The College Press NIV Commentary: Galatians & Ephesians
Overview
Galatians: Throughout the history of the church the message of Galatians has been needed to free men from chains of false doctrine. Repeatedly men have turned away from grace to bow at the altar of law. Desperate to claim at least part of the credit for their own salvation, they have chosen to believe that they are saved by keeping enough rules, enduring enough pain, or siding with the orthodox on enough of the "issues." Then someone will read Galatians again and the liberating message of the gospel of grace catches fire once more, and the bonds of legalism are burned away. Ephesians: We are saved by grace through faith! We do not earn our salvation—it is the gift of God! Even though we were dead in sin and fully deserved God's wrath, He saved us and brought us into the body of Christ. It is a glorious privilege to be a part of his body, and it carries with it a glorious responsibility. We are saved by grace, for good works. God saves us so that He could live in us and work through us. We are filled with his fullness and re-created in his likeness. We are imitators of God. His power works in us, making possible more than we could ever ask or think. We are strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. The message of Ephesians is a message of salvation: God gives it; man lives it!
Top Highlights
“Two-thirds of the sixty-six uses of ‘service’ or ‘to serve’ in the N.T. have to do with meeting physical needs. Therefore, the key to gaining the right focus on ministry is to stop thinking of serving the ‘church program’ and to start thinking about serving the needs of people.” (Ephesians 4:12)
“To walk, or live, as a wise person is not just to have knowledge but to have skill in living. It is to have practical insight concerning the right thing to do in a given situation. Wisdom is the ability to see things as God sees them, and act accordingly.” (Ephesians 5:15)
“When all the body members are put to work, the body grows and matures (v. 16). People grow to maturity through service. So long as the saints are merely consumers of the program and product of the church, they will remain immature and selfish. Just as Christ came not to be served, but to serve (Matt 20:28), so must his body learn the satisfaction that comes from being concerned about the needs of others.” (Ephesians 4:12)
“Putting on the full armor is the functional equivalent of putting on the new nature (4:24) in Christ. The old nature and its vices have been put aside; the renewed image of God takes its place.” (Ephesians 6:11)
“The weak person yields because he is helpless to do anything else; the meek person yields his superior strength because he seeks the well being of others.” (Ephesians 4:2)
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preacherrocky
3/26/2014
Dennis Wilson
8/22/2013
