Evidences of Election

Ephesians 5:1–7 NKJV

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. 3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.

We are continuing in Paul’s teaching concerning our walk which began in

Eph 4:1-3

Ephesians 4:1–3 NKJV

1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

in chapter 4 he taught us that to walk worthy means that our walk must be different from before we became Christians.

He told us Eph 4:17

Ephesians 4:17 NKJV

17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,

He told us that this is not how we have learned Christ. How have we learned Christ then? He says that if we have heard Christ and have been taught by Him as the truth is in Christ Eph. 4:22-24

Ephesians 4:22–24 NKJV

22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

the rest of ch 4 was details on what we are to put off concerning our former conduct and what we should put on in it’s place.

As we come to ch 5 Paul gives us three way in which we should walk if we are to walk worthy of the calling to which we were called.

Walk in love

Walk in light

Walk in wisdom

We have started looking at the first which was to walk in love

Ephesians 5:1–2 NKJV

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

To walk worthy of our calling we must walk in love because love is the foundation of our calling.

1 john 4:10-11

1 John 4:10–11 NKJV

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

So the sort of love that Paul is referring to that we should walk in is modelled after the love of Christ, it is a self sacrificing love

Ephesians 5:2 NKJV

2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

which is a very different kind of love than the world is use to, which is selfish love. The fleshly worldly love which manifest as sexual immorality impurity and covetousness is self serving, self gratifying and is idolatry. these are inappropriate for saints. Things for which Paul gives us a very strong warning in vs 5-7 which I would like us to focus on this morning.

Ephesians 5:5 NKJV

5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

No Person Who is Sexually Immoral, Impure, or Covetous Will Have an Inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God

What does Paul mean by this. Didn’t he tell us in Eph 1:11

Ephesians 1:11 NKJV

11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

and in

Ephesians 1:13–14 NKJV

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

So is Paul saying that even if we have believed in Christ and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit that we could lose our inheritance if we engage in sexual immorality?

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 NKJV

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

So in this list it seems clear that the unrighteous who commit such sins will not inherit the kingdom of God but there is a distinction between these unrighteous and those who have been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of our Lord Jesus and the Spirit of our God.

However, I’m not sure that that full answers our question based on

Ephesians 5:5–7 NKJV

5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.

Paul is clearly talking about our conduct as believers. He is and has been telling us that we cannot continue to live like the rest of the world, we must walk worthy.

In vs 6 he says Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Who’s deceiving them? Probably the gnostics. The teaching of the gnostic is known as dualism teaches that the earth and all material things are evil including our bodies and that only that which is spiritual is divine or good. Because of this that taught that whatever sins are committed by our body does not effect our spirit. SO you could engage in sexually immorality with your body but still be pure in your spirit. Paul is most likely addressing these false teachings here especially when he say “let no one deceive you with empty words” The teaching of Paul and the Christian belief is that our bodily conduct does matter. But still the question remains if a Christians sins in these things will he or she lose their inheritance?

Galatians 5:19–21 (NKJV)

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Those who practice such things. That is those who continue in these sins and repeatedly practice them without repentance, without conviction. They have given themselves over to them. And in doing so they reveal that they are not the elect and so they will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Back it the passage we were looking at before in

1 Corinthians 6:11 NKJV

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Being sanctified is a process by which the Holy Spirit is making us holy. If you are a true Christian then you will see evidence of this sanctification.

2 Peter 1:5–11 NKJV

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So our passage in Eph is not saying that if a true believer commit sins of sexual immorality that they will lose their inheritance. Rather, Paul is saying that God’s wrath comes on the unrighteous because they have given themselves over to these sins and practice them therefore it is unfitting for saint (those who are being sanctified) to partake with the unrighteous in this sort of conduct. If a person has given themselves over to sexual immorality without conviction and without repentance then they show then they should not consider themselves to be the elect. God will chastise His children to bring them to repentance. But if we pursue righteousness virtue, knowledge, self-control, patiences, godliness, brother kindness, and love, then we will not be unfruitful in our knowledge of Christ, and we make our call and election sure. If you say “how do I know if I am the elect?” Christ said

John 10:27–30 NKJV

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”

Did you hear the Gospel and respond?

Do you feel convicted when you sin and repent?

Do you grow in holiness and love?

Do you follow Christ?

These are evidences of election.