Ephesians 5:1-21
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How do you usually wake up?
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no 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 become partners with them;
What does it mean to be an imitator of God as described in Ephesians 5:1?
In what practical ways can we ensure that our actions reflect the love of Christ in our daily lives?
What specific steps can we take to avoid the behaviors listed in Ephesians 5:3-4?
What implications does Ephesians 5:5 have for those who engage in sexual immorality or covetousness?
How does the wrath of God described in Ephesians 5:6 relate to our understanding of God's justice?
What does it mean to not become partners with those engaging in disobedience as mentioned in Ephesians 5:7?
“The Christian life is war.” Why do you think J.D. Greear made that point? Do you agree? Why or why not?
Take a look at Ephesians 5:8–14. There’s a strong emphasis on darkness and light, and Paul uses some fascinating phrases. In verse 8, he says, “You were darkness” and “you are light.” Not in darkness or light, but are
Why do you think Paul says we are light? Is there something in our identity that has changed from darkness to light?
Jesus told His followers, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Yes, we’re called to walk in the light and to come to the light, but the light of God becomes part of us. You might say we reflect God’s light as the moon reflects the sun. We are light to those around us.
Paul also asks us to “live as children of light” (v. 8). What does that mean for the way you live your life?
The phrase “children of” is often used in Scripture for people who exhibit a certain quality, but it’s more than that. It’s an identity thing. When we are children of someone, we carry their DNA. We’re like our parents because it’s coded into us. It’s who we are.
Verse 9 also talks about the “fruit of the light.” That seems to be a strange mixing of metaphors. How does light have fruit? What does that mean to you?
Fruit is result. What happens when someone lives out the light within them? Goodness, righteousness, truth. This is especially important because many different religions talk about “light” and “enlightenment,” and it can mean different things. Here it’s spelled out. The light of God emanating from our lives results in goodness, righteousness, and truth.
Hardening of their hearts
Lost sensitivity
4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.
3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
What effect does God’s light have in a believer’s life?
How does light interact with darkness?
What kinds of moral behavior are associated with “light” and “darkness”?
What effect does God’s light have in a believer’s life? How does light interact with darkness? What kinds of moral behavior are associated with “light” and “darkness”? How do these passages fit with, expand on, or challenge the teaching in Ephesians 5?
Verse 14 looks like it’s quoting something from the Old Testament, but it’s not. Scholars think that “wake up, sleeper” might be a hymn written by someone in the early church, possibly for a baptismal service, but there is no clear evidence.
Why do you think Paul used this hymn here? How did it help his case?
What sort of “sleep” do we need to “wake up” from?
What “opportunity” is Paul talking about in verse 16? How should we “make the most” of it?
The phrase translated “making the most of every opportunity” has sometimes been rendered “redeeming the time.” The Greek verb there is exagorazo. You might see the word agora in there—meaning the town marketplace. This word literally means “to buy” (to take out of the market). So “buying up the time” is to seize the day, to grab it while it’s good.
What sort of “unwise” or “foolish” things might we do when faced with the opportunities Paul’s talking about? How can we avoid those foolish actions?
Back in verse 10, it said, “Find out what pleases the Lord.” Here in verse 17, it says almost the same thing (“understand what the Lord’s will is”). How can we do that?
J.D. refers to “the sleep of complacency.” Yes, it’s easy to rest in our beliefs, in our traditions, in our sweet fellowship with one another. But here Paul is sounding the alarm. The Christian life is not about kicking back and relaxing, but leaning forward, alert to each new opportunity that might arise. It would seem that Paul is talking about opportunities to shine with the light of Christ. If the “fruit of the light” is “goodness, righteousness and truth” (v. 9), then we will have plenty of chances to bring those into our world. Sharing the truth of the gospel with someone. Caring for a needy friend. Standing up against injustice. The most foolish thing might be to ignore these opportunities. But it’s also possible that we run ahead of the Lord’s guidance, instead of staying “in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). We sometimes create our own agendas, built on our own desires and assumptions. That’s why we need to keep considering what the Lord wants, what pleases Him. We find God’s will in the Scriptures, but also in our continual interaction with the Spirit, especially as He leads us into worship along with other believers.
Why would Paul compare God’s Spirit with wine in verse 18? What’s the connection?
Why does Paul suddenly get musical in verse 19? What do songs have to do with waking up and redeeming the time?
Some have suggested that this is still part of the contrast between wine and the Spirit. Paul might be thinking about tavern songs, people drinking together and singing bawdy tunes. Specifically, in that culture there were hymns that honored Bacchus, the god of drinking and “debauchery.” Paul could be saying, “You see your neighbors going out to bars, getting sloppy drunk and singing foolish ditties. But you have access to a far greater power. God’s Spirit will fill you and excite you and affect your behavior. It will also draw you together with others, singing songs. But these are meaningful songs of gratitude to the Lord.”
According to verse 19, we speak to one another in these songs. What effect on each other can we have when we address one another through our songs?
Why does Paul use three words for songs? Perhaps he’s offering a kind of menu for worship. The words psalm and hymn come into English directly from Greek. Psalms are the songs from the Scriptures used in Jewish worship. Hymns had more of a Greek tradition. Poets crafted lines of praise to the various gods of that culture and these were set to music. It’s possible that early Christians were altering the Greek hymns to use in their own worship, or perhaps they were writing their own. “Spiritual songs” were probably less formal, maybe lines of music inspired by the Spirit within a service.
Do you think that gathering together in worship helps us to “find out what pleases the Lord”? If so, how?
The Spirit guides individual hearts, but the Spirit also works through the church. The Scriptures speak God’s truth to each one of us, but we also read the Word together, learning how to apply it to our lives. We confirm for one another the leading of the Lord. We gather in worship and offer our praises and concerns to God, but this also draws us into a community of faith. Together we listen to the Lord.
