Ephesians
King James Version (KJV)

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The following two verses give a man and his wife instructions not to sin. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord" ( Colossians 3:18). This indicates a man and his wife can do what is unfit and the cross reference to "as it is fit in the Lord" refers one to Ephesians 5:3, "But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named among you." Throughout scripture many verses tell a man and his wife there is a form of sexual behavior they should not engage in. The cross reference tell us fornication is unfit for a man and his wife.
How do you explain the following?
The following verse gives a man and his wife instructions not to sin. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord" ( Colossians 3:18). This indicates a man and his wife can do what is unfit and the cross reference to "as it is fit in the Lord" refers one to Ephesians 5:3, "But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named among you." Throughout scripture many verses tell a man and his wife there is a form of sexual behavior they should not engage in.
Fornication is clearly defined in Jude 1:7 as being the sex in Sodom and Gomorrah. "Sodom and Gomorrah giving themselves over to fornicationare set forth for an example." So we can see that God forbids all men and women, including husbands and wives to use their bodies for fornication. This truth is reinforced and made clear in 1 Corinthians 6:13 where it declares, "The body is not made for fornication, but for the Lord.
How can a wife and her husband commit adultery with each other as you tell us they can.?
What the Apostle Paul was speaking of in this passage has a dual application. He speaks about Jesus loving His Bride (the Church) by giving Himself for her. So we have not only had our hearts cleansed by His death & being forgiven by the Father, but He has sanctified us (i.e. set us apart as a Holy people) & cleansed us by washing us by the Word. Just as water baptism (a once only act) gives the believer a visible, practical testimony to himself & others of God's Work in Him, so to, the washing by the Word of God continues to be applied to that new regenerated heart, continually washing away the dross from one's life (the doubts, fears, sins, lies from the Devil, etc.). For those who seldom attend to God's Word, are usually those who seldom find full victory over these things in their lives. All this did Christ do for us & continues to do so by His Spirit, to the end that He might present us to the Father, a holy, glorious Church.
I know of this teaching: that water baptism is no longer valid. It is an old teaching that assumes that both water baptism & the Lord's Supper were instituted for the sake of & the establishing of the Church (& if taken further, that all spiritual gifts have also ceased). Once the Church formed, established & strengthened by the apostles, the 2nd Century Church onwards, then moved forward in faith alone, attending only to the study of the Word, prayer, fellowship, & sharing the Gospel. I can understand that point of view, but don't find any authority from the Bible to do so, as both water baptism & breaking of bread are very special events in the life of a believer, if observed properly & done sincerely.
Colossians 3:18, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord." This verse means that husbands and wives can do what is unfit. And the cross reference to "as it is unfit in the Lord" sends me to Ephesians 5:3, to explain what is unfit. "But fornication, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named among you." Oral and anal sex is forbidden and unfit for husbands and wives for it is stated in Jude 7 that the sex of Sodom and Gomorrah is called fornication, "Sodom and Gomorrah giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example." So, we can see that God forbids all men and women, all husbands and wives, to use their bodies for fornication, the sex of Sodom and Gomorrah. This truth is reinforced and made clear in 1 Corinthians 6:13 where it declares, "The body is not made for fornication, but for the Lord."
Act 16:30. ...Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31. And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Ephesians 2:8...For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 5:18...And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19.Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21.Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
I have yet to be convinced that those who have been cleansed by Christ's Blood, sealed with the Holy Spirit & brought into the family of God, can ever be lost, whether through an initiative by God or from oneself. I guess that my understanding of who a child of God is & to what another might consider him to be, is at variance here. I never take a wide view of what it means to be a Christian - I believe that the nature of our salvation is extremely narrow in its meaning & application ('many are called but few are chosen'): the Gospel may go out to all, but to express faith in the Cross as a result of the burden of great sin, is a place of healing for a very few.
And for a 'backslider': as one preacher I heard say, "Probably that such an one has never 'slid forward' in the first place". Can we have a backsliding Christian, if by that we mean, a Christian can revert back to his old life of sin, rather than slipping into a snare from which he finds recovery through repentance? That is a matter of personal opinion, I suppose.
