Ephesians 5:21-33
Paul is continuing his instruction on how to live as children of the light. The heading of this section of his instructions would be: submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. He then gives three practical examples of how this mutual submission should be seen in everyday relationships (at least everyday for that time): wife/husband, child/parent, slave/master. In each case Paul gives his first instruction to the traditionally submissive role which might seem odd because they are already expected to be submitting. Paul is likely addressing their attitude: outwardly they may be submissive but their attitudes could be rebellious and proud.
I am struck by the connection to Christ that Paul makes: submit to one another out of reverence for Christ, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, love your wives as Christ loved the church. Paul is very aware that our "earthly" relationships have a profound impact on and are a good barometer of our relationship with Christ. As a male, it easy for me to disconnect the two but God makes it clear through His Word that my relationship with my wife has a major impact on my relationship with Christ. To live otherwise is to live as a hypocrite.
I am convicted by how I emphasize the instructions to the wife and basically ignore the instructions to the husband. Paul doesn't say: "Husbands, you are the head of the house so demand your place." Besides the fact that I think there are some deep cultural biases in Paul's instructions on gender roles, he never tells me to assert myself as head of the house. What he tells me to do (and what I need to focus on) is to love my wife by giving my whole life to and for her. I need to stop demanding respect (let's face it, I might never say it out loud but I am good at playing the selfish game) and instead focus my energy on serving her needs and desires. My goal is to make her radiate. And, if I get to wash her from time to time... well, that would make this a pg blog!
Showing posts with label Ephesians 5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ephesians 5. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
kick at the darkness...
Ephesians 5:8-20
Paul changes his metaphor from clothes or uniforms to darkness and light and contrasts what it means to live as a child of the light with living as a child of darkness. He includes a quote that could be part of an early hymn. The thesis statement for this section is: "live as children of the light". A child of light has nothing to do with the darkness except to expose with the light of Christ to bring life to it. A child of light is wise in the way she lives. A child of light makes the most of every opportunity. A child of light avoids drunkeness, submits to the Spirit and has a thankful attitude.
The first thing that really stands out to me is that we are not just supposed to remain pure but we are also supposed to expose the evil in our world. We've developed the monastic type of Christanity without actually building monastaries because we've focused so much on the remaining pure. So we send our kids to Christian schools, publish a directory of Christian businesses, only develop friendships with other Christians, etc. Part of our role is to shine the light of Christ into the darkness so that it can also become light. It reminds me of the Barenaked Ladies' cover of Bruce Cockburn's "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" (I could have just said Bruce Cockburn but then I wouldn't have been able to have the words barenaked ladies in my blevo!): You've got to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight. Our job is not just to be pure but to shine the light of Christ into the darkness to create life and light where there was once only darkness. I think if Paul were alive today he would have used a nuclear analogy: we are radioactive and part of our job is to maintain the glow in our selves but the other part of our job is to "contaminate" the darkness so it begins to glow as well.
Ok, this is getting long but I'm pretty passionate about this. We can't just hide out in our bomb shelters and admire each other's light. We need to take that light back into the darkness! However, there is a time for us to shine our lights for each other in order to encourage each other. Paul says that children of light sing to one another in hymns, etc. Our worship today is individualistic even when it is corporate: we close our eyes and shut out everyone else because I am worshiping God. Paul has a different idea - that my worship encourages others to worship and their's encourages mine. Instead of shutting our eyes and closing everyone out, I should be worshiping in community for the glory of God and the edification of my fellow disciples.
Paul changes his metaphor from clothes or uniforms to darkness and light and contrasts what it means to live as a child of the light with living as a child of darkness. He includes a quote that could be part of an early hymn. The thesis statement for this section is: "live as children of the light". A child of light has nothing to do with the darkness except to expose with the light of Christ to bring life to it. A child of light is wise in the way she lives. A child of light makes the most of every opportunity. A child of light avoids drunkeness, submits to the Spirit and has a thankful attitude.
