The Walk Per Day

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160) Gal 6:10 . .So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

Good can take any number of forms but I think a useful description we could apply here is "beneficial".

Jesus did good (Acts 10:30) i.e. he was very definitely beneficial; not just on the cross or by his teachings, but in non spiritual ways too.

Those who are of the "household of the faith" are actually kin; viz: siblings; and like they say: charity begins at home.

Some churches have what they call a deacon's fund; to assist members who are down and out and/or in dire straits.

And don't overlook your church's senior citizens. Some may be getting up in years and finding it difficult to even maintain their own homes and yards anymore. Chores may not seem all that spiritual; but pitch in anyway if for no other reason than your assistance is beneficial.

161) Gal 6:11-16 . .Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For those who are circumcised do not even keep the commandments themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh.

. . . But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor un-circumcision, but a new creation. (cf. Acts 15:5-32)

Some Christians truly believe it's possible to be an adherent of both Judaism and Christianity at the same time (e.g. Messianic Judaism). No, that's against the rules. Judaism must be abandoned if one is to take up Christianity because human sacrifice is illegal under the terms and conditions of the covenant that Yhvh's people agreed upon with God as per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. If you try to take up both religions at the same time, the one will invalidate the other.

162) Eph 2:11-22 . .Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called uncircumcised by those who call themselves the circumcision-- that done in the body by the hands of men --remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

. . . But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ . . Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household

Christians are prone to forget; and one of the things they forget is that their religion didn't begin with the Roman Catholic Church; no, it began with Abraham; and the purpose of Gentiles hearing the gospel is not so they can replace the Jews as God's chosen people, but rather, so they can join them and share in their blessings.

● Rom 11:17-18 . . If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, don't boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You don't support the root, but the root supports you.

● John 4:22 . . Salvation is of the Jews.

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[Gabriel Anton]

#27

 

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163) Eph 4:1 . . As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

What if a believer refuses to live a life worthy of their calling? Will they be lost? No; believers have eternal life, which is a kind of live that cannot die; therefore, it's impervious to the wages of sin.

● Rom 6:23 . . The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

People with eternal life have 100% immunity from prosecution.

● John 5:24 . . I assure you, those who heed my message, and trust in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

The reason they will never be condemned for their sins is because Christ was raised again for our justification. (Rom 4:25). The Greek word is dikaiosis (dik-ah'-yo-sis) which essentially means acquittal-- a legal term that can be roughly defined as the act of adjudicating that a person is not guilty, i.e. an acquittal is a legal declaration of innocence.

According to 1John 1:8-10 believers in this life are never 100% sinless; but that's no longer a legal issue for Christ's sheep seeing as how according to 2Cor 5:19 God is no longer keeping a record of their sins to hold against them at the great white throne event depicted at Rev 20:11-15.

164) Eph 4:2 . . Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, putting up with another in love.

Humility is one of those virtues that people love to talk about; but rarely ever seem to exemplify.

The koiné Greek word is a tongue twister. It's tapeinophrosune (tap-i-nof-ros-oo'-nay) which means: humiliation of mind, viz: modesty; which Webster's defines as: free from conceit and/or vanity. I don't know if you've seen the movie AMADEUS but one thing Tom Hulce's character, Mr. Wolfgang Mozart, sorely lacked was modesty.

Conceit is defined as: excessive appreciation of one's own worth or virtue; viz: a too-high opinion of one's self; viz: a master-race mentality.

Vanity is defined as: inflated pride in oneself or in one's appearance; viz: narcissism and/or self adoration.

Cosmetics and figure-shaping undergarments don't really qualify as the kind of vanity that Paul is talking about; which is a kind of vanity that goes way beyond just trying to look your best.

Sinful vanity is an ugly creature. It's self aggrandizing. Vanity isn't gentle either, on the contrary, vanity can be quite cruel, thoughtless, competitive, given to rivalry, indifferent, and insensitive; and vanity abhors associating with people whose station in life is decidedly below its own; and God forbid someone below themselves should have the nerve to correct either their conduct or their knowledge.

Patience is a jewel. It's defined as: the power, or capacity, to endure without complaint something difficult or disagreeable. Patient people seem to have a predilection for retaining their composure while under stress. These make the best leaders because they don't get flustered when everything around them is disintegrating into chaos.

Patience is very useful when it comes to "putting up" with certain kinds of rather annoying Christians who seem to have a knack for getting on people's nerves.

During my forty years working as a professional welder, I encountered numerous fellow employees whose skills and performance were excellent; but nobody could work with them. They were just too difficult.

God forbid that Christ's followers should ever be "difficult". It is rather to be desired that they be civil, courteous, thoughtful, sociable, agreeable, helpful, approachable, accommodating, affable, rational, reasonable, temperate, and self-controlled. Christians around whom everybody has to walk on egg shells all the time, are in sore need of a personality make-over if they're to ever have any realistic expectation of associating with God on a friendly basis.

165) Eph 4:3 . . Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Peace is what everybody wants but seem thoroughly unable to attain; even in Christian churches, where you'd think that at least there you'd find peace seeing as how it's related to one of Christ's beatitudes.

● Matt 5:9 . . Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called sons of God.

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[Gabriel Anton]

#29

 

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166) Eph 4:17-19 . . So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the pagans do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

Sensuality and the life of God are diametrically opposed to each other. The one is carnal and the other is spiritual, the one is human and the other is divine. The one does whatever comes natural below, and the other does whatever comes natural above.

