Ephesians 5:1-14: Walking in Love and Light
1-2 LIVING A LIFE OF GENUINE SELFLESS LOVE
Choosing such a life is how we are supposed to live.
3-4 SUCH A LIFE AVOIDS FOUL SPEECH & BEHAVIOR
Thankfulness should fill our lives and lips.
5-7 SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE WILL FACE THE WRATH OF GOD
There are blessings for not living in disobedience (Psalm 1 ).
7-9 WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT
Remember what we were and what we now are in Christ.
10 LEARN WHAT PLEASES THE LORD
Live to please Him in gratitude for His grace.
11-14 AVOID DEEDS OF DARKNESS THAT ARE UNFRUITFUL
Let our lives reflect his light. Let us shun such deeds.
Imitating Christ is how the Christian should live. By this, we bring joy to the Spirit who lives in us, not grief. This is something we cannot do on our own, Because God has blessed us and in Christ has forgiven us, we can respond with love and blessing and forgiveness toward others.
Most people seem to watch their language and behavior in the church building because they think of it as God's house, the place where God is. This was not Paul's thinking. For Paul, each believer is a temple of God's Spirit, dwelling in each. Wherever the Christian is, God is there. So the believer should be aware that the whole life is lived in His presence.
1st Cor 3: 16 "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
We must begin this portion of out study with a passage from the gospel of John.
John 3:19 & 21
" ... light is come into the world ... he that doeth truth cometh to the light. .. "
The Christian life is set forth in a way intended to be a challenge to society. The moral guidelines are constructed on the assumption that it is possible to live the full Christian life in the context of "the world". Some necessary safeguards are given to counter the call of the constant temptation of the world. In verse 7 the call is sounded for us loudly when we are taught "Be not ye therefore partakers with them", which is a stern reminder that our ideals are not theirs and that we are expected to live to a far higher standard.
Paul addresses believers with-some strong phrases to build them ( and us) up to be proud of this higher calling. He calls us children of God, reminding the church that its members are ransomed people, well chosen, exactly like the Hebrew people were chosen. We .are also set apart, defined as holy, and dedicated to His purpose. This privilege is not without cost. Suffering and sacrifice is a part of this directed life.
Another title given us is children of light At conversion believers are brought into the full light of Christ, walking in His light and stirring ourselves and each other to become greater witnesses of that light.
Ephesians 5: 1 is the only scripture to explicitly command us to imitate the Lord. Since we are made in God's image, all humans have the ability to imitate Him. Due to the fall of man into sin, however, only those who belong to Christ can now put this imitation into practice. The ways we imitate God are generally ethical in nature. This point is confirmed in 5 :2 where we are taught to "walk in love", as Christ loved us.
Understanding that we need specific guidance in pleasing the Lord, the apostle continues to reveal the specifics of holy living in 5:3. He focuses on sexual immorality and greed which are both anti-Christian. We should always remember this point when we consider the teachings on the fate of those who live away from the Lord in these particular sins. Only the "sons of disobedience" receive the wrath of God (5:6)
Once we have trusted Jesus and are made His, we are the light in the Lord and must walk in a way consistent with light, in goodness, righteousness, and truth (5:8-9). Paul tells us we are to try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord (verse 10). Our best deeds fall short of our Lord's standards (Isaiah 64:6), so pleasing Him is not a ticket to heaven. But it is not inconsistent to seek to please Him AFTER salvation. In fact, a desire to please God is a necessary and sure consequence of new birth.
