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.
In this Chapter, Apostle Paul is encouraging the Believers in
Ephesus to become more aware of their position in **Christ;
and to motivate them to draw upon their spiritual source in daily living.
Chapters 1 through 3 of Ephesians list the
Believer’s Heavenly possessions: adoption, redemption, inheritance, power,
life, grace, citizenship, and the love of Christ.
There are no necessities in Chapters 1 – 3, which focus
only on divine gifts. But Chapters 4 – 6 include 35 directives that
speak to the Believer’s responsibility to conduct themselves according to their
individual calling.
So, the message to the Ephesians, begins with Heaven and
concludes in the home – and embraces all other relationships of daily life. The
two main thrusts of the epistle are: the position of the Christian (1:1 thru
3:21), and the way a Christian ought to live out his relationship with
Christ, as well as towards humanity, as a whole (4:1 thru 6:20).
The fundamental verse of Ephesians is 4:1, because it is
a well-defined line between the doctrinal and the practical classifications of
this Book. There is a cause-and-effect relationship between Chapters 1 thru
3 … and 4 thru 6, because the spiritual walk of a Christian should be rooted
in their spiritual wealth; as Paul emphasized in Romans, behavior
does not determine blessing: instead, blessing should determine
behavior.
Because of the unity of all Believers in the Body of Christ,
growth and maturity come from “the effective working by which every part does
its share” (4:16). This involves the exercise of spiritual gifts in
love. Paul exhorts the Christian to “put off, concerning former conduct, the
‘old man’” (4:22) and “put on the new man” (4:24) that will be
manifested by walking in integrity among all people.
With this framework, let us begin today’s study: there
is LOT Paul had to say in how Christians should behave 😊
**********
Ephesians ~ Chapter 4/Thursday Bible Study
The Unity of the Spirit
“I, a prisoner for the ***Lord’s sake, therefore plead (beg, appeal, pray, request)
with you to live lives worthy (praiseworthy, admirable, valuable,
worthwhile, suitable) of the calling that has come to you. Be humble,
gentle, and patient, and put up with one another in love. Be eager to maintain
with bonds of peace the unity that the ****Ruach HaKo’desh gives. For there is only one Body and one
Spirit – as there is only one hope in the call you received; one Lord, one
Faith, one Baptism, one God – the Father of us all, Who is above all, and
through all in all. (vvs. 1 – 6)
Diversity of Gifts; Unity in Christ
Still, each one of us has been given grace, measured out as a
gift from Christ. As Scripture has stated it, ‘When He went up on high
(ascension, rise, traveling upward), He took many captives with Him, and He
gave gifts to men’ (Psalm 68:18). Now, when it reads ‘He
went up’, what does that mean except that He had first gone down into the =under-regions of the Earth? He Who descended is
also the same as He Who ascended. He went up – high above all the Heavens, that
He might fill all things with His glory.
And He appointed some to be apostles (advocates,
supporters, messengers, devotees), others to be prophets (diviners,
foretellers of Elohim’s Will); some to be evangelists (revivalists,
preachers, missionaries), others pastors (clergymen/clergywomen =
leader in a Christian Body, directors/managers) or teachers (educators,
tutors, trainers, coaches). The common object of their labor is to bring
the Christians maturity – to prepare them for Christian service and the
building up of the Church, until we all reach the unity of The Faith and a
fuller knowledge of the *****Son of God, and attain maturity, even to the measure of the
stature (importance) of the fulness of Christ.
We should no longer be like little children, tossed to and fro
before the wind of every doctrine (dogma = belief/philosophy/viewpoint,
creed), by the cunning (sly, calculating, sneaky, scheming/underhanded,
foxy/cleaver, creative) tricks (skills, cheats, misleads, traps,
hoodwinks = lure to pull in, cons) of men, and by their crafty (wily,
worldly) presentation (staging, offer, speech/talk) of error (blunder/false
move, stumble/slip up, flounder/waver, get it wrong) as
truth. Rather, we should speak the truth in love – so as to grow up in every
way into perfect union with Christ, Who is our Head (Crown, Leader, Master =
person in charge, be in charge, take precedence, be foremost). It is from
this Head that the whole Body, fitted together and unified by every joint and
ligament with which it is supplied, gets each part to work properly, develops
each part accordingly; and builds itself up in love. (vv. 7 – 16)
The True Believer Puts Off the Old Self
I have this to say to you, and I urge (propel, thrust,
press/insist) this on you in the Name of the Lord: stop living as
most of the Gentiles do, guided by the vanity of their minds. Their
understanding is darkness itself; ignorance, due to the hardness of heart, has
estranged them from the life of #Elohei Ha’Elohim. They have become callous (cold, cruel,
hard, uncaring), have abandoned (out of control/reckless, cast
off/left) themselves to sensuality (pleasing to the body or
senses = gratification of the senses, especially sexual desires), and
greedily (hungrily, eagerly, selfishly) practice every form of vice (corruption,
defect, weakness) that lust (desire, longing, itch) can crave (want,
hanker after).
