Jesus Christ is the true high priest now. In contrast to the Levites who ministered in a physical tabernacle/temple made with the hands of men, Jesus ministers in the true tabernacle—the church—built by the Lord.

The Old Testament system was merely a copy and shadow of the real and genuine. And, as Moses was required to follow the pattern given by God, so are we. If it was important to do so for the “shadow” it is that much more important for the substance.

Notice again the writer states Jesus is the Mediator of a “better” covenant established on “better” promises. We are way better off than folks under the Law of Moses.

Ephesians 5:22-33 is an overlooked, misused, and generally misunderstood section of Scripture. It is primarily addressing the relationship of the church to Christ. He is its head with the right to command it. The church is His body and subject to submit to Him. He loved the church enough to die for it. Therefore, the church owes Him respect.

To illustrate the relationship between Christ and the church, Paul uses the husband and wife.

The husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He is to sacrifice for her, and in this manner “submit” to her. He sets aside his own will, desires, pleasures, and comfort for her well being. He must cherish and nourish her; this is what she needs. If he does not do this, he will lose his soul.

The wife is to respect her husband as the church is to respect Christ. She is not his head or a co-head. When she submits to her husband, she will be happier and the home better. As long as the decisions and actions are not contrary to God’s will, she needs to support her husband.

Each have their duty. The husband is to love and sacrifice for his wife regardless of how she acts or feels. The wife is to respect and submit to her husband regardless of how he behaves. NOTE: we are not talking about sinful, abusive, illicit, or immoral behavior on the part of either the wife or husband. What we are talking about is what most couples face…a lack of care and consideration, a lack of love and respect. Stating that the husband is to sacrifice and the wife to submit does not preclude either of them voicing objections and taking reasonable actions to correct the behavior of the other. Each man and woman will have to determine the righteousness of their behavior in a given situation; they must examine themselves in light of God’s word and act accordingly.

The bottom line is that most marriages would improve drastically if the husband would love his wife and the wife would respect her husband.

Wisdom is paramount in our walk before God, as Ephesians 5:15-21 states.

A fool is one who ignores God. Whether one ignores the existence of God or just His word does not matter, that one is still a fool (Psa. 14:1). All such people will fall short in the Day of Judgment.

Wisdom is the application of God’s will to your life. As Paul has stated, we are to imitate God and walk in the light. When we do these things, we are being wise. Too, and more specific, Paul tells us to redeem the time. We are to do what we can while we can for the glory of the Lord. No more and no less is expected of us.

Ephesians 5:8-14 is an admonition to stay true to the Lord by walking in the light. Light and darkness are incompatible in both the physical and spiritual realms. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 Jn. 1:5). If we are in darkness, we are not in Christ.

As a child of God who has left darkness, our duty is to remain in the light…and more. We are charged with exposing the unfruitful works of darkness. This will bring a reaction. Darkness does not like to be exposed and rebuked. It will be difficult, but we must do it nevertheless.

Take note of three things in Ephesians 5:1-7.

First, we are to imitate God; mimic Him in love. The love is connected to the sacrifice of Christ. Hence, we are to sacrifice to please God and help others.

Second, worldly behavior—as exemplified by fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talking, and course jesting—is contrary to the life of a child of God; to one who walks in love. Those who live in such a manner will not go to heaven. If we really want to go to heaven, not hell, we will get rid of these things in our lives.

Third, anyone who tells you to the contrary is a liar. The devil, through his servants, will try to get you to thing fornication, uncleanness, etc. are consistent with being a child of God. It is not so. If we listen to these lies, we will face the wrath of God—remember the flood, Sodom, and other instances where God judged men in His wrath.

A saint is expected to behave in a way that is pleasing to God. Any other behavior is unacceptable and damaging to our eternal well being. Let us be faithful and consistent in our life.

There are a lot of issues covered in Ephesians 4:25-32.

Christians are not to lie or have sinful anger. Anger is fine in its place. In fact, we must have righteous anger, for without it we are not truly passionate about the truth.

Saints are not to steal or use corrupt speech. We are commanded to work to provide for ourselves and help those in need. This is opposite of what some in the world espouse, that we should look for a handout whenever possible. Too, our words are to be good and tend toward a positive effect on the world.

We are not to grieve the Holy Spirit. If we do, we will pay the consequences. And, instead of having bitterness and a generally bad attitude, we are to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. Not only will it lead to an eternal reward, it will also pay dividends in this life.

The gospel is perfect, addressing every area of man’s life. If we would only apply it consistently, we would be far better off and much happier.

