SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/8/2019 11:54 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-1 “The
Characteristics”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
5:9-10
Message of the verses: “9 (for the fruit
of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern
what is pleasing to the Lord” (ESV).”
In
looking at MacArthur’s commentary I found it difficult to find out which
version that he was using for this section.
I finally found out that he was using the ESV of the Bible and in his
first paragraph I think that I understand why he is doing this: “In what appears to be a parenthetical
statement, the manifest characteristics of the children of light are given in
what Paul hear calls ‘the fruit of the light’ (The better Greek manuscripts
have ‘the fruit of the
light,’ as here, rather than ‘the fruit of the Spirit,’ as in the
Authorized Version.) The three supreme
characteristics, or ‘fruit,’ of our walk as children of light are ‘all goodness
and righteousness and truth.’” I hope this
explanation will be clear to all who read this, and thus the reason why
MacArthur chose to use the ESV of the Bible here.
What
we will be looking at are three characteristics that Paul mentions here to show
that a person is truly a believer in Jesus Christ. Sometimes when a person comes to a church and
desires to join that church the person is asked about their salvation
experience. I’m afraid that this is not
as prevalent in churches in our country today as it was in earlier years. Perhaps as this person is seen to come to
worship services on a pretty regular basis, and were shown that they had been
baptized once they became a believer, and even gives financial support to the
church, that these show evidences of truly being born-again. However these things can actually be done in
the flesh if this person is not truly born-again. “Paul mentions here are spiritual works that
cannot be achieved in the flesh. The
‘all’ reflects the perfection of the divine standard” (MacArthur).
Let
us briefly look at the first characteristic “all goodness” in the SD. MacArthur writes “A number of Greek words are
translated ‘good’ or ‘goodness’ in the New Testament. Kalos
denotes that which is intrinsically right, free from defects, beautiful, and
honorable. Both John the Baptist and
Jesus used the term for the ‘good fruit’ without which a tree ‘is cut down and
thrown into the fire’ (Matt. 3:10; 7:19).
Paul uses the term when he tells Timothy that ‘everything created by God
is good’ (1 Tim. 4:4). It is also used of
that which is morally good (see Gal. 4:18; 1 Tim 5:10, 25; Titus 2:7, 14). Chrestos,
also often ‘good,’ refers to that which is pleasant, useful, suitable, or
worthy. Paul uses this word when he
declares that ‘bad company corrupts good morals’ (1 Cor. 15:33).
“But
in the present passage Paul uses agathosune,
which refers to moral excellence, to being good in both nature and
effectiveness. Like agape love, agathosune
‘goodness’ finds its fullest and highest expression in that which is willingly
and sacrificially done for others.
‘Always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men,’
Paul told the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 5:15).
In his next letter to that church the apostle prays ‘that our God may
count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with
power’ (2 Thess. 1:11, emphasis added).
This ‘goodness’ that is a ‘fruit of light’ is also a fruit of the Spirit
(Gal. 5:22).”
Scripture that goes along with David
Jeremiah’s quotation from yesterday is from Psalm 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man who
walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor
sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the Law of the Lord,
and in His Law he meditates day and night.”
6/8/2019 12:25 PM
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