Sunday: “Instead, Let There Be Thanksgiving”
In what sense does Paul intend believers to be “imitators of God”? See Ephesians 5:1-2, NKJV.
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Paul urges the believers in Ephesus to walk in love, a call important to this section (see Ephesians 5:8, Ephesians 5:15). This “walking in love” (see Ephesians 5:2) is to be modeled after Christ’s own love for us (compare Ephesians 4:32), expressed in His atoning sacrifice. Paul affirms four things about that sacrifice: 1. It is motivated by both the love of God the Father (Ephesians 5:1) and of Christ Himself (Ephesians 5:2); 2. It is substitutionary, with Christ dying in our place. Christ is no passive victim, but gave Himself up for us; 3. Under the imagery of the Old Testament sanctuary service, Christ’s death is also a sacrifice, which is made to God; 4. The sacrifice is accepted by God since it is “a fragrant offering” (Ephesians 5:2, ESV; compare Exodus 29:18, Leviticus 2:9, Philippians 4:18).
Ephesians 5:3-5 then introduces a section expressing concern for sexual ethics. The young converts in Ephesus are in danger of reversing their Christian calling and being drawn back into sexual behavior that would negate their Christian witness (compare 1 Corinthians 5:1-11, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 2 Corinthians 12:21).
On the one hand, the Greco-Roman world of the first century exhibited the moral corruption and debauchery described elsewhere in the New Testament (see 1 Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 5:19, Ephesians 4:17-19, Colossians 3:5). For example, banquets of the wealthy regularly featured the behaviors Paul decries in Ephesians 5:3-14: drunkenness, ribald speech, risqué entertainment, and immoral acts. In addition, urban centers provided anonymity and permissiveness that fostered immoral sexual practices. On the other hand, many in that society lived virtuous lives and served as advocates for strict morality. When the New Testament provides vice-or-virtue lists and household codes (e.g., Ephesians 5:21-6:9, Colossians 3:18-4:1), its authors mirror themes in the wider Greco-Roman world. This world, at once debauched and virtuous, helps explain Paul’s exhortations to avoid the immoral behavior practiced by the Gentiles while wishing for believers to be circumspect in their behavior and so to earn good standing among outsiders.
| In what ways are Paul’s words about sexual behavior applicable to your culture, wherever you live? |
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The modern world has desensitised us to the value of sexual relations. "Do you want to come in for a cup of coffee?" has become the code word for casual sex. And so instead of the stimulating effects of caffeine, we settle for a dose of oxytocin and dopamine. We understand so much more about the chemistry of sex these days but I am not sure we have learned all that much about human relationships.
Sexual behaviour is not a new problem. The Bible has many examples of infidelity that do not make easy reading. Perhaps the difference between then and now is the casualness of sexual activity, where it is considered equivalent to a cup of coffee.
I remember reading an article in the 1960s with the title, "Does the pill make it right!" I cannot remember most of the article now but the idea was that the reason often given for biblical standards for sexual fidelity was to give children a loving and protective family situation. Since the pill meant that you could have sex without children did that make it all right to have sex with anyone as a recreational activity? The article (in a Seventh-day Adventist publication) went on to remind us sex was much more than just procreation or recreation.
We Seventh-day Adventists have a lot to say about premarital and extramarital sex and most of that goes out the window when the hormones get involved.
There are two points that I would like to conclude with:
By this shall all men know ...
Sexual impurity(pornography,bestiality,extra marital sex,pre marital sex etc) must be eliminated from our deeds,thoughts and words.Sexual relationship was designed by God for a man and a woman in a committed marriage which is lifelong.Specific boundaries were provided by God.We must not violate God's standards for short term pleasure.
We break God's heart when we reject His guidelines for sex.
Sexual behaviour was meant by God to be only a behaviour to be expressed only by a man and a woman in a relationship of Love and romance in a relationship of marriage as a husband by a man to a wife to a woman to then also go on to bear children to Him with that romantic love between each other as a man and a woman in love and marriage with each other as husband and wife.
In my opinion, contemporary culture is the same if not worse than what the ancients were doing in terms of sexual sin. Now, of course, we have 24-hour access to all kinds of sexual impurity (including pornography, trafficking, child exploitation) through the internet which makes it so much more accessible and (probably) commonplace.
Recalling and believing who we are, whose we are, and our new identity in Christ (Ephesians 4:20-24) will go a long way in protecting our hearts and minds from sliding into any kind of sin including the most grievous sexual sins.
I have experience sexual intercourse as not only a physical joining, but also a spiritual joining. That spiritual connection is difficult to break. When a man and a woman join together, they become one because their spirits are bound together. That is God's plan. And, that is why we should not have defiling sex.
Before I was born of the Spirit of God, I was dating a man from work. After several dates, I fell in love with him, and decided to have sex with him. I got very drunk that night. We ended up in a hotel and you can guess what happened there. We ended up living together for 3 years. One night he told me that he was seeing another woman and was going to propose to her that night. Somehow my love for him was pure. I told him that if I wasn't the one for him that it was OK, And I set him free from any obligation to me. I was never angry with him, and harbored no malice, but I cried for two weeks.