And for "a blood-bought church that's unspotted and without sin": if you mean that Christ sees His Church that has been forgiven & restored into a right relationship with the Godhead, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, yet still earth-bound & sin-affected, then I agree. If however, the Church is seen as "not having spot or wrinkle..without blemish" as being sinless (free of sin), then I sense we do injustice to the Word ( Ephesians 5:27), where the reference is to 'Christ loving the Church, sanctifying & cleansing it by the washing by the Word'. And this Church returns back to Him as one which has been clothed in His Righteousness & Purity & with even the smell of sin finally eradicated from her.
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. We have to incorporate the fruit of the Spirit love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. and forgiveness and humility. I hope that helps, thanks.
Addition to or slander of God's word has happened since Eden. We only hear from Eve, that Adam and she were not to "touch" the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And Satan suggested that God lied about them dying. I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit moved men to want to canonize(regard as being above reproach or of great significance) the so-called writings of God. God has done the work of preserving a faithful document of his-story, in the KJV. Much in the same way believers are to judge, who is and who is not a prophet of God. Even today, newer translations approach the task with predetermined bias and subtleness of changes, so as to slight the truth of God, not all, but some.
I am truly thankful the most faithful modern day rendition of God's word is in my native language, despite the archaic form, which I myself enjoy exploring for a deepening of my language knowledge.
When a person is saved of God, the Holy Spirit indewells them and leads them towards truth. God is always able to communicate with his children, and only his children look for him.
7:2: "the human women became pregnant & bare great giants whose height was 3000 ells". Even going by the smaller measurement of 18 inches, this makes the giants 4,500 ft tall.
19:2: "the women from the angels who went astray shall become sirens". What was a siren? A mythological creature that was half bird & half human.
10:8: "the whole earth has been corrupted through the works taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin". But sin came through Adam, & Azazel who is also referred to as Satan, according to 10:4-6, has been chained up until judgement day. The Bible says different that he is free to roam awaiting that final day of judgement & forever in the Lake of Fire.
10:20,21: Prior to the Flood, God told Michael the Archangel to "Cleanse the Earth from all godlessness...and all the children of men shall become righteous...and all the Earth shall be cleansed from defilement, from all sin, from all punishment...". Is an angel now the source of our salvation?
And the list of gross errors are still many. Even considering the authorship of the Book is questionable as is the date of writing. Do you really feel that such a book is worthy of study & inclusion alongside God's Word? Those who canonized the Scriptures we now have, have done well to apply the most stringent scrutiny to the books that comprise the Bible, ensuring that we have the most faithful & reliable Scriptures in our hands. If any serious study is conducted to any of these extra-biblical writings, one can see how far they have detoured from Truth even with the evidence of Truth within their pages. If such gross errors are found in isolation, what must be the condition of the whole.
Regarding the behaviour of husbands to their wives, see: Colossians 3:19; 1 Peter 3:7; Ephesians 5:25-29,33.
And for children's behaviour: Colossians 3:20; Ephesians 6:1-3; Proverbs 13:24.
But if you're in trouble for what took place, I can't be certain what your bosses have understood from the altercation. They may have sided with the perpetrators because of what your husband did, or maybe they expected that they should be notified first before other action was taken - I don't know. Whatever it is, the matter should be fully brought up to your bosses & clarified, even with the offending party brought in. If your boss overlooks this, then I'm afraid that either he is complicit to the other party or he's certainly not skilled in people management.
Whenever we as Christians suffer wrongly, whether for our faith or even in a work situation as yours, ultimately we have to leave the matter in God's Hands, & "suffer the wrong". Man may fail or hurt you, but God has seen it with His Eyes & will care for you & ultimately defend you. The Apostle Paul wrote about a matter of one believer taking another to court over a matter ( 1 Corinthians 6:6-8). Even though your situation is not the same, the truth is there: when there's a matter that is unjust to us & even if your bosses look at you in a bad light, Paul indicates that we should just take the wrong & not perpetuate the matter, maybe making it worse. If you're treated badly or lose your job over it, then you can trust God to take care of you.
a. The Great Tribulation is a special event in history when it is God's Wrath that is poured upon the world of unbelievers. The tribulations that come to us, whether coping with life's demands & challenges or going through various intensities of persecution & to the laying down our lives for the Lord, are not part of God's Wrath, but what comes to us living in a fallen corrupt world ruled by the prince of this World. And on this aspect the YT speaker dwells on. One would need to look at the fact that a believer who has already been freed from the God's condemnation through Christ, would he then have to face His Wrath for his & the world's 'wickedness'?
