Ephesians
5 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly
loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any
kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy
people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which
are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: no
immoral, impure or greedy person – such a person is an idolater – has any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a] 6 Let no one deceive you
with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are
disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
8
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children
of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness
and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with
the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even
to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the
light becomes visible – and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14
This is why it is said:
‘Wake
up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.’
15
Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the
most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be
foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine,
which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to
one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music
from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for
everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Instructions
for Christian households
21
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the
husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body,
of which he is the Saviour. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also
wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up
for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through
the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain
or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way,
husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife
loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed
and care for their body, just as Christ does the church – 30 for we are members
of his body. 31 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be
united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’[c] 32 This is a
profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However,
each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must
respect her husband.
Matthew
Henry's Commentary
Verses
1-2
Here
we have the exhortation to mutual love, or to Christian charity. The apostle
had been insisting on this in the former chapter, and particularly in the Eph.
4:17-32 of it, to which the particle therefore refers, and connects what he had
said there with what is contained in these verses, thus: “Because God, for
Christ’s sake, has forgiven you, therefore be you followers of God, or
imitators of him;” for so the word signifies. Pious persons should imitate the
God whom they worship, as far as he has revealed himself as imitable by them.
They must conform themselves to his example, and have his image renewed upon
them.
This puts a great honour upon practical
religion, that it is the imitating of God. We must be holy as God is holy, merciful
as he is merciful, perfect as he is perfect. But there is no one attribute of
God more recommended to our imitation than that of his goodness. Be you
imitators of God, or resemble him, in every grace, and especially in his love,
and in his pardoning goodness. God is love; and those that dwell in love dwell
in God and God in them. Thus he has proclaimed his name, Gracious and merciful,
and abundant in goodness. As dear children, as children (who are wont to be
greatly beloved by their parents) usually resemble them in the lineaments and
features of their faces, and in the dispositions and qualities of their minds;
or as becomes the children of God, who are beloved and cherished by their
heavenly Father. Children are obliged to imitate their parents in what is good,
especially when dearly beloved by them.
The character that we bear of God’s children
obliges us to resemble him, especially in his love and goodness, in his mercy
and readiness to forgive. And those only are God’s dear children who imitate
him in these. It follows, And walk in love, Eph. 5:2. This godlike grace should
conduct and influence our whole conversation, which is meant by walking in it.
It should be the principle from which we act; it should direct the ends at
which we aim. We should be more careful to give proof of the sincerity of our
love one to another.
As
Christ also hath loved us. Here the apostle directs us to the example of
Christ, whom Christians are obliged to imitate, and in whom we have an instance
of the most free and generous love that ever was, that great love wherewith he
hath loved us. We are all joint sharers in that love, and partakers of the
comfort of it, and therefore should love one another, Christ having loved us
all and given such proof of his love to us; for he hath given himself for us.
The apostle designedly enlarges on the subject; for what can yield us more
delightful matter for contemplation than this? Christ gave himself to die for
us; and the death of Christ was the great sacrifice of atonement:
An
offering and a sacrifice to God; or an offering, even a sacrifice—a
propitiatory sacrifice, to expiate our guilt, which had been prefigured in the
legal oblations and sacrifices; and this for a sweet-smelling savour. Some
observe that the sin-offerings were never said to be of a sweet-smelling
savour; but this is said of the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world. As he offered himself with a design to be accepted of God, so God did
accept, was pleased with, and appeased by, that sacrifice. Note, As the
sacrifice of Christ was efficacious with God, so his example should be
prevailing with us, and we should carefully copy after it.
