Title: 13
Author: JBG
Last saved by: Preferred Customer
Company: Auth CO

© 2000  Joe Griffin

00-10-10.JSH-389 / 

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The Inscrutable Question: Redeemed Time Is a Place of Refuge from Evil Days, Eph 3:16; Stop Becoming Fools, Eph 3:17a
Ephesians 5:16 - Keep on purchasing time …
A reason for making this an habitual part of the Christian life is noted next, introduced by the causal conjunction:
Óti /hoti / -	“because”;	It presents the reason for redeeming time as a part of executing the plan of God.  It is followed by the plural noun:
¹mšra  / hemera / -	“the days”
1)	This makes reference to the days that occur in the life of the believer between his spiritual birth and his physical death.  
2)	The believer is only granted one day at a time.  However, God knew in eternity past how many contracts He would issue to each believer.
3)	Therefore the allotted time granted to a believer is referred to by the word “days” in order to emphasize the importance each day has in the believer’s advance.
4)	He doesn’t know how many he has left on any given day.  Therefore, the top priority of each  day must be focused on spiritual growth.
5)	Satan and his fallen angels are fully aware of these things and make every attempt to discourage the believer from fitting Bible study into his daily routine.
6)	Therefore the believer must recognize this and make sure he keeps on buying time on a day-by-day basis.
7)	The capital is there.  Each believer is granted a certain amount of time that is available for redemption.
8)	Once redeemed, the believer has the opportunity to invest that time by means of the divine operating assets, the four spiritual mechanics, and logistical grace support.
9)	The need for consistency in this process is emphasized next by the present active indicative of the verb:
 e„m… / eimi / - 	“are”	Translation: “Keep on purchasing time because the days are”
present:		Gnomic; or static; a condition that perpetually exists.  We have consistent opposition from the dark forces of the Invisible War.
active:	The days that are issued to each believer produce the action.  These days are described as being filled with various categories of evil that are promoted as a part of satanic policy.
indicative:	Declarative; the action is viewed from the standpoint of reality.  With what the days are considered to be infused is mentioned next by the plural noun:
ponhrÒj / poneros / -	evils; or, “categories of evil”
Ephesians 5:16 - Keep on purchasing time because the days are evils [ infused with categories of evil ].
1)	Beginning at the moment of salvation the believer becomes a willing alien in the hostile environment of the devil’s world.
2)	The time allotted to him between salvation and physical death is to be spent in time, in a body of corruption, and under constant assault from his sinful nature and the doctrines of demons.
3)	The only place of refuge, the only available oasis from the enemy, is within the environment of status quo spirituality made available through the redemption of time.
4)	 It is interesting that the days allotted to the believer between salvation and physical death, are referred to as evil.
5)	The evils each day provides can only be dealt with through the unique spiritual life of the Church Age under the enabling power and mentorship of the Holy Spirit.
6)	This system is activated by rebound and the end result is the redemption of time in an environment of evil.
7)	While functioning in this status quo, the believer is next commanded to use his assets to understand what the will of the Lord is.
8)	The will of God is understood by redeeming time while advancing in the double column of GAP and reciprocity.
Ephesians 5:17 - [NASV] So then do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.
1)	This verse begins with the prepositional phrase:
d…a oátoj  / dia houtos / - This is an Attic Greek idiom that is best translated, “Therefore.”
2)	Therefore what?  This takes us back to the principles just developed in verses 8-16.  What follows emphasizes the negatives currently in evidence in Ephesus.  These will be followed by the positive that will result if time is consistently redeemed and invested.
3)	The negative is introduced by the present active imperative of the verb:
g…nomai  / ginomai / -  “becoming”  This is accompanied by the negative m»  / me /.  “Stop becoming”
present:		With the negative me plus the imperative mood this is a mandate to stop an action already in progress.
active:		Believers in Ephesus are currently producing the action of becoming fools and are ordered to stop it.
imperative:	Prohibition; a condemnation of an action in progress.  The action prohibited is named in the plural nominative of the noun:
¥frwn / aphron / - “unwise”  The lifestyle developed by the believer who lives “below the line” in status quo carnality.
4)	This lifestyle is minus any inculcation of doctrine or any motivation from reciprocal love and results in the believer being “foolish.”
5)	The foolish believer is negative toward doctrine and although saved has no interest in the details of how to live the Christian way of life.
6)	His lack of interest means that no time is being redeemed or invested and he will receive no conveyance of escrow blessings in time or eternity.
7)	This was true for a number of believers in the church at Ephesus.  They were carnal, involved in deeds of darkness, and deficient of rebound.
8)	Consequently, they grieved and quenched the Holy Spirit and His mentorship was never available to them.
9)	Even when they showed up at church there was no spiritual growth.  No believer, minus the filling of the Holy Spirit, can understand the teaching of doctrine.
10)	Instead they process the information with human viewpoint, make inaccurate applications, and it results in using doctrine to produce deeds of darkness.
11)	The battles of the Invisible War demand constant inculcation of biblical truth, constant repetition of its doctrines, and regular correlation of it principles in evaluation of daily exigencies.
12)	Thus the noun ¥frwn / aphron / means to be “unwise, foolish, and in pseudo-intellectual arrogance.”

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