CHAPTER FIVE:
Ephesians 5:1
Ephesians 4:32) (KJV) And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
*Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;*
“God’s example of forgiveness in Eph_4:32 forms the basis of Paul’s exhortation here. The connection is this: God in Christ has forgiven you. Now be imitators of God in forgiving one another” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: The final verse of chapter four tells us that we should be “forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven” us [Eph. 4:32]. The first verse of chapter five exhorts us to be “followers of God, as dear children.” The idea is that the children of a wise father ought to grow up doing what they saw their father doing. It’s always good advice to give to God’s children that they should emulate what they see the Father do, through the Scriptures.
(Verse One of Chapter Five in my own words.)
On the contrary, be kind to each other, be compassionate, and forgive one another just like God, for Christ’s sake, forgives you and me.
Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.
*And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us,*
“And walk in love; since in this (chap. Eph_4:32) they are to be imitators of God. ‘Love’ is God’s characteristic (chap. Eph_1:4-5), and our aim (chap. Eph_3:17-19)” [Popular N.T.].
MY COMMENTS: Again, the final verse of the last chapter tells us to imitate the actions of God in forgiving others the very same way that He has forgiven us. The first verse of this chapter tell us to imitate God in that act of forgiving. Now this verse is telling us to imitate Christ! We are to love one another because Christ loves us! Allow me to show you why this command is so important.
Hebrews 7:12) (KJV) For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
MY COMMENTS: The above verse from Hebrews is telling us that Jesus could not be our High Priest under the Law of Moses; because He wasn’t a descendent of Aaron who was a descendent of Levi. You who desire to live under the Law would, by that choice, make Jesus a Lawbreaker! Jesus was from the Tribe of Judah, not Levi! So the above verse goes on to teach us that in order for it to be legal for Jesus to be our High Priest there had to be “a change also of the law.”
QUESTIONS: Did that happen? If so, when did it happen?
John 13:34-35) (KJV) A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35) By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
MY COMMENTS: Jesus made these remarks in the Upper Room on the night that He was betrayed! He would die the next day! He would rise from the dead as our High Priest! The Law had to be changed before that could happen! He wasn’t just re-wording the Second Greatest Commandment [Mt. 22:37-40]; He was changing the Law itself! It had to be done that evening; He would die the next day.
Galatians 5:13) (KJV) For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
MY COMMENTS: When the Law of Moses was in effect the restraint against sin/crime was the same as any other legal system; it was the fear of penalty. But notice the above verse; it’s telling us that the new restraint against our abuse of liberty is to “by love serve one another.” If I love God and I love people I WILL LIVE RIGHT!!
BACK TO MY COMMENTS ON VERSE 2: The command is the same here in vs. 2 as it was in the Upper Room; we are to love one another the same way that Jesus loves us.
LATER IN THAT UPPER ROOM DISCOURSE JESUS SAID THIS:
John 15:9) (KJV) As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
“continue” – meno – “1) to remain, abide; 1a) in reference to place; 1a1) to sojourn, tarry; 1a2) not to depart; 1a2a) to continue to be present; 1a2b) to be held, kept, continually” [Thayer].
“AV-abide 61, remain 16, dwell 15, continue 11, tarry 9, endure 3, misc 5; 120” [Online Bible].
MY COMMENTS: Basically when He says in John to “continue ye in my love” He is telling us to “abide” in His love, to “remain” in His love, to “dwell” in His love, to “continue” in His love, to “tarry” in His love, and to “endure” in His love. He is basically telling us, “I love you the very same way My Father loves me; pitch your tent in that TRUTH! Don’t you ever move from it!”
FROM MY COMMENTS ON VERSE 19 OF CHAPTER THREE : The above passage shows us what God is currently up to in our lives; He is up to conforming us to the image of His Son! When we see Jesus on the way up to Heaven, then we are going to “be like Him for we shall see Him as He is” [1 Jn. 3:2]. When that happens, and when we become like Him, that will fulfill Romans 8:30 above; we will be glorified! But even then, we will be full of God; but we still won’t be “filled with all the fullness of God;” that belongs to the Godhead alone! Having said that, Paul prays for his readers, that now include you and me, to realize that the more we comprehend how much we are loved by Jesus the more we will “be filled with all the fullness of God”!!!
FINAL COMMENTS ON THAT VERSE: We will never, in this life, fully know the unknowable, in other words, fully understand how much Jesus loves us, but we can keep growing in our understanding of it! Why is that important? The greater measure to which we understand how much Jesus loves us, to that measure we will “be filled with the fullness of God.”
*and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.*
“We often think we could lay down our life in a dramatic way to show our love for others. But God often calls us to lay down our lives little by little – in small coins instead of one large payment – but it is laying down our lives nonetheless” [Guzik].
MY COMMENTS: Jesus gave Himself for us; we are to give ourselves for others. Our giving ourselves for others will never impact others the way that Jesus giving His life for us has impacted our lives. But it will impact them. This could be the very highest call of God on your lives, to love others as Jesus loved you! I’m not sure there is anything else that you could do that would matter as much! REMEMBER: Jesus said as His Father loved Him {that’s perfection loving perfection} in the very same way He loves us {that’s perfection loving imperfection perfectly}. That’s where we’re to pitch our tent. But He had already said earlier that evening that we were to love one another {that’s imperfection loving imperfection imperfectly} the very same way that He loves us! He loved us enough to die for us; we should love one another enough to give ourselves in some way to benefit one another.
(Verse Two of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Walk out your love for one another, just as Christ also walked out His love for us. He demonstrated that love by giving Himself as a sweet smelling offering, a sacrifice to God for the sins we have committed!
Ephesians 5:3
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
*But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;*
“This emphasis on sexual sin was appropriate. The culture of Paul’s day (and in the city of Ephesus especially) was given over to sexual immorality. The sort of behavior Paul says is not fitting for saints was pretty much completely approved by the culture. It’s just the same way today” [Guzik].
MY COMMENTS: Because we are American Christians most of us older folk were brought up believing that sex belonged only in a marriage between a man and a woman. In Ephesus many of the new Christians were brought up worshipping Dianna. They had been raised in a culture where immoral sexual activity took place as a part of the worship of Dianna. If you were brought up in this country before the 1970’s you believed that sex outside of marriage was sin. The church didn’t have to teach you that; your parents did. Then the “sexual revolution” came along and radically changed how America’s children were being raised; and that change was not for the better! When I was a teenager in the 1960’s the church didn’t have to tell me that sex between individuals who were not married was sin; the culture told me that. Paul writes what he writes to the Ephesian believers because they were brought up in a culture much like the current culture in America today; that culture being that, when it comes to sex, anything goes. Consequently, Paul had to point things out to his readers that challenged their upbringing. He had to teach them that “fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness” is sin; and it ought not to be the way Christians were living their lives. Today, in America, we have to teach Christians exactly what Paul was teaching Christians in this Epistle.
A SAD TRUTH: There are individuals sitting in Evangelical churches across America who know what their church teaches them; but they think the church is just a little too old fashioned in that area. They hear us preach Biblical morality but they set that part of the sermon aside because they have been taught by today’s parents, schools, and universities that there is no set standard of morality; we must all find our own standard of morality. I’m talking about people who sincerely believe that they are following Christ even though they are rejecting a large portion of what the New Testament teaches.
(Verse Three of Chapter Five in my own words.)
But here’s what not to do: fornication, and every other unclean act, and covetousness should never be seen among you; because you’re the saints of God!
Ephesians 5:4
Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
*Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting,*
MY COMMENTS: Remember, this particular message Paul is sharing with his Gentile readers began in the last half of the last chapter when he wrote, “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind [Eph. 4:17]. In my mind he’s telling his Gentile readers not to live the way they used to live before they became Christians. In the last sixteen verses of chapter four he tells them to “put off” the old man and to “put on” the new man. He spends much of that discourse explaining the kind of conduct that is inconsistent with Christian living. In verses 1-2 of chapter 5 he writes that we should follow God and love one another. Then beginning with vs. 3 he again picks up the lesson of what Christians shouldn’t do! Here in vs. 4 he’s telling us that “filthiness, foolish talking, and jesting” are not consistent with who we are in Christ.
“Coarse jesting, which has the idea of inappropriate, ‘dirty”’ sexual humor [Guzik].