When I was born again, I became sensitive to the spiritual realm and, to my dismay, I saw that I still had a spiritual connection with my former lover.
God chose a man for me and we were married. His love for me was true. However, I still noticed the connection to my first boyfriend, and through prayer and many years, that connection was finally broken.
Celeste Davio, I would venture on to say to what you share here that it is no wonder that God allowed King David, King Solomon, and on and on and on to have more than 1 wife and also concubines too. I almost caved in to my first fiance's advances to physical bonding with sex and she never repented about those advances towards me because of her claim that it was her way of showing me "Love," she never gave up her occasional coming around to my final wife and I to try to either get me back or to make her give me up. There apparently is some sort of "Physical and Psychological claim," that seems to never go away from those who go too far in this area before they "Tie the knot," first with "Matrimony," and that only a stronger power from God and the Holy Spirit can sever that "Tie," totally.
Our culture normalizes alternative lifestyles. This leads to continual decline in sexual perceptions and the biblical perspective and ideal at creation. Gender sensitivity training is mandated in all institutions and each employee has to address the customers with the gender identity that the person wants to be. I expect the list and letters to continue to grow as they add to the LGBTQI+ names. This is one of Satan’s master strokes as he continues to stir up confusion, blur lines, and lead people to a prison door while presenting it as a five-star hotel. May we stand firm and faithful.
I think that we need to approach the issue of gender-orientation with compassion and understanding rather than outright condemnation. We tend to jump to the rather voyeristic stereotype about what happens in their bedrooms. Among the Christian gender-challenged folk that I know there are two standout observations that I would like to make.
1. None of them have made a choice to be gender-challenged. As one woman - a minister in another church - said at a conference I attended, "Who in their right mind would think that I would seriously want to be gender-challenged and face all the issues that I face?"
2 More than anything else, gender challenged folk are seeking emotional and compassionate understanding. It is not about sex but identity.
Paul had a "thorn in the flesh". I am not saying it is a gender related issue, but it bothered him enough to pray to God three times to remove it. And, it did not happen. Rather God gave him the answer:
When we are dealing with folk whose sexual indentity does not our own perception, compassion comes before condemnation.
And just to be sure, promiscuity and sexual abuse are wrong and have nothing to do with sexual identity.
As a doctor I agree, however hermaphrodites are rare. The number of births with ambiguous genitals is in the range of 1:4500-1:2000 (0.02%-0.05%). True hermaphrodism is very rare except in Southern Africa where it is the most common intersex condition.
My reference was not in condemnation because I am aware that God loves the sinner and condemns the sin. People these days are choosing their identity based on "what they feel like," " how they fit in" and for preference.
0.02%-0.05% translates to 1600000 to 4000000 people in a global population of ~8 billion. This is a significant amount of souls.
Yes, indeed, let there be thanksgiving!
We have been called to walk in "God’s type of Love" which is entirely different from that which we call love; it has nothing to do with the physical or emotional love we usually engage in.
We have been called to express the Goodness of God, allowing Him to use our physical body as the vehicle for the manifestation of the power of His Spirit vested IN all goodness, righteousness and truth – Eph.5:8-10; Eph.2:10.
Human behavior engaging in any type of outlandish physical activity – asceticism, self-mutilation, debauchery -, any extreme behavior sought to satisfy the body’s senses to elevate one's spirit, is the sign of the absence of the Holy Spirit in heart and mind. This person does not understand that using his body in this way cannot bring him closer to God.
The believer knows that our body is given to us for the habitation of the Spirit of God to express His Spiritual Image through us, which, when engaged in, will give us peace in heart and mind and find unity with God.
Regarding the ‘sacrificial’ aspect of the love described shown by Jesus Christ, I consider this to be an interpretation based on the Old Testament ritual temple services. I do not solicit a theological debate regarding my comments, I only want to point out that pagan religions engaged in sacrificial rituals by offering people of all ages, genders, and status to appease their gods, and our God spoke strongly out against this practice.
I cannot see the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to be a sacrificial offering demanded and accepted by God and experienced by Him as a 'sweet savor'. Our God is the Father of both His Son and us, and His Love did not put our Lord and Savior on the Cross. It was the spirit of hate and destruction of anything that is considered good by our Creator, but the power of His Love conquered the power of hate.
I focus on God’s Goodness – Mercy and Grace -, Faith and His life-giving Love having brought His Son back to life! He vested His power of Life in Jesus, and Jesus was willing to lay HIs life down so that His Father could demonstrate through Him His life-giving Power to bring His Son back to life, and that He also will rescue the believing, faithful follower of Christ out of the clutches of permanent death unto everlasting life!
I love your comment Brigitte. Indeed, let us give Thanks to our Creator for His love ! In South Africa we say: "Malibongwe igama lakho UJesu Kristu"
I use what King Jesus Christ said in Matthew 16:6 and what Paul said in Acts 23:6 to guide me 😉
Brendan - "Malibongwe igama lakho UJesu Kristu" for kindly sharing your appreciation! 🙂
Sex is supposed to be an exclusive bond, but unfortunately, in modern culture, it has been made trivial, of no importance or sacredness. Sex was made to be safe between very committed couple.