Paul said that pagans live as they do because of the hardening of their hearts which doesn't always refer to ones emotions-- those can be roughly defined as one's bowels (e.g. 2Cor 6:12, Php 1:8, Php 2:1, Col 3:12, et al).

Hardening of the heart takes place at the core of one's being; the very marrow of their bones; for example the heart of the Pharaoh who opposed Moses and Aaron in the book of Exodus.

Some things are said to be scratch-resistant, fire-resistant, mold-resistance, UV-resistant, rust-resistant, and so forth. Well; a hard heart is God-resistant, really God-resistant. If the highway to Hell could be said paved with sensuality, then the substrate upon which the pavement is laid could be depicted as hard hearts; for example:

● Zech 7:11-12 . . But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts.

167) Eph 4:20-24 . .You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

When God completed the six days of creation, He went on sabbatical (Gen 2:1-3). The six days were all bounded by an evening and a morning. The seventh wasn't bounded; i.e. it hasn't ended, indicating that God has yet to resume creating things for the current cosmos. So then, the new self spoken of in the passage above isn't for the current cosmos, rather, it's a self created for a cosmos yet to come. (Isa 65:17, 2Pet 3:13, Rev 21:1)

The koiné Greek word for "desire" is epithumia (ep-ee-thoo-mee'-ah) which means: a longing.

Epithumia by itself doesn't indicate sinful desires. The very same word describes the Lord's personal longing to dine in the company of his apostles just prior to being crucified. (Luke 22:15)

The kind of longings in view are "deceitful" which is from the koiné Greek word apate (ap-at'-ay) and means delusion, which Webster's defines as: a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self, or persons or objects outside the self, that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary-- in other words: deceitful longings are delusional longings.

For example: the old saying "The grass is greener on the other side" which of course is an unreasonable expectation. Some people sincerely believe that they would be happier if only they had more money. Well; sad to say, money can be guaranteed to buy you neither love nor happiness.

Delusional longings get people to chasing after brass rings that may or may not satisfy; viz: sometimes the dream is better than the reality. Meanwhile, their life clock is winding down while they're in pursuit of those brass rings and they are steadily becoming more and more secular and unspiritual. Paul "insists" that Christ's followers avoid squandering their time and energy chasing after delusional longings; viz: keep their feet on the ground and their heads out of the clouds.

168) Eph 4:25 . .Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

Honesty is demanded by the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God in the Old Testament (Lev 19:11). Although a Christian's association with God is not based upon compliance with that covenant, it's still required that they be people of integrity who can be relied upon to tell the truth; especially to each other.

169) Eph 4:26a . . In your anger do not sin.

Anger isn't eo ipso evil. It's how one handles their anger that matters. Anger can be a very useful tool when it's applied by somebody who knows what they're doing. For example :

● Mark 3:5 . . And when Jesus had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man: Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

170) Eph 4:26b-27 . . Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the Devil a foothold.

Ol' Smutty Face is no slouch. You just start holding a grudge, or fly off the handle at the inappropriate time, and you and the Devil will be roped together on the Eiger where your common goal won't be the summit of a mountain in Switzerland; but worse: disunity in the body. No fuming!

171) Eph 4:28 . . He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Isn't is just amazing that early Christian church members were active criminals? Yes, right there in the Ephesian church were thieves. Ironically Paul didn't order the Ephesian Christians to not steal, no, of all things; he ordered them to stop stealing; and not only to stop stealing, but to stop stealing for a living!

You'd think church would be the one place on earth where you'd be safe from crime, but not so. Back in the 1970's I sang bass in the choir of a monster Baptist church in San Diego. The 90+ member choir would meet in a rehearsal room and the ladies would all leave their purses in there when we moved out to be seated in the loft. The room had a very sturdy door and was always securely locked when we left the room.

Well, one Sunday morning when we returned to the room, that Fort Knox door and its lock were smashed open and all the ladies' purses were rifled.

Does cheating on your taxes count as theft? (chuckle) If the Ephesian Christians needed to be told to stop stealing, then modern Christians even more so; don't you think?

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[Gabriel Anton]

#29

 

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172) Eph 4:29 . . Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

"helpful" is from the koiné word oikodome (oy-kod-om-ay') which means: to build up (as opposed to tearing down).

"foul or abusive" is from the koiné Greek word sapros (sap-ros') which means: rotten, i.e. worthless (literally or morally) viz: inappropriate.

The foul and abusive category no doubt includes not only profanity, but also biting sarcasm, cruel remarks, thoughtless comments, chafing, relentless fault-finding, sneering, ridicule, and unnecessary criticism.

Language that's good, helpful, and encouraging is essential if one is to be serious about exemplifying the fifth beatitude.

● Matt 5:7 . . Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Speaking of humanity as a corporate body, the Bible says:

● Rom 3:13a . .Their throat is an open sepulcher

It's not advisable to open a sepulcher seeing as how the contents are no doubt going to be quite odious and in a state of decay; especially in locales where the remains weren't cremated or treated with formaldehyde.

173) Eph 4:30 . . Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

The koiné Greek word for "grieve" is lupeo (loo-peh'-o) which means: to distress; to make sad. There's a lot being said these days about human rights abuses, while very little to nothing is said about abusing God's Spirit; which is no doubt far more common. (cf. Gen 6:6-7)

Seals aren't always a mark or a tattoo or an impression made in wax with a signet ring. Sometimes a seal is merely a vocal validation. For example:

● Matt 3:16-17 . . And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

In other words: God vouched for Jesus' credibility by sending His spirit to mark him out, and also by a solemn pronouncement. By that method; God himself personally sealed Jesus' mission; viz: signed off on it; so to speak.

