Ephesians



1:1 Simply put, "saints" are those who are faithful in Christ.


1:4 [paraphrase] God chose mankind , before creating us, to be innocent, which we were, until Adam and Eve disobeyed.


1:5 [paraphrase] Out of love, he planned for us to be adopted through Christ.


1:4-5 Verses 4 and 5, taken together, show the chronological plan of God, how he created us perfect, but we disobeyed. He then provided a second way throgh Christ. The use of the word blameless in verse4 is significant, for before manking gained knowledge of good and evil, we were not accountable, but blameless and innocent. Verse 13 would contradict 4 and 5 if it meant that we were handpicked, because that verse puts the burden on belief.

1:13, 14 At rebirth, the Holy Spirit becomes a seal upon our soul. As long as we do not quench or blaspheme the Spirit, He remains our guarantee of salvation. The Greek word used here is that which refers to a wax seal. It takes little imagination to invent a way to tear off a bit of wax. As such, this word can hardly mean that the Holy Spirit, our seal, protects against forfeiting one's salvation. Rather, a wax seal is an indicator that the package is unopened and uncompromised. A seal allows us to know that we're saved, but it certainly does not keep us that way.

2:3 The term "sinful nature" is also rendered simply as "our flesh" indicating that in some translations, the words sin and flesh/carnality are used interchangably, though this is somewhar inaccurate.

2:8 It is by grace that we are saved, but grace comes by faith, and as Galatians 3:2, 5, and 6 show, it is not a work as some theologies suggest.

3:3 Again, Paul speaks of a personal revelation.

3:7 The grace that Paul speaks of is the revelation he recieved.

Before I begin my review of Galatians, I'd like to say that, in real-time, I'm reading Hebrews and the Epistle of Clement. I read a recent theory that Clement of Rome (as opposed to the Clement of Alexandria) could possibly be the author/editor of Hebrews. Paul seems an unlikely candidate because it lacks all the typical "Paulisms." The exact phrasology is different than any of Peter, Paul or John's works, but similar enough to be a paraphrase. It's all very interesting, now on with the review:

Galatians 1-3

1:6 makes reference to a different gospel. This echoes Paul's admonishment in II Corinthians 11:4.

1:11 states that Paul's gospel (his message, not some extrabiblical writing) is not man-made.

2:2 This seems to be a different revelation than the one Paul mentions in II Corinthians, because the II Cor vision occurs 11 years before the writing of that epistle and this one takes place 14 years after Paul's conversion.

2:11 Here Paul recounts Peter's failure to stick to pure teaching, instead revisiting old laws. Paul rebukes him for it.

2:16 The opposite of "justified by faith" is nothing other than justification by the Law.

2:18 seems to indicate that if you decide that the Law is necessary after all, then you become responsible for all your "transgressions" when you weren't keeping it.

2:21 Righteousness cannot be gained through the Law.

3: 2, 5, 6 Belief is what brings salvation, not Law. The juxtaposition of these two words shows that belief is not a "work."

3:12 The Law will be followed in Spirit, unintentionally, by those that believe, as a side-effect, not an intended action.

3:14 Abraham begats Jesus who, by our faith, adopts us into their lineage. Also, Christ is the "seed" of Abraham, not us; we are the branches of Christ. Descendance from Abraham has nothing to do with salvation.

3:28 In Christ there is niether Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, but one without physical distinction. Our distinctions, as Christians, are only spiritual. No physical characteristics should determine our spiritual function.

Finish Galatians HERE.

With this blog, I finish Romans. I am progressing through my notes faster than I am reading through the bible, which means that, eventually, you'll be getting these thoughts in real-time. How exciting for you.

10: 9-10 Active belief is a requirement of salvation, but not a work ( Gal. 3:2,5,6)

10:10 Interesting how the bible uses the phrase "believe with your heart." Whenever we believe, whatever we believe, the work is done within our brain. There is no thought in our heart, only action. Belief, by the heart, is belief-in-action.

11:7-11 Here, Paul talks about those who have hardened their hearts as though it's an exceptional phenomena, and something that happens infrequently. It's not suggestive of the idea that everyone who rejects Christ was forced into that corner. Verse 11 expands to show that such forced stumbling or blindness was not necessarily a permanent condition.

11:14 Paul indicates that his efforts could bring about a decision in the hearts of his fellow Jews, indicating that man's actions (though not personal works) can have a direct effect on a person's eternal situation, leaving no room for a master list theology.

11:20-21 Paul speaks of branches that are grafted in, but can be broken off (because of unbelief). He personalizes the branches as "you." He consistently uses grafted branches as a metaphor for Gentile Christians, and natural branches as a metaphor for Jews.

11:26 This is another instance of God, in the Old Testament, referring to a race by the name of their common patriarch.

11:28 "Elect" are the Jews.

12:6-8 Raised as a Wesleyan, these were the "official" gifts listed by our denomination. The Spiritual Gifts listed in I Corinthians were not excluded, but were less focused upon in some congregations.

13:1-3 This verse gives one reason why, despite the common-sense answer of bad things happening to bad things is good , blowing up abortion clinics (for example) is wrong. Also under this catagory fall prohibitions (in America, at least) of underage drinking and smoking.

13:11 As in Matthew 10:22, salvation is a term that addresses our rescue from this sinful world and Hell, not our status as a born-again believer. Paul states, to believers, that salvation is coming.

14:2-8 Meat sacrificed to idols is a real-life illustration for us and a dire situation for first-century Christians. It tells us that we should not cause our brother to stumble over their weaknesses, even if their weakness is not our own conscience rejects. The implication, therefore, is that something may be a sin for one man, but not another, so long as the bible give no strict prohibition of it. The difference between one man and another, as applies here, lies within the mind.

14:17-18 Living rightly (righteously, peacefully, and joyfully) will give you the approval of man, and not necessarily martyrdom.

15:30-31 Paul understands the need for prayer from our fellow brethern.

16:1 Phoebe is a "servant" translated from the Greek word from which we get "deacon," yet she was a woman. The same qualifications (I Tim. 3:1-7) that apply to a deacon like Phoebe apply to a pastor or leader.

16:10 It is possible to know whether a person is actually saved or not, since Paul notes that this knowledge came because Apelles had been "tested and approved" and not something that the Lord told him.

16:13 Rufus is the son of Simeon, probably the same that carried the cross of Christ, and was, therefore, present at the crucifixion. His name means "red," unusual for a Jew.

To begin I Corinthians, click HERE.