Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Eph 6:10–20)

The apostle is sure that the sufferings which are inflicted by apostate servants of God are actually controlled by the devil, who is too high and mighty for us to resist. Paul, therefore, tells us to put on the armor of God against them, because it is only by his power that all the devil’s machinations will be overcome and destroyed. The people whom Paul calls the rulers of this darkness, evil spirits who dwell in heavenly places, in the firmament of the world, are only puppets of the devil. It is those who are in charge of ignorance and unbelief who are the masters of evil and rulers of darkness. The rulers of darkness are understood to lead people astray because they are the masters of unbelief.

Because we are at war against the most vicious enemies who are skilled in all manner of wickedness, we must be on our guard with all caution and care, so that however they tempt us, we may be armed and ready for them. We must be vigilant in prayer and expect God to give us the victory because God will help those whom he sees acting like that. In warfare of this kind, a sober mind and a pure conscience are absolutely essential because it is not being waged against carnal evils but against spiritual ones. Against earthly enemies, the body is strengthened by liquor and the mind is inflamed by strong drink which give them the courage to resist. But resistance against spiritual evils must be spiritual, and our weapons must be sobriety and abstinence so that filled with the Holy Spirit we might defeat unclean and aberrant spirits. We gird our loins with truth if we are prepared to resist error. Everyone who wants to be effective protects himself in this way so that by removing hindrances he can function more effectively.

If we live a good life the Holy Spirit dwells with us and we can receive what we ask for. To pray in the Spirit always means to offer prayer to God with a clean conscience and a pure faith. The person who prays in the flesh prays with a corrupt mind and will sin again, not accidentally or incidentally, but deliberately. However, he can avoid sin as long as he lives if he perseveres in prayer so that his mind is always firmly fixed and focused on the law of God and he meditates day and night on the things which God loves. People who are like this are able to pray for the saints.

Ambrosiaster, Epistle to the Ephesians 6

My Worship, My Terms

I have mentioned in the past the need to be careful in worship. Let me remind everyone of my feelings on the matter: we do not have carte blanche to worship God in whatever manner seems good and proper. What has rekindled another look at the subject? Reading my Bible.*

Clean out the culture
After Israel was to go into the Promised Land, they were commanded to clear out all vestiges of idolatry, whether by cutting down, burning, or otherwise destroying completely (Deut 12:2–4). Why would this be requested? People want to experiment and try something culturally relevant just to see what happens, but this never ends well. Remember the golden calf incident (Exod 32)? The people requested this image because that was what other nations did. Moses laid down a warning to head off these ideas:

If the Lord your God destroys before your face the nations whose land you go to inherit, and you inherit them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you not seek to follow them after they are destroyed from before your face, and do not inquire after their gods, saying, “How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.” You shall not do thus with the Lord your God; for every abomination the Lord hates they have done with their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. (Deut 12:29–31)

When someone gets a harebrained idea to bring in what works in the world stop, drop, and roll. Put out the fire. Keep damage to a minimum.

Don’t go rogue
The Lord wants His people to worship together, but not just anywhere. He wants us to seek out where He places His name. Where is that? During the wilderness wandering, the Lord’s presence was evident because the pillar that led and protected the people would be above the tabernacle, demonstrating that God was dwelling in the Holy of Holies. After Israel entered the land, the Lord’s presence was at the tabernacle in Shiloh, then in the temple in Jerusalem. People knew where to go and were expected to go where God was because He was there. Where else can one bring sacrifices and offerings to the Lord if He is not there? In short, one cannot worship the Lord if He is not present. Besides the animal and grain offerings, there is a little considered aspect of coming together: you shall rejoice before the Lord your God (Deut 12:7, 12, 18). The time together was meant to be that of joy for how the Lord blessed and to share the blessing with those doing the ministry. This can’t be done off by yourself.

Why should people make the effort to come together? Besides what I give above, the main reason was that God will give the people rest within their inheritance. Those in the wilderness who followed their unbelief did not enter rest, but the next generation saw the promise fulfilled. The promise of rest still remains, so we seek to enter that rest (Heb 4:1–11) with all its blessings and benefits (Eph 1:3–14).

Go to where the Lord is
Where should believers worship now? In churches with other believers. That is where the Lord is. That is where we give of what the Lord has blessed. This is where we rejoice with others. This is where we enjoy our rest.


* You should do the same. It’s amazing what you’ll find.

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Eph 5:30–32)

As Eve was formed from Adam, so we from Christ the Lord; we are buried with Him in baptism, we rise with Him, and we eat His body and drink His blood. He reminds us of what is said about the wife. Respect the first law, which was laid down following the creation of the woman and was implanted in the nature of human beings: the man who leaves his parents and takes on marriage is joined to his wife, and so close a union takes place that the two are considered one flesh. The fruit of marriage witnesses to this: one child is born of both. The divine apostle, having recited the law of marriage, shows it shines forth also in spiritual marriage as he cries out: This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Having in His own case left the heavenly Father, He was joined to the Church. He only seemed to leave, however, for the reason of the Incarnation: as God, He is inseparable from God insofar as He also has a nature that cannot be circumscribed.