● John 6:27 . . Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life; which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.

Christ's followers are singled out by the Spirit too; but not with a visible bird or an audible voice, but rather; by the Spirit's occupation inside their very bodies. Christ's followers can't see the Spirit for themselves of course; but God can see it and that's really all that matters anyway in the long run.

But we really should address this "grieve" thing; what's that all about? Well, for starters; it's not something new. Way back in time it was said of God:

"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the Earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the Earth, and He was grieved in His heart." (Gen 6:5-6)

Noah wasn't the only God-fearing man back in that day, but he was the only one of them not grieving God. Consequently he was spared death in the Flood while the others weren't.

174) Eph 4:31 . . Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior.

It wasn't the Lord's wish that Ephesian Christians avoid all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice; no; on the contrary, he wanted the Ephesians to "get rid" of them.

"bitterness" is from the koiné word pikria (pik-ree'-ah) which means: acrid, poisonous, and/or toxic (literally or figuratively)

Christians like that are nothing in the world but deadly reptiles.

● Rom 3:13b . . the poison of asps is under their lips

"rage" is from the koiné word thumos (thoo-mos') which means: passion (as if breathing hard). Passion is just the opposite of reason; and as everyone knows, emotions are incoherent; so it's to be expected an emotional person is not acting rationally. This is a kind of conduct that Paul says brings sorrow to God's Spirit.

"anger" is from the koiné word orge (or-gay') which means: desire (as a reaching forth or excitement of the mind), i.e. (by analogy,) violent passion, ire, (by implication: punishment)

People overcome by orge typically want some satisfaction; even to the point of at least your ruin; if not your death.

"harsh words" is from the koiné word krauge (krow-gay') which means: outcry.

Out-crying is what protestors do; in other words: assertive, in-your-face confrontational complaints and/or demands..

"slander" is from the koiné word blasphemia (blas-fay-me'-ah) which means: to vilify. Webster's defines "vilify" as: (1) to lower in estimation or importance, and (2) to utter slanderous and abusive statements against; viz: defame, discredit, and/or denigrate.

There's a lot of vilifying going on these days in the media against US President Donald Trump. God forbid that any of Christ's people should get involved in that sort of thing!

A statement need not be false in order to qualify as slander; it need only to be unnecessary; viz: you'll often hear people say: Well, I was only telling the truth. Were they? No, that's a ruse. In reality, they're insensitive; and they don't care who gets hurt by their thoughtless remarks.

The Lord notices the words people say, and he also takes note of the spirit in which they say them.

● Matt 12:36 . . But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

"malicious behavior" is from the koiné word kakia (kak-ee'-ah) which means: badness, i.e. (subjectively) depravity, or (actively) malignity, or (passively) trouble:

Malice usually includes the element of "spite" which Webster's defines as: petty ill will, or hatred, with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart. Compare that to the koiné word for "persecute" in the eighth Beatitude which means, literally: to pursue; viz: to stalk, to hound, to harass.

Webster's defines "thwart" as: (1) to run counter to so as to effectively oppose or baffle; viz: contravene, and (2) to oppose successfully; viz: to defeat the hopes or aspirations of; in other words: to deliberately get in someone's way; block, discourage.

Boy I'll tell you, that Ephesian church was as rough-hewn and crude as the old logging community of Stump Town (now Portland) out here in the Oregon of the 1800's. They cussed, they brawled, they bad-mouthed, they held grudges, they were thieves, they were arrogant, they somehow had the idea that Jews were below them, they were immodest, conceited, vain, and impatient, they walked unworthy of their calling, and they were splintered into cliques.

I've heard more than one expositor boast that the Ephesian believers represent Christ's church at its spiritual peak; but I thoroughly disagree. Yes, there were some outstanding individuals, but by and large the congregation's spiritual condition was decadent, deplorable, despicable, and unbecoming.

BTW: Where is the Ephesian church today? It's gone, just like Christ warned it would be.

● Rev 2:5 . . Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write . . I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

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[Gabriel Anton]

#30

 

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175) Eph 4:32 . . Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

(chuckle) that resembles a line from one of Bill And Ted's adventure movies: "Be excellent to each other"

Within the context of the letter Paul wrote and sent to the Christians residing in the ancient city of Ephesus; the objects "one another" and "each other" are exclusive; viz: the comments refer only to one's fellow Bible-believing Christians rather than the world at large. So if you're unwilling to be kind and compassionate to outsiders; at least be so with people at church so as to help prevent church from becoming a hostile worship environment.

The koiné Greek word for "kind" is chrestos (khrase-tos') which means: employed; viz: useful.

Chrestos is found in only seven places in the New Testament, and without exception implies being beneficial to others for their own good rather than using people for a selfish purpose of your own.

The word for "compassionate" is eusplagchnos (yoo'-splangkh-nos) which means: sympathetic.

Webster's defines sympathy as: 1) an affinity, association, or relationship between persons or things wherein whatever affects one similarly affects the other, 2) inclination to think or feel alike: emotional or intellectual accord, 3) feeling of loyalty: tendency to favor or support, 4) the act, or capacity, of entering into or sharing the feelings or interests of another, 5) sensitivity, and 6) heart; as in "have a heart".

Eusplagchnos would make a good substitute for a word found in one of the Lord's beatitudes.

● Matt 5:7 . . Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

"merciful" is from the koiné Greek word eleemon (el-eh-ay'-mone) which means pretty much the same thing as eusplagchnos: compassionate and sympathetic.

