Inheritance: Earthly or Heavenly?

What would you do if you knew you had millions of dollars in inheritance awaiting you?


Inheritance is a prime way many people in our culture today bank on receiving extra money at some point in their life. There are cases when some children long look forward to the death of their parents so that they can inherit their money. These folks we usually see on a funny television show or scene in a movie. Sometimes it is an old friend who may leave something behind for another. At best and at most, those who are receiving some sort of inheritance usually care more about their loved one who is leaving them their inheritance, but in the back of their mind, they know that when they croak, there’s something coming their way which may help out paying for that forty or fiftieth wedding anniversary cruise!

To help safeguard against wasting time dwelling on one of the many earthly things such as supposedly guaranteed money, and to instead focus much more on heavenly things, may we now learn of a much greater inheritance.

Paul makes an interesting statement in Ephesians 1:18

that you may know what is the hope of his [God the Father] calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

One of Paul’s many metaphors which he uses is this word “inheritance.” In this lone yet wreaked with depth verse, Paul says that part of his multifaceted desire is for Christians to know what is the wealth of God’s inheritance in the saints. Usually, when we think about God, we think often about what he can do or has done for us, about our inheritance in heaven. However, this verse is claiming something the other way – what we do and are for him.

The use of the word “wealth” [πλοῦτος] can also be “riches” or “abundance” and is used usually to describe someone’s accumulation or quality of material possessions. It was the same for people back then as it is today. In this verse, it is used as an adjective describing God's inheritance. Because it is used of God and is a word which the culture then would have understood, it is drawing a contrast between earthly wealth and heavenly wealth. Because it is dealing with God who is infinite, it follows that this wealth is not merely more abundant than earthly wealth, but also lasting.

People then, as today lived in a consumer like environment and money held its sway in things. So, when Paul used this word, the readers of this epistle were overly familiar with it. Paul was being relevant with the culture. And, surely, anyone in the church at Ephesus who may had been a business person perked up and listened more attentively as Paul was using an economic term. However, Paul was talking about a heavenly economy, about heavenly wealth which he made clear was worth far more than earthly wealth.

But what is this wealth in connection with? It is connected with “inheritance” [κληρονομίας]. This word appeared in 1:14, but there it refers to our home in heaven. Here in 1:18, it refers to God’s inheritance. Wait a second, God who already owns everything has an inheritance?

Yes, God does have an inheritance and his inheritance is us - his children.

Much of understanding this verse hangs and falls on how one understands the little word “in.” In several Bible translations - the New English Bible, the Holman Standard Bible, and even the New Revised Standard Version Bible - this verse does not have “in” there, rather the word “among.” This is a tragic translation! This would imply that we as believers have an inheritance waiting us in heaven. Trust me, there will be know homes we inherit or investments which become ours in heaven. Our inheritance is God and he alone satisfies all.
So, 1:18 is saying that God has an inheritance and we, his children are that inheritance.

As a result of God’s choosing, redeeming, adopting, and sealing of us (vv. 3-5, 13-14) – we are his possessions. As his possessions, he will fully inherit us when we pass on to heaven and are welcomed into his presence. Therefore, it follows, we have an inheritance - God - AND - God has an inheritance - us.

Now for the parallel to today: If you knew you had millions of dollars awaiting you in inheritance money, whether through property, CDs, stock or bonds, or just cold cash, would'nt you familiarize yourself with it and know exactly what was there awaiting you, even think about it often, and know thoroughly well the details? Of course. How much more should we pay attention to, think about, and thoroughly know the details of our heavenly inheritance which we have – the King of glory himself.

We are valuable to God, this is not merely seen in that he purchased our redemption, but also that he longs for us to come home to him calling us his inheritance. We have a wonderful inheritance we can hope in and look forward to.

This makes evident and emphatic that the pursuit of the things of this world such as wealth above the pursuit of God leads to a hopeless end. Whereas the pursuit of the richest inheritance ever, the pursuit of our heavenly inheritance leads to an endless hope. Wealth is not bad, nor attempting to increase one’s wealth. It is only when heavenly wealth through our inheritance of God begins to dim in its splendor compared to earthly items does it then become evil.

