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.