Theodoret of Cyrus, Epistle to the Ephesians 5.30–32

Reminding Ourselves Why

From the This-was-there-all-the-time? department, while reading Deuteronomy this morning, I was startled when I read the following:

Beyond the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying,… (Deut 1:5)

I had understood that Deuteronomy is a restating of the Law: Now these are the words Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the desert,… Moses spoke to the sons of Israel according to all the Lord gave him as commandments to them,… (Deut 1:1, 3); however, the fifth verse tells us that Moses began explaining what had been previously commanded. I was startled by this insertion because even though there was an entirely new generation that had grown up in the desert wandering, there would have been an ongoing application of the Law as the old generation died off and the new matured. In light of this, the entire recounting makes sense. An entire generation was going through the motions and probably had a reasonable understanding of what the commandments intended, but there needed to be a review of God’s commandments with a full explanation so that this new generation understood the covenant made with them and the expectations.

When God’s Word is not continually reinforced, negligence and apathy spread throughout. When this malaise occurred in the reign of kings Manasseh and Amon, the temple—and the nation by extension—became damaged; and during repair under Josiah (2 Kings 22), the Book of the Law was found and read resulting in a national revival. Decades later, the people of Israel returned from Babylonian exile and are explained the Law by Ezra and Levite helpers (Nehemiah 8). Finally, the priests had become so lax and lackadaisical (Malachi) that God will personally deal with the situation leaving a searing reminder found in the last chapter:

Be in remembrance of the Law of Moses My servant as I commanded him, with its statutes and judgments, at Horeb for all Israel.

The need for diligence is no less for the Church. We, being grafted into God’s chosen vine, are also responsible to continue the process from one generation to another.

Know What You Believe: Sing Psalms

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Col 3:16)

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful, composed by the Spirit for this reason, namely, that we men, each and all of us, as if in a general hospital for souls, may select the remedy for his own condition. For, it says, ‘care will make the greatest sin to cease.’ Now, the prophets teach one thing, historians another, the law something else, and the form of advice found in the proverbs something different still. But, the Book of Psalms has taken over what is profitable from all. It foretells coming events; it recalls history; it frames laws for life; it suggests what must be done; and, in general, it is the common treasury of good doctrine, carefully finding what is suitable for each one. The old wounds of souls it cures completely, and to the recently wounded it brings speedy improvement; the diseased it treats, and the unharmed it preserves. On the whole, it effaces, as far as is possible, the passions, which subtly exercise dominion over souls during the lifetime of man, and it does this with a certain orderly persuasion and sweetness which produces sound thoughts.

When, indeed, the Holy Spirit saw that the human race was guided only with difficulty toward virtue, and that, because of our inclination toward pleasure, we were neglectful of an upright life, what did He do? The delight of melody He mingled with the doctrines so that by the pleasantness and softness of the sound heard we might receive without perceiving it the benefit of the words, just as wise physicians who, when giving the fastidious rather bitter drugs to drink, frequently smear the cup with honey. Therefore, He devised for us these harmonious melodies of the psalms, that they who are children in age or, even those who are youthful in disposition might to all appearances chant but, in reality, become trained in soul. For, never has any one of the many indifferent persons gone away easily holding in mind either an apostolic or prophetic message, but they do chant the words of the psalms, even in the home, and they spread them around in the market place, and, if perchance, someone becomes exceedingly wrathful, when he begins to be soothed by the psalm, he departs with the wrath of his soul immediately lulled to sleep by means of the melody.

A psalm implies serenity of soul; it is the author of peace, which calms bewildering and seething thoughts. For, it softens the wrath of the soul, and what is unbridled it chastens. A psalm forms friendships, unites those separated, conciliates those at enmity. Who, indeed, can still consider as an enemy him with whom he has uttered the same prayer to God? So that psalmody, bringing about choral singing, a bond, as it were, toward unity, and joining the people into a harmonious union of one choir, produces also the greatest of blessings, charity. A psalm is a city of refuge from the demons; a means of inducing help from the angels, a weapon in fears by night, a rest from toils by day, a safeguard for infants, an adornment for those at the height of their vigor, a consolation for the elders, a most fitting ornament for women. It peoples the solitudes; it rids the marketplace of excesses; it is the elementary exposition of beginners, the improvement of those advancing, the solid support of the perfect, the voice of the Church. It brightens the feast days; it creates a sorrow that is in accordance with God. For, a psalm calls forth a tear even from a heart of stone. A psalm is the work of angels, a heavenly institution, the spiritual incense.