In my dad's final months of battling with a terminal cancer back in the late 1960's, he was in a great deal of pain and discomfort which made it difficult for him to sleep. In fact, he couldn't sleep in a bed at all. He sat on a small stool and rested face-down with his forehead on a coffee table in the front room.

One day, as we were driving to our week-end ritual of coffee and donuts on a Saturday morning, he complained that his third wife (call her Rosa) seemed indifferent to his condition. He remarked that he didn't want sympathy, just some understanding. Well, I was both perplexed and amused; and asked him: Dad, how can Rosa possibly appreciate your feelings without being sympathetic?

Dad was stumped. The problem was, he never knew his own father; and his mother abandoned him with relatives when he was just a toddler. My dad was a tough, self reliant old ex-Navy farm boy who himself was thoroughly unable to sympathize with anybody. In his prime, Dad was a brutal man, given to outbursts of rage and purple epithets. He was defensive, combative, thoughtless, and quite cruel to animals too. In my dad's mind, sympathy was for panty-waists not for "real men" but there he was in old age, dying of a terminal cancer; and starving for compassion-- something he'd wanted all his life but could never admit.

It used to be that Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts were trained to be useful to others as just simply a matter of good deeds and good citizenship. I don't know, maybe they still are; but I've known lots of churchians who were totally useless to others because they're infected with an ugly spirit of conceit, rivalry, and indifference. Far from being kind and compassionate; those Christians are actually sociopathic and don't even know it.

The word "forgiving" is charizomai (khar-id'-zom-ahee) which essentially means: to grant as a favor; viz: gratuitously. I.e. courtesy.

Webster's defines gratuitous as: 1) given unearned or without recompense, 2) not involving a return benefit or compensation or consideration, 3) costing nothing: free, 4) not called for by the circumstances: unwarranted, 5) complimentary, 6) gratis, and 7) voluntary. In other words; charizomai seeks no reciprocation; it never says "you owe me one"

Sailors are oft heard to say that the sea is very unforgiving: meaning it allows no room for error or weakness. Christians ought not be like the sea. We ought to be the most forgiving people on the planet; and not because we expect others to reciprocate; but just because we enjoy being gratuitous. For some Christians though, courtesy is an effort.

Eph 4:31-32 isn't easy. What we're looking at there is not just good citizenship; no, what we're looking at is something divine in both its nature and its behavior.

● Php 2:1-2 . . If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

The koiné Greek word for "bowels" is splagchnon (splangkh'-non) which means: an intestine. Your gut is the very place where you "feel" pity and/or sympathy for others-- that is; if you're capable of those kinds of feelings; not everyone is.

176) Eph 5:1 . . Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children

One's dad is probably the most important role model a kid can have, that is, if he's a good man; otherwise, he'll just be another bad influence. It's pretty kool when a kid can look at its dad and honestly say, from the bottom of its heart: "Dad; when I grow up, I want to be just like you".

In this case, the imitator isn't a pretender; no, he's not a stand-up comic mimicking a famous celebrity. What we're talking about here is duplication; in other words: God's children shouldn't just act like Him, they should reproduce Him; so that when the angels observe God's child at work or at play, they can say: "Yep; that kid sure takes after his old man; he's a chip off the old block"

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[Gabriel Anton]

#31

 

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177) Eph 5:2 . . Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Christ's love went way beyond just being friendly and helpful. His was a sacrificial kind of love; in other words: it was protective and supportive at the cost of deep expense to himself-- but not just as a humanitarian. Christ's life counted for more than just being neighborly, his life of love was an act of worship.

"I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me." (John 6:38)

"I do always those things that please Him." (John 8:29)

In point of fact, God prefers to be worshipped by love than by church attendance.

"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." (Hos 6:6)

178) Eph 5:3a . . Among you; there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality

I've lost count of the number of celebrities I've seen on television talk shows shacking up with people and boasting about their babies while in reality those children are illegitimate and nothing to be proud of at all.

When my sister got knocked up by a sailor boyfriend back in the late 1950's at the age of seventeen, our parents whisked her off to an aunt out of state to avoid the disgrace. My sister gave up her baby to adoption right out of the womb and nobody back home was any the wiser; but today, who really cares anymore?

FYI: The illegitimacy rate in the USA during 2013 was almost 41% of total births and it's no longer illegitimacy; now it's labeled Non-marital Childbearing. (chuckle) a rose by any name is still the same flower.

My wife once belonged to a woman's group in a mega-church we attended back in 1980. One of the ladies was married to an assistant pastor whose duties included counseling married couples. She told my wife you wouldn't believe the amount of adultery that goes on among married church members, and she wasn't talking about your average rank and file pew warmers either; no, her husband counseled church members a whole lot higher up than that.

That church was very impressive and had something like 4,000 members on the books. It's budget was over $16,000 per week. (The buying power of $16,000 in 1980 was comparable to the buying power of roughly $46,600 in 2016). To look at that church with its buildings, its property, it's programs, its membership numbers, its music, its missionary outreach, and its whopping budget; you would think it housed the holiest collection of saints on earth. But no; behind the scenes, behind the façade, behind the curtain, behind the pulpit; there was moral decadence. (cf. Matt 23:27-28)

● Ecc 3:16 . . And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. (cf. Matt 23:27-28)

179) Eph 5:3b . . nor any kind of impurity, or of greed

It's so easy to assume that naughty fantasies and inappropriate content-like behavior are the impurities that Paul is talking about; but any behavior associated with sin is an impurity. So then, maybe you're an usher in church; but are you dishonest? And maybe you sing in the choir, but are you a malicious gossip? And maybe you attend mid-week prayer meetings; but do you deny your children even common courtesy and their fundamental human rights? And maybe you teach Sunday school, but do you go over the speed limit, feed parking meters, J-walk, and drift through stop signs? And maybe you even stand in the pulpit; but do you have a drinking problem?

