The Assurance of Love and Anointing
Assurance Through Love (1-11)
John wrote the letter of Ephesians to help them not sin at all, but even if they did sin, they would have an “Advocate,” or Someone who would come to help, encourage, and comfort them (1). This Advocate, Jesus, brought help to them as He became their “propitiation.” Propitiation is a big money word meaning Jesus became the price paid for their sins, even the sins of the whole world (2). Once people have their sins forgiven, they are free to escape those sins, no longer enslaved to them; instead, they are released to obey something other than their sin nature (3).
John stated that those Ephesians who did not keep the commandments of Jesus were really liars. They did not really know God because when people had received forgiveness, they were free to change whom they obeyed, and when they began to obey Jesus, they came to know Him intimately (4). As they began to obey Jesus, God's love was made complete in them (5). To abide or live in Christ meant to behave in the same loving way Jesus did. Their ability to live like Jesus was their assurance that Jesus, the One who literally died and was raised, was the One making the life change (6).
John then defined for the Ephesians the commandment of Jesus, which was no new commandment—it had been given before Jesus uttered it—but then again, the commandment was brand new because it had a whole new power, as love for brothers was part of what was causing darkness to pass away (7-8). To behave in a loving way meant they could actually see. To behave in a hateful way meant they could not see (9). Those who behaved in love found they were not tripped up as much by abiding lust in their hearts (10). Those who had hate in their hearts were in a constant state of confusion and were uncertain as to where their lives were headed. They were without assurance (11).
The Assurance of Understanding (12-20)
John then told the Ephesians why he was motivated to write the way he did—because they had been given power to triumph. In Christ, they were overcoming in three distinct ways:
As children, they were overcoming a lack of maturity.
As fathers, they were overcoming a lack of intimacy with God.
As young men, they were overcoming a lack of strength to overcome (12-14).
John then dictated what they were overcoming—“the world.” Those who loved the world were empty of power to love (15), for the world is built on lust—lust to please the flesh, lust to please the eyes, lust to control. The search to please oneself did not come from the Father (16). The lust system of the world was passing away, but the one who did the will of God by being transformed from lust-driven to love-driven would abide forever (17). Those who no longer had the heart to battle against their lusts were “antichrists” and easy to spot; they had once been among them but were not faithful, not able to endure (18-19).
As Christ-followers saw growth in their ability to resist their desires and pursue obedience to be loving, it gave them great assurance the anointing of Christ had opened their eyes to the truth (20).
The Assurance of Knowing Who Jesus Is (21-25)
John again told them why he was able to write to them the way he did: they knew and embraced the truth (21). The truth they knew was that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God (22). The Ephesians not only knew the truth, they were confessing it (23). If that one truth abided in them—Jesus was the promised Savior and Lord of the world—then they would discover themselves to be living in God, experiencing without a doubt the promise of God—eternal life (24-25).
The Assurance of Anointing (26-29)
John again told them he was writing to the churches surrounding Ephesus because some were seeking to deceive (26). They were to know they had received an anointing when they had heard the gospel of Jesus. They did not need anyone to add human teaching to the gospel they had already heard; their anointing and their infilling of the Holy Spirit had already been evidence to them of what was true. The anointing, the motive to deny lust and be loving, was the inner affirmation they had been taught, the truth, and they were to abide in the assurance (27). They were to abide in Him so that at His appearing, they would have confidence and not shrink back in shame (28). John restated the proof that they were born of God. As Jesus was loving and righteous, their motivation to be like Him, loving and righteous, was proof they had been born of Him (29).
Prejudicial Proverbs (16:1-22:16)
We come now to the end of the fourth part of the book of Proverbs, the “Prejudicial Proverbs,” as we have named them. They began in chapter 16:1 and will end in this chapter at verse 16.
The first proverbs deal with the subject matter of the perspective of those who are building a good name for themselves. These are those who value prudence and humility more than wealth (1), favoritism (2), and ease (3-6).
A) A good name is superior to wealth (1).
B) The rich and poor come from God (2).
C) The prudent see danger and avoid it (3).
B) Riches come from the fear of God (4).
C) The corrupt are blind to danger and make it their path (5).
A) A good name is built by directing children to the right path (6).
Solomon finishes this section of “Prejudicial Proverbs” by listing out ten qualities that preserve a good name.
A) Recognize the dangers of debt (7)
B) Recognize the dangers of injustice (8)
C) Recognize the dangers of neglecting the poor (9)
D) Recognize the dangers of cynicism (10)
E) Recognize the dangers of a harsh tone (11)
F) Recognize the dangers of lacking experience (12)
G) Recognize the dangers of excuse-making (13)
H) Recognize the dangers of immorality (14)
I) Recognize the dangers of an undisciplined child (15)
J) Recognize the dangers of abusing the poor (16)
Piecemeal Proverbs (22:17-31:9)
We now enter a new section in the book of Proverbs that we have referred to as the “Piecemeal Proverbs” section in 22:17 through 31:9. We will find in this section a change of style. The proverbs move from being descriptive, for the most part, to being exhortations. We now enter the “sayings of the wise” designed to instruct young men through life.
In verses 17 through 21, the writer asks his child to listen with his/her heart; it is reminiscent of chapters 1-9. In verse 18, these words are to go so deep in the heart that they find their way to the lips. In verse 19, we discover these words are personalized and designed to create trust. In verse 20, we are told they were not just given to memory but were written down, and finally, in verse 21, we see the father’s desire for his children to be reliable messengers of truth.
In verses 22 through 28, the father turns to actions to avoid, such as oppressing the poor (22-23), befriending violent and angry people (24-25), giving unwise pledges (26-27), removing boundaries (28), and being incompetent (29).