Bondservants, be
obedient to those who are your masters
according to the
flesh, with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of
heart, as to Christ; not with my service,
as menpleasers, but
as the bondservants of Christ,
doing the will of God
from the heart,
knowing that what
ever good anyone does,
he will receive the
same from the Lord,
whether he is a slave
or free. And you, masters,
do the same things to
them, giving up threatening,
knowing that your own
Master also is in heaven,
and there is no
partiality with Him.
Ephesians 6: 5 -- 9
That just
about does it, wives, husbands, children, and even bondservants, all have been
addressed with a final word being said that it doesn't matter whether you are a slave
or a free person will receive what they
do from the Lord. You may not think of yourself as a
bondservant, but, if you owe any money, if you work for anybody, even if you
own your own business, in some sense or another you are a slave to those who
have your mortgage, your debt, and you have the ability to hire and fire, and
even those who are too prayed at your business all make you a servant. You see as a bondservant you have become a
person by means of that bond to become a surety for another, or you are the one
who is to serve the bondsman. As a
caveat I must make mention in regards to the word "slave" to remove
any misunderstanding in regards to what it meant in times past to be a
slave. Yes there was that horrible and
incredulous actions against those who were in slavery, similar to that which is
often spoke about in regards to the slaves of the 1600 to be mid-1800s, but
there was another form of slave that was a bondservant for that person was not
treated horribly and that bondservant remained as such because he wanted to
serve his master. There was a time
whereby you may have been in bondage, a bondage that was contrary to the will of
God and you have been instructed to remove yourself from such bondage for there
was another who came to pay the price to free you and you are now His
bondservant and you are not to return back to the former master: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by
which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of
bondage" (Galatians 5: 1). No
matter your situation in this life you are a bondservant of Christ, therefore
as a bondservant you are to be found doing the will of God from the heart.
It
is from the heart, the seat of a motion, that which also has the ability to
control the will that must be carefully treated and that treatment is to put on
the whole armor of God so that you will stand strong in the Lord and in the
power of his might: "Finally, my
brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may
be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6: 10 -- 11). Our battle is first against our own fallen nature that the wiles of Satan wishes to continue to destroy and the
only solution is to put on the whole armor of God, not just part of the armor,
rather the whole armor of God. Ignatius
(30 A.D. –107A.D.) living at the time of the John and also was a student of
Polycarp wrote to the Ephesians: “I have become
acquainted with your name, much-beloved in God, which ye have acquired by the
habit of righteousness, according to the faith and love in Jesus Christ our
Saviour. Being the followers of God, and stirring up yourselves by the blood of
God, ye have perfectly accomplished the work which was beseeming to you. I have become acquainted with your greatly-desired name in God,
which ye have acquired by the habit of righteousness, according to the faith
and love in Christ Jesus our Saviour. Being the followers of the
love of God towards man, and stirring up yourselves by the blood of Christ, you
have perfectly accomplished the work which was beseeming to you.”
(Italics mine). If Ignatius was
to see you would he be able to say the same thing?
Paul
reminds us of this fact: "For we do
not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts
of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up a whole armor of God, that you may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:12
-- 13). I warned you as Ignatius
warned the Ephesians that they are to beware of false teachers. Ignatius wrote to the Ephesians: “For
some are in the habit of carrying about the name [of Jesus Christ] in wicked
guile, while yet they practise things unworthy of God, whom ye must flee as ye
would wild beasts. For they are ravening dogs, who bite secretly, against whom
ye must be on your guard, inasmuch as they are men who can scarcely be cured.
There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and
not made; God existing in flesh; true life in death; both of Mary and of God;
first possible and then impossible,— even Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Italics
mine). It was true in the early days of
the Church that the church would be bombarded by, those even calling themselves
Christian, false teaching and we are today facing the very same thing: Will you
stand firm and put on the whole armor of God so not to be captured by the wiles
of the devil? That is more than an
rhetorical question, it is a question that only you can answer, can you answer as what Ignatius found in the Ephesian church? Ignatius wrote: “Ye have given no heed to false teachers.
Nevertheless, I have heard of some who have passed on from this to you, having
false doctrine, whom ye did not suffer to sow among you, but stopped your ears,
that ye might not receive those things which were sown by them, as being stones
of the temple of the Father, prepared for the building of God the Father, and
drawn up on high by the instrument of Jesus Christ, which is the cross, making
use of the Holy Spirit as a rope, while your faith was the means by which you
ascended, and your love the way which led up to God. Ye, therefore, as well as
all your fellow-travellers, are God-bearers, temple-bearers, Christ-bearers,
bearers of holiness, adorned in all respects with the commandments of Jesus
Christ, in whom also I exult that I have been thought worthy, by means of this
Epistle, to converse and rejoice with you, because with respect to your
Christian life ye love nothing but God only” (italics mine).
God is with
you, and you have the power to stand firm and he has given us a fair warning
and instruction by inspiring such men as Paul to write that warning so we can
stand firm. Furthermore you have the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
You who dwell in the gardens,
the
companions listen
for your voice -- let me hear it!
Song of
Solomon 8: 13
Learn to do good; seek justice
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