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Ephesians 6:2 – Honor Your Parents

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Will

"Honor your father and mother;" which is the first commandment with promise:

Truth to Learn

We should all give our parents honor and respect.

Behind the Words

Timaō is the Greek verb translated as “honor.” Timaō literally means “to place a high value on something.” It can refer to giving something a very high price, or it can refer to giving someone honor, respect, or reverence because of their great value as a person.

“Father” is from patēr. This is a primary word which refers to a father, either literally or figuratively.

“Mother” is translated from matēr, which is also a primary word. It refers either literally or figuratively to a mother.

The word translated “first” is protos, meaning “first in place, time, order, or importance.”

The word “commandment” is from entolē, which refers to “an authoritative edict.” Throughout the New Testament it is the word used to refer to one or more of the Ten Commandments.

“Promise” is translated from epangelia. This is a legal term referring to “a summons or promise to do or give something.”

Meaning Explained

The Apostle Paul has extended his teaching beyond how we are to relate to each other within the family of God (the church) to how we are to relate to each other within our individual families. In yesterday’s verse we were told that all children (young or old) are to obey their parents. The reason that Paul gave us is that it is the right (the proper) thing to do. In today’s verse he builds on that idea. He points out that one of the Ten Commandments specifically addressed this situation. It is the fifth commandment:

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)

“But Paul says that it is the first commandment,” you may say. Actually, what he says is that it is the first commandment that has a promise. If you carefully read through the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17, you will notice that the second commandment has a general declaration attached to it, but not a promise. The fifth commandment is the only one that has a promise associated with it. The first four of the commandments are specifically aimed at our relationship with God. The fifth commandment is a pivotal command which shows that there is an order of authority under God and the following commandments teach how we are to behave in our human relationships.

Before leaving this verse let me point out that Paul is not teaching that we are still under the Law of Moses. He focused specifically on our freedom from the law in his letter to the Galatians. However, the precepts given in the Ten Commandments are important. So much so, in fact, that all but the fourth commandment (to keep the Sabbath) are repeated in one form or another in the New Testament.

Application

We should all treat our parents with respect and honor. This is particularly true as our parents get older and need our special attention and care. Honor your parents and give God the glory!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 6:1 – Obedience is Right

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Will

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

Truth to Learn

Obeying our parents is what God expects from us.

Behind the Words

“Children” is translated from the Greek noun teknon, which is based on the verb tiktō, meaning “to bring forth, or bear children.” Therefore, teknon refers to someone who has been born, that is, a child. The word teknon is a neuter noun so there is no implication as to the gender of the child.

The word “obey” is from hupokouō, composed of hupo, meaning “under” or “beneath” and akouō, meaning “to hear” or “to listen.” Thus, hupakouō, means “to hear under,” that is, “to obey.” It is expressed here as a command.

“Parents” is from goneus, a noun derived from the verb ginomai, meaning “to begin to be” or “to generate.” Thus, goneus refers to someone who brought someone or something into being, that is, “a parent.”

Dikaion is the Greek word translated “right.” This is derived from the word dikē, which originally meant “a manner” or “a tendency.” Later it came to refer to the acceptance or correctness of established custom or usage. The basic meaning of dikaion is that of “an imposed standard of behavior which, if not met, results in punishment.”

Meaning Explained

Having spent most of the previous chapter teaching about the relationship between members of the body of Christ and how we are to treat one another, the Apostle Paul ended the chapter with a lesson on how husbands and wives are to interact with each other within the marriage relationship. Now, he moves on to other relationships within a household.

He starts off this section talking to children. Take note, however, that he is not simply talking to little children, adolescents, and teenagers. He uses the term teknon, which is a generic term for someone who has been born. In general usage it refers to those living in their parents’ home under their parents’ care. But, as Paul uses the word, it also refers to adults who still have a living mother or father. This is indicated by verse two and three where he refers to long life and blessing being a result of honoring your parents.

