Someone has described Ephesians as the Alps of the New Testament. Paul, our mountaineering guide, takes us on a rapid ascent in Ephesians 1:1-23. We are quickly breathless and amazed at the view from the summit. Reflect on Ephesians 1:1-23. What especially inspires you? What peaks do you see? Ephesians 1:3-14 functions like a map at a … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Ephesians 1:1-6:24 . Memory Text: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we … Continue reading –>
Power of a Few Words By Andrew McChesney When armed conflict erupted in his homeland of Ukraine in 2022, Alexei Arushanian was living safely across the border in Poland, where he had worked for several years, installing windows in people’s homes. But he had many relatives in Ukraine, and he was worried about them. He … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: “An army in battle would become confused and weakened unless all worked in concert. If the soldiers should act out their own impulsive ideas, without reference to each other’s positions and work, they would be a collection of independent atoms; they could not do the work of an organized body. So the soldiers … Continue reading –>
In concluding his battle exhortation, Paul urges believers as soldiers to participate in crucial, continuing prayer “for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18, NKJV) and for himself as imprisoned ambassador (Ephesians 6:19-20). This call to prayer can be seen as an extension of the military imagery, since calling out to God (or to the gods) in prayer was a … Continue reading –>
When and how should believers as combatants in the great controversy use the shield, the helmet, and the sword? Ephesians 6:16-17. Paul’s shield is the large, rectangular shield of a Roman legionnaire. Made with wood and covered with leather, its edges curved inward to guard against attacks from the side. When soaked in water, shields were “able to quench … Continue reading –>
A Roman soldier, preparing for battle, would tie on a pair of sturdy, military sandals. A multilayered sole featured rugged hobnails, helping the soldier hold his ground and “stand” (Ephesians 6:11, Ephesians 6:13-14). Paul explains this military footwear with language from Isaiah 52:7, which celebrates the moment when a messenger brings the news that Yahweh’s battle on behalf … Continue reading –>
How does Paul imagine believers beginning their preparation for the battle against evil? Ephesians 6:14; see also 1 Peter 4:1; 1 Peter 5:8; Romans 8:37-39. Paul’s warning of an intense battle (Ephesians 6:13) prepares readers for his final call to stand (his fourth, compare Ephesians 6:11, Ephesians 6:13) and is a detailed call to arms (Ephesians 6:14-17). Paul describes the action of “girding up one’s waist” (compare Isaiah 11:5). … Continue reading –>
Read Ephesians 6:10-20. What is Paul saying about the kind of warfare the church is engaged in? Is Paul primarily depicting just an individual believer’s spiritual battle against evil, or the church’s corporate war against evil? Victory in Greek and Roman warfare was dependent on the cooperation of the soldiers in a military unit and especially … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Ephesians 6:10-20; 1 Peter 4:1; 1 Peter 5:8; Isaiah 59:17; Isaiah 52:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Memory Text: “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 … Continue reading –>
