Ephesians 5:5
5 For [gar] this [touto] ye know [este], [ginosko] that [hoti] no [ou] [pas] whoremonger, [pornos] nor [e] unclean person, [akathartos] nor [e] covetous man, [pleonektes] who [hos] is [esti] an idolater, [eidololatres]
hath [echo] any inheritance [kleronomia] in [en] the kingdom [basileia] of Christ [Christos] and [kai] of God. [theos] KJV-Interlinear
5 For
this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man,
who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. NASB
While seemingly simple
from a cursory reading, this verse is really quite complicated and yet thorough.
The one point here that
you need to be aware of is that, this verse mentions inheritance, not
salvation, and that is extremely important.
Many a family member has
been cut out of a will, receiving no inheritance, even though they are still a
member of a family. Once a member of a
family, your membership cannot be cancelled.
You cannot unborn yourself out of a family, regardless of what you
think, or do, or even want or believe.
But, you can move yourself
out of an inheritance, by your bad behavior.
And that bad behavior is
what we have been studying throughout this book of Ephesians. The overall subject of Ephesians is the
Church. The Church consists of all believers
in Christ from Adam to the last person who will ever believe in Christ at the
end of the Millennium.
The Church is also a term
that refers to believers in our current dispensation. Our dispensation
emphasizes all peoples and is not restricted to the terms and concepts of Jews
and Gentiles as was used in the Old Testament.
But unbelievers are never
a part of the Church, unless they believe in Christ and then they enter into
Gods family, Gods nation, and Gods church as it were.
Once saved, always saved.
Eternal security is a fundamental principle of Christianity. There is nothing that you can do to lose your
salvation. Being saved you are born
again, which simply means that when you believed in Christ, God created a human
spirit in you and imputed eternal life into your human spirit. That spirit
becomes an integral and permanent part of your essence, and you cannot break
off any aspect of your own essence, from yourself.
Our subject and context is
your behavior, and more specifically your treatment of the Holy Spirit as to
whether you will allow God to run your life or the sin nature.
Grieving the Holy Spirit
is when you pursue non-spiritual activities in your daily thoughts and
activities. Only believers can grieve
the Holy Spirit. Unbelievers do not have
the Holy Spirit in them, and therefore this concept does not apply to them.
When you have lived your
life, die, and then move on to heaven, then there you will remain until the
resurrection.
Our resurrection is the
Rapture. And after our resurrection, we
will all stand before the Lord, and be evaluated.
The content of our life
is the subject of that evaluation.
If, you have pursued the
spiritual life as it is supposed to have been pursued, then you will have some
spiritual growth and spiritual production to show for your spiritual
efforts. If you have pursued the carnal
life, then you will have no spiritual growth or production to show for your
life.
Your evaluation before
Christ, reveals your spiritual activity and that determines your spiritual
blessings for eternity. Much spiritual growth
and production means much blessing.
Little or no spiritual growth or production means little or no
blessing.
In either case, you will still
be in heaven with your resurrection body.
It is just the extra perks and benefits that are in question. And since those blessings will be there
forever, they are potentially infinite in value, and that is a lot to give up,
by merely ignoring your spiritual responsibilities now in this life.
And so, the terms
whoremonger, unclean, covetous, idolater, and such, all refer to the believer
who lives the carnal life rather than the spiritual life.
The spiritual life is
defined by God, not you. The spiritual
life demands your residence in fellowship, your daily study of doctrine, your
learning and growth and use of Gods truth in your life.
What is at stake, is your
eternal inheritance. You reap what you
sow. So, plant sin and human good and
such and you’ll get nothing at harvest time.
However, plant doctrine and live the spiritual life as God defines it,
and your harvest will be phenomenal for all of eternity. Any and all pretense and attempts to do
things your own way, are not the spiritual life. The spiritual life must be pursued in
accordance with God terms, not yours.
The Bible defines eternal
blessings as being beyond your imagination, and that makes them huge, and far beyond
huge.
Now what is that worth to
you?
E-Books, E-Book Reader
Your Comments
Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Subscription Options