Desmond, LOST, & Hebrews 13:8

My wife, Amber, and I finished another episode of the one of a kind show LOST. We are in the middle of the fourth season and just watched an episode which left me breathless and clinging to the Christian parallel which was so easy to see.

For those of you who have never watched LOST: reading this post will not ruin the show for you. Also, if you are trying to go against the tide of those who watch LOST, I would encourage you to give LOST a chance for it has many Christian parallels. Amber and I do not own a television, but if the only way we could watch LOST was on t.v., I would greatly think about buying one.

In this particular episode, Desmond and Sayid (pronounced Si-eed) are being transported off of the island and back to the freighter. During their flight, Desmond's mind begins to play tricks on him and he is now going back and forth in time between a part of his life in the past and then back to current time with Sayid. Each time he goes back and forth in time, his body remains in both places being unconscious in one place and both conscious and utterly confused as to what is happening to him in the other. When he returns to current time, Desmond no longer recognizes Sayid and has no idea where he is and why he is there.

When those left on the island found out about Desmond's condition, Daniel Farraday calls him from the island telling Desmond the next time he goes back in time to find Daniel at Oxford University.

When Desmond finds Daniel and meets him, Daniel tells Desmond if he wants to fix this he has to think of a constant, that is, something which is important and dear to Desmond that is in both places: his past and present.



Desmond's constant is his true love, Penelope (Penny). Desmond was going to ask Penny to marry him until he broke off their relationship, but he was still in love with her. He has been separated from her since he has been on the island.

Desmond finds Penny and tells him he needs her new phone number. Penny thinks he is crazy, but gives it to him. He tells her he will call her eight years from that moment, on December 24 - Christmas Eve. While this is happening in past time, in present time Sayid and unconscious Desmond are now on the freighter and Sayid fixes a broken phone to a battery, making it possible for Desmond to call Penny. Desmond calls and ring upon ring the suspense en-captures us until finally, Desmond hears Penny's voice for the first time in years.

She believed that he would call. They exchange words and Penny assures Desmond she is going to find him. Desmond is filled with more hope than ever before and no longer goes back and forth in time chaotically, but is now alert, focused, and full of assuring peace.

As children of God, we also have a constant. Our constant is the supreme Constant - Jesus Christ. Christ is the only one who is a guaranteed constant in an ever changing and chaotic world.

He is our promised aid in time of need, our ever present helper in moments of despair (Psa. 46:1).

We find this promise in Hebrews 13:8:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, this very day, and even forever

For we who believe in the One True God - the Lord Jesus Christ - He is to be our one true love. He is our one and most true constant, who defines our life.

He is our defining reference point in Whom we find our identity, our past, our present, and our future. He is who fills us with hope in times of despair as Penny did for Desmond. He is who brings us back to focus when we are seemingly falling in and out of life as Desmond was. Jesus Christ and His promises, amidst an ever changing world is the One who does and always will remain constant. Christ alone is the One whose history of faithfulness always fills our memories when we recall a hard time in life and know He was there for us then, carrying us through.

Jesus Christ, He and He only, is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Integrity, Church Discipline, & Ergun Caner

Although we may not understand entirely why Dr. Caner may have done what he did, we can say we have been victim of the same thing: fabricating the truth. I grew up going to church camps where Dr. Caner spoke and also heard him speak at an annual conference at my home church. We were always encouraged by his passion for Christ and ability to hold our emotions with his messages from the pulpit. We never would have thought that as he was sharing with us about his Islamic upbringing that any of it would have been invalid. Neither would Liberty University, until recently.

Dr. Mehmet Caner is being investigated by the Lynchburg, Va. under allegations that he has embellished the truth of his past, particularly his Muslim childhood. There are several different articles giving basically the same general information on where the progression of this investigation currently stands, but here are a few to read for yourself:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i96cPQE
_WX5ctKCpHLWQyXPSnDaQD9FOENTO0

http://turretinfan.blogspot.com/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/walid-zafar/ex-muslim-evangelical-exp_b_582225.html

It is interesting though, the media seemingly lives to feast off embarassing a leader in a conservative circle, especially someone in a religious vocation. They feast off of making sure everyone knows of their downfall or sin while athletes and movie stars seemingly receive a pat on the back or at least positive attention for committing adultery or some other crude incident.