MY COMMENTS: Certainly every Christian should understand that we shouldn’t involve ourselves with filthy living, which here refers to what the previous verse was talking about, immoral conduct. We shouldn’t live lives of filthy, immoral conduct; and we shouldn’t involve ourselves with “foolish talking, not jesting.” The idea here seems to be improper flirting and teasing. Many a Christian has gotten caught up with what they thought was harmless flirtation with someone else’s wife, and silly, sensual joking back and forth. The devil had laid his trap; and those Christians were caught in that trap. Immorality happened; marriages fell apart! Tragic!
Here are some other renderings of the first part of this verse:
And let there be no low behaviour, or foolish talk, or words said in sport, [BBE],
Don’t use dirty or foolish or filthy words [CEV].
neither wickedness, nor foolish talk or coarse jesting, [EMTV],
Also, there must be no evil talk among you. Don’t say things that are foolish or filthy. [ERV],
Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, [ESV],
Nor is it fitting for you to use language which is obscene, profane, or vulgar [GNB],
It’s not right that dirty stories, foolish talk, or obscene jokes should be mentioned among you either [GW].
Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking [NIV],
Obscene, coarse, and stupid talk are also out of place [TLV],
*which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.*
“We must notice the theme of the moral appeal. It isn’t ‘avoid these things so that you can be a saint.’ Rather, it is ‘you are a saint; now live in a manner fitting for a saint.’ The constant moral appeal of the New Testament is simply this: be who you are in Jesus [Guzik].
“Paul accents his exhortation with the phrase, as is fitting for saints. Believers have been separated from the corruption that is in the world; now they should live in practical separation from dark passion, both in deed and word” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: Instead of using are words to entice others to wonder, “what if?” we should use our words to give thanks to a Holy God that has saved us from the life we once lived! Paul mentioned another proper use of our words when he told the Ephesians, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” [Eph. 4:29]. We should use our words to express our gratitude to God and to be a blessing to His children! Amen and amen!
(Verse Four of Chapter Five in my own words.)
You should not be involved with sexually filthy conduct, not sexual conversation, not joking in a sexual way. But you should use your words to give thanks to God instead!
Ephesians 5:5
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
*For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater,*
“whoremonger” – “1) a man who prostitutes his body to another’s lust for hire; 2) a male prostitute; 3) a man who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, a fornicator” [Thayer].
“unclean person” – “in a moral sense: unclean in thought and life” [Thayer].
“covetous man” – “1) one eager to have more, especially what belongs to others; 2) greedy of gain, covetous” [Thayer].
[NIV] For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person-such a man is an idolater-has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Matthew 6:24) (KJV) No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
MY COMMENTS: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind [Eph. 4:17]. Again, I want to point out that the second half of chapter 4 started with the above verse. Paul is telling his non-Jewish readers who were Christian Gentiles not to live the way they used to live before they were saved. That discussion is continuing on in this part of chapter 5. These are some of the ways these Christians lived prior to their conversion to Christ; in other words, some of the ways Paul is telling them to no longer live. They shouldn’t be “immoral, impure of greedy”! Jesus taught us that greed is a form of worshipping another God, that God being “mammon.”
*hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.*
MY COMMENTS: Paul is telling his readers that the way they used to live their lives would not have resulted in them going to Heaven! That lifestyle is causing multitudes to go to Hell! As Christians why would we engage in activities that are dooming some of our family members and friends to Hell? Would his Christian readers go to Hell if they returned to this lifestyle? Christians go to Heaven; non-Christians don’t! If you’re truly saved you’ll go to Heaven in spite of your conduct; having said that, if you’re truly saved you have become a new creature in Christ Jesus, created unto good works [2 Cor. 5:17, Eph. 2:10]. I’m not saying that we Christians will never sin; I’m saying that we won’t pitch our tent there and call it home. We can sin, but sin can’t be our lifestyle; we’ve been born of God and His seed remains in us [1 Pet. 3:9]. We groan to live right [Rom. 8:23-24].
(Verse Five of Chapter Five in my own words.)
You know this, no individual whose life is one of sexual immorality, uncleanness, and covetous lust for more stuff, which is idolatry, has any chance of going to Heaven.
Ephesians 5:6
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
*Let no man deceive you with vain words:*
[NLT] Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins [NLT],
“vain words” – “alien to the solidity of the immoveable facts that the body cannot sin without sin of the spirit; that body and spirit alike are concerned in eternal retribution; that the wrath of God is no figure of speech, and that His love cannot possibly modify His holiness” [Cambridge Bible].
MY COMMENTS: The Gnostics of the first century assured people with lying words that a loving God isn’t upset with you for engaging in activity that only affects the body, which isn’t redeemed yet. Atheists and agnostics of today tell us that sexual conduct that the Bible condemns is perfectly normal and should be encouraged. Churches trying to pacify the PC crowd tell us that God is O.K. with these activities because the church has misinterpreted the Scriptures. They might say, “God made you this way; so go with it!” Any words that contradict the Word of God are “vain words;” those words are dangerous and must not be believed.
*for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.*
for the terrible anger of God comes upon all those who disobey him [NLT].
For “in temporal judgments, and in eternal ruin; there have been instances of it; it is usually the case, and always if grace prevents not; this wrath comes down from above, and sometimes suddenly, with great force and power, like a mighty flood” [Gill].
MY COMMENTS: Paul warns his Gentile readers that the judgment of God will come upon those who practice this kind of conduct. He refers to them as “the children of disobedience”! Again, see my final note on vs. 5 above. Christians go to Heaven. If you slip up and sin you “confess” your “sins, he is faithful and just to forgive” you your “sins, and to cleanse” you “from all unrighteousness” [1 Jn. 1:9]. But Christians don’t make excuses for their sins and continue in them continually. New creatures in Christ Jesus live new lives!
ANOTHER NOTE: The thought of eternal punishment is a terrible thought; but it is an absolute TRUTH of the Scriptures. Don’t let anyone tell you differently!
(Verse Six of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Don’t let anyone lie to you about this: it’s because of these kinds of activities that the wrath of God will descend upon those who choose to disobey Him!
Ephesians 5:7
Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
*Be not ye therefore partakers with them.*
Don’t participate in the things these people do [NLT].
“partakers” – “partaking together with one, a joint partaker” [Thayer].
“It is a warning against lapsing into old vices” [Vincent].
“Believers are solemnly warned to have no part in such ungodly behavior” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: Verse 11 tells us to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” I’ll comment on that statement when I get to vs. 11; but I wanted you to see the two verses together. We should not participate in their activities, nor be anywhere near them when they’re doing those things. I’ll have more on that later. I love Vincent’s comment; Paul was warning his Gentile audience that grew up thinking that that kind of conduct was normal, and acceptable, that it is neither. Again, vs. 17 of chapter 4 has Paul exhorting those readers not to live like they used to live before they were saved. He is again stressing that idea here.
(Verse Seven of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Don’t do the things they do!
Ephesians 5:8
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
*For ye were sometimes darkness*
“The Ephesians were once darkness, but now they are light in the Lord. Paul does not say they were in the darkness, but that they themselves were the personification of darkness. [BBC].
“As Paul condemned those who practiced fornication, uncleanness or covetousness as the sons of disobedience (Eph_5:6), he also recognized that this was the exact darkness Christians emerged from” [Guzik].
MY COMMENTS: BBC makes an interesting point: the Gentile believers that he was addressing didn’t come out from some “darkness” they were in; they were the “darkness” that Paul was referring to.
Ephesians 2:11-12) (KJV) Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12) That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Ephesians 4:17-18) (KJV) This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18) Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Ephesians 6:12) (KJV) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
MY COMMENTS: When we weren’t Christians we were not only walking in “darkness;” we were “darkness” [current vs. 8, chapter 4]. As “darkness,” we existed in the reality of “having no hope, and without God in the world” [Eph. 2:12]. Our understanding was “darkened” [Eph. 4:18]; and we were under the control of “the rulers of the darkness of this world” [Eph. 4:18].
*but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:*
Now, through union with the Lord, they have become light. He is light; they are in Him; so now they are light in the Lord. Their state should henceforth correspond with their standing. They should walk as children of light” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: Now that we are Christians we aren’t just simply walking in the Light; because we are in the Light {Jesus} we are the light.
Matthew 5:14) (KJV) Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
MY COMMENTS: Jesus told us we are the “light of the world.” Paul is now reminding these Christian Gentiles that they are no longer the people they were before they became Christians; they are now the “children of light”! Consequently we are to “walk as children of light”!
