'. or "be holy as i am holy"...
But that is not the case, as you can try to do that, 100 percent of your life.... and not even be born again.
You can be a follower of Christ all your life, and are not really a disciple, as a true disciple is born again, and you don't work for that position.
You RECEIVE IT as a GIFT.

Many are trying to work to keep it...to keep their Salvation.......instead of working to understand how to exist in it perfectly., which is "how you work out your salvation".
So, those people sin and confess and can't stop, and worry about "losing it".

Our Salvation was completed by Jesus, 2000 yrs ago.
It exists as the "blood atonement", and "justification by faith"...>"the Gift of Righteousness".

Salvation, is simply 1.) JESUS. 2.) the Kingdom of God that we are now a part of... and this Kingdom is not the world system, and its not how we think about it, according to our minds......that brings us into the mind of Christ so that we always exist as walking in the Spirit.

This Kingdom of God... is God's Light, and this is why the NT says we are "translated FROM darkness ....TO LIGHT".
The KOG's rules are not what we've ever known... So, we have to learn the steps, the boundaries, the power, the deliverance, that is the SPIRITUAL WAY that exists as how the KOG functions.

Learning how to do this, is the process of CHRIST-ian discipelship... And learning exactly how, is to be "perfected", or as Paul said...>"as many as be PERFECT".
Paul said....>"ive finished my course".......and a COURSE is what you take in SCHOOL.
See, a lot of lame pulpits and newbie teachers would teach that Paul's "course" was only his Life issues, his struggles, but that is only a part of it.
See....There is exactly one COURSE in the KOG, and you learn that within the process of perfecting your discipleship.. = "working out your salvation".
This is the School of God's Spirit. You take that course and master it to become "the fullness of the STATURE of Christ".
See that? That is supposed to happen to all the born again on the EARTH...

Hello @Behold,

Your words came to my mind this morning in the wee small hours of the new day. For I had the words of the prayer of Ephesians 3:14-21 in my mind,

(14) For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
(15) Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
(16) That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,

to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;​

(17) That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;

that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,​

(18) May be able to comprehend with all saints

what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; ...
​

* When I first read the words of verse 18, many moons ago, I was fascinated by the dimensions,'' breadth, and 'length', and 'depth', and 'height', and thought that in order to appreciate these dimensions you really need to be inside the space within it. My mind took me to an unborn child in the womb, who stretches and moves around within the confines of it's space, being nourished and oxygenated by it's Mother, warm and secure: and thought that this is what it is like for us 'in Christ Jesus'. That we are placed 'in Him', by God the Father, and are growing in Him (in spirit), and taking on His likeness, getting to know Him, proving and testing the parameters of our life in Him, and realising that these boundaries are infinite and have no end. Though our bodies die and go back to the dust, and our spirit (or the breath of life) goes back to God Who gave it, our 'life' is hid with Christ in God still, and when He Who is our life appears in glory, we will appear with Him there.

* What you have said falls within this for me.

(19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,

that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.​

(20) Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,

according to the power that worketh in us,​

(21) Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages,

world without end. Amen.
​

* I hope this does not seem too fanciful to you, but it was a blessing to me at the time, and still is.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Behold]

Hello @Behold,

Your words came to my mind this morning in the wee small hours of the new day. For I had the words of the prayer of Ephesians 3:14-21 in my mind,

(14) For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
(15) Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
(16) That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,

to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;​

(17) That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;

that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,​

(18) May be able to comprehend with all saints

what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; ...
​

* When I first read the words of verse 18, many moons ago, I was fascinated by the dimensions,'' breadth, and 'length', and 'depth', and 'height', and thought that in order to appreciate these dimensions you really need to be inside the space within it. My mind took me to an unborn child in the womb, who stretches and moves around within the confines of it's space, being nourished and oxygenated by it's Mother, warm and secure: and thought that this is what it is like for us 'in Christ Jesus'. That we are placed 'in Him', but God the Father, and are growing in Him (in spirit), and taking on His likeness, getting to know Him, proving and testing the parameters of our life in Him, and realising that these boundaries are infinite and have no end. Though our bodies die and go back to the dust, and our spirit (or the breath of life) goes back to God Who gave it, our 'life' is hid with Christ in God still, and when He Who is our life appears in glory, we will appear with Him there.

* What you have said falls within this for me.

(19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,

that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.​

(20) Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,

according to the power that worketh in us,​

(21) Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages,

world without end. Amen.
​

* I hope this does not seem too fanciful to you, but it was a blessing to me at the time, and still is.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

Thank you.

God bless you.