Personally, I hope and pray that these allegations will return showing Caner's innocence, but if not, then there will need to be church discipline. If it is true that Dr. Caner has fabricated his past, this serves as an example that integrity is often at the core of the testimony of the gospel. There are a lot of people who are disturbed and upset with Dr. Caner, both unbelievers and Christians, as well as evangelicals, many of whom are in the Southern Baptist Convention. But may they and we join in prayer for brother Caner and his family as his days of ministering at Liberty may be numbered.

Orphans + Adoption = the Gospel

Orphans + Adoption = the Gospel

Children have become nothing more than consumer products for people. Roughly a month ago a Tennessee family adopted a 7 year old Russian born boy and after a little more than a year, the child became what the parents thought was more than a handful to take care of. Apparently, according to both the adoptive mother and grandmother, the boy began to act in a violent way raising concerns about pre-existing conditions which the Russian government failed to let the American family know about. Finally, the mother had enough and decided to send him back to Russia on a plane, by himself, with simply a letter of refund with him. If this story is not jaw-dropping enough, just a few days prior to this, a doctor in an abortion clinic in South Florida was asked to perform an abortion on one of the twins inside a mother's womb. The twin to be aborted apparently was said to have signs of down syndrome and the parents did not want it. To the parent's utter horror, the doctor mistakenly aborted the wrong baby, killing, the other one who did not have down syndrome. Children have become nothing more than a pair of Nike shoes: if you don't like how they look, how they act, or how they feel as your child, send them back, return them, or have them aborted.

As horrendous as these stories are, there exists an equally horrendous ongoing story on a global level which prevails throughout every continent - the crisis of orphans. Christians are inextricably linked to the orphan crisis around the world. Whether it is foster homes here in the States or children being abandoned by the thousands throughout Somalia, the call to serve orphans and even adopt is starring Christianity in the face and is a call to take action.

Some may say we have heard enough about the need to take care of orphans, that a child around the world going hungry has been a perpetual issue for both the United Nations as well as the local church. May it be clear that Christians can never hear too much about the need to act upon the orphan crisis and to do all they can to help – but why? Orphans around the world, whether adopted or not, testify to the gospel and it’s unsurpassable power in the life of someone who places their trust in Jesus Christ. Orphans, and thus adoption are both central to the gospel.

It would do us well to recall that all Christians were once in what the bible calls our “former ignorance” (Eph. 4; 1 Peter 1:14). That is, we were “dead in our trespasses and sins” and were once “enemies of God” (Eph. 2:1; Rom. 5:5). We were spiritual orphans, dying a slow agonizing death. But then, we were “adopted as sons” (Eph. 1:5).

Although the word adoption is not found in the Old Testament, there is nonetheless a link between the concept of adoption with Israel serving as the child to be adopted, and her God Yahweh serving as the adoptive parent. Ezekiel 16:1-7 says:

This is what the Lord says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was and Amorite and your mother a Hittite. As for your birth, your umbilical cord wasn’t cut on the day you were born, and you weren’t washed clean with water. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one cared enough about you to do even one of these things out of compassion for you. But you were thrown out into the open field because you were despised on the day you were born.

Then the Lord spoke,
I passed by you and saw you lying in your blood, and I said to you as you lay, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you as you lay ‘Live!’ I made you thrive like plants of the field. You grew up and matured and became very beautiful.

What continues is how the Lord took care of His once abandoned child –Israel.

When God saw us in our destitute state, we could not have profited Him in any way. Yet, out of His great love, He chose to adopt us. Likewise, when you and I chose to serve orphans or even adopt, we are welcoming someone into our life and family out of our love, not because they can profit us in any way. The irony is, we end up receiving the blessing from the joy they bring us. In like manner, for God so loved us, that He adopted us and, as we read in Ephesians 1:18, we see that we are God’s inheritance. That is to say, that we inherit heaven and righteousness in Christ, and God receives us as children to live with Him in heaven. The blessing is seen on both ends – all part of His sovereign plan.