The expression “in the Lord” means that parental obedience is to be practiced as part of our submissive relationship with our Lord and Savior. Paul explains this a little further in his letter to the Colossians:

Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. (Colossians 3:20)

God is pleased when we respect our parents and humbly learn all that we can from them.

Application

In the latter half of the twentieth century is was in vogue for those with problems of various kinds to blame their parents. As children of God, however, we are to humble ourselves before our God and to learn what we can from our parents. This is right, and this is what God expects from His children.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 5:33 – Back to the Point

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Will

Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Truth to Learn

The responsibilities of husband and wife are not optional.

Behind the Words

“Nevertheless” is a translation of the Greek adverb plēn, which is a contracted form of pleion, meaning “more.” This word can have a number of nuances such as, “much more,” “rather,” “but yet,” or “nevertheless.” Paul’s use of this word here indicates that he is bringing his reader back to the primary objective of his teaching.

The expression “each one of you in particular” is an unusual idiomatic expression in the Greek text. “Each one of you” is from an expression that literally means “you one by one” (focusing on the individual being spoken to) and is followed by hekastos, which further individualizes the expression.

The verb “let … love” is once again from the Greek verb agapē. It is expressed here in the imperative mood, indicating a command (identified in English by the use of “let”).

“Respects” is translated from the word phobeō, which is often translated as “fear.” However, this word is also used as a metaphor for “respect” or “awe.” The form of this verb (subjunctive coupled with hina) indicates the same emphasis as an imperative. In other words, this is a command for women to revere their husbands.

Meaning Explained

The opening word of this verse indicates that Paul is aware that he has strayed off topic a little bit and is bringing his reader back to the topic at hand, how a man is to behave toward his wife. The unusual expression that he used indicates that he wants to bring his reader’s attention back from a focus on Christ and the church, to a focus on individual responsibility. And, his use of the command form of agapē, just as he did back in verse twenty-five, indicates that this is not an option for men.

The main focus of this chapter has been on how Christians are to behave with respect to others in the church. For the past eleven verses, however, he has focused on how a man and woman are to behave toward each other in a marriage relationship. He told women that they are to “under-rank” themselves with respect to their husbands and he told men that they are to demonstrate a self-sacrificing love toward their wives. After taking a few verses to teach us the mystery regarding Christ and the church (a marriage relationship with responsibilities exactly like husband and wife), he now reiterates his teaching for husbands and wives.

Paul’s use of phobeō in this verse could be misinterpreted unless we recognize that to Greeks this word had two meanings. In an emotional sense, it refers to being fearful, but in a moral sense (as it is used here), it refers to recognition of authority and power (reverence, honor, or respect).

Application

Men, quit making excuses and demonstrate to your wife the kind of love that Christ has for you. Women, forget your excuses too, and submit to your husband as unto the Lord. God will honor your faithful obedience.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 5:32 – Are You Faithfully Married?

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Will

This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Truth to Learn

The relationship between Christ and Christians is precisely like a marriage relationship.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “mystery” is musterion, which is derived from the verb muō, meaning “to shut the mouth.” In the first century a musterion involved a silence that was imposed on someone as part of an initiation. In the New Testament, musterion identifies something which was hidden in the past, but which is now being revealed to the church.

“Speak” is from the Greek verb legō, which literally means “to lay forth.” In other words, it means “to relate some truth in a systematic or logical manner.”

Meaning Explained

What is this great mystery that Paul is now revealing? Is it the fact that a man is to leave his father and mother and be glued to his wife? That can’t be it, because Moses declared this fact thousands of years ago. According to what Paul declares in this verse, it is the mystery concerning Christ and the church. Paul has been teaching about how a husband and wife are to relate to each other within a marriage relationship. The wife is to submit herself to the authority of her husband. At the same time, the husband is to love his wife with a self-sacrificing love just as Christ has demonstrated for the church.

