Devotions from the Epistles of Galatians & Ephesians

By Frederick M. Thompson

In this insightful book, Dr. Frederick M. Thompson examines the Epistles of Galatians and Ephesians in bite size pieces. Each devotional lesson is a practical, relevant, and faith nurturing exposition of Pauls Spirit inspired doctrinal and practical insights as given to converts under his apostolic care. Great care was taken to properly interpret Pauls thoughts. A historical, cultural and contextual analysis was accomplished for each lesson in order to be faithful to the authors intended meaning. With the authors intended meaning in mind, Dr. Thompson provides practical insight and applicability so that the ancient messages found in Galatians and Ephesians can come alive in a relevant, transformational way for the contemporary church. This work will warm your heart, strengthen your faith, and enhance your ability to think theologically.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781481778046

Frederick M. Thompson

Dr. Frederick M. Thompson is the visionary Pastor and Founder of Word of Life Christian Center in Springfield Township, New Jersey, where he focuses on increasing the biblical and theological literacy of the congregation. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the College of Business at Wilmington University, teaching courses on leadership development, managerial ethics, and organizational design. Dr. Thompson received degrees from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary and United Theological Seminary. He also authored Devotions from the Epistle of Romans and Identifying and Developing Leaders: A Biblical, Historical, Theological Perspective.

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© 2013 by Frederick M. Thompson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/25/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4817-7803-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-7804-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013913050

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Unless otherwise indicated, Bible quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Preface

The Epistle to The Galatians

Introduction to the Epistle to the Galatians

Salutation

A Perversion of the Gospel, Pt. 1

A Perversion of the Gospel, Pt. 2

A Perversion of the Gospel, Pt. 3

Called by God

Paul’s Apostleship

Paul: A Man of Courage and Conviction

Apostles Accept Paul

Paul Opposes Peter, Pt. 1

Paul Opposes Peter, Pt. 2

Crucified with Christ, Pt. 1

Crucified with Christ, Pt. 2

The Folly of Spiritual Digression

Consider Father Abraham

The Curse of the Law

The Promised Seed

The Purpose of the Law

The Law’s Responsibility

Union with Christ

Heirs of God, Pt. 1

Heirs of God, Pt. 2

A Return to Bondage

The Former Days

A Second Birth

Truth through Allegory, Pt. 1

Truth through Allegory, Pt. 2

What Shall We Do?

Maintaining Your Freedom

No Need for Circumcision

No Holds Barred

The Law is Fulfilled by Love

Walking in the Spirit

The Works of the Flesh, Pt. 1

The Works of the Flesh, Pt. 2

The Works of the Flesh, Pt. 3

The Works of the Flesh, Pt. 4

The Works of the Flesh, Pt. 5

The Fruit of the Spirit, Pt. 1

The Fruit of the Spirit, Pt. 2

The Fruit of the Spirit, Pt. 3

The Fruit of the Spirit, Pt. 4

The Fruit of the Spirit, Pt. 5

The Ministry of Restoration

Bearing Each Other’s Burdens

Providing Financial Support

You Reap What You Sow, Pt. 1

You Reap What You Sow, Pt. 2

Closing Words, Pt. 1

Closing Words, Pt. 2

The Epistle to The Ephesians

Introduction to the Epistle to the Ephesians

Ephesians—The Question of Pauline Authorship

Recipients of the Epistle to the Ephesians

Greetings!

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Chosen to be Holy and Blameless

Adopted by God

Redeemed and Forgiven

The Mystery of God’s Will

The Benefits of God

Introduction (1:15-23)

A Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation

The Hope of God’s Call

The Power of God

Naughty by Nature

God’s Great Love

Saved by Grace

Hopeless Apart From Christ

Jesus is a Peace Maker

Gentiles are Included

The Mystery of God

Paul’s Divine Commission

Strengthened by Christ

The Love of Christ

Think Big!

