Ephesians 4-6
Jan. 17th, 2011 10:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wolfpurplemoon posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
wolfbiblemoonPaul urges those who have been called to live in a way worthy of their calling. He also wants them to get past the stage of their faith that makes them vulnerable to being swayed to the 'wrong' beliefs by deceitful people. They must put aside their sinful ways and falsehoods and instead be the image of God, apparently righteousness and holiness come from truth. The followers of Christ are to labour with their own hands to create something to share with those in need and to only say nice things and be kind and compassionate.
The followers have to let nobody deceive them with empty words, but there's no instructions about how to tell whether words are empty. They also have to expose the deeds and shameful secrets of the darkness, but with no directions as to what exactly is considered impure and immoral (apart from that 'sexual immorality' that is mentioned a lot, the leaders of the church were obsessed with what everyone did in their bedrooms even then).
You should not be foolish and understanding the Lord's will makes you wise. Some specific rules include not getting drunk with wine (but spirits and beer OK?), but instead be filled with the holy spirit and sing joyous songs.
Paul likes giving instructions about how husbands and wives should treat each other, mostly reasonable (husband to love wife as he loves himself) if misogynistic (wife to submit to husband in everything).
Oh Paul, it was going so well, reminding children about honouring their parents and then segueing straight into telling slaves to be subservient and to obey their masters enthusiastically. At least he tells the masters to stop threatening their slaves.
Paul thinks there is a battle going on against the schemes of the devil and you have to put on your God armour for this spiritual battle, the parts of this armour even have important sounding names, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. Also you'll need the breastplate of righteousness and the sword of the spirit. I get the whole be good and be nice to each other stuff, but why wasn't Paul laughed out of wherever he was after coming up with God armour?
The followers have to let nobody deceive them with empty words, but there's no instructions about how to tell whether words are empty. They also have to expose the deeds and shameful secrets of the darkness, but with no directions as to what exactly is considered impure and immoral (apart from that 'sexual immorality' that is mentioned a lot, the leaders of the church were obsessed with what everyone did in their bedrooms even then).
You should not be foolish and understanding the Lord's will makes you wise. Some specific rules include not getting drunk with wine (but spirits and beer OK?), but instead be filled with the holy spirit and sing joyous songs.
Paul likes giving instructions about how husbands and wives should treat each other, mostly reasonable (husband to love wife as he loves himself) if misogynistic (wife to submit to husband in everything).
Oh Paul, it was going so well, reminding children about honouring their parents and then segueing straight into telling slaves to be subservient and to obey their masters enthusiastically. At least he tells the masters to stop threatening their slaves.
Paul thinks there is a battle going on against the schemes of the devil and you have to put on your God armour for this spiritual battle, the parts of this armour even have important sounding names, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. Also you'll need the breastplate of righteousness and the sword of the spirit. I get the whole be good and be nice to each other stuff, but why wasn't Paul laughed out of wherever he was after coming up with God armour?
Re: Prayer
Date: 2011-01-18 08:20 pm (UTC)Re: Prayer
Date: 2011-01-18 08:57 pm (UTC)Ugh. Don't get me started on the creationist logic circle of "to understand the bible you must be saved, and to be saved you must read the bible". We've been there before, lol.
Re: Prayer
Date: 2011-01-18 09:00 pm (UTC)Re: Prayer
Date: 2011-01-20 03:03 am (UTC)Re: Prayer
Date: 2011-01-20 05:21 pm (UTC)But you do like Pokemon. I can't fault you for that.
I don't get it. You're preaching to us, yet you subscribe to liking these really worldly, really sexual, really obscenely blunt things. Shows that I have no guilt in watching because well, I have no need to keep my thoughts and heart 'pure' the same way Christians are called to. Are you a believer in the whole "god is love" thing? No punishment for sin? Are you a modern-day American evangelical? Or what?
I'm just... really curious what your faith is, exactly.
Re: Prayer
Date: 2011-01-21 05:37 am (UTC)Thanks for the help, though. I do need to be reminded of things like this more often. And I should definitely quit watching True Blood...
I believe in a God of love, punishment for sin, and I am a Christian. We good?
Re: Prayer
Date: 2011-01-21 05:47 am (UTC)Re: Prayer
Date: 2011-01-22 02:05 pm (UTC)