Webster's defines "greed" as avarice; which is an excessive, or insatiable, desire for wealth or gain. Greed is associated with biblical covetousness. Just simply wanting money isn't sin. It's wanting money simply for the sake of accumulating it that's covetousness. Ben Franklin once said a penny saved, is a penny earned; but to greedy people a penny saved is a penny stockpiled. Were you to ask a greedy person to name the dollar figure that would satisfy them, they would likely respond: "more"

180) Eph 5:4 . . Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

The koiné Greek word for "foolish talk" is morologia (mo-rol-og-ee'-ah) which means silliness; viz: buffoonery.

Webster's defines a buffoon as: 1) a ludicrous figure; viz: a clown, and 2) a gross, and usually ill-educated stupid person; viz: an ignoramus. I think I would put gross high on the list of undesirable buffoon-type behaviors. It's okay for kids to be gross, but thoroughly unbecoming for a mature adult.

The word for "coarse joking" is eutrapelia (yoo-trap-el-ee'-ah) which means witticism in a vulgar sense; viz: ribaldry. Double entendres would probably fall into that category along with suggestive remarks.

The word for "thanksgiving" is eucharistia (yoo-khar-is-tee'-ah) which means: gratitude; viz: grateful language.

You know "thank you" is not a dirty word. Christ's people should never take the attitude that just because somebody is doing their job that they don't deserve recognition.

One of my favorite romantic comedies is "No Reservations" starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart. Prior to filming, Catherine took a job waiting tables to get a feel for working as a waitress. On several occasions, patrons didn't even look up at her nor speak in a cordial tone when they ordered. It struck her as remarkable that the people whom she was serving had absolutely no inclination to even so much as acknowledge her as a fellow human being.

A believer friend of ours once related to my wife that in the restaurant where she worked, a church group would meet once a week. They were noisy, they made a mess, they overstayed, and they ordered practically nothing but coffee and tea. They never left a tip; not one time. Those churchians were just as miserly and ungrateful as cranky old Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Story.

● Heb 12:28 . . we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear

It's not uncommon for people to ask: What is grace? Well; you're likely to hear any number of definitions; but we just listed a number of grace's aspects: concern for the welfare of others, generosity, morals, marital fidelity, clean speech, maturity, gratitude, and a sensible attitude towards wealth. Those aspects easily qualify as serving God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

What is reverence and godly fear? Well, a rough-hewn definition is: having a high enough opinion of God's core values to adopt them for your own and put them into practice.

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181) Eph 5:5-7 . . For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person-- such a man is an idolater --has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with futile words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be numbered among them.

That directive follows Eph 5:3-4; which lists things that are "improper for God's selected people" and "out of place" viz: inappropriate and unbecoming. (cf. Rom 12:1-2)

So then, what if a believer is immoral, impure and/or greedy? Will they be disowned and sent off to Hell? No, of course not. Believers have been emancipated: they have 100% immunity. Hell is for disbelievers, not believers. For beneficiaries of the new covenant, this is actually a non issue.

According to the literal wording of the new covenant as per Jer 31:31-34, God is not keeping a record of sins with which to slam Christ's believing followers

● 2Cor 5:19 . . God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them

The Greek word in that passage for "imputing" is logizomai (log-id'-zom-ahee) which means to keep an inventory; in other words: an indictment.

At the great white throne event depicted at Rev 20:11-15, the dead's personnel files will be opened. Well, were one of Christ's believing followers to appear before God at that event, their file would contain not one single sin: zero; viz: nothing with which to charge them.

● Rom 4:8 . . Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.

● John 5:24 . . I assure you; those who listen to my message, and believe in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. (cf. Heb 8:6-12)

However:

● Gal 5:13a . .You, my brethren, were called to be free. But do not use your liberty to indulge the base nature

To send a believer to Hell for indulging the base naturel would be inconsistent with the principles of redemption; which is from the koiné Greek words exagorazo (ex-ag-or-ad'-zo) which means: to buy up; and from lutroo (loo-tro'-o) which means: to ransom, and from apolutrosis] (ap-ol-oo'-tro-sis) which means: to ransom in full.

Christ sacrificed his life to ransom sinners in full from Hell while they were sinners; not after they first cleaned up their act in order to deserve it.

● Rom 5:6-9 . .Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now satisfied justice by his blood, how much more shall we be spared God's wrath through him!

When ransomed sinners indulge the base nature; they put themselves at risk of discipline (1Cor 10:1-15, Heb 12:5-13) an untimely death (1John 5:16) loss of reward (1Cor 3:13-15) and the status of yard debris. (John 15:1-7) but never hell.

That wayward son in Luke 15:11-32 was maybe out of touch with his father, but he never stopped being his father's son. There are some ties that just can't be broken.

● Rom 8:15-16 . . For you have not received a spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we call out: Abba! Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are God's kin.

● Eph 1:4-7 . . He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

● 1Thss 5:9 . . God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Liberated sinners are already citizens of the kingdom.

● Col 1:13 . . He has rescued us from the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of His dear son.

The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). However, a higher law overrules the wages of sin.