Unity in the Church, Pt. 1

Unity in the Church, Pt. 2

The Gift Giver

Office Bearers in the Church, Pt. 1

Office Bearers in the Church, Pt. 2

The Purpose of the Office Bearers

Working in Ministry

Growing Up

Please Do Your Part

Old Man, New Man, Pt. 1

Old Man, New Man, Pt. 2

Practical Living, Pt. 1

Practical Living, Pt. 2

Practical Living, Pt. 3

Imitators of God

Sexual Purity

Sexual Immorality will be Judged

Children of Light

Wise Christians

Filled with the Spirit, Pt. 1

Filled with the Spirit, Pt. 2

Mutual Submission

God-Honoring Submission, Pt. 1

God-Honoring Submission, Pt. 2

God-Honoring Submission, Pt. 3

Husbands, Love your Wives, Pt. 1

Husbands, Love your Wives, Pt. 2

Husbands, Love Your Wives, Pt. 3

Mutuality in the Marriage

The Priority of Marriage

Children and Parents, Pt. 1

Children and Parents, Pt. 2

Slaves and Masters, Pt. 1

Slaves and Masters, Pt. 2

Ephesians 6:10-20

The Battle is the Lord’s

Armed for Battle

The Enemy

The Christian’s Armor, Pt. 1

The Christian’s Armor, Pt. 2

The Christian’s Armor, Pt. 3

The Christian’s Armor, Pt. 4

The Christian’s Armor, Pt. 5

Prayer is the Capstone

Paul Requests Prayer

Conclusion

Bibliography

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to all the members of Word of Life Christian Center, past and present, who have encouraged me in my preaching, teaching and in my studies. I am a better pastor because of you.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It is always appropriate to give thanks for the many blessings that one is allowed to enjoy. With gratitude and great appreciation, I bless God for the opportunity and the grace to write this present work. His goodness and gifts greatly exceed anything that I could ever deserve.

My beautiful wife, Roseclair, and my wonderful sons, Rasheed and Cedric, are tremendous blessings to me. They allow me the space and time to work when they would rather spend time with me. They are very precious to me.

I am blessed to have members of our church who are willing to stand with me and encourage me in all that God has assigned to my hands for my ministry. It is indeed an honor and privilege to serve such an august body of believers. Though they constantly express their love and appreciation for me, I want to now express my love, appreciation, and respect for them, and the joy that is mine because of my association with them.

All glory belongs to our God!

PREFACE

There are some who intentionally set out to write a book. This was not the case with respect to this present work. I have always desired and felt called by God to minister to the body of Christ through writing books. However, Devotions from the Epistles of Galatians and Ephesians started out as my humble attempt to feed my congregation each morning during the week by writing and sending Manna from Heaven teaching articles via email. The members of Word of Life Christian Center seemed to enjoy and appreciate the teachings. In fact, some would reply to the email indicating that they were excitedly looking forward to receiving the next teaching, and stating that they were sharing the teaching with others in their work sections, and also forwarding them to friends in other states.

The book is actually a compilation of the daily writings on Galatians and Ephesians. My aim with respect to length was to keep the article relatively short. Additionally, one will be able to tell that I was constantly seeking to keep the teachings unified in that I reiterated what we have already accomplished so that there was a clear connection between where we were presently going, with where we had been.

I did not attempt to make this an overly scholarly devotional as my target audience was the laity of the church. Yet, I did deal with some scholarly issues when necessary. But I did not clutter the teachings with overly technical jargon that only seminary trained clergy would understand. Admittedly, I did attempt to stretch the people at times. Most assuredly, there were times when the reader had to reach for a dictionary in order to understand what I had said. My point, in these cases, was to broaden their understanding, expose them to new words and concepts, and to sharpen their ability to think theologically.

In Devotions from the Epistles of Galatians and Ephesians I intentionally did not use footnotes or endnotes. Nor did I attempt to use extensive quotes. The great majority of the writings were a result of how the Lord led me each day. Ministry must be contextual. Moreover, my primary audience was believers under my care. A shepherd must know his or her sheep. In knowing my sheep and the concerns that they have, I sought to write in such a manner as to minister effectively to them. However, I also understood that my writing had to be true to the original intent of the biblical author. So I needed to ensure that a detailed study of the text was accomplished before undertaking the daily task of writing.

There were a handful of books that I consulted along the way in studying the books of Galatians and Ephesians. The books I utilized are found in the bibliography. As I stated, I did not attempt to fill the writings with extensive quotes. But when I did use the thoughts and insights of others, I was sure to indicate it by assigning a particular thought to another author. Additionally, it should be understood that within the primary books that I used in writing the devotions, other authors were cited as well. If one were to obtain the books listed in the bibliography, they will be able to easily find the vast majority of quotes contained in the book by simply going to that section in the book that corresponds with the scriptural passage under consideration.

