EPHESIANS ~ Chapter 5/Thursday Bible Study
Apostle Paul stated that he was a prisoner at the time he wrote
the *Epistle to the Ephesians (Ephesians 3:1, 4:1, and 6:20);
Ephesians is believed to have been written and dispatched during his first
imprisonment in Rome – sometime around 60 – 62 AD.
Last week’s study was a hard one – no one likes to be
disciplined; yet it is necessary to growth. While typing last week’s
study for posting, there were several points where I said to myself, “Ouch! I
hear You, **Lord” … and determined to allow the divine pruning: I may
feel justified, emotionally, due to the rough treatment recently by some in our
small Body – but as pointed out by Paul in his 4th epistle to
the Ephesian Body: those emotions (justified or not) should
not rule the Day; submit the mind to the disciplinary wisdom of the ***Ruach
HaKa’desh, and live in ****Elohim’s
loving grace. “Love covers a multitude of sins”; either done to
you, or by you (1 Peter 4:8). Amen!
*****Yeshua is the life-giving Vine, and Elohim is the prudent
Husbandman, and we are the branches: pruning keeps us from growing wild.
Pruning strengthens us, and keeps us directed towards the Son. If we
willingly submit ourselves to His pruning, our fruit will be pleasant and
profitable; worthy of acceptance – and we in turn, will grow to maturity;
also known by our fruits (Luke 6: 43 – 44).
In this Chapter, Apostle Paul is highlighting a Believer’s walk
of holiness, as children of light. Every relationship must be renovated by the
work of the indwelling of the Ruach HaKo’desh in their New Life in Christ; our
lives now belong to Christ, and our bodies are the temple of Elohim (1
Corinthians 6:20).
In this chapter, Paul is advising married couples how to conduct themselves … women are not to be over-bearing shrews, and husbands are not to be physically abusive or verbally over-demanding: wives are not beasts of burden, or infantile persons. Married people are to pull together as a Team – just as The Church submits to Yeshua, husband and wife are to jointly submit to each other in humility and love, always working towards the best in each other.
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Ephesians ~ Chapter 5/Thursday Bible Study
Imitators of God
“You are Elohim’s beloved Children; therefore, try to be like Him. Let love guide your footsteps, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as an offering and a sweet-smelling sacrifice to #Elohei Ha’Elohim. (vvs. 1 – 2)
Avoid Every Form of Immorality
As for fornication (sexual intercourse among unmarried people) and other forms of impurity (adulteration = pollution/flaw, spot, stain; sullying = dishonoring, spoiling, abusing; ruination = downfall, undoing, doom); and covetousness (greed, envy, longing itch, materialism), these should not even be mentioned among you, for they do not have a place in the lives of =saints. There must be no filthy (smutty/lewd = crude or vulgar/foul-mouthed) or silly (meaningless, inane = unintelligent, idiotic/reckless; rash, foolish) talk, and ==no coarse jesting, for these are not becoming to Christians. Instead, there should be the giving of thanks. You must know, surely, that no one who is immoral (depraved/wicked; corrupt/crooked, perverted; decadent/self-indulgent; sinful = evil/unjust, odious/abominable = vile) or impure, or even covetous – which makes him an idolator – not one of these can have any share in the Kingdom of Christ and Elohei Ha’Elohim. (vvs. 3 – 5)
Avoid & Expose Deceivers
Do not let anyone deceive you with worthless (of no value, empty) arguments (influences, urging speech, opinions contrary to Scripture, aimless disputes, contentions designed to divide). On account of these, the wrath of Elohei Ha’Elohim comes down upon those who do not take heed. Therefore, do not associate with them at all. There was a time you were in darkness, but now you walk in the light of the Lord. Walk, then, as Children of Light. The fruit of Light – the Ruach HaKo’desh – can be seen in all that is good and right and true. You must learn to do what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the works of darkness; they are profitless. Rather, you should expose and reprove them. It is a shame even to mention some of the things that are done in secret. But light can expose any and all of them. Light thrown on anything can make it visible. The Scripture therefore says, ‘O you who are sleeping, wake up; rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light!’ (Isaiah 60:1). (vvs. 6 – 14)
Exhortation to Spirit-filled Living
Be careful, then, about the way you live. Act wisely, not foolishly. Make good use of your time, because the days are evil. For that reason, try to understand what the Lord wants and do not be foolish in this. Do not get drunk from wine, for that leads to debauchery (corruption, wickedness, shamelessness). Instead, be filled with the Ruach HaKo’desh and speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Yes, sing and make melody to the Lord with all your heart. And always give thanks to Elohim, the Father, for everything, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (vvs. 15 – 20)
Duties (responsibilities, obligations, callings) to Married Couples
Be subject (focus, area under discussion; dependent on = attend to; liege = faithful, constant, steady, trust-worthy) to one another in the fear (concern, interest, point, involvement) of Christ: wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord (put self aside); for the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the Head of The Church, which is His Body – and He, Himself, it’s Savior (rescuer = champion; liberator/emancipator = someone who frees another from old social limitations and customs; knight in shining armor), deliverer (protector = shield, protection, armor, body guard). But, even as The Church is subject to Christ, so should wives subject themselves to their husbands in everything.