IMPORTANT COMMENTS: As Paul is telling them how not to live he never once suggests that the fact that he needs to remind them of these things indicates that they really aren’t Christians. Rather, he reaffirms to them that they are genuine Christians that are actually “children of light”!! Then he instructs them to align their conduct with who they are!
Readers, you who are Christians, sometimes your conduct might not align itself with the reality of who you are in Christ! Change that! Walk out who you are; you are the children of Almighty God!!!
(Verse Eight of Chapter Five in my own words.)
You used to be darkness itself! Not any more, now you are LIGHT itself because your life is hid in Christ, the One True Light! Let your conduct reflect who you are!
Ephesians 5:9
(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
*(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)*
Galatians 5:22-23) (KJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
MY COMMENTS: Prior to Paul writing to the Galatians the above comments about “the fruit of the Spirit” he had already mentioned the “works of the flesh [Gal. 5:19-21]. The “works of the flesh” are sinful actions, thoughts, and emotions. Understand this truth, the “works of the flesh” are the only thing the flesh can produce. As a Christian, if you walk in the flesh you will produce the “works of the flesh;” however, if you walk in the Spirit you will bear “the fruit of the Spirit.”
“This is a masterly understatement. It draws our attention to the fact that the kind of conduct that Paul has outlined is that which lawmakers everywhere want to bring about” [Guzik quoting Morris].
MY COMMENTS: In Ephesians Paul gives a more condensed version of “the fruit of the Spirit” when he says “the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” The “fruit of the Spirit” is the result of the Holy Spirit working in Christians to change their very character. The characteristics of a believer who is walking in the Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: Those characteristics are the result of us allowing the Holy Spirit to bear His fruit in us! This “goodness and righteousness and truth” that Paul speaks of here is the result of our bearing “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance,” which are the “fruit of the Spirit.” The “fruit of the Spirit” mentioned in Galatians will bring about the conduct in the believer that would reflect “goodness and righteousness and truth”!
1 Timothy 1:8-10) (KJV) But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
9) Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10) For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
Galatians 5:16) (KJV) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
QUESTION: What is “walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh?
Galatians 3:2-3) (KJV) This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3) Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
ANSWER: Please compare vs. 2 and 3. How did you “receive the Spirit;” in other words how did you bet saved? How did become a Christian? Paul asks the question, did you get saved by keeping the rules of the Law, or by hearing by faith the Gospel message? He then asks the question, are you so foolish that you think that you start this Christian journey one way, but grow up spiritually another way? He wants us to understand that Christian growth occurs the same way salvation happens! We became Christians because we believed the Gospel message; and we will grow up in the faith by believing what God says about believers! For example, He says that we are brand new creations, that the old way we lived is gone; and that we now live a new way [2 Cor. 5:19]. He said this new creation was created to do good works [Eph. 2:10]. He said that we have overcome the world [1 John 5:4-5]. Dare to believe it!
(Verse Nine of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Here’s why; the fruit that the Spirit produces is conduct consistent with all goodness and righteousness and truth.
Ephesians 5:10
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
“1) to test, examine, prove, scrutinise (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals; 2) to recognise as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy” [Thayer].
“But it may be more appropriate in some languages to render the clause as ‘what the Lord wants you to do’” [UBS].
“Those who walk in the light not only produce the type of fruit listed in the preceding verse, but also find out what is acceptable to the Lord. They put every thought, word, and action to the test. What does the Lord think about this? How does it appear in His presence? Every area of life comes under the searchlight—conversation, standard of living, clothes, books, business, pleasures, entertainments, furniture, friendships, vacations, cars, and sports” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: Vs. 7 tells us not to partake in the sins of those who are living like we used to live before we were saved. Vs. 8 reminds us that there was a time when we lived outside of the Light of God; but now we are the Light of this world because we are living in the Light, Christ Jesus! So, our conduct should reflect that reality. Why? Vs. 9 tells us that the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit is “goodness and righteousness and truth.” Now our current verse is telling us that we should utilize the inner voice of the Holy Spirit to examine every action we take, every word we speak, and every thought we think; and to determine by that examination whether that action, that word, or that thought is aligned with God’s “goodness and righteousness and truth.” One of the ways we examine those things is by placing them under the scrutiny of God’s Holy Word, rightly divided.
(Verse Ten of Chapter Five in my own words.)
So we should examine every action, every word, and every thought to discover if it is acceptable to our Lord.
Ephesians 5:11
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
*And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,*
MY COMMENTS: Let’s walk through it again: Christian Gentiles, don’t live the way unsaved Gentiles live [Ch. 4:17]. When you became Christians you laid aside that lifestyle and picked up a new way to live your lives [Ch. 4:22-24]. Now you are to follow the example of Christ [Ch. 5:1-2]. You know all those sins those unsaved Gentiles commit [Ch. 5:3-6], don’t you live that way [Ch. 5:7]. You’re no longer sinners, you’re now Christians; act accordingly [Ch. 5:8]. The Holy Spirit living inside of you will help you to discern what conduct pleases the Lord, and what conduct doesn’t [Ch. 5:9-10]. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” [current verse] [ERV].
*but rather reprove them.*
“Then too they are works of darkness: they belong to the world of dim lights, drawn drapes, locked doors, secret rooms. They reflect man’s natural preference for darkness and his abhorrence of light when his deeds are evil (Joh_3:19). The believer is called not only to abstain from the unfruitful works of darkness, but positively he is called to expose them. He does this in two ways: first, by a life of holiness, and second, by words of correction spoken under the direction of the Holy Spirit [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: The Church of Jesus Christ must never become politically correct! That philosophy encourages people to live lives of sin, doing those things that the Bible plainly condemns. I choose not to be politically correct; I strive to be Biblically correct!!
A NOTE FROM ME: As a pastor I choose to teach the New Testament Epistles verse by verse. This method of teaching forces me to address every verse in those Epistles. It disciplines me to make certain that those who listen to my sermons will hear everything the Apostles wrote to that first century Church. Some of those areas might be less comfortable for me to teach; but my comfort is of little importance. The Word of God must be taught in its fullness!
(Verse Eleven of Chapter Five in my own words.)
And we should have absolutely nothing to do with those unfruitful works of darkness; but rather, we should speak out against them!
Ephesians 5:12
For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
*For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.*
It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret [NLT].
It is disgusting even to talk about what is done in the dark [CEV].
“It is a shame even to speak of.—Though the only sign of their shame having touched them is that they seek the cover of secrecy” [Preacher’s Homiletical].
MY COMMENTS: In the previous verse Paul tells us to reprove such actions when he writes, “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Then in this verse he writes that “it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” How can I reprove them if I’m not to even “speak of those things”? When Paul has mentioned some of those things in the last chapter and a half notice that he simply speaks of those things in general terms. He mentions “lasciviousness, uncleanness, deceitful lusts, fornication, filthiness, whoremonger, and unclean persons.” He never goes into detail as to what they were doing during their sinful acts! He doesn’t mention what their fornication entailed! He doesn’t detail the activities of their lasciviousness! He doesn’t explain how their filthiness played out! To do so would be a “shame even to speak of those” details! Preacher’s Homiletical tells us that they express the shamefulness of their activities by their having to do them in “the cover of secrecy.”
I mentioned in “A NOTE FROM ME” as I closed out my comments on previous verse above that I teach verse by verse through the Epistles because it forces me to speak of some things I’m uncomfortable with. But when I do that, I, like Paul, speak in generalities, not in details. I do that for two reasons: one, it would be a shame to go into the details; two, I don’t know the details; nor do I want to. We know that children around the world are being kidnapped and sold as sex slaves to evil people. I don’t know the details of what they do with these poor children; and I wouldn’t speak of those details if I did! What more do you and I need to know than that poor children have become property of filthy individuals to be rented out for sexual perversion. Every time you think of that, pray for their rescue. Some people need to know the details to give them even more urgency to find, and rescue these children. I couldn’t bear to know the details.
We preachers can preach against sexual sin in generalities and reprove the sinners without going into detail.
WARNING: The devil is crafty. If you would come to know some of the details of the sexual perversion of some individuals {not just talking about the sex peddlers of children, but of all sexual perversion}, and you would start talking about those details with others, I warn you in Jesus’ Name that the devil will take that conversation and flirt with your mind regarding that perversion. If you talk about things you shouldn’t be talking about your mind will start to enjoy it! That’s why Paul warns us not to even talk about those things!!
