I’ve been reading Ephesians again, and also the Ephesians commentary from The New International Commentary on the New Testament (older version). The author is E. K. Simpson, someone unfamiliar to me, and someone whose writing must be read with dictionary in hand—and least by me. It might not make a list of top commentaries on Ephesians, but I’m enjoying it, mostly for the language used.
Here’s Ephesians 2:1-3:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Quoting Simpson’s commentary on verse 3, describing humanity’s natural depravity:
[T]he apostle is far too ingenuous to exempt himself from the black list of those whom the old serpent has … outwitted. We all carry about with us the tinder of corruption and our crafty adversary knows how to apply a match to the combustibles at hand. A powder-magazine can be commendably quiet so long as it keeps cool; but let a spark alight upon it and you may look for an explosion. The lusts of the flesh and of the mind only need provocatives to flare up in a baleful conflagration. Even apostles have no ground for boasting here; for they have not made themselves to differ from what they were aforetime. Paul can never forget his quondam career as a persecutor, nor does he shrink from a place in the ranks of the natural “children of wrath”, liable to seduction both by sensuous and mental appentecies. All alike, Jew and Gentile, are by natal proclivity inchoate children of wrath. We swerve from the very outset… .
This bill of indictment cannot but grate harshly on the ears of shallow religionists of effeminate sensibilities and an extenuating temper; and manifold are the attempts they make to elude it’s impact by the help of evolutionary or philosophical presuppositions. Fond of patting human nature on the back and of glossing over its vicious propensities, they persuade themselves to regard it as innocent in the main, or, if somewhat of a scapegrace, “more sinned against than sinning”. Its obliquities are frequently attributed to the development of the passions in advance of the judgment. But that complacent theory does not tally with the facts of the case. For, as the history of humanity abundantly proves, all mankind without exception turns aside to its own way. We are sinners in grain; every mother’s son learns to be naughty without book.
I see it already in the toddlers I know. Yes they are adorable, but no one has to give them lessons in naughtiness. It’s a natural talent.
The kitchen renovation started yesterday. There have been two days of demolition and now my kitchen is stripped bare, down to the studs in parts. Everything looks clean underneath—no rot to speak of—and well built. I’m very thankful for that, because you never know what you’ll find in a sixty year old house.
I’m thankful that everything I had to order for the job came quickly, including the kitchen sink. I’m thankful that Amazon.ca sells farmhouse (or apron) style sinks and ships them free. That’s a big deal when you live in a place as isolated as I do. I’m thankful, too, for the postman who delivers big heavy boxes to my door.
I’m thankful for a project running smoothly so far—and I pray that it continues. I needed this job done, nothing except replacing flooring and appliances had been done to the kitchen since we moved in in 1984, and the cupboards were built in 1950 when the house was. I’m so thankful that God provided the means for me to do this bit of home improvement.
I’m thankful that my grandbabies have recovered or are recovering from the nasty stomach bug that made them all sick.
I’m thankful for peaceful evenings after busy days.
Beginning With the Cross Here’s a quote from one of my favorite books:
[A]ny really serious attempt to understand the Christian way must begin with the cross. Unless we come to see what the cross means we do not understand Christianity.
Can you guess which book is quoted? Hint:I’ve recommended it over and over, but only a few have followed my advice.
Standing on This Truth Shane Lems quotes R. C. Sproul:
If I have to trust in my righteousness to get into heaven, I must completely and utterly despair of any possibility of ever being redeemed. But when we see that the righteousness that is ours by faith is the perfect righteousness of Christ, we see how glorious is the good news of the gospel. The good news is simply this: I can be reconciled to God. I can be justified, not on the basis of what I do, but on the basis of what has been accomplished for me by Christ.
Explaining the Depths Fred Sanders on the Trinitarian character of the experience of salvation:
If I have to trust in my righteousness to get into heaven, I must completely and utterly despair of any possibility of ever being redeemed. But when we see that the righteousness that is ours by faith is the perfect righteousness of Christ, we see how glorious is the good news of the gospel. The good news is simply this: I can be reconciled to God. I can be justified, not on the basis of what I do, but on the basis of what has been accomplished for me by Christ.
Pentecost The day on which Jesus poured out the Spirit on his people gathered in Jerusalem, fifty days after the Passover on which he was crucified.
From scripture:
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes andElamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” (Acts 2:1-13, ESV)
From Christian Faith by Michael Horton:
Acts 1 marks the transition from the ascension to Pentecost. Jesus ordered the disciples to remain in Jerusalem “for the promise of the Father”: the baptism with the Holy Spirit” not many days from now” (Ac 1:1-5). About 120 people were gathered in the upper room, near the temple, where pilgrims had gathered for the feast from far-flung regions.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Astonished that uneducated Galileans were proclaiming the gospel in their own languages, the visitors were provoked to reactions ranging from “amazed and perplexed” to outright incredulity: “They are filled with new wine” (vv. 12-13).