The great mystery now being revealed to us is that the relationship between a husband and wife is precisely like that of the Lord Jesus Christ and His bride, the church. The Israelites knew about the sanctity of marriage, and Moses taught them that when a man and a woman married they became as one. They believed that their Messiah was coming to save them and they worked hard to make themselves holy and righteous enough for Him when He finally comes. The devout Jews loved the Lord their God with all their heart and they submitted to His authority. What they didn’t know is that the relationship between the Messiah and His people (true believers) was to be precisely like that of a marriage.

The Old Testament prophets warned the Israelites about their idolatry and even likened idol worship to the sexual unfaithfulness of a married person. At Mt. Sinai, as He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, God declared:

You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:3)

When we let anything in our lives become more important or more desired than a close walk with our Savior, we are acting unfaithful to Him. And, in Exodus 20:5 God made this point very clear: “I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.”

When we recognize the fact that we, as born-again Christians, are in an intimate marriage relationship with God, we see why He treasures our faithfulness more than our works. When we submit to His authority, remaining faithful and focused on Him and Him alone, we see His acts of love more clearly. And, God has declared that He will never leave us nor forsake us, even when we act unfaithfully toward Him, because He loves us.

Application

How is your relationship with your Savior, your spiritual Husband? Are you submitted to Him and completely faithful to Him? If not, maybe it’s time to return and humbly submit to Him. Remember, He loves you with a perfect agapē love!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 5:31 – Glued Together as One

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Will

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."

Truth to Learn

God has a specific design for the marriage relationship.

Behind the Words

The words “For this reason” are translated from the Greek words anti toutou. The word anti means “opposite” or “against” and toutou (a form of houtos) means “this.” So, this expression literally means “against this,” or “answering to this.”

The verb “leave” is from the Greek verb kataleipō, made up of kata, meaning “down” but used as an intensifier and leipō, meaning “to leave” or “to be without.” Hence, the meaning of kataleipō is “to completely leave behind” or “to forsake.”

“Joined” is translated from proskollaō, which is composed of pros, meaning “to” or “toward” and kollaō, meaning “to glue.” So, we can see that this word means “to glue one thing to another.”

The words “shall become” are translated from esontai eis. Esontai is the verb of being meaning “they shall be” and eis is a preposition meaning “unto” or “into.” Hence, these two words literally mean “shall be unto” or “shall become.”

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse is a quotation from Genesis. This particular verse comes immediately after Adam had awakened from his deep sleep during which God had removed one of his ribs to make the woman (Eve) for him. Upon awakening Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man” (Genesis 2:23). The very next verse is:

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24)

These are not the words of Adam, for he did not have an earthly mother or father and he had not yet experienced fatherhood. These are the words of Moses as he is narrating the story. Moses’ point is, as Adam and Eve were literally made of the same flesh, so too, any married couple separate from their parents and become “as one” when they are married.

Now, we know that a man and a woman don’t literally come to share the same DNA after they get married. However, they do produce offspring that is literally a union (a gluing together) of the DNA of both parents. Also note that the marriage of a man and a woman brings them into such intimacy both physically and emotionally that they become glued together in purpose, thought, and will. Just as Adam was alone and not complete until God provided a woman for him, so too a man and a woman today are not complete until they are united in marriage.

As we will see in the next verse, Paul is not just talking about the physical union of a man and his wife, he is also talking about the spiritual union between Christ and His bride.

Application

Clearly, God’s plan for mankind involves a deep emotional and physical gluing together of one man and one woman in marriage. Any other arrangement is counter to the image of Christ and His bride, the church.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 5:30 – God’s Body Love

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Will

For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

Truth to Learn

Christians are part of God’s body which He loves.

Behind the Words

“For” is translated from hoti, a Greek conjunction which can be used to demonstrate something further (translated as “that”) or to show a causal relationship (translated as “because” or “for”). The latter appears to be the case here.

“Members” is translated from the Greek word melos, which refers to “a limb or other part of a body.”