● Rom 8:1-2 . .There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death

● Rom 8:33 . .Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us.

NOTE: An acquittal can be defined as an adjudication of innocence when there is insufficient evident to convict. An acquittal is much better than a pardon because it leaves nothing on one's record to hold against them at a later date; whereas a pardon does nothing to expunge one's record.

182) Eph 5:8-9 . . For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)

Some Christians just can't seem to get it through their thick skulls that when somebody pins the Christian label on themselves, they're supposed to act like one.

● Matt 5:16 . . Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

● Rom 6:1-2 . . Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? God forbid! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

● 2Tim 2:19 . . Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

● 1John 1:6 . . If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.

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183) Eph 5:10 . . Find out what pleases the Lord.

People depending upon their intuition to know what pleases the Lord are of course doomed to failure because the information isn't available like that, no, it's something to "find out" which involves learning by means of books, sermons, lectures, seminars, radio Bible teachers, Sunday school classes, and personal Bible study.

This particular process of discovery has to include researching the Old Testament or one's findings will be incomplete.

● Rom 15:4 . . For whatever things were written before were written for our learning

● 1Cor 10:11 . . Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

184) Eph 5:11-12 . . Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of what the disobedient do in secret.

For an example of this directive, Genesis is mute about the despicable things that the Sodomites lusted to do to the two men lodging at Lot's house. It's as if the author drew a curtain over Sodom and said: This is just too shocking. I'm not going to spell out what the people of Sodom had in mind that night. You will just have to use your imagination.

Jude simply, and concisely, says that they were utterly unchaste; even to the point of having their way with innocent visitors. (Jude 1:7)

I think it's fair to ask just exactly how one might "expose" shameful deeds without at least identifying them and/or describing them to some degree.

The koiné Greek word for "shameful" is aischron (ahee-skhron') which means: indecorum.

Webster's defines "indecorum" as: impropriety. In other words, despicable acts should never be described explicitly in polite company, nor in the presence of children; which quite obviously precludes the use of a pulpit for explicit descriptions since congregations are an amalgam of men, women, wives, husbands, dads, moms, and underage children.

I don't think the Lord's directive forbids any and all mention of despicable acts. In other words, his directive doesn't say that I cannot tell polite company that the Bible condemns the conduct of pedophiles, gays, lesbians, transvestites, and inappropriate content stars just so long as I don't start describing, in all their lurid detail, the revolting things they do to, and with, each other in private and/or on film or in view of an audience.

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185) Eph 5:14 . .Wake up, O sleeper! . . rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

Some Christians just don't care. They don't think obedience to their Lord's commandments is all that important. They're indifferent, half-hearted, half baked, asleep at the wheel, off-reservation, in their heads, in their own little world; and totally oblivious that they're being of no use to Christ at all.

186) Eph 5:15 . . So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise.

"Wise" of course meaning to live your life in such a way that it counts for Christ instead of only counting for yourself and/or counting for the world. For example: if you get pulled into the worlds of corporate management and political activism; I can just about guarantee that your life is not counting for Christ because those are really big distractions and sometimes its players have to play dirty to survive.

The "fools" then can justly be described as people who live with little regard for scruples; defined by Webster's as an ethical consideration or principle that inhibits action. For example, the pioneer of FaceBook stole the idea. Though what he did was legal, it was not ethical.

I would strongly suggest that when the law of the land permits Christians to be unscrupulous that they not take advantage of it because God will most certainly hold them to account.

187) Eph 5:17 . .Therefore do not be uninformed, but understand what the Lord's will is.

In other words: Christians are not supposed to fly by the seat of their pants, but rather, fly by instruments: viz: fly intelligently; and that entails reading a driver's manual before attempting to operate a car, so to speak.

Moses told Yhvh's people that there is no need to go on a special "golden fleece" quest to discover what the Lord's will is; either out in space nor across the ocean in a foreign land. No, the Lord's will is easily accessible between the covers of even the cheapest second-hand Bible on the shelves of a thrift store.

However; no Bible-- no matter how cheap, nor how expensive, nor what version-- is of any real use if it's not studied. But even systematic Bible study is quite thwarted when the information isn't retained.

● Jas 1:22-25 . . Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.

188) Eph 5:18 . . Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

If more Christians would comply with that decree there wouldn't be so many of them in Alcoholics Anonymous. I've heard of studies indicating that some people have a genetic weakness for alcohol. Nevertheless, genetic or not, drunkenness is sin and Christians are under orders to subdue it.

● Col 3:5 . . So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.

Eph 5:18 doesn't forbid drinking; only getting drunk. Why do people get plastered anyway? Isn't it to make themselves feel good and better able to cope with life's difficulties? Alcohol therefore could be said to be an antidote to one's existence.

● Prv 31:6-7 . . Liquor is for the dying, and wine for those in deep depression. Let them drink to forget their poverty and remember their troubles no more.

Some of us seem born with a melancholy disposition but that's really not the same. Real depression will literally drive you to suicide. I know because I've been there.

So in that respect, pills and alcohol are a crutch. I'm not saying a crutch is a bad thing; I mean, after all, God created Eve as a crutch for Adam so then if all crutches are bad, then women are bad too. No, crutches per se are not bad; it's one's choice of crutch that matters; e.g. cocaine, methamphetamine, alcohol, valium, Prozac, overeating, etc.

God's Spirit is supposed to be a crutch for believers; but His effectiveness as a crutch is found only in something called the fruit of the Spirit.

● Gal 5:22-23 . . The fruit of the Spirit is joy, peace, and self control.

