You Can Read the Bible Guided Podcast

In the first half of this epistle, Paul lavished praise on the Father, Son, and Spirit for the grace that has been given and the church that has been created.  This lays the groundwork for his encouragement, in today’s reading, to live according to those gifts: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  Listen to the practical instruction that is threaded throughout chapter 4, as Paul, “speaking the truth in love,” encourages the Ephesians to “grow up in every way into Him who is the head – into Christ.”

I want to draw your attention to the “Therefore…” clause in the middle of chapter 5: “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

The instructions that follow regarding submitting to one another – instructions to wives, husbands, children, and slaves –exemplify the spirit of what came immediately before.  In other words, they do not occur as abstractions, but as a unified presentation of “understand[ing] what the will of the Lord is.”  “Do not be foolish… understand what the will of the Lord is… do not get drunk… but be filled with the Spirit… addressing one another in psalms… singing and making melody… giving thanks always… submitting to one another.” 

When we were reading Romans, I encouraged you to pay attention to Paul’s logical sequence.  Words such as “then,” “therefore” and “for” introduce an idea that is dependent on the previous one.  Further, when you come across a passage that seems to have a singular instruction, look around to see if it is an example of a larger idea.  Paying attention to the context, especially through these epistles, is critical to accurately exploring the meaning of these passages.

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Ephesians 4 through 6.  Now let’s read it!

In the first half of this epistle, Paul lavished praise on the Father, Son, and Spirit for the grace that has been given and the church that has been created.  This lays the groundwork for his encouragement, in today’s reading, to live according to those gifts: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  Listen to the practical instruction that is threaded throughout chapter 4, as Paul, “speaking the truth in love,” encourages the Ephesians to “grow up in every way into Him who is the head – into Christ.”

I want to draw your attention to the “Therefore…” clause in the middle of chapter 5: “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

The instructions that follow regarding submitting to one another – instructions to wives, husbands, children, and slaves –exemplify the spirit of what came immediately before.  In other words, they do not occur as abstractions, but as a unified presentation of “understand[ing] what the will of the Lord is.”  “Do not be foolish… understand what the will of the Lord is… do not get drunk… but be filled with the Spirit… addressing one another in psalms… singing and making melody… giving thanks always… submitting to one another.” 

When we were reading Romans, I encouraged you to pay attention to Paul’s logical sequence.  Words such as “then,” “therefore” and “for” introduce an idea that is dependent on the previous one.  Further, when you come across a passage that seems to have a singular instruction, look around to see if it is an example of a larger idea.  Paying attention to the context, especially through these epistles, is critical to accurately exploring the meaning of these passages.

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Ephesians 4 through 6.  Now let’s read it!

During his third missionary journey, Paul had spent two years in Ephesus.  It was a large, wealthy city, with trade flourishing through its harbor on the Aegean Sea.  With its magnificent temple for Artemis, and its commitment to the emperor cult, we learn in Acts 19 that believers in The Way were seen as a threat to both the civic and economic equilibrium of Ephesus.  However, the church appears strong in the New Testament record, and it served as a base camp for evangelization of Asia Minor.

The letter to the church at Ephesus is, in many ways, the antithesis of the letters to Corinth and Galatia.  It is distinctly not committed toward addressing a set of problems.  It holds neither personal pleas nor intimate greetings, lending credence to the possibility that this letter was intended for all the churches in the region. 

After the introduction and expression of gratitude for the Gospel, previous letters have trained us to expect the hammer to fall: but it never does.  Instead, words like love, gift, riches, glory, and inheritance are repeated throughout these first three chapters, as Paul gushes over God’s workmanship.  Notice how the Lord as the primary subject comes to the fore, as Paul observes the character and authority of Father, Son, and Spirit fulfilling their purposes. 

One distinct point of celebration, or admiration, is the purpose of the church.  Each of the three chapters leads to a conclusive statement about it: in chapter 1, the church is described as God’s creation, Christ’s “body.”  In chapter 2, Paul presents an elaborate description of the church as “the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple to the Lord.”  And the benediction at the end of chapter 3 prays “To Him be glory in the church, and in Christ Jesus…”

As in Romans, there is so much here that it might be necessary to let it wash over you.  Paul is beside himself with excitement; it feels like he wants his readers to be excited as well. 

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Ephesians 1 through 3.  Now let’s read it!

During his third missionary journey, Paul had spent two years in Ephesus.  It was a large, wealthy city, with trade flourishing through its harbor on the Aegean Sea.  With its magnificent temple for Artemis, and its commitment to the emperor cult, we learn in Acts 19 that believers in The Way were seen as a threat to both the civic and economic equilibrium of Ephesus.  However, the church appears strong in the New Testament record, and it served as a base camp for evangelization of Asia Minor.

The letter to the church at Ephesus is, in many ways, the antithesis of the letters to Corinth and Galatia.  It is distinctly not committed toward addressing a set of problems.  It holds neither personal pleas nor intimate greetings, lending credence to the possibility that this letter was intended for all the churches in the region. 

After the introduction and expression of gratitude for the Gospel, previous letters have trained us to expect the hammer to fall: but it never does.  Instead, words like love, gift, riches, glory, and inheritance are repeated throughout these first three chapters, as Paul gushes over God’s workmanship.  Notice how the Lord as the primary subject comes to the fore, as Paul observes the character and authority of Father, Son, and Spirit fulfilling their purposes. 

