Ephesians 5.20a-Always Giving Thanks to God the Father
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday September 8, 2026
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 5:20a-Always Giving Thanks to God the Father
Lesson # 367
Ephesians 5:15 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of paying careful attention to the manner in which each and every one of you make it your habit of conducting your lives. Each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to not make it your habit of conducting your lives in an unwise manner. On the contrary, each and every one of you must continue to make it your habit of conducting your lives in a wise manner 16 by continuing to make it your habit of taking full advantage of your opportunity for your own benefit because these days are characterized by evil. 17 For this reason, each and every one of must continue to make it your habit of not conducting your lives as foolish individuals. On the contrary, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of conducting your lives as wise individuals by comprehending for the purpose of personal application what constitutes the Lord’s will (for the manner in which each one of you as a corporate unit are to continue making it your habit of conducting your life). 18 Consequently, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of not permitting yourselves to be drunk by means of the excessive intake of wine because this is non-sensical behavior. On the contrary, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of permitting yourselves to be influenced by means of the Spirit’s teaching 19 with result that each and every one of you as a corporate unit continue to make it your habit of communicating with one another by means of psalms, hymns as well as spiritual songs so that each and every one of you as a corporate unit continue to make it your habit of singing and specifically continuing to make it your habit of making music with your hearts for the benefit of the Lord. 20 Consequently, each and every one of you as a corporate unit continue to make it your habit of always expressing thanks to the one and only God, namely the Father because of each and every circumstance on the basis of the merits of the name possessed by the Lord ruling over each and every one of us as a corporate unit. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 5:20 is composed of the following:
(1) Participial result clause eucharistountes pantote…tō theō kai patri (εὐχαριστοῦντες πάντοτε…τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί), “Consequently, each and every one of you as a corporate unit continue to make it your habit of always expressing thanks to the one and only God, namely the Father” (Lecturer’s translation).
(2) Prepositional phrase: hyper pantōn (ὑπὲρ πάντων), “because of each and every circumstance” (Lecturer’s translation).
(3) Prepositional phrase: en onomati tou kyriou hēmōn Iēsou Christou (ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ), “on the basis of the merits of the name possessed by the Lord ruling over each and every one of us as a corporate unit” (Lecturer’s translation).
So therefore, Ephesians 5:20 is composed of a participle result clause, which asserts that each and every one of the recipients of this epistle as a corporate unit continue to make it their habit of always expressing thanks to the one and only God, namely the Father.
It presents another result of the recipients of this letter obeying Paul’s Spirit apostolic command in Ephesians 5:18, which required that they continue to make it their habit of permitting themselves to be influenced by means of Paul’s Spirit inspired teaching in this letter.
This result presented in Ephesians 5:20 is in addition to the previous two presented in Ephesians 5:19.
In our study of verse 19, we noted that this verse makes two assertions, which are the result of obeying the command in Ephesians 5:18.
The first assertion states that obedience to this command will result in the recipients of this letter continuing to make it their habit of communicating with one another by means of psalms, hymns as well as spiritual songs.
The second assertion states that obedience to this command will result in the recipients of this letter continuing to make it their habit of singing and specifically continuing to make it your habit of making music with their hearts for the benefit of the Lord.
The participial result clause in Ephesians 5:20 is modified by two prepositional phrases.
The first presents the reason why the recipients of this letter were continuing to make it their habit of always expressing thanksgiving to God the Father.
They did so because of each and every circumstance, which they have experienced in life as a Christian.
The second prepositional phrase presents the basis in which they approach the Father in prayer to thank Him for each and every circumstance they experienced in life as a Christian, which were designed to benefit their spiritual growth.
They could do so based upon the merits of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The participle result clause contains the verb eucharisteō (εὐχαριστέω), which Paul puts the verb in the masculine plural form and its referent is the recipients of this epistle who we noted many times are the members of the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia.
Therefore, the verb eucharisteō (εὐχαριστέω) is used with reference to the thanksgiving that these Gentile Christians expressed to Father.
