"알림: Good4Joy 프로젝트는 위키를 기반으로 하는 독립 웹사이트(good4joy.org)와 네이버 블로그(https://blog.naver.com/love_of_jesus) 두 곳에서 콘텐츠를 제공하려고 계획하고 있습니다. 네이버 블로그에 최근 문서들이 있고, 위키는 후에 업데이트하려고 하니 참고하세요."
Ephesians 4:31-32 (as God in Christ forgave you - for good works)
(Ephesians 4:31-32) Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
This is prepared for sending the TBC evangelism team to neighbor to preach gospel.
Book of Ephesians
a beautiful book; like a manual for christians
Chapter 1-3, gospel & God’s plan
- (2:8) For by grace you have been saved through faith
- (2:10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
After (1-3) the doctrine, (4-6) Paul gives the application:
Chapter 4-6, application
Connected by (4:1) “I therefore”, the application, i.e., how to live christian life for good works.
Doctrine and application - I find this is important that the “sound doctrine” first and on top of that applying into our lives. For example, love is important but without faith in Christ that is not good. Doctrine and application, theology and life, gospel and good works, faith and love - they have to go together.
- application summery: (22) to put off your old self (24) and to put on the new self
Today's passage (4:31-32)
- old self - all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander
- new self - Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another
And Paul says, (32) “as God in Christ forgave you”. He again emphasizes the doctrine - Jesus said (John 14:6), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
As Paul did, we have to keep remind ourselves the doctrine, gospel, which empowers us to do good works.
God in Christ forgave us; by grace we have been saved. Now as children of God, citizens of His kingdom we ought live for good works. Put off old selves - all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander. And put on new selves - kind, tenderhearted, forgiving.
We discipline/remind ourselves to put off old selves and put on new selves in our day-to-day life.
And when preach, as today, we have to preach sound doctrine, truth only. We not only meet non-believers but also we meet christians. We can encourage, edify, challenge them, so they can do good works. While doing that we should do with kind, tenderhearted, forgiving heart.
I bless you and myself to put off old selves and put on new selves in Christ.
