Month: November 2021

Ephesians 6:15

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:15. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:15

“As shoes for your feet, put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.” (NRSV)

“And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (NIV)

“For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared.” (NLT)

These three translations show that there is a wide variety of interpretations of how this seemingly simple verse should translated. Sometimes the relationship of the various words in a Greek sentence is not easily discerned.

Firstly, we need shoes to protect our feet. The soldier in hand- to- hand combat requires shoes that support his feet and help to maintain his footing on a slippery surface without sinking into soft ground and restricting his movement. A combat shoe, boot, or even a sandal, is not a fashion accessory, but a vital part of the soldier’s equipment.

What is Paul advocating should be our shoes in this metaphor that he is using? According to the New Revised Standard Version, the answer is “ whatever makes you ready.”

So, we are to take hold of whatever tools we need that will prepare us to proclaim the gospel of peace. This means that our focus has to be on our mission, that is proclaiming the gospel of peace. This is a very proactive understanding.

Firstly, we seek our mission field through prayer. “ Lord, where and how do you want me to preach the gospel of peace?” Then we look for the resources that will help us to do that — training, book, equipment, spiritual gifts, and so on.

The gospel is the gospel of peace because it expresses the end of hostility between God and people. Through the death of Jesus on the cross, the sin that separates us from God is done away with. The veil of separation is torn down, and we are reconciled to our Father.

In this understanding, then, it is the preaching of the gospel which is the focus of this part of the armour.

In the interpretation offered by the New International Version, it is “The readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” that the shoes represent.

Looking at this closely, the gospel of peace, when we receive it into our heart imparts a readiness. Soldiers should always be ready to fight, so Paul is saying that having enlisted in God’s army by receiving the gospel of peace, we should be ready to fight against “the rulers, principalities, and powers of this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12)

Many Christians want a quiet life. They are afraid to engage in spiritual warfare whether through prayer or declaration or preaching the Good News. We must always be ready to take our stand in the war. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are in the greatest imaginable battle. We must stand and fight.

The New Living Translation tells us that the shoes are the peace that come from the gospel, and the result of putting on this peace is there that we are prepared.

When we are reconciled to God through Christ, we come to a place of peace. God’s shalom permeates our soul, so that where we once were at war with God, with ourselves, and with others, we are now at peace. This peace is a restoration of the true nature that God created us to carry.

Now, instead of being at war with the wrong enemies, we are prepared for battle with the right enemies. In this battle, the peace of God holds us upright so that all of the tactics, weapons, and attacks of satan are unable to pull us down and take us out of the battle.

These three translations provide us with three different approaches to this verse. However we understand this, let us be ready, with our boots on, for all that the enemy might throw at us, and in the last day, to remain standing firm in Christ.

Key points in this verse:

  • Shoes help to support our feet s that we stand firm in the battle
  • We should take hold of whatever resources God gives us in order to preach the Good News
  • We must always be ready to fight the powers, principalities, and cosmic rulers of this dark age
  • The gospel gives us peace with God, with ourselves, and with others, so that we can fight against the true enemy of our souls

It’s Not How You Start

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Photo by Jonathan Chng on Unsplash

As I write this article, we are in the middle of a rain event and it is not clear if there will be widespread flooding or not. For many farmers, the rain is coming at a critical time, threatening to downgrade or ruin the harvest.

For a farmer it is not enough to sow seed into a paddock. The process is not over until the seed has grown, the plant matured and the crop safely into storage. Storms, fires, mice and a hundred other hazards can destroy an otherwise valuable product.

Parenting likewise comes with a long term goal of producing well-adjusted, happy adults who can live their own life fruitfully. The humorous goal of “Just don’t kill them before they turn 18” is a very low bar to set. If you quit parenting when the child is a toddler you have pretty much failed.

There is a tree that grows in the Middle East which actively cools the air around it. This tree does more than provide shade; it actually makes the air cooler. The catch is that, if you plant a seed now, it will be your grandchildren who get the benefit of your care and nurturing.

There are many parts of life where we can make a great start, but we miss out on a reward because we don’t persevere to the end – music and dance lessons, a university degree, a promising sports career.

I have seen many people decide to follow Jesus, but after a month or several years, they just give up. Other things intervene, life gets hard.

The apostle Paul wrote, “I press on to reach the end of the race and the heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us.”

It’s not how you start the race of faith that matters, but how you finish. The good news is that even if you walked away from the race, for whatever reason, you can always get back on the track.

If it’s been a while since you have found yourself in church, why not give it a go this weekend?

Ephesians 6:14

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:14. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:14

“Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.”

Paul now starts to describe the armour of God and its various components .

First there is the belt of truth. This belt (or girdle as it is translated in some older versions) served to hold up the flowing robes so that the soldier was able to move freely. it also provided a place to carry various weapons and other equipment, as well as holding the other pieces of armour together.

The belt was foundational to the protection of a soldier. Truth is likewise foundational to the health and well-being of the Christian.

Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) so we must make Jesus the foundation of all we do. Jesus must be in our mind, in our heart, and in our mouth at all times.

Our culture has completely destroyed the concept of truth. We live in a post- truth society. Truth has become an internal, personal quality rather than an objective quality that can be tested and either refuted or confirmed.

People can define their own truth, and it is perfectly reasonable to declare,”What is true for you is not true for me.” People are allowed to define the gender identity as if their self-centred thoughts somehow overrule biology and DNA.

Despite the wishful thinking of post-modern men and women, objective truth reigns in the created universe. Stepping over a cliff will cause you to accelerate downwards at the rate of 9.8 metres per second squared, whether or not you believe in gravity. Two vehicles colliding will obey the laws of physics, regardless of our beliefs about our freedom to choose which side of the road to drive.

The God who has revealed himself in scripture and through the testimony of the church, also stands outside of our post- truth beliefs. We might want to believe that there are many ways to God, but Jesus says,” nobody comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:7). We might want to believe that everyone goes to heaven when they die, but God says that those who resist Him will be thrown into a lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15).

Truth is more than doctrines. It is also a moral or ethical quality. To be a person of Truth means that we internalise the grace of God and our beliefs about Him. In other words, the gospel must transform our heart and our lifestyle, or else we have not received the truth. Our actions must line up with our beliefs otherwise we show that we do not really believe what we claim to believe.

The Old Testament prophets frequently express the heart of God towards his people. “These people worship me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Isaiah 29:13)

Righteousness is described as a breastplate. The breastplate was designed to protect the vital organs such as the heart and lungs. Paul is saying that righteousness protects our spiritual life in the same way.

Jesus is our righteousness. He not only imputed righteousness to us through His death on the cross, but He makes us righteous in fact.

God demands that his people must be holy, as He Himself is holy. To be holy, or to be righteous, means that we live a life that is free from sin.

This righteousness is about the way we live from day to day. No longer are we pulled by our sinful desires or the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). A righteous person discerns what is the right thing to do and proceeds to do it, regardless of the short-term costs .

Every part of our life must be covered by righteousness. At work, we must not act unethically, even if it costs us our job. At the shop, we must not take advantage of errors in calculating change or applying prices. At home, we must seek to treat family with the love and care that Jesus does.

Both truth and righteousness are at the heart of the Christian character. We are to be people who live in truth and injustice.

Key points in this verse:

  • We must seek God’s truth and put it at the centre of our lives
  • Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life
  • God has revealed to us truth that is eternal and objective
  • Righteousness in our dealings with other people will protect and nurture our spirit
  • Jesus is our righteousness. He sets us free from fleshly desires