Day: August 28, 2024

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,…” (Ephesians 5:15 KJV).

What is the sense of “walk circumspectly” here?

It is incomprehensibly remarkable how Christian people can be so tolerant of spiritual hazards. When you warn them about false doctrine, apostate denominations, charlatan preachers and teachers, corrupt Bible versions, and other perils, they are frequently unconcerned. They have become so brainwashed, so programmed, so indoctrinated, and so desensitized that they are comfortable right where they are—no matter how dreadful it is. It makes as much sense as someone without any worries lounging near “a little” radioactive waste, swimming in “a little” sewage, drinking “a little” poison, and suffering “a little” cancer! Such is the deceitfulness of sin and the living in denial. Contrary to today’s Scripture, they have not walked “circumspectly” and reject any counsel to do so.

The English word “circumspectly” is derived from Latin components. One is “circum–,” the basis for “circumference” (the distance around a circle). The other is “spectaculum,” the origin of “spectacular” (something seen that is amazing or impressive), “spectacles” (eyeglasses), and so on. Lastly, the suffix “–ly” means “like.” Piecing these fragments together, we deduce “walk circumspectly” means “to walk like you are looking around.” You are mindful of your surroundings, careful to place your feet on solid ground and not walk into a hole or sinking sand or step off a cliffside. “Wary and unwilling to take risks,” is how the dictionary defines “circumspectly.”

Both the Corinthians and the Galatians were not cautious but willing to take risks. They were open to defilement, whether in deed or in doctrine, and it should not have been like that. We need not dismiss these passages as “dead history” or “irrelevant” to us, as public sinful behavior and false teaching have been tolerated in Christian circles throughout church history and right up to the modern age. Therefore, the name of Jesus Christ is most offensive to so many people who already dislike Him. Still, it is not too late to turn this around… not yet.

Let us proceed to expositing today’s Scripture in its context and thus gain the profit God the Holy Spirit has placed therein….