The morning Manna will be provided at
6am. Thanks. Studying Ephesians in the SSnet.org series Lesson 8, may the Holy Spirit be
the speaker to your heart. The Topic today is: Do not steal and get
angry and keep the law if you want to be a perfect man for Morning Manna of the
Sabbath School Lesson Ephesians. The Opening Hymn will be 229
"Spirit of the Living God". The Sabbath School Quarterly,
downloadable from SSnet.org in the Teacher's Edition is on page 101. The SSnet.org allows anyone, anywhere to
read the lesson in their own language. Choose your own language to see God
speaking also to your heart. Why don’t you click on this link right
now: https://www.adultbiblestudyguide.org/pdf.php?file=2023:3Q:SE:PDFs:EAQ323_08.pdf ---Dealing with Ephesians 4:25-29 Paul lists
suggestions to keep the law perfectly. ---He said already that in Ephesians 4:13 we all
come to the unity of faith unto a perfect man. ---Perfect? ---Calvinistic commentaries scratched their heads
and said, maybe it means “mature”. ---Instead of being “childish” grow up a bit. ---Well, the verse goes on to say that it is the
imitation of Christ’s life. ---Calvinists are divided on how to deal with this
perfection story. ---Some say that you have to attain it, others say
it is not attainable. ---Ellen White said that we have to attain
perfection of character but physical perfection we cannot attain. On the last
she was countering a perfectionistic movement that arose in 1902. ---The ICC commentary of T. K. Abbott has an
interesting comment on this perfection of Ephesians 4:13: “But though it may
not be perfectly attainable it must be aimed at, and this supposes that its
attainment is not to be represented as impossible.” (page 121) Source:
https://ia800204.us.archive.org/27/items/criticalexegetic00abbo/criticalexegetic00abbo.pdf ---Some debates are divided into “is” and “is not”,
but this author says, “it is not but you have to aim it and do not say it
cannot be”. ---Ellen White said it has to be before the close of
probation because at that time Christ’s meditorial work in the Heavenly
Sanctuary is done. ---Is the perfection attainable in this life or in
the future next life after the Second Coming? ---Chrystotom, Oecumlapadius and Jerome said it
should be attained before the Second Coming. Theodoret said it should be later
after the Second Coming. The source is also T. K. Abbott cited above. ---In Charles Hodges 1860 commentary on Ephesians on
Ephesians 4:13 on page 231 he said that “Perfect knowledge is perfect holiness.
Therefore when the whole church has come to this perfect knowledge which
excludes all diversity, then it has reached the end. Then it will bear the
image of the heavenly.” ---Charles Hodge felt that faith is a form of
knowledge and may be expressed by that word but knowledge is not a form of
faith, he said. ---Edward Heppenstall 100 years later said it better
at the Adventist Seminary in his book Christ
our High Priest, saying “Doctrine and faith go together…Doctrines are the formalized
aspects of the faith…to cry, ‘away with doctrine, let us get back to Christ’
would be just as sensible as to say ‘away with botany, let’s get back to
flowers”. Of course he means the knowledge of God’s revelation in Scripture to
us. ---So Paul said, if you are to be a perfect man,
thief do not steal. Do not become angry. Do not let your anger bear fruits. ---One time a churchboard became angry to the pastor
and wanted to send him away. He felt that he was preaching to directly to their
problems. ---On Friday night after the sermon they screamed in
anger to him. I was not there but overheard it later. ---I was angry with holy indignation because the
anointed of the Lord was shouted at on the Sabbath! ---Those involved moved away, died, lost love ones
suddenly, or got very sick. ---But, many of them repented before the trauma of
punishment from the Lord. ---The Anointed of the Lord should be respected at
all costs, is a biblical principle. ---Are you angry with your pastor? Bite your tongue
rather. ---When? Immediately. No shouting. No anger. Never
and especially not on Sabbath.