Ephesians 5.3-The Contrast Between Self-Sacrificial Behavior and Self-Indulgent Behavior
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday January 22, 2026
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 5:3-The Contrast Between Self-Sacrificial Behavior and Self-Indulgent Behavior
Lesson # 311
Ephesians 5:1 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of conducting your lives by imitating the one and only God because each and every one without exception are beloved children. 2 Specifically, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of living your lives by means of the practice of divine-love because the one and only Christ in fact divinely-loved each and every one of you of us as a corporate unit. Namely, He gave Himself up as a substitute for each and every one of us as a corporate unit to be a voluntary offering, which is a sacrifice for the benefit of the one and only God for a fragrant aroma. 3 But sexual immorality in the form of temple prostitution, in fact, sexual impurity of any kind, or greed must continue to never be mentioned as being practiced among any one of you because this conduct is appropriate behavior for saints. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 5:3 is composed of the following:
(1) prohibition: Porneia kai akatharsia pasa ē pleonexia mēde onomazesthō en hymin (Πορνεία καὶ ἀκαθαρσία πᾶσα ἢ πλεονεξία μηδὲ ὀνομαζέσθω ἐν ὑμῖν), “sexual immorality in the form of temple prostitution, in fact, sexual impurity of any kind, or greed must continue to never be mentioned as being practiced among any one of you” (Lecturer’s translation)
(2) causal clause: kathōs prepei hagiois (καθὼς πρέπει ἁγίοις), “because this conduct is appropriate behavior for saints.” (Lecturer’s translation)
Therefore, the reader can see that in this verse the apostle Paul issues the recipients of this epistle who were members of the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia a prohibition, which stands in contrasts to the command in Ephesians 5:2, which explains in greater detail the command in Ephesians 5:1.
This prohibition required that sexual immorality in the form of temple prostitution, in fact, sexual impurity of any kind, or greed must continue to never be mentioned as being practiced among any of them.
Then, Paul modifies this prohibition with a causal clause, which presents the reason for this prohibition and asserts that this type of conduct is appropriate conduct for saints.
So as we noted the prohibition in Ephesians 5:3 stands in contrast with the previous command in Ephesians 5:2, which explains in greater detail the command in Ephesians 5:1.
Therefore, by way of review, we noted that in our study of Ephesians 5:1 that Paul issues a command to the recipients of this epistle who were members of the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia.
It required that they continue to make it their habit of conducting their lives by imitating the one and only God. This command is modified by a causal clause, which asserts that they are the Father’s beloved children.
We also noted in our study of this verse the command presents an inference from the contents of Ephesians 4:25-32.
Therefore, this indicates that the command in Ephesians 5:1 presents the logical conclusion which can be derived from the various commands and prohibitions presented by Paul in Ephesians 4:25-32.
Therefore, the command in Ephesians 5:1 to be imitators of God the Father because the believer is His beloved child is the logical conclusion which can be derived from the various commands and prohibitions presented in Ephesians 4:25-32.
This interpretation is indicated by the fact that these commands and prohibitions are all different ways or manifestations of obeying the Lord’s Spirit inspired command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to self-sacrificially love one another as He has self-sacrificially loved the believer at the cross.
They are manifestations of obedience to this command because obedience to these commands and prohibitions reflect God’s holy character and are also manifestations of doing right by one’s fellow believer and treating one’s fellow believer the way one would want to be treated.
Then, as we noted in our study of Ephesians 5:2, Paul issues the members of the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia a command, which explains in greater detail the meaning of the command in Ephesians 5:1.
It required that they must continue to make it their habit of living their lives by means of the practice of divine-love.
He then emphatically presents the reason for this command, which asserts that the one and only Christ divinely-love them. Paul then goes on to explain this statement by asserting that Christ gave Himself up as a substitute for them.
He describes Christ’s self-sacrificial act of love for them as a voluntary offering and specifically a sacrifice for the benefit of His Father for a fragrant aroma.
So therefore, the command in Ephesians 5:2 indicates that when Paul commands the recipients of this letter to continue to make it their habit of conducting their lives by imitating God the Father’s love them, he means that they are to continue to make it their habit of living their lives by practicing the love of the Father.
Now in Ephesians 5:3, Paul issues the recipients of this letter a prohibition which required that sexual immorality in the form of temple prostitution, in fact, sexual impurity of any kind or greed must never be mentioned as being practiced amongst themselves.
Therefore, it marks a contrast between the Christian community living their lives by practicing the love of the Father and that of practicing sexual immorality in the form of temple prostitution, sexual impurity of any kind nor greed.
If they obey the Lord Jesus Christ’s Spirit inspired command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to love one another as He has loved them at the cross, then they would not practice these sins.
This contrast could also be characterized as being between self-indulgent behavior and denying self.
In other words, the contrast is between self-sacrificial behavior that is the product of practicing the love of God and self-indulgent behavior, which is the product of living according to the desires old indwelling Adamic sin nature and the lies of Satan’s cosmic world system.