b. 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 which ties in with 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is taken as a separate event to the Day of the Lord not because of the specific events of the dead rising along with the saints to be with the Lord forever, but also what Paul was saying was a Mystery: something unknown or veiled beforehand, being revealed now. Just as the mystery of the Church ( Romans 11:25, Ephesians 5:32, 6:19, Colossians 1:27), so the mystery of the catching away that was not unknown before. The speaker never referred to this important point.
c. The escape of Lot & his family or of Noah & his from the pouring out of God's Wrath was not dealt particularly well by him. He emphasized that they escaped but the unbelievers were destroyed whereas in the Gt. Tribulation, it would not be so, therefore the analogy failed. However, I think that the emphasis is seen to be on the fact that God took out the righteous from the scene of His outpouring Anger.
These being a few of my observations from his talk, & though quite comprehensive & he being well studied, I remain unconvinced from his presentation.
To find a direct meaning of James 5:5 may not be possible because of the Greek text. However, you could consider the following Scriptures that show a person who lives for self-indulgence or self-gratification to the casting aside of the things of God & holy living.
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11; Philippians 2:17-19; Proverbs 23:20,21; Ephesians 5:15-19; 1 Corinthians 6:12,13; Matthew 6:19-21.
Ephesians 5:26
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the WASHING OF THE WATER by the WORD
Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the WASHING of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
As we read our Bibles every day; and spend some time praying to the Lord afterwards: our minds are being cleansed of wrong thinking and temptations.
It's true what they used to say (not so much anymore): garbage in, garbage out. I kicked the cable-tv habit a decade ago. I got tired of tv trying to teach me their low-living doctrines till it made me react. I have not missed it at all.
There are very good Bible Ministry programs on FM Radio. 24 hours a day.
Cable tv preachers can be watched on YouTube, so "LIKE" them so YouTube keeps them on.
There is no reason to be assaulted by the temptations cable tv offers. I watch antenna tv. Costs me NOTHING. $200.00 saved every month. There's news on 5 channels daily, cartoons on 2, three PBS channels, oldies movies, cooking, DIY, cops-cowboys-comedy (clean), medical, mysteries, and more. Depending on where your transmitters are you should pull in 42-58 channels. Spanish programming too!
Kick the habit (cable). With wireless you can still stream. Check it out. :D
Good news is you have more time for Bible Reading and visiting this Comment Community regularly to exchange thoughts and questions. The Prayer Request room always needs people to pray for those who are sick, afraid, have lost someone who died, or stressed from sheltering. I find it very rewarding.
You're so busy you don't have time to be tempted by so many visual temptations. I'm retired and a neighbor and me host Bible Studies in our 50 & up Complex where we live. It's like in here, but with our shut in neighbors. It's nice. Think about it.
Mishael
The word of God cleans and in so many ways . I just love this verse 27 . With all the sin in the world and around us Jesus will present the Church as a glorious church !
He will build his church no matter what the evil is going on .
The word of God , stay in it and let it cleanse you from all evil !
Colossians 3:12 - Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
1 Thessalonians 4:11 - And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
Titus 3:2 - To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Psalms 25:9 - The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
Isaiah 57:15 - For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
1 Timothy 6:11 - But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
2 Timothy 2:25 - In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;
James 1:21 - Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Ephesians 5:4 - Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Let us pray for this nation often. We don't always think of how blessed we are compared to Christians suffering in Countries that hate them; and kill them, for believing in Jesus.
God help us to protect what we have, with strong prayer. To not turn blind eyes away from those who are not free; who suffer peril and hunger every day. Amen.
The Holy Spirit is invisible.
King James Bible
Hebrews 12:29
For our God is a consuming fire.
Deuteronomy 4:24
For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
The Scriptures about the Godhead. Sometimes called "Let Us..." in some passages. Three persons: all are one God.
Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7
Isaiah 6:8
Romans 1:20
Colossians 2:9
Acts 17:27-30
1 John 5:7
John 10:30
Maybe you'd like to add a KJV Bible to your bookcase?
Blessings, Mishael
Acts 7:56
And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
Hebrews 2:6
But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Revelation 1:13
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
Revelation 14:14
And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
This is the Son of Man! How can we with our unclean lips, speak His name without bowing the knee?
It blows my brain how people do not reverence Him. Debate him. Chip away at his Deity. He is who HE said he is.
At least Isaiah 6:1-8. We see a PROPER response to the Lord of Glory.