I truly believe that God will allow His people to gain a greater understanding of Galatians and Ephesians through this humble offering. Moreover, there will be a greater appreciation for interpreting God’s Word in light of the context that the text is situated in. If there is any praise that can be given because of this book, it all belongs to God. For any shortcomings that may be present in this work, I must shoulder all of the responsibility.

THE EPISTLE

TO

THE GALATIANS

Introduction to the Epistle to the Galatians

The letter to the Galatians was written with urgency and fire. In some respects, it is unlike any other New Testament letter that came from the mind and pen of Paul. He wrote with sheer incredulity. He had ministered to the churches in Galatia by preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. But they soon turned to the law as the necessary component in the equation of salvation.

But where was Paul sending his letter? Who were the Galatians? There is scholarly debate concerning where Paul sent his letter. Was he sending it to Northern Galatia or Southern Galatia? The churches that he founded were in Southern Galatia so I believe it is logical to think that he would be writing to believers that he had established in the faith through his preaching and missionary ministry.

Regardless of where Paul was sending his letter, we can understand that he was addressing people that had heard the Word of God from him and who had believed. They received the Spirit of God and they were walking in fellowship with God through Christ. But now, Paul had reason to be alarmed in his spirit. He received word that the Galatians were reaching for another gospel that was no gospel. They started out in faith but were now seeking to lean toward the law as a means of being made right with God.

J. Louis Martyn declared that Paul’s singular purpose in writing was to re-preach to the Galatians the truth of the gospel (2:5, 14); but given the highly successful work of the Teachers or Judiazers, he can do that only by drawing contrasts between the true gospel and its counterfeit. Paul was not writing with apostolic authority to believers who fully embraced his theological point of view. He had to overcome some obstacles.

How was Paul to take this theological shift in the churches that he had established in his ministry? What was to be his temperament as he pondered this dilemma? There are times when soft gentle words are most appropriate. Most people prefer to be spoken to with the greatest degree of respect, kindness and love. However, there are times when the most respectful, kind, and loving thing a person can do for you is to speak the truth in love. Most people would prefer to be liked and appreciated by others. Therefore, there may be some sense of hesitancy in saying what needs to be said.

This cannot be the position of one who has entered the ministry to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Truth must be proclaimed! This is especially true when one is in danger of stepping on a land mine or falling into a deep pit. Paul understood that he had to move with great urgency in his attempt to move the Galatians back to where they needed to be in Christ.

Notice Paul’s words in Galatians 3:1, You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. Some may say, Don’t you ever call me foolish again! Paul had no choice. He needed the Galatians to see the seriousness of the matter. In the third verse of that same chapter he said, Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Paul had no reason to be abusive. That was not his focus. At times, stern words must be spoken so that the error of one’s ways can be clearly seen and understood.

Paul had to persuade the Galatian believers to see the Law in its proper light. The Law was not given by God to make one right with Him. The purpose of the Law will be clearly spelled out in subsequent lessons. So for now, suffice it to say that Paul had to set forth his polemic so that the church could understand the faith accurately. There was much at stake. Paul knew that the church needed to properly understand how one entered into a right relationship with God. This issue is of the utmost importance.

Galatians is a New Testament letter that every child of God should read and clearly understand. Paul makes it clear that one is justified by faith and not the works of the Law. He utilized Abraham to make this point when he indicated that Abraham was justified well before the Law was ever given. He was justified by faith. We, too, are justified by faith.

Salutation

Galatians 1:1-5

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Paul clearly understood the writing norms of his day. A letter in ancient times usually consisted of the author’s name, the recipients of the letter, and some expression of good will on the recipient’s behalf. But Paul usually included an expression of praise for the churches that he was writing to. In Galatians, we will find that Paul gave his opening greeting, but then he plunged right into the heart of the letter. He had no praise to offer the churches in Galatia, and he was anxious to delve right into the matter that precipitated the writing of the letter in the first place.

Paul’s apostleship was challenged by Judaizers—also called teachers, preachers, or legalizers. They challenged him on the two criteria that were set forth in Acts 1 concerning who could be an apostle. Paul had not walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry and he had not witnessed the resurrection of Christ along with the other apostles. Therefore, Paul needed to establish his credentials in the very beginning so that he could speak with the full weight and authority of his apostleship. No one can legitimately assert their own authority without meeting criteria that is recognized in the Scriptures and in the church. Moreover, it is the church that authenticates leadership, gifts, callings and authority. Simply asserting one’s rights to operate in a particular fashion is not acceptable from a biblical perspective.