(Verse Twelve of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Shame would prohibit us from even talking, in any detail, about the things that these people do in secret!
Ephesians 5:13
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
*But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.*
But when you expose them, the light shines in upon their sin and shows it up, and when they see how wrong they really are, some of them may even become children of light [TLB]!
“The latter part of verse 13 may better read: for whatever is made manifest is light. This simply means that when Christians exercise their ministry as light, others are brought to the light. Wicked men are transformed into children of light through the reproving ministry of light” [BBC].
“Are made manifest by the light. The order of the Greek permits ‘by the light’ to be connected with ‘reproved,’ but there are several objections to this, while the above rendering involves no difficulty. To join with both (Braune) is unsatisfactory. ‘The light’ is that of Christian truth as made to shine in those who are Light in the Lord’ (Eph 5:8)” [Popular N.T.].
“Literally, this is a truism; anything shone on is no longer dark, but light. The nearest approach to this, morally, is that light has a transforming power; when the light of the gospel shines on anything dark or evil, it transforms it into what is light or good” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: Notice the 2 preceding verses: “11) And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12) For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” Now this verse tells us that when evil is exposed to light it is seen how evil that evil really is! I like what the Pulpit Commentary said, “This is a truism; anything shone on is no longer dark, but light.” BBC explains the last part of this verse, “whatsoever doth make manifest is light” as meaning that often times sinners who have their sins exposed by the Gospel get saved and become children of the light! The idea of vs. 11-13 seem to be that all Christians should never be involved with the sins spoken of by Paul beginning with 4:17 and ending with our current verse, 5:13. But when in a Church setting or an Evangelistic meeting those sins need to be exposed to the Light of the Gospel. That Light will expose to the sinners the depths of their sin, and hopefully bring them to Christ. Then those newly saved individuals become children of the Light like you and I are.
(Verse Thirteen of Chapter Five in my own words.)
But every evil thing that is done in the darkness is exposed when the Light shines on it; and sometimes the exposing of sin brings the sinner to the Light, Christ Jesus!
Ephesians 5:14
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light.
*Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,*
“Paul quoted what was probably a “worship chorus” from the early church to illustrate this truth” [Guzik].
“This is evidently intended to give an additional impulse to the Ephesians to walk as children of the light; but a difficulty arises as to the source of the quotation” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: Robertson suggested the two verses from Isaiah below.
Isaiah 26:19) (KJV) Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
MY COMMENTS: This Old Testament verse seems to be a prophecy of Isaiah of a coming resurrection of the righteous dead! He prophesied that they, the righteous dead, would arise along with Isaiah’s own dead body! Paul seems to latch on to that verse and changes the subject from bodily resurrection to spiritual resurrection. He seems to be exhorting those who were currently living in the sins he was renouncing, anticipating that the Light of the Gospel that would expose their sins to them would then bring them to repentance; and so he says, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”
*and Christ shall give thee light.*
Isaiah 60:1) (KJV) Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
MY COMMENTS: Robertson brought this verse to my attention as well. Here Isaiah prophesies that they should arise and shine because God’s Light has come; and the glory of the Lord is risen upon them. If indeed this was one of the verses Paul, the former Pharisee who knew the Old Testament well, had in mind when he wrote vs. 14 of chapter 5 of Ephesians, he was updating the Old Testament verse and attributing the “light” that had come that Isaiah prophesied about to be the Light of God in His Son, Jesus. He was now applying Isaiah’s prophecy lightly to include the sinful Gentiles that he is saying that the Light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ might very well bring to salvation [vs. 11-13], thus making them the children of the Light.
(Verse Fourteen of Chapter Five in my own words.)
And so He says, “Wake up, you who are asleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine His Light on you!”
Ephesians 5:15
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
*See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,*
Take care then how you are living, not as unwise, but as wise [BBE];
Act like people with good sense and not like fools [CEV].
So be very careful how you live. Live wisely, not like fools [ERV].
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise [ESV].
“As mentioned previously, walk, is one of the key words of the Epistle: it is mentioned seven times to describe “the whole round of the activities of the individual life.” To walk circumspectly is to live in the light of our position as God’s children. To walk as fools means to descend from this high plane to the conduct of worldly men” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: Verse 8 tells us that, as Christians, we are no longer darkness; we are now Light. Therefore we are to walk out our lives accordingly. We are to live like the children of God that we are! In verse 9 we discover that our conduct should be in accord with those things that are “goodness and righteousness and truth.” In verse 11 we are instructed to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.” Verse 12 says we should be ashamed to even speak about the sins of the flesh. Now in verse 15 Paul tells us that because of all those things he has just said to us our conduct ought to be a testimony to our believing those things. That kind of conduct is not foolish, but it is walking out our Christian lives with the wisdom that comes from God!
(Verse Fifteen of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Be determined to live your lives the way Christians should live; not living carelessly, but wisely!
Ephesians 5:16
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
*Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.*
I mean that you should use every opportunity you have for doing good, because these are evil times [ERV].
Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days [TEV].
“There are two ancient Greek words used for time. One has the idea simply of day upon day and hour upon hour. The other has the idea of a definite portion of time, a time where something should happen. It is the different between time and the time. The idea here is of the time; it is a definite season of opportunity that Christians must redeem. This same word is translated opportunity in Gal_6:10” [Guzik].
MY COMMENTS: With this verse in mind let’s look at what Paul said in the passage below:
Romans 1:14-17) (KJV) I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
15) So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
MY COMMENTS: Paul had determined that God had called him to preach the Good News about Christ to everyone. He owed it to every individual to present to them the Gospel [vs. 14]. As a consequence of that he was ready to preach that Gospel to those in Rome [vs. 15]. He understood that the Gospel message is the only message on this planet that can get someone from here {earth}, all the way to Heaven [vs. 16]! He knew that the Gospel was the only message that taught us how we could be in a right relationship with a Holy God [vs. 17]. In the rest of that chapter [vs. 18-32] he explains why everyone needs to hear the Gospel message; it’s because we are all sinners.
SO WHAT DID PAUL DO ABOUT THIS RESPONSIBILITY? He took advantage of every opportunity he had to tell people the Good News he had been entrusted with; in other words, he redeemed the time. He realized because they were all sinners those were evil days. He is now, in our study of Ephesians, asking his Christian readers to do the same thing.
(Verse Sixteen of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Take advantage of every opportunity to share the Gospel because life is full of evil; therefore people need to hear the message of salvation through Christ.
Ephesians 5:17
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
*Wherefore be ye not unwise,*
MY COMMENTS: Vs. 15 tells us to “walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.” Vs. 16 tells us to take advantage of the time we have “because the days are evil.” Now vs. 17 revisits those thoughts by reminding us to not be unwise.
*but understanding what the will of the Lord is.*
“The will of God, which determines the whole extent of our obligations, is principally unfolded to us in the doctrines and moral precepts which are delivered in the sacred Scriptures. It is expedient, therefore, to explain to you, from the pulpit, these Divine oracles, by showing you, first, their superior excellence to all other instructions; secondly, the inestimable advantages which they are capable of producing in securing your peace and happiness” [BI].
MY COMMENTS: How are we going to be wise enough to understand what the will of the Lord is? As the notes from the Biblical Illustrator tells us, everything God wants us to know about what His will for us is can be found in the Sacred Scriptures. If you are a casual believer who attends church sporadically and never studies the Bible for yourself then you will walk through this life being “unwise” concerning what the will of God is for your life!
(Verse Seventeen of Chapter Five in my own words.)
So don’t lack spiritual wisdom; but learn to understand what God’s will for you is!
Ephesians 5:18
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
*And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess;*
Don’t be drunk with wine, which will ruin your life [ERV],
Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you [TEV];
Don’t get drunk on wine, which leads to wild living [GW].
QUESTION: Is it O.K. for a Christian to drink alcohol? Following are some remarks by a commentator I often quote. This body of work was published beginning in 1989 and concluded in 1995.
