Posts from February 2022

Posts from February 2022

Basic Facts from Ephesians (Part 3)

In the middle of a list of practical and specific instructions about how being a Christian should result in a changed life (Ephesians 4:17-32), Paul inserts this instruction, in verse 27: “Neither give place to the devil.” The ESV gives a good modern rendering here, expressing this as “give no opportunity to the devil” which accurately translates Paul’s point in contemporary English. As we reform and improve our lives we are to avoid opening doors of opportunity for temptation and…

Basic Facts from Ephesians (Part 2)

In Ephesians 3:4-6, Paul tells the Ephesian Christians that the reason he wrote this letter should lead them to understand the gospel (which he had explained in 2:11-22) in exactly the same way Paul himself understood it. This matters very much in the twenty-first century because most of Christendom now believes that “the gospel” means whatever a particular race or culture interprets it to mean. Paul, however, was a Jewish Christian writing to a congregation who were mainly Gentile Christians;…

Basic Facts from Ephesians (Part 1)

The church at Ephesus was established in Acts 19, when the apostle Paul encountered a group of about a dozen men (evidently Gentiles) who were disciples of John the baptizer (vv. 1-7). When he realized that their understanding was incomplete, Paul told them “the rest of the (gospel) story” and they were baptized into Christ. The letter to the Ephesians is one of the “prison epistles” (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon), written during the time when Paul was imprisoned in…

Basic Facts from Galatians (Part 5)

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any fault, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). Here, Paul is writing about a Christian who is “surprised” by sin – caught off-guard – rather than a person who deliberately chose to sin. From the beginning of the bible, we are warned to “be on guard,” “be alert,” “watch,” etc., against the evil one’s temptations. There are…