Replay: We care about Scripture… except at Christmas
Last year, I wrote a post called “We care about Scripture… except at Christmas.” You know that many, many of the things we sing about or talk about regarding the “first Christmas” are not actually in Scripture. You know that, right? Well, read the story again in Matthew 1 and Luke 1-2. Did you notice how many things are missing? I mean, how could anyone create a good nativity scene with those stories?
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We care about Scripture… except at Christmas
Okay, so before you begin reading, you should know something. I’m not opposed to celebrating Christmas. Really, I’m not. I enjoy the tree and decorations; I enjoy giving presents wrapped in colorful paper; I enjoy the songs and carols and stories; I enjoy getting presents wrapped in anything.
But, I was recently talking with my children… yes, for some reason, they’re as sarcastic and skeptical as I am. Anyway, we were talking about Christmas. One of them… I don’t remember which one… said something about the story of Jesus’ birth in Scripture. Later, at work, we had a similar discussion.
So, why do we care so much about Scripture – dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s (or would that be iota’s and tau’s – jots and tittles) – except at Christmas? Here are a few examples:
When (in relation to Jesus’ birth) did Mary speak/sing “The Magnificat” (from Luke 1:46-55)?
How many animals are mentioned in the stories of Jesus’ birth at Christmas? How many animals are in your favorite nativity set or Christmas pageant?
Where was Jesus born according to Scripture? A stall? A barn? A cave? (The word often translated “inn” in Luke 2:7 is also used in Luke 22:11.)
Did the angels sing to the shepherds? (Luke 2:13) (Luke likes the word that used there: Luke 2:20, Luke 19:37, Luke 24:53, Acts 2:47, Acts 3:8, Acts 3:9.)
When did the star/magi (3 Wise Men?) appear in the story? Where did the magi find Jesus? (Matthew 2:11)
Was Jesus born on December 24/25 at night? Did he cry? When exactly did the Little Drummer Boy (my favorite Christmas character/song) appear?
Can you think of other aspects of the typical Christmas story that are not found in Scripture?
Now, it’s not wrong to include these things in our Christmas pageants and songs. But, we should recognize the difference between nice stories/traditions, and Scripture. From talking with many people, most don’t know the difference when it comes to the story of Jesus’ birth.
I wonder if this reflects people’s general knowledge and understanding of Scripture…
Scripture… As We Live It #240
This is the 240th passage in “Scripture… As We Live It.”
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth and we celebrate his birth on December 25 by decorating our homes and exchanging gifts. (John 1:14 re-mix)
(Please read the first post for an explanation of this series.)
Paul asks for prayer for himself in Ephesians 6:19-20
At the end of his letter to the believers in Ephesus, while encouraging them to stand firm by trusting in God for their truth, righteousness, etc., Paul reminds them to pray. He doesn’t tell them to pray every morning or every evening. He tells them that they will be able to stand against spiritual attacks by “praying at all times in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 6:18 ESV)
Also, he doesn’t want them to only pray for themselves, but instead they are to pray for all believers – “keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18 ESV) In fact, Paul then asks the Ephesians to pray for him.
Ephesians 6:19-20 has (for a long time now) been a very encouraging passage for me. Why? Because Paul – who is still known as a great apostles, missionary, and evangelist – makes the following request of the Ephesian church:
…and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:19-20 ESV)
Now, the term “boldly” used above (once as an adjective in Ephesians 6:19 and then as a verb in Ephesians 6:20) is not about yelling, shouting, spitting, pounding, etc. Instead, it’s about courage, openness, and assurance. So, Paul is asking the Ephesians to pray that he would proclaim the gospel with courage – i.e., to not be afraid of proclaiming the gospel.
It was always amazing – and wonderful and encouraging – to me that Paul – who was known for proclaiming the gospel courageously, was asking the Ephesians to pray that he would proclaim the gospel courageously. In other words, Paul knew that he could only proclaim the gospel boldly if God enabled him to do it.
Now, interestingly, I had always interpreted that “prayer request” to indicate that Paul struggled in this area – that he was occasionally NOT bold in proclaiming the gospel. But, Sunday, as we were discussing this passage together, one of my brothers or sisters (unfortunately, I don’t remember exactly who), suggested something different. Perhaps Paul asked the Ephesians to pray for him specifically because he WAS normally bold in proclaiming the gospel.