For a working definition of heavenly adoption, we turn to John Murray, author of Redemption, Accomplished and Applied: adoption is when the redeemed become sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty; they are introduced into and given the privileges of God’s family – John 1:12.

Being adopted by God staggers our imagination, for who would have thought that God would see fit to adopt us when He knew our every thought, word, and deed. Like earthly adoption, heavenly adoption is also a legal act. Hence, when someone places their trust in Christ, they are justified and adopted instantaneously. Now, as a result of this, our new relationship as God’s child can never be separated. God chose us, intimately and personally. With all the past baggage we have, He still said “I want you.” What we must glean from this is simply, we in the eyes of God are anything but mere consumer products. He did not choose us only to give us up, regardless if we as His children do not act accordingly. God, like a good father, will discipline his children as He sees fit, but He will never give up on His children. Hence, adoption is at the center of God’s unconditional love, at the center of the gospel. We, who once were in a spiritual orphan like state, have been adopted by God through Christ by way of the gospel.

May we be encouraged to look at the orphan crisis around the world more affectionately in light of realizing an orphan in the child brothels of India and us have more in common than we previously supposed. May we realize the gospel is not merely a call to preach, but to serve. May we grow in our burden for orphans in a destitute state, a state which gives us a visual as to what we were spiritually before Christ, and be moved to take action on their behalf as God did on ours.

A Prayer from Pastor Brueggemann

In "Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth" we find a collection of prayers from professor and pastor Walter Brueggemann. They are inspiring, yet convicting and serve the soul well with practicalities and thoughts which call us to action on behalf of our Lord.

This prayer is titled With All the Graciousness We Can Muster:

God of our times, our years, our days.
You are the God of our work, of our rest, or our weariness.

Our times are in your hands. We come to you now in our strength and in our weakness, in our hope and in our despair, in our buoyancy and in our disease.

We come to pray for ourselves and for all like us who seek and yearn for life anew with you and from you and for you.

We pray to you this day, for ourselves and others like us in our greed.

We are among those who want more, more money, more power, more piety, more sex, more influence, more doctrine, more notice, more members, more students, more morality, more learning, more shoes.

Be for us enough and more than enough, for we know about your self-giving generosity.

We pray to you this day, for ourselves and others like us in our disconsolation.

We are not far removed from those without, without love, without home, without hope, without job, without health care.

We are close enough to vision those who must check discarded butts to see if there is one more puff, who must rummage and scavenge for food, for their hungers are close to ours.

Be among us the God who fills the hungry with good things, and sends the rich away empty.

We pray to you this day, for ourselves and others like us who are genuinely good people, who meditate on your Law day and night, who are propelled by and for your best causes, who are on the right side of every issue, who wear ourselves out in obedience to you, and sometimes wear others out with our good intentions.

Be among us ultimate enough to make our passions penultimate, valid but less than crucial.

We are your people. We wait for you to be more visibly and palpably our God.

So we pray with our mothers and fathers, "COME, LORD JESUS."

We wait for your coming with all the graciousness we can muster.

Amen.

From Desparation to Joy

Some time ago, Amber and I had one of the scariest nights of our marriage. We were returning from Bible study with our small group when suddenly my pregnant wife began to bleed. We were caught by surprise and were quickly moved to tears as we both sat in the bathroom and all we could think about was that our baby had just went on to be with the Lord before ever being with us. As in the midst of all times of desperation, the child of God is faced with a choice: to trust in Him or not. That night, we were faced with this decision to trust God or not.

That long night, Amber and I resolved together to let God know loud a clear that if He wanted to take our child into His presence we would accept it, but we were earnest it telling Him our preference to spare our child. I remember kneeling next to Am as she lay on our bed and saying that I believed our baby was going to be okay, that I could not explain it, but I was choosing to believe it. Under God’s providence, we just so happen to have our first prenatal appointment scheduled the next day. Hence, we only had to wait less than 24 hours to discover whether or not we would be parents this October or not. As a result of the bleeding, the doctors scheduled Amber for an emergency ultrasound. After a long night, and much intense prayer, we were relieved with inexpressible joy to both hear a healthy heartbeat and see our little peanut moving around inside Amber’s stomach. We went from desperation to joy as we confided in the Lord, trusting His will for our child. Most of the time this is easier said than done.