Also, I spotted another LET US scripture in Isaiah 6:8.
When the Holy Spirit indwells a Christian this way, He manifests certain attributes which Apostle Paul calls "fruits of the Spirit" in Galatians 5 : 22. Just as a tree yields its fruits so the Holy Spirit yields those listed fruits in any Christian He indwells.
Now, as a Christian businessman filled with the Holy Spirit for example, someone comes to you with a business proposal that is actually a scam.
Because it is a scam it is lacking in goodness, in righteousness and in truth, it is not "acceptable unto the Lord".
Consequently the Christian businessman will not have an inner peace thinking about this proposal. There will be this strong sense of uneasiness and he will know there is something seriously wrong with the proposed business.
This is what I think Ephesians 5 : 9 - 10 is talking about.
Ephesians 4:29, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Even though 'corrupt communication' could be perceived to be too general, in Greek it actually refers to 'rotten, worthless, useless, depraved'. I would think that using swear/bad words would fall under this meaning as speech that has no value in it that rather places the person in a baser standing. You could look at Ephesians 5:4 as well, for a similar warning which includes foolish talking & jesting. I would think 'jesting' here is not just humour but with lewdness sprinkled within.
But to answer your question: "who decides which words are bad words and how do they decide, is it just somebody's opinion or is it scripture?" I think the criteria for that would be the source or history of the word used, its meaning & its manner of presentation, both in verbal expression & context. I certainly don't know the history of those words, nor do I wish to, but every now & then something comes up. For example, what some consider a 'mild bad word' such as the extended use of the word 'blood', has its origins in either the Cross or a woman's monthly cycle. But there are other words, such as used in the Bible for 'an illegitimate person' ( Hebrews 12:8), which in itself is an appropriate English word, but when used today and against a person in an angry tone, amounts to swearing. I think you get what I'm saying without the need for further examples!
But Colossians 4:6 says it well: "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." I feel that this is the criterion we need to abide by: how do our words or manner of speaking affect the one hearing us - is it gentle, encouraging, uplifting, informative or 'spiced' up & devaluing us & our message?
The Bible expressly says women shall not have authority of man in areas of teaching doctrine and spiritual matters ( 1 Timothy 2:12).
1 Timothy 3 speaks of the leadership within the church and how only men shall hold those portions of authority. Bishop (Pastor) is to be a husband of one woman. It does not say the bishop shall be the wife of one man etc. Look at all those masculine pronouns.
The serpent beguiled Eve: 2 Corinthians 11:3, then Eve technically lead Adam to sin, even though he should have known better ( Genesis 3:6).
As you can see in the marriage hierarchy, it goes: God, husband, then woman ( Ephesians 5:24,25).
Man has authority but is not to be a dictator. He is to protect his family and church both spiritually and physically. Any man that does not take into consideration anything a woman says simply because she is a woman, is unscriptural. But there is a biblical time and place for woman to serve. Female pastors are unbiblical. Female teachers (of doctrine etc) is unscriptural if teaching men. A woman is to be taken seriously and to be treated lovingly, but she cannot do everything man does.
Women have and do play a major role in christian faith in many areas including teaching young women and children ( Titus 2:4).
As the above comments show, women can prophesy, which mean they can proclaim Biblical truth. With all things, it must be done according to the Bible.
Do not listen to anybody who says "do not worry about what man thinks." This is not a Biblical mindset as the man is to provide sound, biblical guidance. This does not mean a woman can only get info from men (as earlier in my post).
Also, (brief history lesson) all pagan religions worship a female goddess. Could this also be the reason why God chose man to be the leader of church, family, school etc.?
The Bible was written by a holy an perfect God. THE God of the universe and beyond. What is written in there is truth and should be taken seriously
and obtaineth favour of the Lord.
Proverbs 18:22 | KJV
And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Matthew 19:4-6 | KJV
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
Colossians 3:18-19 | KJV
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
Hebrews 13:4 | KJV
Who can find a virtuous woman?
for her price is far above rubies.
Proverbs 31:10 | KJV
A man's heart deviseth his way:
but the Lord directeth his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 | KJV
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.
Ephesians 5:25-26 | KJV
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
1 Corinthians 7:2 | KJV
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Genesis 2:18 | KJV
When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.
Deuteronomy 24:5 | KJV
And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Genesis 2:22-24 | KJV
Wives, submit you