But you did not learn anything like this from Christ. I mean,
if you had heard about Him and, as disciples (followers, believers,
supporters, devotees, pupils, students, learners) of His, were taught about
Him … then you learned the Truth as it is found IN Christ. You must put off
your old nature (character, personality, temperament) and your former
habits (customs, behaviors, traditions, way of life), for they are
corrupt (tainted, warped, spoiled, harmful, damaging) and bring ruin
through deceitful (untrustworthy, falsehearted, faithless) lusts. The
very spirit (essence/character, attitude/mood, outlook/bias)
of your minds (thoughts/discernment, awareness/alertness,
intellect/knowledge/grasp, opinion/estimation = valuation)
must be renewed (improved/revived = reinforced, restarted = breathe
life into, restored/mended) continually (frequently =
determindely, repeatedly, persistently = tirelessly). You must put on
the new self, created in ##Elohim’s likeness – in true righteousness (virtue,
morality, justice, decency, honesty, blamelessness) and holiness (consecration/sanctification
= beautification, blessing, make sacred), saintliness = perfection, wholeness/state
of grace, excellence = distinction/superiority, devoutness =
spirituality, purity). (vv. 17 – 24)
The True Believer Practices (does, applies, observes, live
out) Christian Virtues (qualities, features)
And so, let falsehood be abandoned; and instead let each
speak truth to his neighbor (citizen = limited, narrow, restricted,
community: talking primarily of fellow Believers), for we are all parts of
the same Body (the Church, as a whole). If you become angry, do not let
anger lead you into sin. And don’t let the sun go down on your wrath (anger,
rage, fury, ire, madness). Do not let ==Lucifer get that satisfaction.
If one has been a thief, he must stop stealing and find
employment, and do good works with his hands, so that he may even share with
someone who is in need.
Let no evil talk come from your lips, but let what you say be
of help to others, as the occasion presents itself, so that it may impart grace
to those who listen.
Never grieve the Ruach HaKo’desh, for by Him you were sealed
for the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14).
Let there be no more bitterness (resentment, hostility,
sourness, snappishness), and no more anger (dislike, hatred, disgust)
and wrath among you. Let quarreling (fighting = at each other’s throats,
arguing = in conflict, squabbling = bickering, have a tiff) cease (stop,
end, conclude = come to a close), and let slander (insult = speak ill
of, belittle = verbally run down) and spite (meanness = cattiness,
ill-will toward, wound, offend) be put away altogether (totally,
completely, thoroughly, overall). Be kind to one another, and tenderhearted
(kind, gentle, compassionate = caring). Be ready to forgive others, as
Elohim for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.” (vvs. 25 – 32)
*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.
**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.
***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.
=Under-regions of the Earth: 1 Corinthians, where
it uses "grave”, the KJV translates Greek ᾅδης
as “Hell”. Modern translations, for which there are only 10 instances of
the word ᾅδης in the New Covenant, generally transliterate it as “Hades” … the language used to
describe the fulfillment of Yeshua’s Earthly mission – which included His
{setting of the captives free}. In Acts 2:27, Apostle Peter
quotes from Psalm 16:10, “Because You will not leave my soul in
Hades, neither will You give Your holy one to see corruption”. Peter explained
that this is in reference to Yeshua, when he says in verse 31, “he (the
psalmist) foresaw this, and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ – that
neither was the psalmist left in Hades, nor did his flesh experience
corruption”. Scripture explains that Hades is the unseen realm under the Earth.
It was necessary for Yeshua to descend into
Hades as triumphant King to proclaim His victory over sin, death, and Lucifer,
to the saints who had died believing the promise that they would see the
Messiah.
Through salvation in Yeshua Ha’Mashiach,
Christians do not have to wait to be rescued from Hades: through faith in Yeshua, and indwelling of
the Ruach … our spirits are immediately ushered into the presence of God
when our physical bodies die. Praise Yeshua, for the work He did on
Calvary!
*****Son of God = (Greek: ho Theos ho huios [ὁ Θεός ὁ υἱός]) used by the Early Church to reference Yeshua.
#Elohei
Ha’Elohim (Hebrew word: אֱלֹהֵי הָאֱלֹהִים)) = God of gods; above all gods.
##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.
==Lucifer: The Septuagint renders הֵילֵל in Greek as Ἑωσφόρος
(heōsphoros), "bringer of dawn" – the ancient Greek name for the
morning star; The Septuagint, as the translation of the Hebrew Bible, was a
landmark of antiquity. It is the first translation in the history
of the Bible. It became the central literary work of Hellenistic Judaism (Greek
speaking/living Jews) and Early Christianity.
Similarly, the Vulgate renders הֵילֵל in Latin as Lucifer,
the name in that language for the morning star.
Lucifer was created a beautiful angel; who defied God, fell
from grace, and was cast out of Heaven to become enemy of mankind and arch
deceiver. Isaiah declared, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of
the morning!” (Isaiah 14.12) Ezekiel goes into more detail in Ezekiel
28:12-19.
**Ephesians 3: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2022/09/ephesians-chapter-3thursday-bible-study.html