Husband, love your wives, even as Christ also loved The Church and gave Himself (willingly put self aside for it: He killed ego). He made it clean by the washing of water and of the Word, so as to consecrate it, and to take it to Himself a Church full of splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but holy and faultless in every respect.
In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife really loves himself: no man ever hates his own self – he feeds it and cares for it, even as Christ does for The Church. And we are members of His Body; we are His flesh and bone! For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
This is a great mystery, but I give it as a picture of Christ
and The Church. And as for you, let each one of you love his wife as he loves
himself; and let each wife, too, have proper respect for her husband.” (vv.
21 – 33)
*Epistle = (/ɪˈpɪsəl/; Greek: ἐπιστολή, epistolē, "letter") is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter: part of the scribal-school writing curriculum.
**Lord Jesus Christ (in Greek: Kyrios Iēsous Christos) = the most formal title for Jesus (Yeshua). It occurs often in the New Testament letters..
The word “Lord” has a wide range of uses; it can be a simple respectful “Sir” or a more formal, “Master.” But the New Testament also uses “Lord” of God. The word “Christ” is the anglicized form of the Greek word meaning “anointed one” or “Messiah.” “Lord Jesus Christ” reminds us that Jesus is both the promised Messiah and our God..
***Ruach HaKo’desh: In Hebrew, the Holy Spirit (רוח הקודש, Roo-ahk hah-Koh-desh) refers to the divine force, quality, and influence (aka, power) of God.
The Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16 & 11:13; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Ephesians 1:13 & 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:8; Titus 3:5; and Jude 1:20), is referred to more than 90 times in the Brit Chadashah.
****Elohim (Hebrew: אֱלֹהִים, romanized: ʾĚlōhīm: [(eloˈ(h)im]) is a Hebrew word meaning "Gods – Father, Son, & Holy Spirit". Although the word is plural in form, in the Hebrew Bible it usually refers to a single deity “Behold, the Lord – the Lord is One”, particularly the at God of Israel.
****Christ (from the Hebrew word, Ha’Mashiach ישוע המשיח & the Greek word, Christos/khris-tos) = The Anointed, Yeshua the Messiah, in both languages.
Yeshua Ha’Mashiach: is Hebrew for “Jesus the Messiah”; the name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeshua.
#Elohei Ha’Elohim (Hebrew word: אֱלֹהֵי הָאֱלֹהִים)) = God of gods; above all gods.
=Saint = In its most basic sense, a saint is a “holy one,” someone who is set apart for Elohim’s special purposes. As a result, every follower of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is a Saint. In most of his letters, the Apostle Paul refers to the recipients as saints, including the church at Corinth, where there were significant moral and theological problems! The New Covenant writers draw their use of the word saints (“holy ones”) from the Old Covenant (e.g., Exod 31:13; Lev 11:45, 19:2; Dan 7:18, 27). Particularly important is Exodus 19:5-6, where Elohim refers to Israel as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” 1 Peter 2:9 applies this same language to believers: “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
==Coarse jesting (crude joking) is an attempt to get laughs
by crossing the line of impropriety (rudeness, indecency, offensiveness, bad
taste): the use of foul language, sexual innuendo (hint,
overtone), or racist comments (ex: so-called Christians mocking or
outright hating on Jews – basically taking Scripture out of context) to
appeal to baser instincts in order to earn laughs.
**Ephesians 4: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2022/10/ephesians-chapter-4thursday-bible-study.html
