A couple of times, I’ve seen discussion about whether or not we should translate Ephesians 4:1 as “ live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Or “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” The debate is about how we translate the word peripateo. The argument for “walk” is that… Continue reading Live or walk in Ephesians 4-5? How much does a word really matter?
Tag: Ephesians
Marriage at work in Ephesians
In my detailed engagement with Andrew Bartlett’s book, “Men and Women in Christ, we’ve got to the bit where he engages with Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3. You will probably have picked up that I think he should have made this his starting point Now, you might think that maybe this reflects my own bias,… Continue reading Marriage at work in Ephesians
Heads, Hierarchies, submission and love
Under this title, Andrew Bartlett looks at Colossians 3 and Ephesian 5 in his book. He suggests that in relation to these passages, we should address three questions, disputed by commentators. 1.Does Paul teach in these letters that marriage is a hierarchical relationship in which the husband is in a position of unilateral authority over… Continue reading Heads, Hierarchies, submission and love
TL:DR Jesus loves his church … so let him
I recently suggested that the TL:DR (quick summary for those who because something was too long, didn’t read it) of Ephesians 5:22-32 is “husbands are to love their wives and wives are to let them.” The basis for my argument was that we may struggle with authority(headship) and submission language but authority is to do… Continue reading TL:DR Jesus loves his church … so let him
Submitting to one another and learning love languages
My friend Steve Kneale has written a very helpful article here about how we learn to experience love across cultures. In his article, he picks up on how the concept of “love languages” has often been misunderstood and misused. Steve, observes that too often, people talk in terms of what their “love language” is meaning… Continue reading Submitting to one another and learning love languages
Ephesians and the prosperity Gospel
There’s been a lie going around for so many years, often referred to as “The Prosperity Gospel.” This is the belief that if we have enough faith and use the right words, then we can claim whatever we like from God and he will give it to us. This is sometimes known as “Health, wealth… Continue reading Ephesians and the prosperity Gospel
Can I skip Sunday?
I remember the conversation well. We were part of a church at the time that published a term card with the topics and speakers listed for each Sunday. The other person looked at the term card and saw that coming up was a sermon on Ephesians 5:22-32. They said “I think I’ll give that Sunday… Continue reading Can I skip Sunday?
Ephesians and Church leadership
We want our church leadership to be Biblical. Usually by this, we mean that we want to appoint people to the offices we find in Scripture and mirror the structures we find there. The problem is that there is often a lot of disagreement here because in fact the New Testament doesn’t really have that… Continue reading Ephesians and Church leadership
Ephesians and mission
What does Ephesians have to say about the mission of The Church and our part in it? Well, to start with, it begins with the mission of God. It is the Father himself who chooses to love and bless us by seeking us out when we were far off, dead in sin, aligned with and… Continue reading Ephesians and mission
Slaves and Masters
Ephesians 5-6 applies the way God’s love poured out to us is reflected in our love for each other in four relational examples Encouraging one another in the church Marriage Parents and children Slaves and Masters Here is some background reading relating to the 4th example with a look at church history and the movement… Continue reading Slaves and Masters
Faithroots 