In 1947 C.S. Lewis published The Abolition of Man, in which he charted the “negation of human dignity in the name of progress.” He lived long enough to see the accuracy of his assessment: “For the power of Man to make himself what he pleases means, as we have seen, the power of some men to make other men what they please.” Transhumanism comes close to fulfilling Lewis’s warning about the “negation of humanity.” It is a philosophy or ideology that aims to control and transform the human species using bio technologies, in order to eliminate suffering, disease, aging and death.

Paul contrasts our past (“dead in our sins”) with now being “alive to God” by grace through faith in Jesus.

Paul prays that God will through His Spirit enable the Ephesians to understand all God has done for them in the past, the present and the future and that they will understand the power now available to them.

After the insurrection of 6 January 2021 fostered by the incendiary words of President Trump, his son and the president’s attorney Rudy Giuliani, various social media giants (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube) responded by permanently banning or suspending the president for violation of their respective “glorification of violence” policies. These actions have raised questions about free speech, the First Amendment and the power of these social media giants.

Paul invites us to praise each member of the Trinity for their work in the plan of redemption.

January 22 is always a dark day in American history, for in 1973 Roe v. Wade legalized abortion across America. The case denied the rights of the unborn and instead gave women the “right” to decide to end her pregnancy. It established the precedent that a woman’s right to choose is more important than a child’s right to live. It therefore demeaned life in the womb as unworthy in comparison to the mother and it established the false ideology that one human is more important than another.

An introduction to the city of Ephesus, its importance and the themes of this letter are presented.

Psalm 8 is a praise hymn to God the Creator. To esteem nature is to acknowledge the glory of God. To contemplate the heavens not only leads to the praise of an awesome God; it also leads to a sense of the insignificance. However, as with Genesis 1, the creation of humanity is the apex of God’s creative work. God created humanity to be His dominion stewards; to represent Him over all dimensions of His world. God has invested humanity with greatness and with responsibilities.

In a world of deceit, sin, rebellion and oppression, these Psalms give counsel on how to live with faith, confidence and hope. Although King David laments God’s seeming silence in the midst of his suffering, in the end he affirms his confidence and trust in God.

Next to the family, the church is the most important institution God has created. Jesus only spoke of the “church” (ekklesia) twice—both in future terms: “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18) and (18:17) in terms of church discipline. The church could not begin until Jesus had died, been resurrected (see Colossians 1:18), ascended to heaven (Ephesians 1:20-23) and then sent the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). Thus the church began at Pentecost (Acts 1:5, 2:4 and 11:15-16). The New Testament affirms that the church (ekklesia) is literally a body of “called out ones.”