God heard our prayers and acted on our behalf as He longs to do for His children. Of course not every story as such ends the same way, but nevertheless, in our time of need and desperation in all situations, as God's children, we are to yield our wants and preferences to the God's plan, whatever it may be and turn to Him in prayer. During the next week I began to either stay up late or arise earlier than usual to plead with God to preserve our baby. Though the bleeding has persisted to some degree since then, we nonetheless have a healthy baby. Prayer is powerful and effective not because of who is praying, but because of Who one is praying to – the Lord. My wife is quite the amazing woman, and one of my heroes for enduring through this, carrying our baby for us.

What is it you are facing today which is causing you to lose sleep? What person or obstacle in life is causing you to grow in anxiousness? I encourage you to have faith in your prayers and turn to Him with your every concern. If God cared about the rain falling on behalf of Elijah's request and because Elijah was "like us in our nature," surely we can be comforted God is here with us and for us.

If Amber and I can pray for you in any way, please comment and let us know how.

I hope you will look over the scriptures below regarding Elijah which James gives us.

Effective Prayer
James 5:16b-18
16b πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη 17 Ἠλείας ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁμοιοπαθὴς ἡμῖν, καὶ προσευχῇ προσηύξατο τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι, καὶ οὐκ ἔβρεξεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐνιαυτοὺς τρεῖς καὶ μῆνας ἕξ• 18 καὶ πάλιν προσηύξατο, καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ἔδωκεν ὑετὸν καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐβλάστησεν τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς.

“16b The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; yet he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain for three years and six months on the land. 18 And again he prayed, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.”

“The results of prayer in your life will be effectively seen in God’s timing.”

16b
πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη
“[the] prayer of [the] righteous is powerful and effective”
- ἐνεργουμένη (“effective”) is in the middle voice emphasizing that praying has significant power.
- prayer causes things to happen because God responds to it (cf. Psa. 116).
- we pray to God who is all powerful, and who takes action on our behalf (cf. Phil. 4:6).

17
Ἠλείας ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁμοιοπαθὴς ἡμῖν
“Elijah was a human being, like us”
- Elijah was a sinner as we are
- yet here, he is the example of a righteous person whose prayer was effective
- it is the faithful person who is motivated and oriented to faith, and who is righteous in the Lord’s sight whose prayer is effective.
- ὁμοιοπαθὴς could be also translated as “like us in experience.” Hence, although Elijah had many occurrences in his life which most do not have, he still had a normal everyday life like us today.

καὶ οὐκ ἔβρεξεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐνιαυτοὺς τρεῖς καὶ μῆνας ἕξ•
“and it did not rain for three years and six months”
- Remember, sometimes in a time of need or trouble, we must wait and pray patiently for some time before God’s answer is seen.
- prayer is a call to patience and endurance

18
καὶ πάλιν προσηύξατο
“and again he prayed”
- may we never be timid about praying “again”

ἡ γῆ ἐβλάστησεν τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς
“the land bore/produced its fruit”
- the Lord acted on Elijah's behalf
- what are the concerns in your life?
- patiently pray and await God to act

A Biblical Theology on the Ethics of Speech

Intro
Our choice and use of words in everyday life comes at a great, albeit, forgotten challenge if we legitimately follow the guidelines given to us throughout the biblical corpus pertaining to what I call the ethics of speech. Through both testaments, there are passages and certain verses tracing a theme speaking to us regarding how we are to use our words, how we are to choose our words, where our words come from, the power undergirding our every word, and the effects our words can have on others. Dynamics such as humor, wittiness, sarcasm, edification, and frustration are all evinced by our words and the Bible, though unbeknownst to most, speaks directly to each of these.