Oh! the wise invention of the teacher who contrived that while we were singing we should at the same time learn something useful; by this means, too, the teachings are in a certain way impressed more deeply on our minds. Even a forceful lesson does not always endure, but what enters the mind with joy and pleasure somehow becomes more firmly impressed upon it. What, in fact, can you not learn from the psalms? Can you not learn the grandeur of courage? The exactness of justice? The nobility of self-control? The perfection of prudence? A manner of penance? The measure of patience? And whatever other good things you might mention? Therein is perfect theology, a prediction of the coming of Christ in the flesh, a threat of judgment, a hope of resurrection, a fear of punishment, promises of glory, an unveiling of mysteries; all things, as if in some great public treasury, are stored up in the Book of Psalms. To it, although there are many musical instruments, the prophet adapted the so-called harp, showing, as it seems to me, that the gift from the Spirit resounded in his ears from above. With the cithara and the lyre the bronze from beneath responds with sound to the plucking, but the harp has the source of its harmonic rhythms from above, in order that we may be careful to seek the things above and not be borne down by the sweetness of the melody to the passions of the flesh. And I believe this, namely, that the words of prophecy are made clear to us in a profound and wise manner through the structure of the instrument because those who are orderly and harmonious in soul possess an easy path to the things above. Let us now see the beginning of the psalms.

Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms 10.1–2

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. (Eph 5:17–21)

Wine has been given us for cheerfulness, not for drunkenness.… Wouldest thou know where wine is good? Hear what the Scripture saith, “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter in soul” (Prov. 31:6). And justly, because it can mitigate harshness and gloominess, and drive away clouds from the brow. “Wine makes glad the heart of man” (Ps. 104:15), says the psalmist. How then does wine produce drunkenness? For it cannot be that one and the same thing should work opposite effects. Drunkenness then surely does not arise from wine, but from intemperance. Wine is bestowed upon us for no other purpose than for bodily health, but this purpose also is thwarted by immoderate use.…

Do you wish, he says, to be cheerful? Do you wish to employ the day? I give you spiritual drink; for drunkenness even cuts off the articulate sound of our tongue; it makes us lisp and stammer and distorts the eyes and the whole frame together. Learn to sing psalms, and you shall see the delightfulness of the employment. For they who sing psalms are filled with the Holy Spirit, as they who sing satanic songs are filled with an unclean spirit. What is meant by “with your hearts to the Lord”? It means, with close attention and understanding. For they who do not attend closely, merely sing, uttering the words, while their heart is roaming elsewhere.

“Always,” he says, “giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ unto God even the Father, subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.” That is, “let your requests be made known unto God, with thanksgiving” (Phil. 4:6); for there is nothing so pleasing to God, as for a man to be thankful. But we shall be best able to give thanks unto God, by withdrawing our souls from the things before mentioned, and by thoroughly cleansing them by the means he has told us.

“But be filled,” says he, “with the Spirit.” And is then this Spirit within us? Yes, indeed, within us. For when we have driven away lying, and bitterness, and fornication, and uncleanness, and covetousness, from our souls, when we have become kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, when there is no jesting, when we have rendered ourselves worthy of it, what is there to hinder the Holy Spirit from coming and lighting upon us? And not only will He come unto us, but He will fill our hearts; and when we have so great a light kindled within us, then will the way of virtue be no longer difficult to attain, but will be easy and simple.

John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians 19.5.17–20

Making Christ Obvious

I was reading from an English translation of the Septuagint (LXX) for my Bible reading in Numbers 24 this morning and was struck by verse seven.

NKJV	LXX
He shall pour water from his buckets, And his seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted.	A Man shall come forth from his seed, And He shall rule many nations; And His kingdom shall be more exalted than Gog, And His kingdom shall increase.

Do you notice the difference? The NKJV pronouns refer to Jacob/Israel and point to a generic man who will reign, but the LXX Christology is pronounced, pointing to a specific person with a specific mission. This lack of exclusivity is not isolated to NKJV. Check out NASB, NIV, NLT, The Message, etc.: they all follow the Masoretic Text (MT). True, a messianic promise is given in the MT, but the overt nature of LXX leaves one astounded. This and the fact that the early church used the LXX are why I now prefer its translation.

Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.… And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Eph 4:20–24, 30)

He is calling us to live as one whose thoughts come from the Spirit, who is himself once again becoming the spiritual man created by God. We are to live in the likeness of God, just as God intended when He said: “Let us make man in our own image and likeness.” Admittedly God has no face or physical aspect. God is Spirit. So we too have been created according to God, to think according to the Spirit and thus to allow nothing to drag us down to worldly and unworthy thoughts.

Marius Victorinus, Epistle to the Ephesians 2.4.23–24

When we behave well, the Holy Spirit given to us rejoices in us, seeing that His promptings are bearing fruit in our lives, just as it is said of the Lord: So there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. The Holy Spirit rejoices at our salvation, not for His own sake, because there is no lack of happiness in Him, but rather because if we were not obedient to Him He would be upset about not having any effect on us because He wants us to be part of life. He is not upset because He is suffering, since He cannot suffer, but when Paul says that He grieves, He means that this is for our sake. He deserts us because we hurt Him by ignoring his commands. His grief is our unworthiness which prevents us from being called children of God. He is the Holy Spirit, who makes us children of God by dwelling in us.

Ambrosiaster, Epistle to the Ephesians 4.30