Two elements of the Spirit's fruit that have a powerful influence on a believer's well-being in life are Joy and Peace; which are obtained out of a bottle for only a short time; and are actually chemically dependent rather than supernaturally dependent.

But joy and peace come at a price.

● Rom 8:13 . . If you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,

In other words; Christ's followers should not expect to obtain the Spirit's joy and peace when their conduct is unbecoming.

189) Eph 5:19 . . Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs: singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord

That verse is actually pretty good justification for a church choir; but I really think it should also be used to justify hymn books in the pews too so the congregation can sing together. And make very sure the object of your music is Christ and/or his Father rather than other kinds of celestial personages; e.g. saints and angels.

190) Eph 5:20 . . Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The essential point to note is that Spirit-filled believers give thanks to God the Father rather than to Mary the so-called Mother of God (cf. Rom 8:15 and Gal 4:6) and they give their thanks in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ rather than in the name of a patron saint.

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191) Eph 5:21 . . Submit to one another out of respect for Christ.

The koiné Greek word for "submit" is hupotasso (hoop-ot-as'-so) which means: to subordinate (as a verb) which is just the opposite of dominance, equality, and/or rivalry and competition.

A workable synonym for the kind of submission we're talking about here is "deference" which Webster's defines as: (1) respect and esteem due a superior or an elder, and (2) affected, or ingratiating, regard for another's wishes; viz: honor.

This isn't about a pecking order. It's about regarding others as not equal to yourself, but actually better than yourself; and it pleases Christ to do so; besides just being just plain old good Christian manners.

● Matt 18:3-4 . . Whoever humbles himself as a little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Little children in that day were minors who had little or no social status at all to speak of. If somebody abused a minor; it was just too bad since there were no Child Services bureaus to defend them. Minors were typically among the ruled rather than among those who do the ruling; and they got like zero-to-none respect from their elders.

In other words, an imperious believer-- one that's assertive, bossy, take charge, demanding, argumentative, quarrelsome, impudent, conceited, domineering, confrontational, manipulative, reactive, independent, non negotiable, opinionated, obstinately or intolerantly devoted to their own opinions and prejudices, stubborn, and insistent upon their own way --is definitely a failure at subordinating themselves to their fellow believers in a manner consistent with the Lord's instructions.

192) Eph 5:22 . .Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

The koiné word for "submit" in this verse is the very same one we just discussed, and never means that wives take orders from their husbands like in some sort of despotic monarchy. We haven't changed the subject; in point of fact we're actually being redundant because what we're talking about here is deference rather than obedience. An attitude of deference is mandatory for Christians on both sides of the gender aisle-- men and women.

We should emphasize that these instruction are only for Spirit-filled couples. They're not for the average rank and file pew-warming couple, nor for the world's couples at large.

First of all; Spirit-filled wives walk in the fruit of the Spirit; which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self control. That alone filters out most wives. And they also speak to themselves with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs; making music in their hearts to the Lord rather than going around with a grumpy disposition all the time with a cross look on their face.

Spirit-filled wives don't strive for equality, nor do they compete with their husbands as rivals for supremacy, nor do they have to be right all the time. And most importantly, a Spirit-filled wife treads lightly on her husband's feelings.

A wife that's independent, quarrelsome, complaining, fault-finding, chafing, hostile, violent, carping, dominating, manipulating, critical, thin-skinned, defensive, assertive, aggressive, thoughtless, insensitive, loud, stubborn, difficult, cruel, gender-biased, confrontational, always clamoring about empowerment, and harboring a "I am woman! Hear me roar!" mentality is not the Lord's concept of deference.

A deferent wife is gracious, cordial, affable, approachable, temperate, genial, sociable, ready to turn the other cheek, generous, charitable, altruistic, tactful, sensitive, sympathetic; and above all coherent, reasonable, and rational rather than incoherent, emotional, and reactive.

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193) Eph 5:23-24 . . For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

People-- Christians, no less --have tried to circumvent that commandment by quoting Paul to refute Paul; for example:

● Gal 3:26-28 . . For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

But if we were to make Gal 3:26-28 a rule in civil affairs; then Christian marriages would be same-sex unions; and that, to say the least, is quite laughable.

If a Christian wife cannot treat her husband with the respect due him in accordance with Eph 5:21 then she should at least try to treat him with respect in accordance with Eph 5:23-24; in other words; treat her husband the way she would treat Christ were he the one sharing a home with her.

They say familiarity breeds contempt; and I'm afraid that a good number of Christians have gotten so accustomed to thinking of Christ as a sibling that they've forgotten he's primarily a monarch.

Though both husband and wife are equals as believers, and equally Christ's subjects, they are definitely not equals as man and wife. A Christian wife who humiliates her husband in any way literally humiliates Christ when she does so; and gives herself away that she's neither walking in the Spirit nor filled with the Spirit.

Men and women have very different needs as regards to respect. Shaunti Feldhahn, author of "For Women Only" relates a survey taken among segregated groups of men and women with this question: Given a choice; would you rather be disrespected, or would you rather be alone and unloved in the world? The majority of the ladies chose disrespect rather than living alone and unloved in the world while the majority of the men chose to live alone and unloved rather than be disrespected.

A young bride just starting out, with a head full of feminism and a heart infected with contempt for males; not caring how important respect is to men, will have no trouble turning her husband's marriage into a living hell for him without even half trying.