As was the case in Ephesians 1:16, the verb eucharisteō (εὐχαριστέω) here in Ephesians 5:20 is modified by the adverb of time pantote (πάντοτε), “always” which is composed of the adjective pas, “all” and the adverb tote, “then, at that time” since the word pertains to the duration of time with reference to a series of occasions.
It answers the question, when or how often did the recipients of this epistle give thanks to the Father for each other?
Thus, this word is expressing the idea that they were “constantly” or “habitually” offering thanksgiving to God the Father for each other implying that they were persevering in prayer.
As was the case in Ephesians 1:2, 3, 17, 2:18, 3:14, and 4:6, the noun pater (πατήρ) here in Ephesians 5:20 means “the Father” referring to the first member of the Trinity.
It emphasizes the church age believer’s familial relationship to God through regeneration.
God the Father is the author and planner of the church age believer’s salvation and sanctification according to Ephesians 1:3-6 and Romans 8:28-30.
The Granville Sharp rule is in effect with the expression tō theō kai patri (τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί).
Now, in Ephesians 5:20, both the nouns pater (πατήρ) and theos (θεός) are neither plural, a proper name nor impersonal and both have the same referent.
Furthermore, the expression tō theō kai patri (τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί) is an article-substantive-καί-substantive construction, which is an indication to the reader that the Granville Sharp rule is in effect.
Now, the contents of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 echoes the contents of Ephesians 5:20 because both speak of believer giving thanks to the Father in each and every circumstance.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul issues a command to the Thessalonian Christian community, which required that they continue to make it their habit of giving thanks in each and every circumstance.
On other hand, he speaks of the recipients of Ephesians continuing to make it their habit of always expressing thanks to the Father because of each and every circumstance as a result of obeying the command in Ephesians 5:18 to continue to make it their habit of being influenced by the Spirit inspired Scriptures.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 Each and every one of you must continue to make it your habit of giving thanks in each and every circumstance because this is God’s will for each and every one of you because of your union and identification with the Christ who is Jesus. (Lecturer’s translation)
Like the participle conjugation of the verbs laleō (λαλέω), adō (ᾄδω) and psallō (ψάλλω) in Ephesians 5:19, the verb eucharisteō (εὐχαριστέω) here in Ephesians 5:20 functions as a nominative in simple apposition.
Therefore, it serves to identify another result of the recipients of this letter continuing to make it their habit of permitting themselves to be influenced by means of Paul’s Spirit inspired apostolic teaching.
Namely, that they would continue to make it their habit of giving thanks to the Father because of each and every circumstance they have experienced in life as a Christian.
Like the present tense of the verbs laleō (λαλέω), adō (ᾄδω) and psallō (ψάλλω) in Ephesians 5:19, the present tense of the verb eucharisteō (εὐχαριστέω) here in Ephesians 5:20 is a customary present tense, which expresses the idea of the recipients of this letter “continuing to make it their habit of” giving thanks to the Father because of each and every circumstance they have experienced in life as a Christian.
Like the participle conjugation of the verbs laleō (λαλέω), adō (ᾄδω) and psallō (ψάλλω), the participle conjugation of the verb eucharisteō (εὐχαριστέω) here in Ephesians 5:20 functions as a participle of result, which we noted indicates the actual outcome or result of obeying the command in Ephesians 5:18.
Therefore, the verb eucharisteō (εὐχαριστέω) expresses the idea that the recipients of this letter continued to make it their habit of permitting themselves to be influenced by the means of Paul’s Spirit inspired apostolic teaching “with the result that” they continued to make it their habit of giving thanks to the Father because of each and every circumstance they have experienced in life as a Christian.
As we noted in our study of Ephesians 5:19, many interpreters view the participles in Ephesians 5:19-21 as a participle of means.
However, believers are not filled or specifically influenced by the Spirit by communicating with one another by means of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs but rather by obeying the Spirit inspired Scriptures.
In fact, the five participles which appear in Ephesians 5:19-21 are all presenting the result of the believer obeying the Spirit inspired Scriptures.
In this context, they are presenting the result of the recipients of this letter continuing to make it their habit of permitting themselves to be influenced by means of Paul’s Spirit inspired apostolic teaching in this letter.
