I live in a pragmatic country.  American Pragmatism is a philosophical system invented in the country that gave life to it.  If there is duct tape, the solution is at hand.  ‘Git ‘er done’ is a phrase for the active solution based population.  When it comes to Bible reading pragmatism affects the reading.  Sermon series are frequently composed around ‘how to’ topics.  Series like ‘How to Have a Successful Marriage’ and ‘How to Raise Kids’ drop in to the second half of books like Ephesians (which we have just read).  The deeper and fuller understanding of why we create an harmonious marriage or why we raise obedient children is missing.  People rarely understand the principles that they are applying.  If they get the results that they want, they are happy – even if the horrible mistake of missing a relationship with God is a result.

To study books like Ephesians properly they must enrich our relationship with God.  The connection of the pragmatic second half of the book with understanding the eternal principles of God in the first half is important.  In fact, if we understand the principles we can apply them to even more situations than the Bible does.  How, for example, are we to treat people who we are backpacking with across Europe?  The principles of unity and harmony that exist in the Godhead apply to not only the household but that situation too.

Reread Ephesians from beginning to end and try to see it as a whole.