Paul the
apostle desired for the “whole body” of the church to be
“fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint
supplies” with each
“part working” effectively to “increase” and
“edify” the body “in love”. In chapter four and
verse seventeen of his letter, Paul told the Ephesians not to “walk
as other Gentiles” where we read:
This I say
therefore, and testify in the Lord,
that you
henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their
mind,
The
verse begins, “This I say therefore, and testify in the
Lord,...” Paul began with the words, “This I say” or
“Paul spoke, declared, affirmed, maintained, taught, exhorted,
advised, commanded, directed and intended” “therefore”
which is a conclusion word which means “then, accordingly,
consequently and these things being so”, “and testify”
or “cite, bring forward and call as a witness, conjure, beseech in
God's name and exhort solemnly” “in the Lord” who is
“the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”. Paul preceded
the command he was about to present by his own personal witness.
The verse goes on to
say, “...that you henceforth walk not
as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,” Paul
continued, “that you henceforth walk”
which in the Greek is “mēketi
peripateō mēketi” and
means “no longer, more or hereafter from this time forward to make
one's way, progress, make due use of opportunities, regulate, conduct
and pass one's life”“not as other”
or “in a manner not like the remaining or rest of” “Gentiles”
which referred to “a company, troop, swarm, tribe, nation and
people group who were foreign nations not worshipping the true God.
In other words, they were pagans” “walk”
or “from this time forward to make one's way, progress, make due
use of opportunities, regulate, conduct and pass one's life”, “in
the vanity”
which means “what is devoid of truth and appropriateness,
perverseness, depravity, frailty and want of vigor” “of
their mind”
which means “the faculties of perceiving and understanding and
those of feeling, judging and determining”. Paul meant for the
Ephesians to live in a manner different than the “pagan,
unbelieving” nations.
When
we think through these words of Paul, we see this introduction into
another precept which he shared for the benefit of the Ephesian
church members. He desired for them to live differently than
unbelieving people around them, and Paul “witnessed” before “the
Lord” concerning this different manner of living. We should
always remember, unbelievers are watching us, and often our
relationship with Jesus Christ is manifested through the abundance of
our attitudes, actions and words. May we live our lives contrary to
the unbelievers around us, and may the difference they see in us lead
them to our Savior Jesus Christ.
Next
time Paul shares about the “alienation”
and “ignorance” of
those who are away from “the life of God”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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