The word translated “body” is soma, which (as we learned back in verse twenty-eight) can refer to “a physical body” or to “any organized whole made up of parts or members.”

The phrase “of His flesh and of His bones” does not appear in some of the better Greek texts and probably should be omitted.

Meaning Explained

In order to fully understand this verse, we have to go back to verse twenty-five. In that verse we were told that a husband’s love for his wife is to be the same kind of love that Christ has for the church. That love was demonstrated at the cross, where Jesus sacrificed His life in order to sanctify (set-apart) and cleanse His bride (the church). Then, Paul identified the love of a man for his wife as the same as that which we all have for our own body. The love for our own body is demonstrated in the way we provide for nourishment and comfort, “just as the Lord does for the church.”

Paul starts off today’s verse with hoti, showing the cause, or reason, for Christ’s loving care for us. It is because we are part of His body that our Lord and Savior provides for our nourishment and comfort.

A husband’s love for his wife is to be like the love that Christ has for His bride (the church.) But Jesus’ bride is also His body. In a very real sense, the members of the church are physical members of Christ’s body. Christ is the head of the body, He directs and instructs us, but we are the ones who do the work of the ministry. Some members of the church are specifically gifted to reach out to those outside the body, while others are specifically gifted to minister to the health of the body. This is the same as our physical bodies. Some parts of our body (the arms and legs, for instance) perform work directed outside the body. Other parts of our body (internal organs, for instance) perform work directed within the body to keep the body healthy.

“But I thought we were talking about the love of a husband for his wife?” you might ask. Yes, we are, but one of the characteristics of Paul’s teaching is that he often intermingles the teaching of two subjects into one. Here he is teaching about what God expects of a husband in the marriage relationship, but he is also teaching something about the relationship between us and our Lord.

God loved us enough to sacrifice for us, to give us eternal life. But His love doesn’t stop there. He loves us as His own body, providing for our nourishment and comfort on a daily basis.

Application

Do you sometimes feel like God is distant and that He doesn’t care about what’s happening to you? Think again, my friend. You are part of His body, which He dearly loves and cares for.

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 5:29 – Nourishment and Comfort

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Will

For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

Truth to Learn

Men are responsible for providing for the nourishment and comfort of their wives.

Behind the Words

The word translated “hated” is misesō, which means “to hate, to detest, or to abhor.” It is used frequently in the New Testament to indicate the opposite of agape love.

Sarx is the Greek word translated “flesh.” This word refers to the flesh of a living creature. It is a reference here to the physical part of our existence.

“Nourishes” is translated from extrephō, which is made up of ek, meaning “out of” but used here as an intensifier and trephō, meaning “to nourish, to feed, or to bring up to maturity (as is done to children).” This is probably a reference to providing the needs of the body that allows the body to grow physically.

“Cherishes” is from the Greek verb thalpō, meaning “to make warm.” It is used figuratively to mean “to foster with tender care.” This is probably a reference to comfort and security that a person needs to develop psychologically.

Meaning Explained

Since verse twenty-two in this chapter, Paul has been teaching about the relationship between a man and a woman within a marriage. First, he said, the wife is to “under-rank” herself. She is to voluntarily place herself under the authority of her husband. This action is clearly easier to do when her husband is treating her in the proper manner. However, it is not a conditional “suggestion,” but an unconditional command given by the Apostle. Paul confined this instruction to just three verses. He then spent the next seven verses telling men how to relate to their wives. Based on the length of the teaching alone, it appears that his teaching to men is even more important than that which he gave to women.

Paul said that a man is to love his wife with a self-sacrificing love, being more concerned for her needs than for his own. He used two examples to show men how they are to love their wives. The first example is the manner in which Christ loves the church, even to the point of sacrificing His own life to provide life for His bride.

The second example is the manner in which we all love our own flesh and blood. This is what he describes in today’s verse. We all provide nourishment for our bodies in order for our bodies to sustain physical life and grow. And, we all provide for physical comfort for our own bodies. Thus, it follows that part of a man’s responsibility to his wife is to provide both comfort and nourishment for her.

