I have been working to memorize Ephesians 6:10 in German this week. Trust me when I say that memorizing a verse in another language really forces you to look at it phrase by phrase. I also wanted to look at the surrounding context and that is what brings us here today.
Ephesians 6 is a really good chapter. It starts by talking to children about their relationships wit their parents and fathers with their children.
It then proceeds to talk to masters and slaves about how they are to work together. Now; cultural context. This is not African salve trading. Not the way we think of it anyway. Most slaves in ancient times were either those who had lost a war or those who were indebted & could not get out on their own. It was not the same. We should always be careful to judge history when we are not in the same time or context!!
What follows verse 10 is the section on the armor of God and then his closing farewell to the book.
It seems to me that the sections on parent-child relationships and slave-master relationships are separate from the armor section and that verse 10 fits neatly into that section.
Ephesians 6:10 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." Now, I have a couple thoughts with this.
First, the emphasis should be on, "in the Lord." Because strength is irrelevant if we don't know its limits. When we depend on ourselves the limits are very small. When we depend on God there are no limits...but that dependency MUST remain. The moment we switch from "in the Lord" to "in myself" we are already defeated.
Also, the people who then read the armor of God as, "I can defeat the wicked darts of the Devil with my faith" have completely missed the context. It may be the shield of faith, but we are strong in the Lord and in nothing else and in no other way.
To God be all glory!!!
Ephesians 6 is a really good chapter. It starts by talking to children about their relationships wit their parents and fathers with their children.
It then proceeds to talk to masters and slaves about how they are to work together. Now; cultural context. This is not African salve trading. Not the way we think of it anyway. Most slaves in ancient times were either those who had lost a war or those who were indebted & could not get out on their own. It was not the same. We should always be careful to judge history when we are not in the same time or context!!
What follows verse 10 is the section on the armor of God and then his closing farewell to the book.
It seems to me that the sections on parent-child relationships and slave-master relationships are separate from the armor section and that verse 10 fits neatly into that section.
Ephesians 6:10 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." Now, I have a couple thoughts with this.
First, the emphasis should be on, "in the Lord." Because strength is irrelevant if we don't know its limits. When we depend on ourselves the limits are very small. When we depend on God there are no limits...but that dependency MUST remain. The moment we switch from "in the Lord" to "in myself" we are already defeated.
Also, the people who then read the armor of God as, "I can defeat the wicked darts of the Devil with my faith" have completely missed the context. It may be the shield of faith, but we are strong in the Lord and in nothing else and in no other way.
To God be all glory!!!
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