The first thing that really stands out to me is that we are not just supposed to remain pure but we are also supposed to expose the evil in our world. We've developed the monastic type of Christanity without actually building monastaries because we've focused so much on the remaining pure. So we send our kids to Christian schools, publish a directory of Christian businesses, only develop friendships with other Christians, etc. Part of our role is to shine the light of Christ into the darkness so that it can also become light. It reminds me of the Barenaked Ladies' cover of Bruce Cockburn's "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" (I could have just said Bruce Cockburn but then I wouldn't have been able to have the words barenaked ladies in my blevo!): You've got to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight. Our job is not just to be pure but to shine the light of Christ into the darkness to create life and light where there was once only darkness. I think if Paul were alive today he would have used a nuclear analogy: we are radioactive and part of our job is to maintain the glow in our selves but the other part of our job is to "contaminate" the darkness so it begins to glow as well.
Ok, this is getting long but I'm pretty passionate about this. We can't just hide out in our bomb shelters and admire each other's light. We need to take that light back into the darkness! However, there is a time for us to shine our lights for each other in order to encourage each other. Paul says that children of light sing to one another in hymns, etc. Our worship today is individualistic even when it is corporate: we close our eyes and shut out everyone else because I am worshiping God. Paul has a different idea - that my worship encourages others to worship and their's encourages mine. Instead of shutting our eyes and closing everyone out, I should be worshiping in community for the glory of God and the edification of my fellow disciples.
Monday, March 17, 2008
not even a hint
Ephesians 5:3-7
Paul is continuing his list of "old clothes": take off sexual immorality, impurity and greed (he doesn't provide a contrasting piece of the new uniform for these. Perhaps because it would have been very obvious to his audience that they should replace these with purity, faithfulness and contentment); take off foolish talk, obscenity and coarse joking and replace them with thanksgiving.
Then Paul lays out a very scary warning: those who have these things as part of their uniform will not inherit the kingdom of Christ. The good news is that by placing my faith in Christ, the old uniform is done away with and while, at times I still act as if I belong to the old team, my salvation is secure because it depends on Christ's work, not mine.
The phrase that really stands out to me is "there must not be even a hint..." I know that there are times that I have dabbled around the edges and even crossed over into impurity. I know that if impurity was like a campfire that it wouldn't be hard to catch a whiff of smoke on my clothes because I've gotten too close (and sometimes so close that I've blistered up). I think that we (as the Church in North America - and maybe even beyond that) have lost sight of this standard of holiness - not just in the area of sexual immorality but also in areas of integrity, of business ethics, in materialism, in pride, in greed, etc. We justify that we are not sinning because we are not as bad as those who don't know Jesus (not sure that statistics would support that but I think we say it anyway) or that our sin isn't such a big deal in the scheme of things or that it is a matter of personal conviction or preference. Later in Ephesians 5 we'll learn that Jesus gave himself up for the Church to present her as pure, holy, radiant, spotless bride. Help us to live up that!
Paul is continuing his list of "old clothes": take off sexual immorality, impurity and greed (he doesn't provide a contrasting piece of the new uniform for these. Perhaps because it would have been very obvious to his audience that they should replace these with purity, faithfulness and contentment); take off foolish talk, obscenity and coarse joking and replace them with thanksgiving.
Then Paul lays out a very scary warning: those who have these things as part of their uniform will not inherit the kingdom of Christ. The good news is that by placing my faith in Christ, the old uniform is done away with and while, at times I still act as if I belong to the old team, my salvation is secure because it depends on Christ's work, not mine.
The phrase that really stands out to me is "there must not be even a hint..." I know that there are times that I have dabbled around the edges and even crossed over into impurity. I know that if impurity was like a campfire that it wouldn't be hard to catch a whiff of smoke on my clothes because I've gotten too close (and sometimes so close that I've blistered up). I think that we (as the Church in North America - and maybe even beyond that) have lost sight of this standard of holiness - not just in the area of sexual immorality but also in areas of integrity, of business ethics, in materialism, in pride, in greed, etc. We justify that we are not sinning because we are not as bad as those who don't know Jesus (not sure that statistics would support that but I think we say it anyway) or that our sin isn't such a big deal in the scheme of things or that it is a matter of personal conviction or preference. Later in Ephesians 5 we'll learn that Jesus gave himself up for the Church to present her as pure, holy, radiant, spotless bride. Help us to live up that!
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