Furthermore, what we say with our words is how we communicate the word of God and his gospel to others. I will be examining differing texts regarding what they say specifically to our use of words, and will argue that the Bible is specific in its insight of what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. A study on the ethics of speech in our day and age is crucial for the Church, for this is one way we can be set apart and heard as distinct from unbelievers. Today’s culture and sadly, even Christians will often go as far as they can to get a laugh from others, despite what may be said to evoke a laugh; e.g. sarcasm, boorishness, or immoral humor. Furthermore, as certainly any husband and wife can testify along with others who are not married, there is no rewind function on our words. We can never truly take back what we say, as much as we might wish to from time to time. Thus, how important it is to glean from the commands and imagery wrought in the Bible pertaining to what we say and how we say it.

Thoughtful Words
The Psalmist in 37:30 speaks wisdom and on his tongue justice. The law is written on his “heart” (v. 31). Thus, in harmony with his “heart,” he speaks wisely (49:3) and thus establishes justice. When adverse times arise and when under expressions of hostility, the wise man knows how to speak wisely and righteously. This is reiterated in Proverbs 10:31-32 when the righteous are known to be those who speak distinctly with wisdom, in contrast to the wicked. Waltke comments on this saying:

“Wisdom” here is a metonymy for speech that brings the addressee into harmony with the Lord and with his eternal government and so yields eternal life. The speech of the righteous which is implicitly likened to fruit (see Prov. 25:11), revives whoever feasts on it. The perverse speech of wicked people, by contrast, seeks to overthrow this ethical order upheld by the Lord and expressed by his revealed wisdom. This verse (v. 32) now defines people’s character by the nature of their speech. Here rāṣôn is a metonymy for speech that finds favor with the Lord and possibly with humanity.

Hence, there is an ongoing theme that the righteous are to have distinct speech compared to the wicked.

Proverbs 15:28 speaks to our use of words in light of where they come from and how we use them out towards others: The heart of a righteous person יֶהְגֶּה (ponders) [its] answer, but the mouth of wicked people blurts out harmful things. יֶהְגֶּה - hgh - carries meanings such as “to think about,” “to meditate,” and “to weigh.” In context, v. 28 encourages the youth to think before he speaks. The following then explains why this is so important: the Lord answers the righteous, but excludes the wicked. In v. 30, the imagery of “light of the eyes,” and “fatten the bones,” highlights the content and positive effects of a message. V. 28 contains a contrast between hgh in the sense of “thinking,” and speaking. It also pairs together “heart,” which rehearses words and “mouth” which delivers them. The implication derived from the meanings of “to weigh,” and “to meditate,” is that Christians can mentally choose more appropriate words to respond with to a given situation in contrast to impulsiveness. Luther sheds light here translating hgh as bedenkt which can mean reflection and also consideration. In the NT Peter demonstrates the opposite of this more than once (Matthew 16:22-23; Mark 14:29). The antithesis to the above is rash talk, blurting out, or to gush forth with “evil sayings.” Application gleaned from this is we are not to speak with haste, but with contemplation. Furthermore, our words, though this may go without saying, are to be truthful. This would include one’s use of gossip. Regarding gossip, Tremper Longman says:

Rumors are negative reports are negative reports about other people based on uncertain evidence. They are spread to injure people, not to help them. Gossip may ultimately turn out to be true, but that does not exonerate those who speak it to others. If true, then the report is being given to inappropriate people at an inappropriate time.

A Word of Edification
If we are to meditate on our words realizing we are called to use different words in different circumstances which will make us more distinct as God’s people, then it rightly means our words are also not to be used for things such as gossip or sarcasm, which can do the opposite of building up and edifying.