Paul declared that his apostleship was not of human origin. His apostleship was by Jesus Christ and God the Father. L. Ann Jervis, speaking of Paul, indicated, In Galatians he is concerned to present himself as one whose apostolic function has divine authentication. Paul is sent by Jesus Christ and God the Father—by those whose authority and power the Galatian believers have already accepted. Paul seemed to add a little more weight by saying that it was God who raised Jesus from the dead. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead can set a person in ministry as He sees fit.

Paul normally included the names of his co-laborers. In his letter to the Galatians, he simply said—and all the brothers with me. He wanted to stand on the authority of his own voice and at the same time, indicate that there are other brothers that stand with him and give authenticity to his apostolic authority.

Paul’s letter was written to the Galatians. There has been scholarly debate for years concerning where Paul sent this letter. The most logical way of looking at this issue would be to think that Paul could only write with apostolic authority to those churches that he had a hand in establishing. Paul did minister to churches in southern Galatia and he was probably writing to these churches. There are plenty of scholars who have reasons for believing that Paul was writing to churches in Northern Galatia.

Paul’s use of grace and peace is interesting. The Galatians were leaning towards the Law which naturally took them away from grace. Additionally, the observance of the Law in order to be right with God is not the way of peace. But Paul still spoke these blessed terms over the Galatians’ lives. The blessings were of God and Christ—the latter giving Himself for our sins so that we can be rescued from the present evil world. The notion that the Galatians needed to be rescued meant that there was a power gripping all of humankind and they needed Christ to set them free. This is true for us today as well.

Unfortunately, liberal scholars have redefined sin. William E. Horden in A Layman’s Guide to Protestant Theology asserts, Friedrich Schleiemacher did not define sin as a moral violation of God’s law. Instead, he defined sin as occurring when man tries to live by himself, isolated from the universe and his fellow man. If sin is not a real problem, there is no reason to see Jesus as the one who atoned for our sins. In fact, some suggest that Jesus did not die for our sins. His primary contribution was that He was a perfect example of one who was God-conscious. The redefinition of sin notwithstanding, Scripture declares that God sent Jesus to rescue us from our sins and this present evil age. It is a gift that each of us must choose to receive.

A Perversion of the Gospel, Pt. 1

Galatians 1:6-9

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

Paul’s custom was to find an occasion whereby he could praise the recipients of his epistle once he offered the salutation. However, the epistle to the Galatians is certainly different. Paul could not bring himself to offer praises for the Galatians. Instead, he was utterly amazed at the turn of events that were brought to his attention.

The Galatian believers were quickly deserting God who had called them by grace. Paul had preached the Gospel to them and they received Christ by faith. He certainly did not suggest that their salvation was a result of what they had done. Salvation is first and foremost about what God has done in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is by grace.

After starting their relationship with God, they sought to go another route. Paul had reason to be agitated. They were deserting God. James Montgomery Boice, speaking of the Galatians’ desertion said:

Moreover, since the verb is probably in the middle voice, rather than the passive, it is not even possible for the Galatians to claim that their conduct was the result of outside influences. This is something they did to themselves and were responsible for.

The Galatians, Paul said, were turning to another gospel, which was no gospel. It does not matter what we call what we choose to believe, there is one gospel message. It seems to be human nature to try to create one’s own path to God regardless of the fact that God has already shown us the path and the way. Jesus said that He was the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Take note of the definite article the; Jesus is not a way, He is the Way.

Though the Galatians had to take responsibility for their own actions, they did have some help with the confusion that they were experiencing. Paul did not make it personal by calling specific names. He simply said that others were causing confusion and trying to pervert the Gospel. It was the Legalizers who were teaching that it was necessary to be circumcised and observe the Law in order to be in a right relationship with God. Evidently, in their minds, the sacrifice that Christ made was not truly efficacious for one’s salvation.

The church will be under attack at various times. But one must recognize that many times the attacks come from within. John Stott underscored this truth when he said, The Church’s greatest troublemakers (now as then) are not those outside who oppose, ridicule and persecute it, but those inside who try to change the gospel. Paul, therefore, had to be a polemicist rather than an apologist. He was contending with those in the church at Galatia. Paul was more than up to the task because the well being of