Ephesians 5:1-14 Study

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Verses 1-2

Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children,

Paul just finished in chapter four rapid fire shooting application points at the church of Ephesus. His final point is forgiveness. He tells the Ephesians …And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. This leads straight to verse one of chapter five where Paul implores them: Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us….
Ultimately, regarding our actions as believers, Christ is our model and example. He is our standard. He is our measure. It is fitting, then, that Paul tells them, and in turn us, to be imitators of God. Our God, in of His Triune Self, is the perfect example of love and kindness and grace and forgiveness and joy and compassion. Our God is the only one truly worth imitating in every way.
This is not to say there us not a single person worth imitating. However, the only way someone, as Paul does, can say “Imitate me,” is if that is followed by “…as I imitate Christ.” This means when Paul is not imitating Christ, cease to imitate him! He is a great goal, but a horrible standard. Christ is your standard.
In telling them to imitate the Lord, Paul calls them dearly loved children. This is not a dictator forcing his inferiors to look like him in a maniacal, evil way. Rather, this is a loving, holy Father who is setting a perfect example for His children of goodness and righteousness; this is a Father whom we would be foolish not to imitate.

2 and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

Is this not what Christ did throughout His time on Earth? Yes, we only see His last three years, but a perfect descriptor of Christ’s walk is certainly a walk in love. He was so compassionate, so forgiving, so kind, so gentle, so lowly; Christ walked in love perfectly until we killed Him for it. Should we not be willing do to the same?
Christ’s love is perfect in that it is also sacrificial. His love led Him to die for those whom He loved. Paul compares His death on the cross to a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
The fragrant offering in the OT was a very special offering to the Lord. The LORD said to Moses:

“Take for yourself fragrant perfumes—stacte resin and onycha and galbanum—fragrant perfumes and pure frankincense, ⌊an equal part of each⌋, 35 and make it into a compound of incense, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, holy. 36 And you will grind part of it to powder, and you will put part of it before the testimony in the tent of assembly where I will meet with you; it will be a most holy thing to you. 37 And the incense that you will make with its measurements you will not make for yourselves; it will be holy to you for Yahweh. 38 Anyone who makes any like it to smell it will be cut off from his people.”

This was the offering of a pleasant smell to the Lord. This smell was so special and unique that anyone who mimicked it would be cut off from the people, for it would be stealing what is meant for God for oneself.
Consider a fragrance blowing into the wind; the smell is there to be enjoyed, but only briefly. This is Christ in His death: an offering to God that none could ever replicate due to His holiness. None of us are righteous as Christ was; therefore, it is impossible for us to take on this type of sacrifice.
Isn’t it interesting that in the OT text, the Lord tells Moses that anyone who should try to replicate this fragrance would be cut off, but now Paul tells the Ephesians to imitate God in His fragrant offering of a walk. See, in the OT, they were unable to truly replicate this fragrance, or even this walk, due to their sin. But now, as believers with God’s Spirit dwelling in us, we have the ability to walk in love as Christ our Redeemer walked. This is good news.

Verses 3-5

3 But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints.

Now Paul will take a major turn from “Do these things like Jesus did!” to “This should never be seen among you.” When instructing people, it is important to not just tell them what to do, and not just tell them what not to do, but rather tell them both! This is helpful wisdom from Paul.
Paul names three sins and says they should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. Those sins are:
Sexual Immorality
Impurity
Greed
Sexual Immorality
What is sexual immorality? This is anything sexual outside of marriage. This is referring to not only sleeping with someone whom you are not married to, but also, as Christ told us, lusting after a woman you are not married to. Sexual immorality can involve multiple people or just you alone with your thoughts or a screen. The point is that all of it is sexual and all of it is immoral. The only moral sex involves a husband and his wife (or vice versa).
This Paul names first because sexual immorality is one of the most dangerous sins with the greatest impact on your mind, body, and spirit. Paul says that it should not even be heard of among the saints.
Does this mean, then, that if there is any sexually immoral practice in our lives, as Christians, we should never let it be heard of by the church? Absolutely not. Rather, Paul is referring to the unrepentant acts of sexual immorality. The sleeping around; the daily (or constant) porn consumption; the constant habit of masterbation; these things, and much more, with no stop or fight are the problem. If you struggle with sexually immoral sins, you must tell someone because these sins cannot be fought alone. We aren’t strong enough.
Impurity
This word is used as an antithetical to holiness. It can also mean uncleanness, foulness, and depravity. This is similar to sexual immorality, but it is broader than sexual sins. This is unrepentant sinfulness in cussing, abusing, substances that remove your sobriety, fighting, raging, over eating, etc. There are so many sins that fit under impurity. Paul says that none of these should be heard of among us.
Instead of living in impurity, we should live in holiness, imitating our Lord Jesus Christ.
Greed
This is the incessant want and demand for more things and more money, even. Greed will rot you from the inside out. It removes all kindness and compassion from you. Consider characters such as Durin III from the Lord of the Rings who puts on the tainted ring from Sauron and becomes drunk with greed, destroying relationships, even killing dwarves, all for the sake of more gain for him. Consider the Once-ler from the Lorax who killed all the trees simply for his gain. Greed leads us down these extreme routes. We must not buy the lie that life is about more things and more money. Look at the apostles and you tell me if these men were living for money? Look at the prophets. Do not let greed be even heard of among you.