“In our North American culture, such a command seems almost shocking and unnecessary, since total abstinence is the rule among so many Christians. But we must remember that the Bible was written for believers in all cultures, and in many countries wine is still a fairly common beverage on the table. The Scriptures do not condemn the use of wine, but they do condemn its abuse. The use of wine as a medicine is recommended (Pro_31:6; 1Ti_5:23). The Lord Jesus made wine for use as a beverage at the wedding in Cana of Galilee (Joh_2:1-11)”
But the use of wine becomes abuse under the following circumstances and is then forbidden:
- 1. When it leads to excess (Pro_23:29-35).
- 2. When it becomes habit-forming (1Co_6:12 b).
- When it offends the weak conscience of another believer (Rom_14:13; 1Co_8:9).
- When it hurts a Christian’s testimony in the community and is therefore not to the glory of God (1Co_10:31).
- When there is any doubt in the Christian’s mind about it (Rom_14:23) [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: I was born again in 1963 and remember those days when the common conviction of an evangelical Christian was that we ought not to drink alcohol. The Bible does not teach that drinking alcohol is a sin; but it does teach that drunkenness is a sin [Gal. 5:19-21; Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 5:11; 1 Cor. 6:10]. I’ve always maintained that you can’t become an alcoholic/drunk if you never drink. If you decide that you can drink alcohol in good conscience then please remember what this verse is teaching; don’t allow yourself to get drunk when you drink, because that’s excessive.
*but be filled with the Spirit;*
but be filled with the Spirit [ERV].
instead, be filled with the Spirit [TEV].
be filled with the Spirit [GW].
“The excitement of drunkenness must be supplanted by a holier and more elevating stimulus: the cup that intoxicates exchanged for the new wine of the Spirit” [Preacher’s Homiletical].
MY COMMENTS: You don’t have to be a Pentecostal Christian to know that when you’re filled with the Holy Spirit you feel fantastic!
“Filled” – “1) to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full; 1a) to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally; 2) to render full, i.e. to complete; 2a) to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim” [Thayer].
MY COMMENTS: How full of the Holy Spirit should you and I get? We should get filled “to the brim,” filled “to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure.” Being filled with the Spirit is a very different kind of a “high” than being “drunk with wine,” or any other kind of alcohol. You don’t lose control of your senses, and you don’t wear a lampshade on your head! You become more sensitive to what’s important, not less. You are not being controlled by the alcohol; you’re being controlled by the Holy Spirit! Which do you think, as a Christian, you should choose?
(Verse Eighteen of Chapter Five in my own words.)
And here’s some of what God’s will for you is; don’t drink to excess and get drunk; but rather always be full of the Holy Spirit!
Ephesians 5:19
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
*Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,*
Speak to one another with the words of psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; [TEV].
“When the spirit is elevated so that ordinary prose conversation is inadequate to express the feelings let it find vent in sacred music. St. James’ advice to the ‘merry’ heart is ‘sing psalms.’ The ‘psalm’ is properly a song with accompaniment of a stringed instrument; a ‘hymn’ must always be more or less of a Magnificat, a direct address of praise and glory to God.” ‘Spiritual songs’ were ‘such as were composed by spiritual men and moved in the sphere of spiritual things’ (Trench). No spiritual excitement, however highly wrought, can be injurious that flows between the banks of thanksgiving and mutual submission in the fear of God” [Preacher’s Homiletical] {Emphasis mine}.
“Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs: This variety suggests that God delights in creative, spontaneous worship. The most important place of us to have a melody unto God is in our heart. Many who can’t sing well have the most beautiful melodies in their heart” [Guzik].
MY COMMENTS: The previous verse says, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” In this verse Paul enlarges on the exhortation to “be filled with the Spirit.” The result of our being “filled with the Spirit” looks something like this; we should be ministering to one another with the words of various “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. In the first half of this verse Paul seems to have in mind the reciting of the words of these various forms of Christian songs to one another for the purpose of encouraging one another through the message of those words.
*singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;*
sing hymns and psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts [TEV].
MY COMMENTS: Now in the second half of this verse Paul is telling us that our being “filled with the Spirit” is apt to cause us to break forth in songs of praise to the God we love! It doesn’t appear that Paul is intending to use terms that place limits on the songs we’re to sing to God; but rather that he is giving us a variety to choose from.
Psalm 105:2) (KJV) Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
Matthew 26:30) (KJV) And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
MY COMMENTS: We are instructed to “sing psalms” [Ps. 105:2], to sing “an hymn” [Mt. 26:30], and to sing to God a “new song” [Ps. 33:3, 40:3, 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, and 149:1]. And we are instructed, as we sing, to make “melody in” our “heart to the Lord”! The skilled singer is music to our ears; the one who sings to the Lord from his “heart” is music to God’s ears! Doing what this verse teaches is an expression of our being “filled with the Spirit.”
(Verse Nineteen of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Then you will speak to one another by reciting the words of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; and then you will no doubt break forth with singing, making melody in your hearts to your Lord!
Ephesians 5:20
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
*Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;*
1 Thess. 5:18a) (KJV) In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Col. 3:17a) (KJV) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
MY COMMENTS: Paul continues to explain the Spirit filled life to us. He told us in vs. 18 to put away the excessive use of wine and to discover the life of being filled always with the Holy Spirit; then in vs. 19 he shows us that the result of our being full of the Holy Spirit would be that we would be singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord; and now in vs. 20 he tells us that the Spirit filled life will result in our continually giving thanks to God, our Father, regardless of how life is treating us. He also tells us that we are to give God thanks “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! As a matter of fact, Paul tells the Colossian believers, in the passage above, that they were to do absolutely everything they do, rather it be word or deed, “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” When I think of this teaching of the Apostle, given to Him by the Holy Spirit, here are some thoughts that come to my mind. The name of Jesus is not some Christian form of “Abracadabra.” We don’t say “in Jesus’ name” and everything that is bad turns to good. Here’s what it means to me, that because of what Jesus did for me at Calvary my sins have been forgiven; I can “boldly” approach a Holy God [Heb. 4:15-16]. I would have absolutely no right to enter into God’s presence except through the “name of Jesus”! Jesus told me that whatever I “shall ask the Father” in His name, the Father “will give it” to me [Jn. 16:23-24, 26]. The only way I can even approach God with my praise, worship, and thanksgiving is “in Jesus name”! It’s His worthiness alone that allows His Father to see me as orthy! There is, in essence, a clothing of me with the worthiness of His Son that allows me to come before a Holy God!
(Verse Twenty of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Always giving thanks to God, our Father, for everything, good and bad, in the name of the One Who gives our lives meaning, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:21-22
21) Submitting yourselves one to another
22) Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
21) in the fear of God.
*Submitting yourselves one to another*
While this precept is expounded in several directions in the sections which follow, it stands here as a fourth qualification of being ‘filled with the Spirit’ (so nearly all recent commentators), not as an imperative”
Philippians 2:1-4) (KJV) If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
2) Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3) Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4) Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
“In practical action submitting to one another implies the following, all in line with the idea of being a “team player”:
- The Christian must not be thoughtless, but think of others.
- The Christian must not be individualistic, must not be self-assertive. ‘Self-assertion is the very antithesis of what the Apostle is saying.’
- The Christian must never be self-seeking.
- We must have a ‘team attitude.’
- We must be happy when someone else succeeds or does well.
- We must bear our own discomforts and trials with courage” [Guzik].
1 Peter 5:5) (KJV) Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
MY COMMENTS: Our current verse, vs. 21 speaks about our submitting ourselves to one another; vs. 22 will talk about wives submitting themselves to their husbands; the above verse from 1 Peter is talking about younger Christians submitting themselves to older Christians. In Romans 13 we are taught to submit ourselves to civil authorities. In the next chapter of Ephesians children will be taught to obey their parents. The New Testament tells slaves to honor their owners, and that command is often applied to workers respecting/submitting to their bosses at work. Everyone of us has to, on a regular basis, do a whole lot of submitting. Allow me to show you how submitting ought to work in Christian circles.
After the mother of James and John asked Jesus to allow her two sons to sit on either side of Him in glory [Mt. 20:20-24] Jesus responded this way:
Matthew 20:25-28) (KJV) But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
26) But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
27) And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
28) Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
MY COMMENTS: Pastor, has God given you authority in the church? Officer of the Law, has the Law given you authority over the citizenry? Bosses, has your company given you authority over your workers? Paul even asked Philemon, has society given you authority over your slave? Mom and Dad, has God given you authority over your children? Politician, has society given you authority over the electorate?
*Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.*
Let’s concentrate on this one; husband, has God given you authority over your wife? In American society it’s offensive to think that the husband is the head of the house, and as such, has authority over his wife. Biblically, what does that even mean? Do you want to be a great husband in the eyes of God? Then you must become your wife’s servant [Mt. 20:26-27]! Someone must have the ability to make the final decision when the husband and wife can’t agree on where to move to, New York or California. If no one has that final authority then they move to separate cities and the marriage is over. But here’s the real issue: the One Who is the Head of man is Christ [1 Cor. 11:3]; and Christ said that He didn’t come to be served, but to serve [Mt. 20:28]. So, husband, don’t sit on the couch watching T.V. and tell your wife to go and get you a can of pop from the kitchen; get up and get it yourself! And, while you’re in the kitchen yell out and ask your wife, “Honey, can I get you anything?” Serve the love of your life and you will be one happy husband!!
*as unto the Lord.*
MY COMMENTS: Whomever God has given you, through His Word, authority over, take authority when it’s necessary for the proper Biblical reasons. The rest of the time, serve those individuals! Do that “as unto the Lord;” following the example of how Jesus, the Head of man, came to serve; not to be served!
*in the fear of God.*
“All the oldest manuscripts and authorities read, ‘in the fear of Christ.’ The believer passes from under the bondage of the law as a letter, to be ‘the servant of Christ’ (1Co_7:22), which, through the instinct of love to Him, is really to be ‘the Lord’s freeman’; for he is ‘under the law to Christ’ (1Co_9:21; compare Joh_8:36). Christ, not the Father (Joh_5:22), is to be our judge. Thus reverential fear of displeasing Him is the motive for discharging our relative duties as Christians (1Co_10:22; 2Co_5:11; 1Pe_2:13) [JFB].
MY COMMENTS: When we, as believers, submit in the areas God has told us to submit, rather it be to our parents, our bosses, our church leadership, civil authorities, a wife to her husband, or simply submitting to one another in the sense of each putting the other before himself, let’s do it because God told us to do it! We should do it with a reverential fear that we would be displeasing the very God that we are head over heels in love with.
(Verses Twenty One of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Be willing to submit yourselves to one another with the reverential desire to please God.
(Verse Twenty Two of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Wives, each of you place yourselves under the authority of your husband as a service to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:23
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
*For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church:*
MY COMMENTS: I made these comments on the previous verse, “Do you want to be a great husband in the eyes of God? Then you must become your wife’s servant [Mt. 20:26-27]! Someone must have the ability to make the final decision when the husband and wife can’t agree on where to move to, New York or California. If no one has that final authority then they move to separate cities and the marriage is over. But here’s the real issue: the One Who is the Head of man is Christ [1 Cor. 11:3]; and Christ said that He didn’t come to be served, but to serve [Mt. 20:28]. So, husband, don’t sit on the couch watching T.V. and tell your wife to go and get you a can of pop from the kitchen; get up and get it yourself! And, while you’re in the kitchen yell out and ask your wife, “Honey, can I get you anything?” Serve the love of your life and you will be one happy husband!!”
It’s so important when we talk about authority and submission that we remember that Jesus, the Head of the man [1 Cor. 11:3], didn’t come to serve, but to serve [Mt. 20:28]. Never has there been such a man of authority as Jesus, Who could call forth the dead man Lazarus. This Jesus commanded the sick to be well, the waves to be still, the dead to come forth, and the disciples to go here, to go there, and what to do when they got there; but this same man of authority washed their feet! He carried their sins to Calvary! He didn’t ask anyone to get Him a cup of coffee; rather, He drank the cup the Father gave Him to drink! The One in authority served the very ones He had authority over!
*and he is the saviour of the body.*
Jesus literally saved His body, the Church by dying for their sins! Husbands should stand ready, to the best of their ability, to “save” their wives from danger, willing to risks their lives to save her life. Also, the husband should do his best to “save” his wife in the sense that he provides for her needs, in a similar way that Christ provides for the needs of His wife, the Church.
ANOTHER THOUGHT: Let’s think about the people who God gives authority over others. Police captains want to know which policeman they can trust to do which kind of job. Pastors should study their people to know who has what gift; so he can decide how to use his parishioners. Some might teach others; some might be great board members; some might sing in the choir. A boss at work needs to know the strengths of his workers so he can determine how to best assign the work that needs to be done. Husbands need to get to truly know the strengths of their wives so they can wisely assign things to her that she is more qualified to do. If the wife is better with money, assign her the checkbook. Your wife is a helpmate! Utilize the gifts God has given her. And husbands, talk things over with your wives before you make decisions; they might have valuable insight that will guide you in the right direction.
LET ME MAKE ONE MORE POINT ABOUT SUBMISSION: “The head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God” [1 Cor. 11:3]. Jesus was in every way equal to God [Phil. 2:6]; yet He made Himself subject to His Father! Submission doesn’t make you less than the one you’re submitting to {with the exception of when we submit to God}. When you submit to your boss at work you are not unequal to him as a person; you are simply in a position where he is your boss, so your position requires you to submit to his authority. Your boss is in absolutely no way a better person than you are. When you submit to your husband you are every bit his equal. No decent husband would ever treat you in any other way than as his equal!
(Verse Twenty Three of Chapter Five in my own words.)
In the same way that Christ is the head of the Church the husband is the head of the wife. Christ is the Savior of the Body, the Church; and the husband should stand ready to protect his wife.
Ephesians 5:24
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
*Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ,*
MY COMMENTS: This is, in some ways a bad example, and in other ways a fantastic example. It’s a bad example in the sense that we imperfect Christians can’t do anything comparable to what the perfect Christ does. It’s a fantastic example in the sense that it shows us the bull’s eye we are to be aiming at. Unfortunately, the Church isn’t always “subject unto Christ” in the practical sense that they are doing everything God would have them to do. In most cases the Church acknowledges that Christ is the Head of the Church and we, the Church, should submit to Him. However, we, the members of His body, the Church, are works in progress. In other words, we are not yet perfect; and therefore we are not perfectly subject to Christ in practice. But we should perfectly desire to be subject to Christ, because that’s what the Holy Scriptures teach us to be.
*so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.*
In the same way, husbands, your wives are not perfect human beings either; and consequently, they will not perfectly be subject to you. Give them the grace that God gives to you. I will make a profound statement about this in the next verse where we comment on husbands loving their wives as Christ loves the Church.
(Verse Twenty Four of Chapter Five in my own words.)
In the very same way that the Church is subject to Christ the wife is instructed to be subject to her own husband in all things.
Ephesians 5:25
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
*Husbands, love your wives,*
“Here is a grand rule, according to which every husband is called to act: Love your wife as Christ loved the Church. But how did Christ love the Church? He gave himself for it – he laid down his life for it. So then husbands should, if necessary, lay down their lives for their wives: and there is more implied in the words than mere protection and support; for, as Christ gave himself for the Church to save it, so husbands should, by all means in their power, labor to promote the salvation of their wives, and their constant edification in righteousness” [Clarke].
MY COMMENTS: In the previous verse wives were told to be subject to their husbands in the same way the Church is subject to Christ; in this verse husbands are told to love their wives the same way that Christ loves His Church. The marriage between a man and a woman is symbolic of the union of Christ with His Church. When we get marriage right, not perfect, but right it can be a picture of our relationship, through the Church, with Christ. In this analogy the woman represents the Church, made up of the body of believers worldwide; and the man represents Christ. God uses marriage to teach us about the love relationship between Christians {the Church} and the Lord Jesus Christ. The symbolism is important; therefore the woman, representing the Church, is to be under subjection to the man, representing Jesus; and the man, representing Jesus is to love the woman, representing the Church. If you understand the things I’ve been saying about this subject in the previous three verses I trust that you will find this subject totally inoffensive. Please read those notes again, consider them, and the Lord give you understanding. Wives, you are equal with man in your relationship with God [Gal. 3:28]; you simply have a different role to play. Again, just as your manager at work gives you instructions; and you follow those instructions; that doesn’t make you inferior to that manager. You simply have a different role to play at your place of employment. You’re, in every way, equal to your husband in the Kingdom of God; God has just assigned a different role for you. Almost everybody on this planet is subject to someone else; and most are subject to many others. Some of you ladies have authority over individuals you work with; yet you are not superior to them. They are equal to you as human beings. No one on this planet has authority over everyone on this planet; and everyone on this planet is subject to someone else on this planet. Presidents, if they desire a second term, on subject to their voters. Everyone must answer to someone. Submitting to authority is something we all do; it is part of life. The other part of that equation is that the one with the authority is the one who has to answer for the failures in life. Your boss at work will get fired if he can’t get done what his boss wants done. The pastor is answerable for the church; the chief of police is answerable for the operation of the department; the husband is answerable to God for the well-being of the marriage.