Maybe that doesn’t make sense at first, but think about it… Almost everyone who is in Christ has a certain area of service (or perhaps several areas of service) which seem to come naturally to them (or supernaturally, as the case may be). When God works through us in this way, it is easy to forget that we still rely on God for this service. It’s easy to think that we can do it on our own. So, if this was the case, Paul was asking for prayer so that he didn’t forget that he must rely on God in order to proclaim the gospel boldly.
You know what? I don’t think it matters which option above (or perhaps another option) caused Paul to ask for prayer that he would proclaim the gospel boldly. In either case, the result is the same: recognition by Paul that he was completely dependent on God in order to proclaim the gospel boldly.
The metaphors in Ephesians 6 – losing focus
A metaphor is a figure of speech in which the subject is related (in some way) to another object. The focus is on the subject, and the object exists only as a point of comparison and/or description.
There is a very famous set of metaphors (probably just one big metaphor) toward the middle of Ephesians 6. I’ll get to that soon.
Sunday morning, we talked a little about metaphors (and similes, since they are related to one another). And, I asked for examples of metaphors. (Everyone gave similes, but that works…) These are some of the examples offered: “cold as ice,” “fast as a cheetah,” “eyes like diamonds.”
In those metaphors, the focus is on “cold,” “fast,” and “eyes,” with the objects “ice,” “cheetah,” and “diamonds” offering points of comparison and/or description.
This brings me to the metaphor(s) of Ephesians 6:
Therefore take up the whole armor of God… Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God… (Ephesians 6:13-16 ESV)
What are the subjects of focus in this list, and what are the objects of comparison/description? If you make that decision based on the “Armor of God” playset that we bought our son several years ago, then the important parts of that list would be the belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword. (By the way, my son – who will be 19 in a few days – informed me that it was not a playset; it was real armor.)
In fact, if you check various pieces of artwork, books, and even sermons (along with various toys like the aforementioned playset), you might think that Paul was making that list so that we would know how a Roman soldier was decked out for battle. But, I don’t think Paul’s focus is on the armor at all, except as a point of comparison/description.
Instead, I believe that Paul is focusing on his readers “putting on” truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, and the Spirit (which is the word of God). It’s in this way that they are about to stand… or withstand… spiritual attacks.
These are not items that we can put on or take off, per se. Instead, they are ours in Jesus Christ. Always. All of them. Our “putting on,” then, is not about making sure we walk out the door with our “righteousness” strapped in place. Instead, “putting on” is about recognizing who we are in Jesus Christ and living in that reality. (Paul talked alot about that reality in Ephesians 1-3, and discussed alot about “putting on” that reality in various forms in Ephesians 4-6.)
So, when you think about the “armor of God,” where is your focus? Is it on the various pieces of armor? Or, do you focus on the realities of our life in Christ – a life which is filled through Jesus Christ with truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, salvation, and Spirit.
Bookends: The opening and closing of Ephesians
Yesterday, when we gathered together with the church, we studied the last part of the book of Ephesians together. We spent about an hour discussing Ephesians 6:10-24.
As we’ve worked our way through this book together, different people have led our discussion – we usually call it “leading” or “facilitating.” This time, it was my turn to facilitate our discussion. Because of that, I probably had more to say than I normally do. I thought I would write a few posts about some of my observations on Ephesians 6:10-24, and even a few observations made by my brothers and sisters in Christ.
To begin with, Paul begins this section with an exhortation to “Be strong” (or, literally, “be strengthened” or “be made strong”) in the Lord. (Ephesians 6:10) Why did Paul want the Ephesians to be strengthened in (or by) the Lord? Because he knew that their battles was against “the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) With spiritual opponents like these, the Ephesians needed the power that can only be given by God.
But, then, that’s exactly how Paul started this letter. He started by praying that the Ephesians would understand the power that was available to them. What kind of power was that?
[I pray that you may know] what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:19-21 ESV)
So, at the beginning and end of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul reminded his readers of God’s power that was available to them, the power that subdued (and subdues) all spiritual enemies.