One distinct point of celebration, or admiration, is the purpose of the church.  Each of the three chapters leads to a conclusive statement about it: in chapter 1, the church is described as God’s creation, Christ’s “body.”  In chapter 2, Paul presents an elaborate description of the church as “the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple to the Lord.”  And the benediction at the end of chapter 3 prays “To Him be glory in the church, and in Christ Jesus…”

As in Romans, there is so much here that it might be necessary to let it wash over you.  Paul is beside himself with excitement; it feels like he wants his readers to be excited as well. 

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Ephesians 1 through 3.  Now let’s read it!

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.”  - Galatians 3:27-29

Paul continues in chapter 4: “I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under the guardians and managers until the date set by his father.  In the same way also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.  But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”   

The concepts of adoption, of inheritance, of slavery and freedom, are central to Paul’s argument.  This is a brief letter that could be read to the church in a half hour, and it has the feel of a singular sermon with a singular message.  In the first third, Paul pronounces the problem and lays contextual groundwork; in the middle third, he builds the logical bridge between what is known and what is to be concluded from that knowledge; and in the final third, he reinforces those conclusions and encourages his hearers to live according to the opportunity before them. 

There are a few patterns of note.  First, Paul grounds his arguments about the new covenant firmly in the patterns of the old.  “Know then,” he reminds both Jew and Gentile, “that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.”  “Now you, like Isaac,” he reminds them today, “you…are children of promise.” 

A second is how Paul continually identifies with the Galatians: “…in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith… Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law… In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved… God sent forth his Son…so that we might receive adoption as sons… So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman…”  This subtle use of language reinforces the lack of distinction that is the heart of Paul’s message to the Galatians: “neither Jew nor Greek…” 

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Galatians 4 through 6.  Now let’s read it!

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.”  - Galatians 3:27-29

Paul continues in chapter 4: “I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under the guardians and managers until the date set by his father.  In the same way also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.  But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”   

The concepts of adoption, of inheritance, of slavery and freedom, are central to Paul’s argument.  This is a brief letter that could be read to the church in a half hour, and it has the feel of a singular sermon with a singular message.  In the first third, Paul pronounces the problem and lays contextual groundwork; in the middle third, he builds the logical bridge between what is known and what is to be concluded from that knowledge; and in the final third, he reinforces those conclusions and encourages his hearers to live according to the opportunity before them. 

There are a few patterns of note.  First, Paul grounds his arguments about the new covenant firmly in the patterns of the old.  “Know then,” he reminds both Jew and Gentile, “that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.”  “Now you, like Isaac,” he reminds them today, “you…are children of promise.” 

A second is how Paul continually identifies with the Galatians: “…in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith… Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law… In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved… God sent forth his Son…so that we might receive adoption as sons… So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman…”  This subtle use of language reinforces the lack of distinction that is the heart of Paul’s message to the Galatians: “neither Jew nor Greek…” 

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Galatians 4 through 6.  Now let’s read it!

“I am astonished…”  After a standard greeting and reminder that the Lord Jesus Christ “gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age,” these three words open Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia.  “I am astonished… that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.”

Paul had visited the region of Galatia, which is in south-central Asia Minor, during their first missionary journey, which we read about in Acts 13-14.  He and Barnabas began preaching the Gospel in Antioch of Pisidia, where: When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.  And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.

Paul and Barnabas continued to other Galatian cities.  In Iconium, they spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.  However, the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers, which divided the city.  They followed Paul and Barnabas to Lystra – whose residents had treated them like gods – and stoned Paul there.  After being dragged out of the city and left for dead, Paul headed with Barnabas to Derbe, where they again made many disciples.

This is the community to which Paul is now writing.  A faction of Jews were unable to stop the spread of the Gospel among both their fellow Jews and Gentiles.  But rather than give up, they are trying, in the words of Paul, to “bewitch” the believers into trusting in the law of Moses rather than Jesus Christ: “It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

Pay attention to how Paul reasons with the Galatians, drawing on his experience within Judaism, his encounters with the other Apostles, and on the logic with which they were persuaded in the first place.  Remember also his own trials among the Galatians, and consider the pressures they were under.  Could a Gentile bypass Judaism altogether and believe in Jesus?  Though this was settled in Paul’s mind, it was still very much an open question.

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Galatians 1 through 3.  Now let’s read it!

“I am astonished…”  After a standard greeting and reminder that the Lord Jesus Christ “gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age,” these three words open Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia.  “I am astonished… that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.”

Paul had visited the region of Galatia, which is in south-central Asia Minor, during their first missionary journey, which we read about in Acts 13-14.  He and Barnabas began preaching the Gospel in Antioch of Pisidia, where: When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.  And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.

Paul and Barnabas continued to other Galatian cities.  In Iconium, they spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.  However, the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers, which divided the city.  They followed Paul and Barnabas to Lystra – whose residents had treated them like gods – and stoned Paul there.  After being dragged out of the city and left for dead, Paul headed with Barnabas to Derbe, where they again made many disciples.

This is the community to which Paul is now writing.  A faction of Jews were unable to stop the spread of the Gospel among both their fellow Jews and Gentiles.  But rather than give up, they are trying, in the words of Paul, to “bewitch” the believers into trusting in the law of Moses rather than Jesus Christ: “It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

Pay attention to how Paul reasons with the Galatians, drawing on his experience within Judaism, his encounters with the other Apostles, and on the logic with which they were persuaded in the first place.  Remember also his own trials among the Galatians, and consider the pressures they were under.  Could a Gentile bypass Judaism altogether and believe in Jesus?  Though this was settled in Paul’s mind, it was still very much an open question.

Our verse for this week is Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Galatians 1 through 3.  Now let’s read it!