*even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;*
MY COMMENTS: Where do we start with this one? Christ, God in the flesh, loved His people so much that He, God in the flesh, was willing to drag a cross up a hill, with some help from Simon of Cyrene, bleeding profusely from the brutal beating He endured in Pilate’s Judgment Hall, so that He could have nails driven into His hands and His feet, hoisted up and having that cross dropped into a reinforced hole in the ground with a thud, possibly disjointing many of the bones in His body, and hang there until He died, having fully paid the penalty for our sins! If that weren’t enough, before He died, Jesus, God in the flesh, cried out, “Father, forgive Dave, for he doesn’t know what he’s doing! Please understand that the “them” that Jesus, when He could barely breathe, asked His Father to forgive included you! As far as I can discover from reading the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion, John was the only disciple who made it to Calvary; and he did so, probably because he went and told Mary, the mother of Jesus, that her Son had been arrested. I assume at that point she grabbed hold of John’s ear and said to him, “Come on, we’ve got to go and find out what they’re doing to Him!” Before the next day was over there John stood, at the foot of the cross, with Mary! If I’m correct John witnessed more of the total cost that was paid for our sins than any other disciple did. I believe that moment was in John’s mind when by inspiration of the Holy Spirit he wrote, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us” [1 Jn. 3:16]. I’m convinced that John saw the love of Jesus played out at Calvary; and that was the only evidence he ever needed to understand how much God loves us. Sometimes we sin and we wonder if God still loves us. Not John, he saw God’s love displayed at Calvary. He was forever convinced that Jesus loved him; so much in fact, that from Calvary on, he generally referred to himself as “the disciple Jesus loved!” I don’t think John meant by that that he thought Jesus loved him more than He loved the other disciples; I believe he just rested in the fact always, on good days and bad days, that he was “the disciple Jesus loved”! May God give you and me that same consolation that He gave John; and may we always see ourselves as “the disciple Jesus loves”!
(Verse Twenty Five of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Husbands, you must love your wives in the very same way that Christ loved His Church, and demonstrated that love by giving Himself fully for it.
Ephesians 5:26
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
*That he might sanctify and cleanse it*
He died to make the church holy. He used the telling of the Good News to make the church clean [ERV].
He did this to dedicate the church to God by his word, after making it clean [TEV].
“Sanctify” – “To set apart for” a “sacred use” [thefreedictionary.com].
“Sanctify” – “to separate from profane things and dedicate to God” [Thayer].
MY COMMENTS: The idea of sanctification is when God takes something from a profane use and sets it apart for a sacred use. I like to word it this way, “God takes you out of the world’s pile of stuff and puts you into His pile of stuff!” “Holiness” and “sanctification” come from the same Greek word, “hagiasmos,” and in the King James Version of the New Testament that word is used 10 times; and it is rendered “sanctification” 5 times and “holiness” 5 times. A sanctified person or thing is a holy person or thing. What makes something “holy”? God never removed any sin from the Temple or the Temple utensils or the city of Jerusalem; but they were holy unto God! Why? They were sanctified/holy unto God because God called them His own. We aren’t holy because we are living perfect lives; we are holy because God calls us His own. We have been set apart for Him. When God placed us in His pile of stuff He cleansed us. How did He do it?
*with the washing of water by the word,*
by washing it with water [ERV].
by washing it in water [TEV].
“When Paul says the washing of water by the word, he uses the ancient Greek word rhema. ‘It is true that rhema is not quite the same as logos, but carries with it the definite sense of the spoken word . . . it may have the sense of that truth as proclaimed, the preached Word or Gospel.’ (Salmond) There is something cleansing about being under the teaching of the Word.
‘I do not believe that baptism is intended here, nor even referred to. I know that the most of commentators say it is. I do not think it. It strikes me that one word explains the whole. Christ sanctifies and cleanses us by the washing of water, but what sort of water? By the Word. The water which washes away sin, which cleanses and purifies the soul, is the Word’” (Charles Spurgeon, a confirmed Baptist) [Guzik quoting Spurgeon].
“He finds her polluted (comp. Eze_16:1-63.), and his great instrument of cleansing is ‘the Word’ (comp. Joh_15:3; Joh_17:5)—the Word in all its searching, humbling, rebuking, correcting, informing, stimulating, refreshing, consoling power. There is no express allusion to baptism, ‘the Word’ being the great sanctifying medium, and baptism a figure (1Pe_3:21)” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: When you cleansed yourself by taking a bath you were clean. The water and the soap saw to it. When God cleansed us what was the agent of the cleansing? Paul likens the power of revealed truth through the Word of God as the cleansing agent that totally cleanses all of us who put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” [John 15:3]. The Word of God cleanses us so Paul likened that cleansing through the Word to “the washing of water by the word.”
(Verse Twenty Six of Chapter Five in my own words.)
He fully gave Himself for the Church so that He could set it aside for Himself and cleanse it through the transforming power of His Word, as though that Word were spiritual soap and water.
Ephesians 5:27
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
*That he might present it to himself a glorious church,*
“glorious” – “Used of splendid clothing in Luk_7:25” [Robertson].
Luke 7:25) (KJV) But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts.
MY COMMENTS: In Luke “appareled” is the word expressing “clothing,” and “gorgeously” is the word expressing “glorious.” When you compare Ephesians 5:27 with Luke 7:25 you might conclude that the thought is that Jesus is dressing His Bride, the Church, in the garment of His glory!! Matt Redman wrote a worship song where he expressed that you and I, when we get to Heaven, would be “dressed in glory, not our own.” Paul tells the Corinthians that when they behold “the glory of the Lord,” as they stare into the mirror of God’s Word, “the Spirit of the Lord” will change them into that same image they see [2 Cor. 3:18]. We will one day be like Him because “we shall see Him as He is” [1 John 3:2]. When we see Jesus we will be dressed in His glory forever and ever!!
*not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;*
Eph. 1:4) (KJV) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Col. 1:22) (KJV) In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
Col. 1:28) (KJV) Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
1 Thess. 5:23) (KJV) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
MY COMMENTS: Remember this, God already sees you and I, and every Christian, as already glorified [Rom. 8:29-30]. What do the above verses show us concerning how God sees us? He sees us “as holy and without blame before Him.” He sees us as “holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight.” He sees us “perfect in Christ Jesus.” And, He sees us as having our “whole spirit and soul and body blameless” before Him.
*but that it should be holy and without blemish.*
MY COMMENTS: “Holy and without blemish” goes back to the previous verse where Paul worded it this way, “that He might sanctify and cleanse” us. We are “holy” because we are His; and we are “without blemish” because He has cleansed us. When we came to Jesus and confessed we were sinners, and we asked Him to save us, He not only forgave our sins, but He cleansed “us from all unrighteousness” [1 John 1:9]!
FINAL THOUGHT ON THIS VERSE: Look at our current verse in Ephesians 5, look at the verse above from Ephesians 1, look at the two verses above from Colossians 1, look at the verse above from 1 Thessalonians, and look at 1 John 1:9. When we stand before a Holy, scrutinizing, discerning God whose eyes see absolutely everything; a God Who knows absolutely everything; He will not find one single fault in us!! Why? It’s because He has so thoroughly cleansed us from all our sins! On the way up we will see Jesus; we will be changed; we will be dressed in His glory!
(Verse Twenty Seven of Chapter Five in my own words.)
That He might present His Bride, the Church, to Himself, having dressed her in His glory, free from all spots, wrinkles, and other defects; that the Bride should be holy and blemish free!
Ephesians 5:28
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
*So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies.*
“The Christian husband must love his wife this way because you are one with her, just as Jesus is one with the church” [Guzik].