In our current Western society it would be easy to twist this teaching and insist that women should stay at home and men should be the breadwinner of the family. That is NOT what Paul is teaching in this passage. His teaching is simply that a man should love his wife and ensure that her physical and comfort needs are taken care of.

Application

Men, how do you stack up against Paul’s teaching in these verses? Are you demonstrating the kind of love in action that places the needs for the sustenance and comfort of your wife above your own needs for these things?

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 5:28 – Win-win Love

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Will

So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.

Truth to Learn

As we love ourselves, so a husband should love his wife.

Behind the Words

The word translated “ought” is opheilō, which means “to be indebted” or “to be obligated.”

All three occurrences of “love” in this verse are forms of agape, which refers to “self-sacrificing actions focused on the good of the loved one.”

“Bodies” is from the Greek noun soma, which can refer to “our physical body” or metaphorically to “any organized whole made up of parts or members.”

Meaning Explained

After a couple of verses of describing the love that Christ has for His bride (His body), Paul now returns to the subject of men loving their wives. He tells us that husbands are obligated to love their own wives as their own body. There are several nuances to this teaching that are all equally true.

Paul has used the example of Christ’s love for His bride, the church. However, the church is also referred to as the “body of Christ.” Thus, all that is described here about the love that Christ has for His bride is also love that He has for His body. In the same manner, the husband should demonstrate love for his wife as his own body, which takes us to the second nuance of this teaching. As Paul will tell us a few verses from here, quoting from the Old Testament:

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24)

Since the marriage union makes a man and a woman one flesh (one body), then a man really is showing love to his own body when he demonstrates love to his wife.

The third nuance of this verse, and the one I believe Paul is focusing on here, is based on the fact that each one of us loves his or her own self. It is a part of who and what we are. When we get hungry, we feed ourselves. When we get thirsty, we take a drink. When we get cold, we turn up the heat or put on warmer clothing. We do all these things, and many more, without thinking about them. In fact, we love our bodies and the life that God has given us so much that we go into a natural panic and frenzy when that life is threatened.

In taking a swimming and lifesaving class many years ago, I learned that when someone is on the verge of drowning, they panic and flail their arms and legs about because they so desperately want to preserve their lives.

Paul’s point here is that we love our own body and this life so much that we will do anything to preserve our own health, safety, and comfort. Husbands, that’s the kind of love you should have for your wife. You should be so focused on her health, safety, and comfort that you take care of her needs without having to even think about them.

Application

This is one of those areas where, by being obedient to God, we make it easier for someone else to be obedient to God. Men if you consistently demonstrate real love for your wife, she will actually want to submit herself to you. Your obedience to God makes hers so much easier. That’s called win-win!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 5:27 – No Blemishes or Wrinkles

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Will

that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Truth to Learn

Christ did everything in order to make us perfect for Him.

Behind the Words

“He might present” is from the Greek verb paristēmi, a compound word made up of para, meaning “beside” or “near” and histēmi, meaning “to stand” or “to place.” Thus, it literally means “to place something in the presence of someone else,” that is, “to present.”

Endoxos is the Greek word translated “glorious.” It is made up of en, meaning “in” and a form of doxa, meaning “glory.” The root meaning of doxa is “favorable opinion” and in a secondary sense it means “praise, honor, splendor, or brightness.”

The word “spot” is from spilon, which refers to “a stain or an unsightly mark of any kind.”

“Wrinkle” is translated from rhutis, based on the verb rhumē, meaning “to draw together” or “to contract.” Thus, rhutis refers to that which has been drawn together, “a wrinkle.”

The words “without blemish” are from amomos, made up of a, meaning “without” and momos, meaning “fault, or blemish.”

