Ephesians 4.19c-Unregenerate Gentiles Practice Every Type of Sexual Immorality
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday June 21, 2025
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:19c-Unregenerate Gentiles Practice Every Type of Sexual Immorality
Lesson # 262
Ephesians 4:17 Therefore, at this particular time I am communicating, specifically, at this particular time I am solemnly and earnestly making a request on the basis of the Lord’s sovereign authority. Namely, that each and every one of you as a corporate unit continue to no longer make it your habit of conducting your lives as in fact the Gentiles are conducting their lives by means of the futility produced by their thinking. 18 Specifically, because they are darkened with respect to their understanding (of the three-fold revelation of the triune God). Consequently, they are alienated from the life, which originates uniquely in the character and nature of the one and only God because of the ignorance, which is a characteristic within them because of the hardness, which is produced by the function unique to their hearts. 19 Because they are characterized as insensitive (to God and His will and ways), each and every one of them as a corporate unit have given themselves over to self-indulgence for the purpose of practicing every type of sexual immorality in an inordinate and insatiable manner. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 4:19 continues Paul’s thought from Ephesians 4:17-18, in which he describes the ungodly thinking and resultant lifestyle of unregenerate Gentile members of the human race who are enslaved to their indwelling Adamic sin nature as well as Satan and his cosmic world system.
Ephesians 4:19 is composed of the following:
(1) causal participial clause: hoitines apēlgēkotes (οἵτινες ἀπηλγηκότες), “Because they are characterized as insensitive (to God and His will and ways)” (Author’s translation)
(2) declarative statement: heautous paredōkan tē aselgeia (ἑαυτοὺς παρέδωκαν τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ), “each and every one of them as a corporate unit have given themselves over to self-indulgence” (Author’s translation)
(3) prepositional phrase: eis ergasian akatharsias pasēs (εἰς ἐργασίαν ἀκαθαρσίας πάσης), “for the purpose of practicing every type of sexual immorality” (Author’s translation)
(4) prepositional phrase: en pleonexia (ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ), “in an inordinate and insatiable manner” (Author’s translation)
The causal participial clause hoitines apēlgēkotes (οἵτινες ἀπηλγηκότες), “Because they are characterized as insensitive (to God and His will and ways)” modifies the declarative statement heautous paredōkan tē aselgeia (ἑαυτοὺς παρέδωκαν τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ), “each and every one of them as a corporate unit have given themselves over to self-indulgence.”
It also presents the reason for this declarative statement.
Therefore, together they assert that the unregenerate Gentile members of the human race have given themselves over to self-indulgence because they are characterized as insensitive to God and specifically, insensitive to His holy character, will and ways.
The prepositional phrase eis ergasian akatharsias pasēs (εἰς ἐργασίαν ἀκαθαρσίας πάσης), “for the purpose of practicing every type of sexual immorality” presents the purpose of the declarative statement and the causal clause, which modifies it.
Therefore, all together, they assert that the unregenerate Gentile members of the human race have given themselves over to self-indulgence because they are characterized as insensitive to God and specifically, His holy character, will and ways for the purpose of practicing every type of sexual immorality.
Lastly, the prepositional phrase en pleonexia (ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ), “in an inordinate and insatiable manner” presents the manner in which the previous prepositional phrase is accomplished and so therefore, this asserts that the unregenerate Gentiles practice every type of sexual immorality in an inordinate and insatiable manner.
Now, in Ephesians 4:19, the first of the two prepositional phrases in this verse contains the noun ergasia (ἐργασία), which pertains to engaging in some type of behavior or practicing a particular lifestyle.
The noun akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσία) refers to all types of sexual sins such as pre-marital sex (Gen. 1:18-24; 1 Cor. 7:2), adultery (1 Sam. 21:5), rape (Gen. 34:5), homosexuality (Lev. 18:20), and other sexual deviations (Lev. 18:6-30).
It denotes the state or moral impurity in relation to sexual sin.
The noun akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσία) is modified by the genitive feminine singular form of the adjective adjective pas (πᾶς), which we noted pertains to any entity out of a totality and thus expressing the idea of “each and every type of” sexual immorality.
The noun ergasia (ἐργασία) functions as the object of the preposition eis (εἰς), which functions as a marker of purpose, which means that it is marking this noun as the purpose for which unregenerate Gentile humanity practices sexual impurity or immorality.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase eis ergasian akatharsias (εἰς ἐργασίαν ἀκαθαρσίας) expresses the idea that it was “for the purpose of” practicing sexual immorality that unregenerate Gentile humanity gave themselves over to self-indulgence.
The apostle Paul employs the noun akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσία) in Galatians 5:19, in which he asserts that sexual impurity or immorality is the product of indulging one’s indwelling Adamic sin nature.
He also uses it in Colossians 3:5 in relation to the believer experiencing their sanctification.
In this passage, he exhorts the Colossian Christian community to reject sexual immorality by appropriating by faith their union and identification with Christ in His death, resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand.
Colossians 3:5 Therefore, I solemnly charge each and every one of you to put to death the members of that which belongs to your earthly nature with regards to the practice of sexual immorality, sexual impurity, sexual lust, evil desire as well as that which is greed which is, as an eternal spiritual truth characterized as idolatry. (Lecturer’s translation)
Not only does Paul use the noun akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσία) in Colossians 3:5 in relation to the believer experiencing their sanctification but he also does so in 1 Thessalonians 4:7.
In this verse, he reminds the Thessalonian Christian community that the Father did not effectually call them to practice sexual immorality of any type.
1 Thessalonians 4:1 Therefore, in addition to this brothers and sisters each one of us is requesting, yes urgently, authoritatively encouraging each and every one of you on the basis of the Lord Jesus’ commands that as each of you received from each of us instruction how each of you are obligated to make it your habit to live in a manner so as to make it your habit of pleasing God (as each one of you are in fact making it your habit of living) that each of you make it your habit of excelling more and more. 2 For each and every one of you are well aware of what type of commands each one of us gave to each one of you by means of the authority of the Lord Jesus 3 because this is God’s will, namely, the sanctification of each and every one of you. Specifically that each one of you for your own benefit make it your habit of abstaining from the practice of sexual immorality. 4 In other words, that each one of you know how to make it their habit of possessing their own body with regards to experiencing sanctification resulting in honor, 5 not with regards to the practice of lustful passion like in fact the Gentiles who do not know the one and only God (the Father) personally. 6 In regard to this matter, not to transgress, specifically, not to exploit his spiritual brother or sister because the Lord is an avenger concerning all these things. As in fact each of us in the past communicated for the benefit of each and every one of you. Yes indeed, each one of us for our own benefit solemnly warned of for the benefit of each one of you. 7 For the one and only God by no means effectually called each and every one of us for the purpose of practicing sexual impurity but rather with regards to experiencing sanctification. (Lecturer’s translation)
“Practicing sexual impurity” is the noun akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσία), which refers to the practice of all types of sexual sins such as pre-marital sex (Gen. 1:18-24; 1 Cor. 7:2), adultery (1 Sam. 21:5), rape (Gen. 34:5), homosexuality (Lev. 18:20), and other sexual deviations (Lev. 18:6-30).
It denotes the state or moral impurity in relation to sexual sin.
This interpretation is indicated by the contents of 1 Thessalonians 4:1-6 which implores the Thessalonians to continue to make it their habit of abstaining from all types of sexual immorality in order to experience their sanctification.
This word akatharsia (ἀκαθαρσία) contains the figure of metonymy which means that various forms of sexual impurity are put for the practice of these types of sexual impurity.
