A Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians, Chapter Five [Audio Version]

De: James Thomas Lee Jr

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

This third edition of this commentary begins with Paul's final days of freedom before being arrested in Jerusalem. The timeframe was at the end of his third Bible-recorded missionary journey when he was going there to attend the celebration of Pentecost. He also went to take some financial aid to the church in Jerusalem. While there, he participated in a Nazarite ritual with four men who had taken a vow. Following that ritual, he went to the synagogue with those same four men. But as soon as some of the Jewish people saw him, they immediately accused him and attacked him. Given the opportunity, they would have killed him right there on the spot.

But the Roman chief captain in Jerusalem intervened by taking him into custody. However, even though he was only taken from the crowd for his own protection, Paul then remained in custody for most of the next four or five years. While under Roman control, he appeared before Procurator Felix, Procurator Festus, and King Agrippa. Then he was sent to Rome to where he had appeared before Caesar Augustus. Towards the end of his imprisonment in Rome, he wrote a letter to three churches in Philippi, Colosse, and Ephesus, respectively. He also wrote a letter to a man, named Philemon. While the exact order of those letters is not known with absolute certainty, the best evidence will be offered to determine when he probably wrote each one. Then a comparison of his Colossian letter and Ephesian letter will be shared.

Once those matters have been handled, certain parts of Paul's specific letter to the church at Ephesus will be carefully examined. First, Ephesians 4:24-32 will be discussed as an Introduction to Ephesians chapter five. Then each verse of the fifth chapter will be considered. The fifth chapter is important because Paul wrote in verses twenty-two and twenty-three that wives should be in submission to their husband and that the husband is the head of the wife. Those verses have long been controversial for present-day Christians. So it is important to put them into their correct context to understand exactly what Paul was saying and why he was saying it. However, there is much more in the fifth chapter of his letter to that church than just that. So all of those things will be discussed in the pages that follow.

There is one note, however, to be made with respect to the organization of this text before concluding this Introduction. Something that the reader might find useful is boxes throughout that show the different passages that are being referenced at the times and in the places where they are being referenced. That way, he or she will not have to jump all over the place or get into or out of the scriptures to locate a particular reference. Hopefully that inclusion will help the reader in trying to understand the various events and to also quickly put them into their right context. So it is hoped that that addition will make this text easier to read and that the Lord will receive the praise, honor, and glory that He rightfully deserves.