“The Just Shall Live By Faith”
New King James Version Written by: David Hicks
Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."
Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."
“Articles of Faith”
The Church of Christ
(A Study in Ephesians)
Lesson 21 - Walk in Wisdom:
We are coming to the end of the ‘ Walk Ins '. Thus far, we have walked in unity ( 4:1-6 ), in which we are to walk worthy of our vocation as saints ‘ In ' Christ, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit (submitting to Christ as our King, His blueprint for the church, and His doctrine for its citizens).
We have walked in love . With the Savior as our guide, we learned that true love is in obedience to the Father, note: 1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”
We have walked in light . Having passed from darkness to light, in coming to Christ, we must produce fruit; demonstrating what is acceptable to the Lord.
It is now that we will finish our ‘Walk Ins', with a walk in wisdom .
Wisdom: Wisdom is shown in getting desired results by effective means . Wisdom is not just the collection of knowledge (although without knowledge wisdom cannot exist), but the wise use of that which is learned. This will be played out in our text as there are criteria for time and use of wisdom. In addition we will see that not only must we learn the will of the Father, but we must understand it as well.
For those who have said that we cannot all understand the scriptures in the same way, this command to walk in understanding would be kind of nonsensical.
This just goes to show you that we serve a God who is fully capable of making His will for us ‘ In ' Christ, both understandable and known. The problems arise from not understanding that the will of God is of heavenly origin, thus not open for private interpretation (we don't get a say!), as we must come to see it as God has revealed it, note:
2 Peter 1:20-21 “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
Thus to walk in the wisdom of God, is to humble yourself to the instruction of His will, and then submit to it in wise use.
One more point before we move on to our text. In this lesson we are past the basic elements of needing to know that we must study the will of God. In this portion of the lesson, the concept of meditation and delight in the knowledge of the Lord for the Christian (those who pertain to Christ), is a given (See: Psalms 1:2 ; II Timothy 2:15 ; and II Thessalonians 2:10 ). One may never fulfill this command to walk in wisdom; if they are ignorant of the will of God.
Text: Ephesians 5:15-20
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is . 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Circumspectly: To walk in this fashion is to both be careful and diligent. The care comes from knowing the exact direction one should walk, and the diligence comes from dedication to the information that directs the steps of all who walk this way. This person is both careful to heed the teachings of Christ and to wisely use them in all aspects of their life.
Not as fools: This is not said of a person who is unable to learn (they would not be accountable); however, it is said of those who are fully capable of knowing God's will for them. Here, Paul is talking about those who are foolish! Those who are without true knowledge and wisdom in Christ; this shows a person who does not consult the Lord's instructions concerning a proper walk.
Redeeming the time: The first thing that comes to mind when I read this, is the phrase, “ Time Well Spent ”. The idea is that every advantage for doing good should be sought. If the fruit (demonstrative production) of the Spirit is goodness, righteousness, and truth, wouldn't time well spent be in the production of these?
I used to tell my kids that if they spent all their time doing what was right they wouldn't have time to find trouble and I believe that this same thought has value in the life of Christians. Prioritize !!!!
Two verses come to mind that coincide with these thoughts, note:
Colossians 4:5 “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.”
Galatians 6:10 “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
Remember what they say about idle hands? This is what is meant by the days are evil.
Understand: The man who understands the will of the Lord is regarded by Paul as a wise man, and visa versa.
Paul himself was one of the most educated of his people, but his pre-Christian life was filled with the ignorant persecution of Christians. However, after the Lord appeared to him and he was told what he must do (by Ananias; Acts 9:6 , 10-17 ), the Spirit filled him and he truly understood the will of the Lord. His post-Christian life is a pattern of the practice of understanding.
It was often that he not only expressed a desire that those he taught would follow the instruction he gave; but to also follow the pattern of life in which he lived.
Drunk with Wine: Although there is plenty of instruction in the scriptures concerning drunkenness and not being in control of your facilities (the ability to renew your mind, to the will of God), here however, Paul is continuing the previous thoughts of contrast between being wise or un-wise.
Those who are drunk with wine act stupid, they do not make wise choices or behave in the best interest of those around them (this is used to describe those who claim to be Christians, but are un-taught and thus un-wise).
To be filled with the Spirit, is to drink deep from the fountain of truth as it is produced by the Spirit through the preaching and teaching of the Apostles and prophets. This drink enhances life!
Singing: Remember that to walk in love is to do the will of the Father; to walk in light is to walk as the truth directs us and to walk in wisdom is to put that knowledge to wise use.
With these three things in mind this verse should not give anyone any trouble. However, this concept of worship and speaking to one another has been a plague to many who are un-taught and un-wise.
Yes, I am fully aware that a psalm was a sacred song, sung to musical accompaniment! I am just as convinced that Paul was well aware of what it meant, as well as any Jew in Ephesus, Colossi, Laodicea, or Hierapolis (these other cities are given because the same instruction is given by Paul to them; Colossians 3:16 ); that is why Paul used the action word, “ Singing ”, to explain the spiritual practice of the nouns given.
The instrument to be used is the heart!
The purpose was to speak to one another, teaching and admonishing one another, with thanks to God.
The un-taught say , “Well, ‘ I ' like the sound of Instruments”.
The wise say , “God is a Spirit, and those that worship, do so in spirit and truth”. We are here to stir up love and good works, and present ourselves as holy sacrifices to God. We are here for Him !
A spiritual song is therefore; those that exhibit the effects and character of the Holy Spirit as taught in the scriptures, note the passage in Colossians that teaches this same thing: Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom , teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Here we see that spiritual songs are a natural recourse when the word of Christ dwells in us richly, in wisdom !
Giving Thanks: Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Whatever you do, is directly connected with the commands of the previous verse, which said to teach themselves in psalm, hymn, and spiritual songs. Thus they were to speak on the subject of doing things for the Lord's cause (the subjects of the songs), just as the instructions are given in the present passage. "In the name", means by the authority of Jesus, and all of the deeds performed for Him will prompt the true disciple to offer thanksgiving for the privilege of doing things for the Lord .
You have probably noticed that verse 21 is not included in this lesson. That is because it sets up the teaching that is to come after it from 5:22 – 6:9 . That will be the topic for the next lesson:
Next: “ Submission ”