So then, what's one thing that every Spirit-filled wife can do to please Christ? Simple. Respect her husband. And don't respect him only if he earns your respect: no, respect him all the time just as you'd respect Christ all the time were he your husband. A wife cannot expect a husband to love her unconditionally when she won't make an effort to respect him unconditionally.

A very disturbing display of husband-wife disrespect took place in my own home. My wife and I used to baby-sit for a couple at church whenever they were away. When they came over one night to pick up their kids, my son and theirs were playing a really good Nintendo game. The daddy informed the kids it was time to go, and in customary kid-fashion they ignored him and kept playing their game. So he became gruff and ordered them out to the car.

His wife then proceeded to come down on him like the wrath of God and exclaimed: You're yelling at them in front of the Webers! Well, guess what? Mrs. Self-Righteous-Christianette was lecturing her husband in front of the Webers; and if you could have seen the look on his face you'd know that her husband was not going to get over the effects of his wife's public scolding for a long while to come; if ever.

You know, kids get used to their parents demeaning them in front of others. To kids, it's just a fact of life. However, I seriously doubt there's a husband on earth who can get used to his wife demeaning him in front of others.

● Prv 14:1 . . A wise woman builds her home; a foolish woman tears her home down with her own hands.

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194) Eph 5:25-27 . . Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Christ's love for the church is expressed in the grammatical past tense, which indicates he loved his own even before they existed in real life; which makes sense seeing as how the Bible says that Christ was the lamb slain before the cosmos was completed; and the names of the people in his church were already on record. (1Pet 1:19-20 and Rev 13:8 cf. Eph 1:4 and Rev 17:8)

Though Christ went to the cross for the whole world's benefit, it was the church that he had in mind all along. (1Tim 4:10)

I suppose any number of sermons could be written based upon Eph 5:25-27 but we need to keep moving.

195) Eph 5:28-33a . . In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- for we are members of his body.

. . ."For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery-- but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself,

That, of course, is a practical application of the so-called golden rule; which first shows up in the Bible at Lev 19:18, applied at Lev 19:34, and reiterated at Matt 7:12 and Luke 6:31.

The very opposite of the golden rule would be for a husband to do unto his wife the very things that he does do not enjoy being done to himself; either by word or by deed.

I'm not a qualified marriage counselor, but in my unprofessional opinion, were couples to practice the golden rule in their association with each other, it would go a long ways towards preventing their homes from becoming the semblance of a cold war.

There are toxic wives out there who do not deserve their husband's affections; and in fact have done all in their power to destroy them. Nevertheless, it is his Christian duty to continue looking after her, and to treat her well as if his very life depended upon it in spite of the fact that she may be someone he deeply regrets courting.

196) Eph 5:33b . . and the wife must respect her husband.

We're not talking about admiration here. The Greek verb for "respect" is phobeo (fob-eh'-o) which essentially refers to fright; and is used just that way in numerous places throughout the New Testament.

Some translators render phobeo as "reverence" which Webster's defines as honor or respect; felt or shown; which means that wives don't especially have to like their husbands in order to respect them. A show of respect will do in lieu of felt respect. In other words: the Christian wife would do well to stifle the disgust she feels for her husband and be civil.

I overheard a female caller on radio imperiously announcing to Dr. Laura that she couldn't respect her husband. So Dr. Laura asked her why. The caller responded: Because he hasn't earned my respect. So Laura asked the caller: Have you earned your husband's love? The caller retorted: I don't have to earn his love. It's a husband's duty to love his wife just as she is.

So Laura pointed out that the caller was practicing a double standard. She demanded that her husband love her unconditionally, while refusing to respect him unconditionally. And on top of that; had the chutzpah to dictate the rules of engagement regardless of how her husband might feel about it; thus making herself not only impossible to like, but also quite difficult to live with.

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[Gabriel Anton]

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197) Eph 6:1 . . Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

The koiné Greek word for "obey" in that verse is interesting. It's hupakouo (hoop-ak-oo'-o) which means to pay attention; viz: to heed; to mind.

The primary reason given for children minding their parents is simply that it's the right thing to do.

The parents of the command are "in The Lord" in other words, this rule doesn't pertain to kids with secular parents; which is a good loop hole because there may come times for kids to disobey their parents out of loyalty to a higher power. (cf. Matt 4:10, Matt 10:37)

Incidentally, have you noticed how little respect that parents get from their insolent progeny in modern television sit-coms, Hollywood movies, and advertising? It's a reflection of modern American culture's attitude towards doing what's right. Kids today are encouraged to do what's wrong in their homes instead of doing what's right. Modern entertainment trains children how to be demonic instead of divine.

Kids that mind their parents are usually much the happier for it. The rebellious ones typically end up living in a home from hell; i.e. dysfunctional.

198) Eph 6:2-3 . . Honor your father and mother-- which is the first commandment with a promise --that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.

The promise doesn't guarantee long life; it promises that, should you perchance survive to a ripe old age, they'll be good years. In other words; though a demon seed may live long and prosper, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll have a pleasant time of it. Things like happiness, peace, love, understanding, and contentment may end up eluding them every step of the way.

The koiné Greek word for "honor" in Eph 6:2 is timao (tim-ah'-o) which means to prize, viz: to fix a valuation upon; to revere, to think highly of.

The very same word is used at Matt 15:4-6 where Jesus related the fifth commandment to caring for one's dependent parents. Compare that to 1Tim 5:4 where it's said:

"If a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God."

I should point out that one's parents need not be deserving of honor. They only need to be one's parents; whether good parents or bad parents makes no difference.

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[Gabriel Anton]

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