Asbury Bible
Commentary
Children
of light have been rescued “from the dominion of darkness” (Col 1:13), not by
having received special spiritual knowledge granted to a few, but by having
been brought into the kingdom of the Son. Now delivered, they must live as
children of light, practicing goodness, righteousness, and truth, in order to
learn what pleases the Lord or, perhaps, to discover God's pleasure for them as
his children. They must totally abandon the immoral deeds of darkness permitted
by deceivers. Instead, as the Lord himself, they should turn the light of God's
truth upon the secret deeds practiced by false teachers and be quick to point
them out for what they are: sins against God (see Jn 3:20). Even as light
expelled darkness at Creation, so the light of the Gospel expels moral
darkness.
The
second part of v. 14 appears to be a ritualistic hymn, possibly used in early
Christian baptisms. Paul uses it here to remind the believers that they have
risen from the sleep of spiritual death and that, as a result, the light of
Christ has shone upon them. What are the implications of that light having
shone upon them? They must be very careful how they live as reflectors of that
light, not as unwise but as wise. In the hostile environment of western Asia
Minor, where slanderous rumours of Christian behaviour circulate, Paul urges
prudence, perhaps reflecting the words of Jesus in Mt 10:16, “Be as shrewd as
snakes and as innocent as doves.”
If
Paul's readers are to seize every opportunity to give a true witness, they will
need to understand what the Lord's will is. That will is not discovered by
consuming wine to excess as the mysteries, particularly the cult of Dionysius,
taught. In fact, drunkenness “makes it impossible to exercise the prudent
recognition and exploitation of fleeting opportunity” (Bruce, Ephesians, 110).
To be filled with the Spirit one does not overindulge in wine. Instead, one
lets the Holy Spirit rule the heart. A person so filled is a living testimony
to friends and neighbors. Such a person, furthermore, has no difficulty making
music in the heart and knows no barrier to thanking God the Father for
everything. Filled with the Spirit, the believer gives an undistorted reflection
of the light.
We
have a Saviour! From Elim Missions
Ephesians 5
In
August 1957 four climbers were climbing the 6,000 ft near-vertical North Face
in the Swiss Alps. Two German climbers disappeared and were never seen again.
The other 2, Italian climbers, were stuck on two narrow ledges, 1000ft below
the summit. The Swiss Alpine Club did not allow rescue attempts in that area,
but a small group of Swiss climbers launched a private rescue effort to save
the Italians. So they lowered a climber, Alfred Helleport, down the
6,000 ft North Face. Suspended on a cable a fraction of an inch thick they
lowered him into the abyss.
"As I was lowered down the summit ... My comrades on top grew further and further distant, until they disappeared from sight. Then for the first time I peered down the abyss of the North Face of the Eiger. The terror of the sight robbed me of breath. The brooding blackness of the Face, falling away in almost endless expanse beneath me, made me look with awful longing to the thin cable disappearing above me in the most. I was a tiny human being dangling in space between heaven and hell. The sole relief from terror was ... my mission to save the climber below."
This
is the heart of the gospel. We were trapped, but in the presence of Jesus, God
lowered himself into the abyss of our sin and suffering. In Jesus God became a
tiny human being dangling between heaven and hell.
This is God's risky, costly, sacrificial rescue effort.
We
needed help. We needed a Saviour to penetrate this world and pull us put. He
did.
v23 He is the Saviour!
The Bible Panorama
Ephesians 5
V 1–7: IMITATION In imitating God and walking in love as Christ did both in His
life and in His death, the Ephesian Christians must reject fornication,
uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness, foolish and coarse talking, and
idolatry. They must reject empty words of false teachers that do not come from
God’s word.
V 8–14: ILLUMINATION All
those things to reject belong to the darkness of the past life. The Christian
is now filled with God’s light and shows forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Pleasing God demands separation from sin and leads to personal revival and
illumination.
V 15–21: INTOXICATION Christians
are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, not with intoxicating wine. They will
know God’s harmony in their hearts. They must walk wisely, redeeming the time,
and honouring God in their conversation, worship, thanksgiving and praise.
Submission to each other will result from a proper fear of God.