There is a distinct point at which one goes from being lost in the world to being saved in Christ (Gal. 3:26, 27). However, growth is ongoing. All our old habits and desires do not die overnight. It is a constant battle to put on the new man. In Ephesians 4:17-24, Paul addresses this issue. If he had to admonish the great Ephesians saints in this matter, are we any exception?

One or two things to note here: the way of the world (Gentiles) is futile (4:17). The philosophy, religion, and wisdom of the world is bankrupt as far as spiritual matters go. There is nothing but ignorance and blindness; a condition we see as repugnant in any other pursuit in life.

Hence, we are told to renew our mind. It is to be educated, disciplined if you will, in Christ where truth may be found. By the way, spiritual truth is only found in Christ. We are to put of the old man, put on the new, honoring the very purpose for which we were created anew.

Your Deposit

Paul said, “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Tim. 1:12).

In the context Paul is urging Timothy not to be ashamed of the word of God nor its faithful defenders (2 Tim. 1:8-11). Paul’s lack of shame with regard to these things brought him a great deal of suffering and was leading to his death (2 Tim. 4:6-8). Still, he had confidence in God. It was He that Paul believed in and knew to be faithful.

Paul made a commitment. The original Greek word here is parathēkē and means “a deposit, a trust or thing consigned to one’s faithful keeping” (Thayer). Paul had committed his soul to God. In a sense he had deposited his soul with the Lord for safe keeping.

It used to be many people had “safe deposit boxes” at the bank (some still use them). Valuable papers, jewelry, and cash were often stored in them. The idea was that the bank is a secure location and the safe deposit box room was fortified against fire and other potential disasters. So it is with the soul’s safe keeping with God.

There is nothing more valuable than the soul. In fact, Jesus said that it would be a losing deal to trade your soul for the whole world (Mark 8:36). With such a high worth, what better place to “deposit” your soul for safe keeping than with the Almighty God? Paul was confident God could preserve it until the Judgment. We need that confidence too.

Jesus made a similar argument in John 10:27-29. When a man or woman places their soul into the keeping of the Lord, no one is able to steal them away. Can a person leave the Lord’s safe keeping? Yes. However, as long as a man stays committed to God, as Paul did, his soul is secure.

Insecurity of the soul comes when we do not have it safely deposited with the Lord. Many are not truly committed to Him. It is like the man who believes his money is secure on the blackjack table. He is convinced his money will return to him…usually in abundance. He does not see the inherent risk and ultimate loss. Still, he confidently places his bet.

Many gamble with their soul. Some deposit it with themselves by following their own dictates, which only leads to destruction (Prov. 14:12). Others put their treasure into the safe keeping of the doctrines and traditions of man, which will be uprooted in the last great day (Matt. 15:7-14). The security they suppose they have is just an illusion—just like the chips on the blackjack table.

When your soul is on deposit with God, you will be able to endure tremendous trials and suffering. Paul was able “to suffer these things” because he entrusted his soul to the Lord. A committed Christian can be ridiculed, mocked, scorned, cursed, beaten, threatened with death, and even endure it, without reservation (cf. 2 Cor. 4:7-18; 11:23-33). There is nothing to intimidate a child of God because he knows Who is on his side. “Do what you will, I know the Lord will be with me,” is his declaration.

Where is your soul deposited? Have you entrusted it to the fleeting things of this world? Have you in your finite wisdom decided to guard it yourself? Or, is it in the protection of the Creator? One is secure, the other inherently insecure.

There is a oneness in the body of Christ like no other on earth. God has designed it this way so we may help each other get to heaven. Everything needed to unify the body and provide for its growth is supplied. Each member of the body must do his/her part. When this is done, we are not only protected from false doctrine, but also becoming more like our Savior.

We need to examine ourselves to see if we are contributing to the unity, health, and growth of the body or hindering it. Then we either need to keep up the good work, not growing weary, or change our ways so we may be a blessing to the church.

It is hard to imagine, but wonderful to contemplate, that God’s plan of saving man in the church is an eternal plan. God worked it out in spite of man’s rebellion and Satan’s scheming. If He could bring about the establishment of the church and the securing sacrifice of His Son, He can bring about our final redemption in the Lord.

Paul was pleased to preach this salvation in Christ and did not want the saints to become weary because of his tribulations. Sometimes we can see fellow Christians being abused and become discouraged. Rather than this, we ought to be encouraged that they are willing to endure such for the Lord. Would we want someone else to lose heart over our suffering for the Savior?

Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21, is beautiful. First, Christ dwells in our hearts by faith. He is with us when His word is with us (Rom. 10:17). Second, the love of Christ passes knowledge; that is, it is overwhelmingly abundant and beyond human ability to fully comprehend. Third, the Lord is able to do even more than we can imagine…and He does. What a blessing; what a God!