In literary terms, this is called an “inclusio.” Authors use the same or similar words, phrase, or themes at the beginning and ending of a section as a way to bracket or envelope that section of writing. The inclusio works to unify that section or writing.
In this case, then, the inclusio of Ephesians 1:19-21 and Ephesians 6:10-12 bracket almost the entire letter of Ephesians. And, the focus of the inclusio sections is on the power of God to overcome spiritual enemies.
I think the connection between those two passages in Ephesians is pretty straightforward. But, that connection leads to a more important question…
Does the fact that Paul focuses on the power of God having overcome (or to overcome) spiritual enemies at the beginning (Ephesians 1:19-21) and closing (Ephesians 6:10-12) of his letter to the Ephesians indicate Paul’s overall purpose in this letter?
Scripture… As We Live It #239
This is the 239th passage in “Scripture… As We Live It.”
Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath… except Christmas. It is valid to pass judgment on those who do not regard Christmas correctly. (Colossians 2:16 re-mix)
(Please read the first post for an explanation of this series.)
Waiting for the last days?
Perhaps it’s the approaching end of time (according to modern interpretations of a certain Mayan calendar) or perhaps I’m missing my friend Geth who loves to discuss these kinds of things, but lately I’ve been thinking about the phrase “last days” as found in the New Testament. (Ok, before you tell me not to worry about that Mayan calendar thing, I’m not. Seriously.) (knock on wood)
You know that phrase “last days,” right? It’s the phrase that points us ahead to that time just before the culmination of time and the end of all things and the final judgment and other stuff like that. Right? Right.
But, when we really look at the phrase “last days” in the New Testament, we find something interesting:
And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams… (Acts 2:17 ESV)
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. (2 Timothy 3:1 ESV)
…but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:2 ESV)
Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. (James 5:3 ESV)
…knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. (2 Peter 3:3 ESV)
While it’s possible that the passages in 2 Timothy, James, and 2 Peter could point to future times (from the point of view of the authors), the passages in Acts and Hebrews do not seem to be able to point to the future. Instead, in those passages, the authors seem to be referring to the times they are living in.
And, on top of that, the other passages also work with the authors referring to their own times as “the last days.”
In other words, the phrase “the last days” does not necessarily (and may not every) point to a time to come in the future. Instead, in some cases (and perhaps all), the phrase “the last days” actually refers to the time the authors were living in and, therefore, also the time we are currently living in. (By the way, did you notice that there were several different authors who used that phrase “the last days”?)
Interestingly, here is a passage with a phrase similar to “the last days”… does this refer to future time events?
He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you… (1 Peter 1:20 ESV)
So, what if “the last days” and “the last times” are not really about the end of the world, but what if those phrases refer to the times we are living in now?
(By the way, my friend Geth – who I mentioned earlier, and still miss after his family moved across the country – always reminds me that there’s another phrase – or word – which does always point to the end of the world as we know it: “the last day” – singular.)
And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
As I’ve mentioned several times, we’ve been discussing Paul’s letter to the Ephesians when we gather with the church on Sunday mornings. (We often discuss this book at other times also, but we’ve decided as a group to study Ephesians together at that time.) We’ll probably finish Ephesians this Sunday by discussing the last part of chapter 6.
Of course, one famous section of Ephesians 6 deals with “the armor of God.” In that passage (Ephesians 6:14-17), Paul exhorts his readers to “take up the whole armor of God,” and then he lists several pieces of armor: belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword. Of course, each of those is associated to an aspect of our lives in Jesus Christ. For example, the belt is associated with truth and the breastplate is associated with righteousness.
But, in this post, I’d like us to consider the list item of “armor” in that list: “The sword of the Spirit.” It, along with the helmet of salvation, is mentioned in Ephesians 6:17 –
…and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God… (Ephesians 6:17 ESV)
The last part of that verse – “which is the word of God” – is a relative clause. All relative clauses begin with a relative pronoun. This relative clause begins with the relative pronoun “which.” The relative pronoun points back to a noun in the previous sentence and connects the relative clause back to that noun. In other words, “the word of God” describes one of the nouns in the previous sentence.
But, which noun?