Just as the Spirit’s presence in Christ’s ministry was identified with his proclamation of the gospel (Isa 61:1-2; Lk 4:18-21), the consequence of the Spirit’s descent at Pentecost was not unrestrained pandemonium but the public proclamation of the gospel by Peter, with the other apostles standing at his side (Ac 2:14-36). The one who had cowardly denied Christ three times was now risking his life for the message that the one who had been crucified a short distance from there had been raised, was at God’s right hand, and would return to judge the earth. Stringing together a series of citations from the prophets and the Psalter, Peter proclaimed Christ and this remarkable descent of the Spirit as the fulfillment of everything the Scriptures had foretold. “Cut to the heart,” three thousand people embraced Peter’s message and were baptized (vv. 37-41).
Do you have a term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.
Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.
Today’s hymn is for Rosemary Schaumburg. (If you have a hymn you would like to see featured here as a Sunday Hymn, just let me know. I’ll see what I can do.)
So send I you to labor unrewarded, To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown, To bear rebuke, to suffer scorn and scoffing- So send I you to toil for Me alone.
So send I you to bind the bruised and broken, O’er wand’ring souls to work, to weep, to wake, To bear the burdens of a world aweary- So send I you to suffer for My sake.
So send I you to loneliness and longing, With heart ahung’ring for the loved and known, Forsaking home and kindred, friend and dear one- So send I you to know My love alone.
So send I you to leave your life’s ambition, To die to dear desire, self-will resign, To labor long, and love where men revile you- So send I you to lose your life in Mine.
So send I you to hearts made hard by hatred, To eyes made blind because they will not see, To spend, tho’ it be blood, to spend and spare not- So send I you to taste of Calvary.
Second set of words done years later:
So send I you—by grace made strong to triumph O’er hosts of hell, o’er darkness, death and sin, My name to bear and in that name to conquer So send I you, My victory to win.
So send I you—to take to souls in bondage The Word of Truth that sets the captive free, To break the bonds of sin, to loose death’s fetters So send I you, to bring the lost to me.
So send I you—My strength to know in weakness, My joy in grief, My perfect peace in pain, To prove my pow’r, My grace, My promised presence So send I you, eternal fruit to gain.
So send I you—to bear My cross with patience, And then one day with joy to lay it down, To hear My voice, “Well done, My faithful servant Come share My throne, My kingdom and My crown!”
I had to go old style for a You Tube video using the older words.
This one, like most of the recordings of this song, uses the newer words.
Other hymns, worship songs, sermons etc. posted today:
Have you posted a hymn (or sermon, sermon notes, prayer, etc.) today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by contacting me using the contact form linked above, and I’ll add your post to the list.
This morning I posted at Out of the Ordinary, starting a new series I’m calling Scriptural Lessons from the Natural World. Here’s my explanation:
I’ve been thinking about what we can learn from the natural world, and more specifically, about what scripture teaches us using what we know—or should know—from the natural world. It seemed like a suitable subject for a blog post until I began a list; then it became a suitable subject for several blog posts. So this post begins a series of posts on scriptural lessons from the natural world.
A quick list, because I’ve spent so much time working on another post today. I’m thankful
that the illness the children in my son’s family have seems to be running it’s course. The six-week-old seems to be back to normal thanks to an immunity boost from his mother, and the 18-month-old is drinking and eating a little again. She still has a high fever and feels lousy, but that seems to be how this bug works.
for sunshine and a cup of tea.
for the big black dog.
for my car. It’s caused me no trouble and for that I am thankful.
for all of my grandchildren, the sick ones and the well one.
for the world that God created and the place that I live.
A few concluding thoughts on these posts on the purposes of Christ’s death.
I looked at the explicit purpose statements for Christ’s death found in scripture. But every result of Christ’s death is also an intended purpose of for it, because God has the power and wisdom to do things so exactly what He wishes is accomplished. There are no unintended results from anything God does, and that includes the Father sending the Son to die. So, for instance, we know that one of the results of Christ’s death is that we have good news to proclaim to people worldwide. This, then, is also something God purposed to accomplish with Christ’s death, and it isn’t a secondary or less important purpose because it isn’t listed above.
I call them purposes of Christ’s death, but they aren’t separate or unrelated purposes. They are all part of the one big, multifaceted purpose found at the end of the list. Stating them separately may be the only way we can see the details of the whole, but at the same time, we must remember that they are each a piece of one marvelous many-sided accomplishment showing the manifold wisdom of God to us.
This list reveals how widespread the results of sin and how much we have lost. It also show us how great God’s wisdom is, that in one perfect act he could make everything absolutely right again.
Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 9:30PM 
