Posted in Salvation, tagged Ephesians 06, John 04 on December 10, 2010| Leave a Comment »
And take the helmet of salvation – Ephesians 6:17a
Our salvation is not just something for the heart, it’s for the head, too. Jesus chided the woman at the well just little by saying, “You worship what you do not know”.1
Salvation is knowable – we can know that we are saved, we can know how we are saved, we can know how salvation “works”, and we are to do so.
– fritz
1 – John 4:22a (NASB)
Posted in Faith, tagged Ephesians 06, Romans 05 on December 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »
[T]ake up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. – Ephesians 6:16
God uses our everyday objects to teach us about unseen things.
Paul, imprisoned for his faith,1 saw soldiers quite often. He advised Christians that they, too, have armour for their spiritual battle. We use our faith like a soldier uses his shield.
This scripture tells us two things:
1) The evil one uses “flaming arrows”; his weaponry pierces and burns – a past or present regret, a perceived fault or character flaw, rejection, isolation, gossip.
2) The burn can be extinguished by faith – faith that Jesus is not just the savior but my savior, faith that all my guilt and flaws as real as they may be or have been are covered by his sacrifice, faith that since he did this when I was his enemy how can he do less now that I am his friend.
“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” – Romans 5:10
-fritz
1 – Ephesians 6:19
Posted in gospel, tagged Ephesians 06 on December 8, 2010| Leave a Comment »
[T]ake … the whole armour of God, … your loins girt about with truth … the breastplate of righteousness … your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” – Ephesians 6:13-15
A person doesn’t need to recognize a battle to be in one. Society may call it an emotional problem, an addiction, a family issue, a legal battle, but unless we recognize the spiritual aspect of our struggles we can’t endure.
The Bible says we have the armor – we just need to put it on and use it!
Third listed is the preparation of the gospel of peace; literally, preparing the good message of God’s peace and prosperity. The focus is not survival but thriving and taking that peace and prosperity of victory to others.
“Praise be to the God … who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” – 2nd Corinthians 1:3
– fritz
Patrikin - Kinship through The Father 