V 22–33: INSTRUCTION The theme of submission to each other is focused on husband and
wife. The relationship between them must glorify God. It parallels the
relationship between Christ and His bride, the church. The husband is to take
the lead and love his wife. She is to be subject to his authority, which he
will exercise in a God-honouring way. Marriage is between one man and one wife
as long as life shall last. It is to be marked by love and respect.
In
the Cross is salvation; in the Cross is life; in the Cross is protection
against our enemies; in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the
Cross is strength of mind; in the Cross is joy of spirit; in the Cross is
excellence of virtue; in the Cross is perfection of holiness. There is no
salvation of soul, nor hope of eternal life, save in the Cross.”
― Thomas à
Kempis, The Inner Life
“Let all your thoughts be with the Most High,
and direct your humble prayers unceasingly to Christ. If you cannot contemplate
high and heavenly things, take refuge in the Passion of Christ, and love to
dwell within His Sacred Wounds. For if you devoutly seek the Wounds of Jesus
and the precious marks of His Passion, you will find great strength in all
troubles.”
“The cross, therefore, is always ready; it
awaits you everywhere. No matter where you may go, you cannot escape it, for
wherever you go you take yourself with you and shall always find yourself. Turn
where you will—above, below, without, or within—you will find a cross in
everything, and everywhere you must have patience if you would have peace
within and merit an eternal crown.”
0 true and heavenly grace, without which our
own merits are nothing, and our natural gifts of no account! Neither arts nor
riches, beauty nor strength, genius nor eloquence have any value in Your eyes,
Lord, unless allied to grace. For the gifts of nature are common to good men
and bad alike, but grace or love are Your especial gift to those whom You
choose, and those who are sealed with this are counted worthy of life
everlasting.”
Dictionary of Bible Themes
4019
life, believers’experience of
God is at work in all that happens to believers, whether to
warn them, to draw them to himself or to do them good.
God has a purpose in all the experiences that believers
have in life
Ro 8:28; Eph 1:11 See also Ge 21:22; Ge 28:16; Ge 39:20-21;Ge 45:5-8; 1Sa 2:6-9; 1Ch 29:11-12; Job 42:10-13; Ps 75:6-7;Ac 17:28; 1Pe 4:12
God uses every experience in the lives of believers for
good
To warn and correct Ps 119:67 See also Ge 12:17; 2Ch 7:13-14; Job 5:17; Isa 38:17; Isa 48:9-10; Am 4:10-11; Ro
2:4; Heb 12:5-11; Rev 9:20-21
To test and exercise believers’trust in
God Dt 8:15-16 See also Ex 15:22-25; Jdg 2:21-22; Ps
23:1-6; Ps
81:7; Isa 43:1-2;Na
1:7; Ro 8:35-39; Php 4:12; Heb 11:17-19; Heb 13:6
To purify and prepare believers for
glory 2Co 4:16-17 See also Job 23:10; Ps 66:10; Isa 48:10; Jer
9:7; Zec 13:8-9; Ro 5:3-5; Ro 8:28-30; 1Pe 1:6-7
In all of life’s experiences believers should be
thankful and trusting
Php 4:6 See also Ge 8:20 Noah’s
sacrifice would, among other things, express his thankfulness; Dt 8:18; Job 1:20-21; Ps 103:1-2; Pr 3:5-6; Ac 16:25; Eph 5:20; 1Ti 4:4-5
Believers do not merit the blessings they receive
Romans
8:26-39 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Our
Victory in Christ
26
In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to
pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too
deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the
Spirit is, because He intercedes for the [a]saints according to the will of
God.
28 And we know that
[b]God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew,
He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He
would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined,
He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He
justified, He also glorified.
31
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will
He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge
against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns?
Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was [c]raised, who is at the right
hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love
of [d]Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,
“For
Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We
were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor
height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Part 2 Words for The Wise,
Called to Serve, Ephesians 2 Nasb
Part
3 Words for The Wise, The Gospel Centred Life , Ephesians 3 English Standard
Version Anglicised (ESVUK)
Further Reading
