Ephesians 5:17

“Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is”

‘Wherefore”: Because we are surrounded by evil. “Be ye not foolish”: “Do not grow thoughtless” (TCNT). ‘You cannot afford to be reckless” (Knox). “Stop, becoming foolish” (Robertson p. 544). “Converts from paganism must not allow themselves to slip back into senseless folly. They must have. clear discernment of their Master's will” (Erdman p. 115). “Wicked days are full of temptation that would make us foolish” (Lenski p. 616). The language of freewill. It also indicates that Christians can live foolish lives, if they so choose. “But”: Being foolish in one's thinking or conduct is inexcusable, because God has provided everything necessary to avoid such. “Understanding”: Comprehend. “What the will of the Lord is”: “Wisdom is to be found in God's will and nowhere else. Nothing is more important in life than to discover and do the will of God” (Stott pp. 202-203). Doing God's will is not accomplished by irrational impulses, neither is God's will discovered by mere emotions or gut feelings (Proverbs 16:25). The term "understanding" infers that the will of the Lord is understandable. Study is required (2 Timothy 2:15). The human mind can properly interpret and understand what God has revealed in the Scriptures (Ephesians 3:3; Luke 10:25). (4) The same logic and reasoning abilities that one would use in understanding anything, must be equally applied to understand the will of the Lord (Acts 17:11). The will of the Lord cannot be divorced from the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 14:37; John 8:31; John 12:48). “He understands that the will of the Lord is found only in the Scriptures and he never allows anyone to tell him that God's will is something other than what God has said that it is. Only God's truth is able to keep us from being foolish” (Caldwell p. 250) (Psalms 119:9).