Everyone knows we’re here not for a long time, but a good time, right? I know, there are two ways you can read that... typically, people use that statement as an excuse to do things with their bodies and minds that defy the laws of health and common sense. Just the opposite is true in living a wise life. How do we have a genuinely good time? Paul writes to the Ephesians on this very subject, advising them how to live:
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“Look carefully then how you [are walking]! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.
“Look carefully then how you [are walking]! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.
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“Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.” -Ephesians 5:15-17 (Amplified Version modified).
“Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.” -Ephesians 5:15-17 (Amplified Version modified).
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Look carefully then how you are walking / redeem the time
Living wisely has the sense of ‘redeeming the time,’ and why? Because the ‘days are evil.’ Purely the fact that we will finally experience death is enough to suggest this; our days are numbered. That in itself is a cruel thought no matter how reconciled we might be toward death. The Devil would have us waste our lives, and those subject to carelessness, laziness, and neglect are subject as much to Satan as they are to anything, notwithstanding their core belief system. “Life is not to be squandered, but rescued from evil and lived to the full for God.”[1] Once our time is gone it’s gone for good.
Look carefully then how you are walking / redeem the time
Living wisely has the sense of ‘redeeming the time,’ and why? Because the ‘days are evil.’ Purely the fact that we will finally experience death is enough to suggest this; our days are numbered. That in itself is a cruel thought no matter how reconciled we might be toward death. The Devil would have us waste our lives, and those subject to carelessness, laziness, and neglect are subject as much to Satan as they are to anything, notwithstanding their core belief system. “Life is not to be squandered, but rescued from evil and lived to the full for God.”[1] Once our time is gone it’s gone for good.
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Reclaiming time, therefore, is a wisdom activity. It is judicious planning and use of time. Wisdom in New Testament tradition is living as the saved do; it is the salvation experience, and that chosen on a daily basis. We’re to buy up time intensively.[2]
Reclaiming time, therefore, is a wisdom activity. It is judicious planning and use of time. Wisdom in New Testament tradition is living as the saved do; it is the salvation experience, and that chosen on a daily basis. We’re to buy up time intensively.[2]
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‘Walking wisely’ is the key in the Greek. This is why I chose the Amplified for this passage because it is the closest to the Authorised Version where Paul is saying literally, “Therefore, look how carefully you are walking.” “The point is not how carefully one is to observe [in life] but how one is to walk,” i.e. living wisely is a practical exercise.[3]
‘Walking wisely’ is the key in the Greek. This is why I chose the Amplified for this passage because it is the closest to the Authorised Version where Paul is saying literally, “Therefore, look how carefully you are walking.” “The point is not how carefully one is to observe [in life] but how one is to walk,” i.e. living wisely is a practical exercise.[3]
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Understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is
The will of the Lord is more than a message for our individual lives; it is incorporating the overall plan of God. It is the Holy Spirit who calls us to the Father and the Son, exhorting us to a daily experience in the Divine, “in a more vital way in terms of practical living.”[4] It is “the formation of a people into the likeness of Christ who will be pure and blameless on the final day” that reflects the true will of God.[5] Understanding the will of Christ is to be wise.[6]
Understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is
The will of the Lord is more than a message for our individual lives; it is incorporating the overall plan of God. It is the Holy Spirit who calls us to the Father and the Son, exhorting us to a daily experience in the Divine, “in a more vital way in terms of practical living.”[4] It is “the formation of a people into the likeness of Christ who will be pure and blameless on the final day” that reflects the true will of God.[5] Understanding the will of Christ is to be wise.[6]
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Just like we’re apt to remove things attributes of the Holy Spirit that don’t suit, (grieving him immensely)... for instance, those ‘baptised in the Holy Spirit,’ who might speak in tongues and prophesy, but who lack the interaction with the Spirit regarding justification and sanctification are kidding themselves. We cannot selectively take from the Spirit, or attribute one part over the other. That is application of false doctrine that the apostles deplored in much of their writing.
Just like we’re apt to remove things attributes of the Holy Spirit that don’t suit, (grieving him immensely)... for instance, those ‘baptised in the Holy Spirit,’ who might speak in tongues and prophesy, but who lack the interaction with the Spirit regarding justification and sanctification are kidding themselves. We cannot selectively take from the Spirit, or attribute one part over the other. That is application of false doctrine that the apostles deplored in much of their writing.
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We “are to understand by careful consideration of individual circumstances what is the will of the Lord and then to carry out his will.”[7]
We “are to understand by careful consideration of individual circumstances what is the will of the Lord and then to carry out his will.”[7]
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Conclusion
Making the most of our opportunities to do good is a wisdom activity, as is ‘walking’ carefully through life with an accent on the practical (faith without works is dead). Understanding the will of the Lord is a holistic venture which requires a very practical use of discernment to do what ought to be done each moment. Above all we should “watch closely [being mindful] because missteps are easy and the consequences disastrous.”[8]
Conclusion
Making the most of our opportunities to do good is a wisdom activity, as is ‘walking’ carefully through life with an accent on the practical (faith without works is dead). Understanding the will of the Lord is a holistic venture which requires a very practical use of discernment to do what ought to be done each moment. Above all we should “watch closely [being mindful] because missteps are easy and the consequences disastrous.”[8]
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Copyright © 2008, S. J. Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Copyright © 2008, S. J. Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
ENDNOTES:
[1] Harry Uprichard, Ephesians – Study Commentary, (Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 2004), p. 291-92.
[2] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians – An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2002), p. 692.
[3] Harold W. Hoehner, Ibid, p. 691-92.
[4] Harry Uprichard, Ibid, p. 300.
[5] Harry Uprichard, Ibid, p. 293.
[6] Harold W. Hoehner, Ibid, p. 699.
[7] Harold W. Hoehner, Ibid, p. 699.
[8] Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians – The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1996), p. 300.
[1] Harry Uprichard, Ephesians – Study Commentary, (Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 2004), p. 291-92.
[2] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians – An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2002), p. 692.
[3] Harold W. Hoehner, Ibid, p. 691-92.
[4] Harry Uprichard, Ibid, p. 300.
[5] Harry Uprichard, Ibid, p. 293.
[6] Harold W. Hoehner, Ibid, p. 699.
[7] Harold W. Hoehner, Ibid, p. 699.
[8] Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians – The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1996), p. 300.
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