There are two primary options:
1) The clause “the word of God” refers back to “sword.” Of course, “sword” has already been described as being “of the Spirit.” So, in this case, the “sword” which is “of the Spirit” is also “the word of God.” This is the way that I usually hear this phrase interpreted.
2) The clause “the word of God” refers back to “Spirit.” In the case, the “sword” is still “of the Spirit,” but it is the Spirit which is then described as “the word of God.”
In English, there is ambiguity regarding the relationship between the words “sword” and “Spirit” and the relative clause “the word of God.” In other words, either options #1 or #2 above are valid in English.
In Greek, however, some of this ambiguity is removed. Why? Because relative pronouns (like other kinds of pronouns) must match their antecedent (the word they point to) in gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and number (singular, plural). “Sword” is a feminine singular noun, while “Spirit” is a neuter singular noun.
The relative pronoun which is translated “which” above is a neuter singular pronoun, indicating that the relative clause “which is the word of God” refers back to the noun “Spirit” not the noun “sword.”
Of course, recognizing this distinction is only the first part of the issue. Now, we can finally get to the real question: What is the difference between “the sword of the Spirit” being described as “the word of God” and “the Spirit” being described as “the word of God”? Or, to ask my question a different way: Does it matter that “the word of God” only refers to “the Spirit” and not to “the sword of the Spirit”?
Scripture… As We Live It #238
This is the 238th passage in “Scripture… As We Live It.”
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins was born in Bethlehem on December 25th and that you should celebrate his birthday annually in accordance with the Scriptures… (1 Corinthians 15:3 re-mix)
(Please read the first post for an explanation of this series.)
Do the household codes break the structure of Ephesians 5:18ff?
In my last post, “In Scripture, are grammar and structure important?“, I explained how several of us had a very encouraging discussion of the grammar and sentence structure of Ephesians 5:18-22. That’s the sentence that begins with “Do not get drunk with wine… but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), and ends with “… submitting to one another…, wives [submit] to your own husbands…” (Ephesians 5:21-22).
But, if you’re familiar with this section of Ephesians, you know that following Ephesians 5:21 is a section of Scripture often referred to as the “household codes.” In Ephesians 5:22-6:9, Paul discusses three pairs of relationships: husband/wife, children/parents (fathers), and slaves/masters. These pairs of relationships are often discussed in ancient literature (both Scripture and nonScripture) as the makeup of the family or household.
This section of Scripture surely belongs together, with Paul describing how our new relationship with God affects all of our family relationships as well. (For, even though many ancient authors discuss these three pairs of relationships, Paul modifies the interactions for those who are now in Christ.) But, if this section should be held together as a unit, how does this affect my previous suggestion that Ephesians 5:22 (the instructions for wives) follows from Ephesians 5:21 (“submitting to one another…”) which further follows from Ephesians 5:18 (“be filled with the Spirit”)?
As I see it, there are three options:
1) Ephesians 5:22 is NOT part of the previous structure (i.e., from Ephesians 5:18), but instead begins a new, separate unit.
2) Ephesians 5:22-6:9 (the “household codes”) are NOT a unit and should instead be divided, with the first part (about wives) going with the previous section, while the following parts (husbands, children, parents, slaves, masters) being unrelated.
3) Ephesians 5:22-6:9 (the “household codes”) ARE a unit and, therefore, also fall under (within) the structure of Ephesians 5:18 and following.
For now, I think the grammar and structure of the passage are best understood in option 3 above. That is, the “household codes” continue the thought that Paul started in Ephesians 5:18, and thus are results of being filled with the Spirit. Furthermore, the “household codes” are all illustrations of “submitting to one another…” (from Ephesians 5:21).
Once again, our discussion of grammatical analysis and structural analysis lead to a discussion of being filled with the Spirit and how that should look in our lives. This time, the focus turns away from only how wives interact with their husbands and turns to the interactions within any family relationship.
Of course, this discussion pointed out something else important. If we miss the importance of being filled with the Spirit (which results in certain types of interactions among family members), and if we instead focus only on the relationships themselves, then we may begin relying on our own abilities to interact with one another in ways that can only happen in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
So, again, grammar and structure are important, and studying grammar and structure of Scripture lead directly to both understanding Scripture better and to exhortations to being filled with the Spirit.