Paul, in Ephesians 4:29 uses πᾶς μὴ, a different Greek form of Semitic root to emphasize that “every, each” word that comes from the mouth is to be wholesome. And, though he is speaking to a group, στόματος is singular which means this command pertains to each person of the group. The adjective σαπρὸς is used in antiquity of rotten wood, withered flowers, and rancid fish. It generally refers to things which are worn out or useless or that which is of little worth. Though, there is no real parallel in the OT it is seen elsewhere in Matthew and Luke. However, here it is best to translate it as “unprofitable” or “unwholesome.” Victor Pfitzner believes this may find its root in Jesus when he asserted what comes from a person’s mouth defiles him (Matt. 15:11). This may not be too far off as it is seen elsewhere that Jesus lived this out as the one who redefined Israel as people on whose hearts God wrote the Law. This adds further depth to the theme of the righteous being called to speak differently by way of what has been written on our hearts, the Law, and by way of our supreme example, Jesus.

Concerning specificity of word choice, Ephesians 5:4 tells us what to stay away from. Αἰσχρότης does not appear in the LXX, but does in classical literature where it means “ugliness, deformity,” but here it means obscenity. The adjective form in classical literature means something which “causes shame, dishonoring,” and occurs 11 times in the LXX. In Genesis 41:3, רָעֹות means “evil, bad.” It is used four other times in the NT, all by Paul. Colossians 3:8 sheds light on Eph. 5:4 using αἰσχρολογίαν, a more specific word meaning “foul language, obscene speech.” Mωρολογία pertains to “silly, foolish, senseless talk.” Not found in the LXX, it refers to empty and speculative speech; it detracts from issues of faith and edifying discussion. Pertaining to sarcasm, εὐτραπελία was used in classical times meaning “witty, wittiness.” Furthermore, it is alluded to as laughter characterized by the youth and also as buffoonery and boorishness. However, probably not the best to interpret it that way, since people are will do anything to get a laugh. In context, Hoehner sates:

It most likely indicates jesting that has gone too far, thus becoming sarcastic ridicule that cuts people down and embarrasses others who are present. It is humor in bad taste. Believers should build up and not destroy, even in humor. Or, since in the context the preceding words were concerned with sexual sins, εὐτραπελία could even have reference to dirty jokes or humor with suggestive overtones. This does not mean humor cannot be used by Christian. However, it should not be employed at someone’s expense this running counter to Paul’s injunction to edify each other (4:29).

Thus, we are called to οἰκοδομὴν one another, that is, to build up each other, speaking beneficial words, contributing to spiritual growth, not hindering it. Therefore, as discussed above, we are to meditate and weigh our words then use them to build up one another.
The Power of Words: James 3:5-6

In James 3 there are many figures one loses sight of the ground, for the “tongue” itself is figure for human speech and tongue and body as synecdoche for speech and conduct. As is generally the case with James, his meaning is painfully clear: make every effort to keep control of the tongue. (emphasis added, see above cf. Eph. 4:29) Furthermore, in v. 5, comparing the effects of speech to those of fire is well attested as are analogies about fire spreading in a forest (Isa. 9:18). Controlling a fire sometimes cannot be possible. Is this what James is saying about the tongue? I think James is referring to how momentous it is to be able to control the tongue in light of how small and dangerous it can be. However, looking at καθίσταται in v. 6, the exegete must discern whether or not it is a true middle or a passive. If one takes it as middle, then we have to accept some degree of volition on the part of the tongue itself. If passive, then we need to ask who sets the tongue in our members. Does one blame God for this evil in our midst, or is there someone else to account for this unruly member? The middle voice makes more sense, for God did not make us to be sinful. The tongue is the embodiment of our sinfulness.

The things of which the tongue boasts of can be bad and pessimistic things. The metaphor of small fire burning an entire forest is similar to Plutarch, which sheds comparative light. The effect of the tongue on the whole of existence is portrayed with the participle “setting on fire” (φλογίζουσα), and is traced back to Satan. For that is the sense of the last part of the sentence, involving a word-play with the antithesis of active and passive: “being set on fire by Gehenna.”
Conclusion

As the righteous children of God, we are to be choice in our words so when we speak, we will speak at the right times, and in such a way that our words will be like fruit for the listener to feast on, reviving them. Furthermore, it is with our words that we can greatly damage others, even to the point of turning them away from God and his Gospel. It can rightly be said, the fruit of our lips (speaking) may be ripe enough for the hearer to bite from (hearing) and come to know the one, true, and living God.