Monday, February 05, 2007

Ignatius exhorts

In chapter 10 Ignatius exhorts his readers to pray for all men, especially those who hate them. For those with interest in spiritual warfare it is worth pointing out that he sees this as an important step in breaking the work of the evil one.

Whilst in chapter 11 he exhorts towards fear of God in the light of living in the last days, in chapter 12 Ignatius, seeing himself as someone condemned, praises the Ephesians and expresses his admiration for Paul.

Chapter 13 returns to the theme of spiritual warfare, with an emphasis on peace, unity and worship in the church being means whereby "the powers of Satan are destroyed." Chapter 14 takes the theme of unity further, emphasising the importance of faith and love for "no man making a profession of faith sinneth, nor does he who possesses love hate anyone."

Chapter 16 stresses the value of silence, and the importance of teachers acting and not just speaking.

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