4 Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks.

Here Paul gets very specific. Strangely specific, even. Perhaps he had heard the Ephesian church struggled with foul language, so he had to say something about it. Paul says that obscene and foolish talking or crude joking, neither are suitable for the Christian.
Comedy is something that we worship — my generation and the next. We worship simply making people laugh. This is because this world is so dark, we all, often, cope with humor. There is good in this, there is good in humor. The Lord Himself seems to have had humor during His time on Earth. However, Paul is referring to tainted, foul humor. Humor that appeals to the darkness in our hearts. Humor the appeals to the sin that stains our souls. Jokes that degrade others due to what they look like. Jokes that mock genocide and massacres. Jokes that are sexually immoral and objectifying to eternal souls. Jokes that disparage God’s good creation and mock it like it is nothing. These jokes should not be heard of among us.
Once you are known to be a follower of Jesus, no one should hear you making these cruel jokes anymore. You should be changing in your humor and what you find funny. Be careful with humor, it is not God.

5 For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

This verse is very scary. Now remember, though, that he is referring to those who practice these things unrepentantly. Anyone unrepentantly practicing sexual immorality, impurity, greed, or idolatry will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
It is verses like this one that we must take into consideration with people who want to claim Christ and not repent from sin — the inheritance is not for them. Eternal life with Christ is now for them.
Notice, though, that Paul throws in one more sin: idolatry. This is the worship of idols over the One True God. Idolatry is very applicable here because the other three sins he mentions are forms of idol worship
Sexual Immorality could be the worship of sex, a person, or, ultimately, yourself.
Impurity is the worship of evil things.
Greed is the worship of things and money.
Do not fall into these pitfalls; repent of your sin.

Verses 6-10

6 Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. 7 Therefore, do not become their partners.

Paul makes a shift from talking about the sins that rob us of the Kingdom of God, to talking about those who are practicing these sins. Those who are living in their sin will argue with us about our faith and, namely, our morals. They will mock and prod us. They will tell us we are puritan prudes and that we must do what is natural to our bodies. They will try to argue with us that we are missing out on the joys of life. These are empty arguments we cannot fall into.
Many Christians hear these things and buckle to them. They ignore the truth and they listen to the fool and futile speaking. We must be wiser and avoid this talk because of what Paul says next: for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things.
The truth is that those unbelievers in the world who are just feeding their flesh unrepentantly will taste the wrath of God in the end. For they have disregarded their Creator and trampled on His Son.
Verse 7 shows us a very simple application point with this in mind: …do not because their partners. These unbelievers and pagans cannot be your closest friends. They cannot be your friend group. They can’t be your boyfriend/girlfriend. They certainly cannot be your husband or wife.
Yes, Jesus often hung around sinners, but we are not Jesus. Some strong believers are able to be around these people and not be influenced; however, this is not everyone. Most of us need to remain around those solid believers whom God has placed around us, namely in our church.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light—9 for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth—10 testing what is pleasing to the Lord.

Paul tells us that we used to be like these unbelievers justifying our sin. He describes this as darkness. We used to live in the darkness, and we used to be a part of that darkness. But no longer. We are now light in the Lord. Therefore we must walk as children of light. This is who God has designed us to be, ultimately: children of light.
How can we walk as children of light? Paul tells us: the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth— testing what is pleasing to the Lord.
This is the usual route that Paul goes when it comes to the basic “How do you live as Christian?” question. He says similar things in Romans 12:1-2
Romans 12:1–2 CSB
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
Consider your walk through life: your work, your school, your family, when you are alone and how you act in these moments; your thoughts even. Would you use those words goodness, righteousness, and truth to describe how you walk? How you interact with others? How you think in your mind? How you speak?
Futhermore, would you say that before you act you test what is pleasing to the Lord? Do you run your actions and decisions through Scripture and prayer? These are all fruit of a child of the light.

Verses 11-14

11 Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret.

Paul is pointing out that the works of darkness are shameful, sinful acts. Consider this truth— sin is done in darkness. Yes, at many times, literal darkness, but sometimes figurative darkness in that it is hidden. It is done when no one is looking. Darkness. Paul implores us to, rather than participate in these fruitless works of darkness… expose them. This does not mean to go around exposing others sin, though there are necessary and loving ways that must be done. Instead, this is referring to your own sin.
You cannot partake in your shameful sin and not expose it unless you don’t want to actually beat it. In order to fight sin and repent of it, you must expose it in the light. Confess it to the Lord and others for accountability sake. Do the uncomfortable, hard work of dealing with your sin.

13 Everything exposed by the light is made visible, 14 for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore it is said:

Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.

When light shines, darkness dissipates instantly. It only takes a little light to destroy darkness. To conclude his point here, Paul quotes what seems to be an early church hymn or perhaps something said to the one being baptized which combines several portions of Scripture such as:
Isaiah 26:19 CSB
Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For you will be covered with the morning dew, and the earth will bring out the departed spirits.
Isaiah 60:1 CSB
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you.
Jonah 1:6 CSB
The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god. Maybe this god will consider us, and we won’t perish.”
Except the early church formed this phrase to point to how the Messiah, Jesus Christ, will shine upon that individual. He is pointing to the importance of light for the believer once more, specifically in salvation. We were dead/asleep. Christ wakes us up from sleeping in the darkness and raises us up into the light that He shines upon us.
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