MY COMMENTS: The husband is head of his wife as a pattern of how Jesus is the Head of the Church [vs. 23]. The husband is to love his wife just as Jesus loves His Church, which is His body [vs. 25]. The husband, following the example of Jesus and the Church, is to love his wife as though she was his own body [current verse]. After all, Jesus sees the Church, His Body, as His own body, flesh and bones [vs. 30]. We husbands had to leave our parents in order to be joined to our wives; then the husband and the wife became “one flesh” [vs. 31]. Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is telling us husbands that we should love our wives just as we love our own physical bodies; because when we were joined together with our wives in marriage we became one flesh, meaning one body.
1 Cor. 7:4) (KJV) The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.
MY COMMENTS: Do you see that? There’s a sense in which my body is not my body; it is my wife’s body. In that same sense, my wife’s body is not her body; it is my body!
He that loveth his wife loveth himself.*
MY COMMENTS: You might say that there are a lot of husbands who love themselves far more than they love their wives. However, in Christian marriages that should never be the case! Paul draws heavily on this analogy, that as a husband, my wife’s body is my body. As my wife, my body is her body. The next verse will show us where Paul is going with this.
(Verse Twenty Eight of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Men ought also to love their wives the way that they love their own bodies. The man who loves his wife truly loves himself!
Ephesians 5:29
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
*For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it,*
because no one ever hates his own body, but feeds and takes care of it [ERV].
“‘nourisheth it up,’ namely, to maturity. ‘Nourisheth,’ refers to food and internal sustenance; ‘cherisheth,’ to clothing and external fostering” [JFB].
“The church is the Bride of the Lamb, but it is also Christ’s body. As he loved his body, so every husband ought to love her who by the mystery of the marriage tie has become “bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh” (Gen_2:23)” [PNT].
MY COMMENTS: Paul writes that since my wife’s body is my body then I should treat her as such. “No man ever yet hated his own flesh,” he states. Moses, while recording the creation story as God revealed it to him, wrote, “And Adam said, ‘This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man’” [Gen. 2:23]. Jesus told us, “For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder [Mt. 19:5-6]. The Bible tells us that your wife is your body, in some sense of the literal, in every sense of the figurative. ANOTHER THOUGHT ON THIS SUBJECT: What else do we learn here? “No man ever yet hated his own flesh.” You might argue, “What about those who despise themselves so much they commit suicide?” I would argue that they commit suicide because they love their own flesh! They hate what they think they’re going through so much that they want the pain to stop! I argue that the act of suicide is a selfish act of loving their own flesh, because they don’t want to suffer anymore. They love themselves so much that they hate their loved ones in comparison. Their committing suicide will put their loved ones through such horrific pain as they blame themselves for not knowing what was on the mind of the one who committed suicide. Those loved ones will torture themselves with thoughts of I should have been able to prevent it. If only the individual had thought more about their loved ones than themselves they would have never committed suicide!
*even as the Lord the church:*
And that is what Christ does for the church [ERV].
MY COMMENTS: We love and take care of our physical bodies because we love being healthy and feeling good. We clothe ourselves, and we feed ourselves. Paul tells us that we ought to have that same feeling for our wives! I need to desire to make sure that all of her physical needs are taken care of as well as mine are. Our example for this is the way Christ treats His Body, the Church. The Church is Christ’s Body! Our wives are our bodies, flesh of our flesh.
(Verse Twenty Nine of Chapter Five in my own words.)
It’s for certain that no man hates his own physical body, but does everything he can to provide nourishment for it, and makes certain it is clothed with articles of clothing that can keep it warm. That’s the way Christ loves His Church!
Ephesians 5:30
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
*For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.*
“In brief, this statement, in the light of other Scripture, amounts to the assertion that ‘we,’ the believing Church, as such, are, as in the Case of Eve and Adam, at once the product of our Incarnate Lord’s existence as Second Adam, and His Bride.” [Cambridge].
1 Cor. 15:45-49) (KJV) And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46) Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47) The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48) As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49) And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
MY COMMENTS: Cambridge talks about the “first” Adam and the “last” Adam [vs. 45]. Then he talks about the “first” man and the “second” man” [vs. 47], still referring to Adam and Jesus. I want to point out that when referring to them as “Adam” the term referring to Jesus was the “last” Adam. I personally believe that to be significant because if we refer to Jesus as the “second” Adam it might cause some to believe that there might, at some point in time, be a “third” Adam. In vs. 47 when Paul refers to them as “the first man” and “the second man” I believe him to be simply referring to the order in which he mentioned them in vs. 45. In other words, he mentioned 2 men, a “first Adam” and a “last Adam” in vs. 45 to signify that there were 2 individuals in the history of the world who affected everyone who was born into them. Then in vs. 47 he writes that of the 2 Adams the first one I mentioned is “earthy;” the second one I mentioned is “heavenly.”
MORE COMMENTS: Every human ever born into the human family is born into Adam {the Hebrew word rendered Adam means “man, mankind, human being”} [BDB]. Paul tells the Roman believers that “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned [Rom 5:12]. Jesus, the “last” Adam came to save us from our sins [Rom. 5:15-19]. Everyone born again into Jesus, the “last” Adam, is born into a right standing with God.
FINAL COMMENTS ON THIS VERSE: God took Eve out of Adam and she became bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh [Gen. 2:23]. God took us believers born into Jesus out of Jesus and we became “members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones” [current vs.]. We Christians were newly created from the Lord Jesus when we trusted Him as our Savior, just as Eve was created from Adam.
NOTE: The earliest manuscripts don’t include “of his flesh, and of his bones” [Popular N. T., Vincent, Robertson].
(Verse Thirty of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Even so we Christians are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.
Ephesians 5:31
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
*For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.*
MY COMMENTS: Paul here quotes Genesis 2:24. He’s showing his readers that because of Genesis 2:23, “Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man,” the very principle that God made woman from Adam has set up the necessity that man should, when of age and in love, leave his parents and become one with the woman of his dreams. When a man marries a woman they are no longer two, but they become one. When a sinner comes to Jesus in faith, has his sins forgiven, thereby becoming a Christian, that sinner and Jesus are no longer two, but they become one!
(Verse Thirty One of Chapter Five in my own words.)
Even so we Christians are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.
Ephesians 5:32
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
*This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.*
“When Paul says the mystery is great, he does not mean it is very mysterious. Rather he means that the implications of the truth are tremendous. The mystery is the wonderful purpose which was hidden in God in previous ages, but which has now been revealed. That purpose is to call out of the nations a people to become the Body and Bride of His glorious Son. The marriage relationship thus finds its perfect antitype in the relation between Christ and the church” [BBC].
“It would be easy to think that the Gen_2:24 passage (also quoted by Jesus in Mat_19:5) only speaks about marriage. Paul wants us to know that it also speaks about the relationship between Christ and the church.
This is true in regard to the pattern of the first man and the first woman. ‘Woman was made at the beginning as the result of an operation which God performed upon man. How does the church come into being? As the result of an operation which God performed on the Second Man, His only begotten, beloved Son on Calvary’s hill. A deep sleep fell upon Adam. A deep sleep fell upon the Son of God, He gave up the ghost, He expired, and there in that operation the church was taken out. As the woman was taken out of Adam, so the church is taken out of Christ. The woman was taken out of the side of Adam; and it is from the Lord’s bleeding, wounded side that the church comes’ (Lloyd-Jones)” [Guzik].
MY COMMENTS: In the previous verse Paul wrote, “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” Now in this verse Paul calls that statement “a great mystery,” and then tells his readers, “I speak concerning Christ and the Church.” The Lloyd-Jones comment that Guzik quotes above is worth your time reading. Again, Paul calls the marriage between a man and a woman, in type, a picture of the union of Christ with His Church.
- A man leaves his parents; Jesus left His Father in Heaven.
- The man is joined to his wife; Jesus is joined to His Church.
- The man and woman become “one” in the flesh; Jesus and His Church become “one” in Spirit.
(Verse Thirty Two of Chapter Five in my own words.)
This is how the mystery of God saving Gentiles concludes in a wonderful way. They, along with the Christian Jews, become the Church, Who is the Bride of Christ!
Ephesians 5:33
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
*Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.*
MY COMMENTS: As Paul concludes this line of teaching [vs. 21-33], he leaves us with this repetition: we Christian husbands need to love our wives as we love ourselves; and you wives need to reverence your husband.
(ERV) But each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself. And a wife must respect her husband.
(Verse Thirty Three of Chapter Five in my own words.)
But remember, all of you husbands are to love your wives the same way you love yourselves; and you wives are to show respect to your husbands.