It obviously can’t mean that they need to be saved, for remember, God only gives his armor to those who already are saved. You do not become saved by putting on the helmet. No, if you have the helmet to put on, you are already saved. So how does the helmet help the Christian ...
Powerful Prayer (Ephesians 6:18c) When we pray, and whatever it is we pray for, the true effectiveness, the true answers to prayer, come when we are—as verse 18 says next—praying in the Spirit. What does that mean? Some groups interpret that to mean that this kind of praying is pr...
But more that this, the word ‘holy’ also acts as a moral category. When we say that God is holy we also mean that his character and his actions are other and quite apart from anyone or anything else in existence. Simply speaking, God is holy and perfect in both essence and action....
To refuse it is to refuse God's mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of exceptions and God means what He says. Failing to forgive someone who offends you doesn't mean that you lose your own salvation, but your refusal to forgive discolors your experience of His grace. By not weeding...
Danker (4.g) notes that often eis = "for" in general, and cites this verse. BDAG 288-291. BDAG 565. Kratos denotes "power and strength," such as physical strength, or the power possessed by men, rulers, or gods. It can also be a title of royalty as a well as to mean "rule...
But doeshupotassomaimean "obey"? It is clear to the reader that obedience is often in view in the above passages to a greater or lesser extent. In fact it is used twice in conjunction with verbs meaning "to obey." In 1 Peter 3.5-6 we read, "So once the holy women who hoped in...
When we understand this, our work takes on a whole new perspective. For example, Paul says there at the beginning of Ephesians 6:6,not with eyeservice, as men pleasers. What does that mean? We know what lip service is, right? It is telling people what they want to hear. It is insi...
Does this mean that those who live this way are not going to heaven? Does it mean that those who live this way are not really Christians—even if they claim to be? No, it does not mean that at all. Justification, or gaining eternal life, has nothing whatsoever to do with our works...