Meaning Explained

In Paul’s teaching on how husbands are to love their wives, he set before us the example of how Christ loves the church, His bride. He loves His bride so much that He went through the torturous death of crucifixion to sanctify (set her apart spiritually) and cleanse her. The reason for the sanctification and cleansing is given in today’s verse, to make her perfect, without blemish or wrinkle.

As we mentioned in yesterday’s verse, a king’s bride often went through an extensive cleansing and purification process in order to make her fit for the king. Our king, however, is more than just the ruler of a country. He is the Ruler of all creation. There is no king greater than our God and there is no one more deserving of a perfect, spotless, radiantly beautiful bride than Jesus Christ. The problem is that we Christians are sinners. We are defiled and unclean. In order for us to be a worthy bride for Christ, we have to be made perfect and cleansed from everything that defiles. The only way for that to happen was for someone to pay the penalty for our sins, a ransom that we couldn’t pay. Jesus Christ paid that ransom with His blood and that blood cleansed every blemish and stain of sin. When we believed in the gospel message, we were cleansed and we were credited with the perfect righteousness of Christ.

However, there’s still one problem. As long as we are on this earth, we are dying; that is, we are getting older and developing physical decay, like wrinkles. As long as we have this body, we are unfit to be the bride of Christ. Therefore, before we can be presented as the perfect bride of Christ, we must receive a new, perfect body, which is the future aspect of our salvation. By the time we are presented, we will be without spot or wrinkle.

Application

It is obvious that God did not save us simply on a whim. In order to present to himself a perfect bride, he had to develop a plan and carry it through to the last detail. He did it all Himself. Men, how much are you doing to show your love for your bride? Remember, agape love is action, not a feeling!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ephesians 5:26 – A Holy Cleansing

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Will

that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ gave His life to sanctify and cleanse His bride.

Behind the Words

“He might sanctify” is translated from the Greek verb hagiadzō, which is based on hagios, which is based on hagos, meaning “that which inspires awe.” The basic meaning of hagios is “that which is set apart from common use to be used in the service of God.” Hagios is sometimes translated “holy” or “sanctified,” so hagiadzō means “to make holy” or “to set apart for God.”

The word translated “and” does not appear in the Greek text, so it probably shouldn’t appear in the translation.

“Cleanse” is from katharidzō, meaning “to cleanse” or “to purify.” It is expressed here as an aorist participle, so it should be translated as “having cleansed.”

The word translated “washing” is loutron, which refers to “a bath.”

“Word” is from rhēma, which is derived from rheō, meaning “to speak.” Rhēma, therefore, refers to “a spoken word” or a statement. Here it probably is a reference to the Word of God.

A literal translation of this verse could be “that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her with a bath of water by the Word.”

Meaning Explained

This is one of those verses that has been hotly debated for centuries. Some believe that the expression “cleanse her with the washing of water” is a reference to baptism. The problem with this interpretation is that baptism is a symbolic act done as a witness to the cleansing which has already taken place. Also, keep in mind that this verse is a description of what Christ has done for His bride, the church. Paul says:

… just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify her having cleansed her with the washing of water by the word, (Ephesians 5:25-26)

This is given as an example of how Christ loved His bride; He loved her so much that He gave His live for her. He died on the cross so that He might sanctify his bride, that He might set her (us) apart from the family and world of Satan. And, He sanctified her (us) “having already cleansed her (us) with a bath of water by the word.” The cleansing that Paul is talking about occurred before the sanctification. He says that that cleansing is like a water bath, but it was performed by the Word of God. After all, it was the Word, the gospel message, by which we were saved and washed clean from our sins.

In ancient times it was quite common for the bride of a king to undergo a lengthy cleansing and purification period, including baths in perfumed water, before being presented to the king at the wedding ceremony (see Esther 2:12 and Ezekiel 16:7-14)

Application

Husbands, Jesus Christ loved us (his bride) so much that He gave His life to sanctify and cleanse us. Following His example, we should also be willing to do everything possible to protect and care for our brides.

In God's service, for His glory,