Eph 5:1-2
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
- Imitators of God. The Greek word for imitators is, μιμητής mimētēs, mim-ay-tace´; from 3401; an imitator:— follower. It comes from the same word which means “mimic”. So Paul is asking us to mimic God in word, expression and in a way that other people will be able to see God in you. The Father’s dream is to reproduce Himself in us. When we are born again, our spirit becomes one with the Spirit of the Lord and then as we begin to feed on the Word, practice the Word, live the Word, He builds that Word into us. The very essence of Christianity is the ability of God to reveal Himself through us, so that in our daily walk we live like the Master.
- As Christ loved you. The Father’s love for the world was so profound that He gave His Son. Jesus also had such deep love for the world that He sacrificed Himself. Now, I too have deep affection for the world, and I am willing to offer myself. I strive not to let bitterness take root in my heart, regardless of the criticism or persecution I face. Whenever I feel tempted to think, “I’m wasting my time on them,” I recall the example of Paul and Silas in Philippi. Despite being arrested, whipped, and thrown into a dungeon with their backs in stocks, they prayed and sang hymns. Their worship moved Heaven to the point where the Father had to intervene and open the prison. When the jailer, terrified by an earthquake, cried out in fear, Paul preached to him, despite his own bleeding back, and the jailer found Jesus. He then tended to Paul and Silas’s wounds, and a church was established in his home. If Paul had yielded to his physical desires, he would never have been able to do this. Instead, he lived in accordance with his spirit, emulating the example of the Master. He surrendered to the reign and lordship of love. The Father desires to replicate Himself in us. Gal. 4:19 says, “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.” The process of forming Christ within us may be gradual, but it transforms us into men and women of Jesus. We are created in Christ Jesus; we are His creation. Until Christ is formed in us, the world only sees religion in us.
Eph 5:3
But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
- Must not be even named among you (Church discipline).
- When considering which sins to confront, it’s important to remember that everyone, including pastors and elders, is not infallible. It can be challenging to discern the line between sins that everyone commits and those that warrant confrontation. The key distinction lies in lifestyle sins, as outlined in 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, Galatians 5:19–20, and Titus 3:10–11. These are ongoing, public sinful choices that set them apart from the internal struggles we face as individuals living in the flesh. For instance, a Christian grappling with impure thoughts or personal jealousies is not bringing disrepute to Christ as they wrestle with these private and unwelcome sins. While repentance is necessary, these are not considered lifestyle choices. However, a professing Christian who openly and unrepentantly engages in adultery, sexual immorality, drunkenness, or any of the other sins listed by Paul must be addressed with empathy and understanding.
- Sin in the church must be approached with empathy and understanding, while still adhering to biblical principles. It is important for church leaders to address sin in a compassionate yet firm manner. As mentioned in 1 Timothy 5:20, elders who are sinning should be reproved openly to serve as a warning to others. Sadly, many churches today avoid practicing church discipline, even in clear cases of misconduct and obvious sin. This compromises the ministry of the church and raises doubts about the credibility of its message. When the Bible prohibits certain actions for Christians, but individuals in the church continue to engage in those actions without facing consequences, it can lead outsiders to question the church’s commitment to upholding biblical teachings.
Eph 5:6-10
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
- Do not be partakers with them. It’s easier said than done. I know of a church that had to address sin within its leadership. During the process, confusion and chaos erupted due to the leader’s resistance. Eventually, the leader was removed, but the chaos took its toll. Despite the disciplinary action being biblically justified, most of the congregation left, believing the situation had become too chaotic. Before long, many of them sided with the offending leader as well. It’s often easier said to discipline members, but often it comes at a huge cost. Still, do the right thing.
Eph 5:11-14
Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”
- expose them. In Matthew 7:1, Jesus says to not judge. However, he is not saying not to judge at all, but not to judge anyone who is an outsider.
Eph 5:15-21
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
- Redeeming the time. The literal translation is “redeeming the time”. Don’t think that you have to weep and wail about the time wasted. It means “making use of every opportunity at the present time”. It makes sense because Paul wasted and went against God for 30+ years and then at the age of around 60 when he was beheaded in AD 70, just before that he said in 2 Tim 4:7, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race and I have remained faithful. Let no man leave any of it till morning. It gets spoiled. The Word of God which is spoken to you now, use it now.
- Acting and proving the will of God. We all have a responsibility, after we are New Creations (2 Cor 5:17), to know the WILL OF GOD. The Bible talks about acting according to the will of God (1 John 5:14) and also it talks about proving what the will of God is (Rom 12:2). Nevertheless, do something.
- Being filled with the Holy Spirit. We tend to think that we need to wait, cry , hunger, thirst for the filling of the Holy Spirit, but it isn’t true. The Bible says that
- Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.
- Singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.
- Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.
- Not drunk with wine. We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Drunk by wine causes intoxication, but why does Paul says “but be filled…”. It is because when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are drunk in the Spirit as well. The crazy thing about being intoxicated in the Spirit is that we will never think clearer in your life. If you are around drunk people, in the natural or the spiritual, you will notice one thing :- that they really don’t care what you think!
Eph 5: 22-24
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
- Subject. The word subject here actually means to be able to come face to face with the husband in such a way that one can make up for the lack in the other. When God uses that word, this word is used 3 times to describe marriage and 13 times to describe His relationship with Israel, and God is not the servant of Israel. The responsibility of the husband therefore is to give himself up to make for every short coming in the wife, to teach her the Word.
Eph 5:25-30
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.
- Holy and Blameless…The scriptures say in many places that God wants to present us before him holy and blameless. We know that God wanted to do this, before the foundations of the world (Eph 1:4). Eph 5:27 also talks about this. Also he calls the church of Ephesus holy in Eph 1:1. However, Col 1:22-23 talks about how we can do it, it says that :Colossians 1:22–23 in “yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.” This means that the way in which we are presented to God holy and blameless, is by faith firmly established and steadfast.
Eph 5:31-33
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
- The unity of Christ and us. The two shall become one flesh: This means that just like a husband has united himself to His wife, Christ has become ONE FLESH with the church. So this means that when the church is persecuted, Christ is persecuted. We cannot be separately seen in Christ. We are Christ and Christ is us. We are in Christ. Divorce should also be seen from that context. Divorce is abominable, because Christ doesn’t leave nor forsake the church.
- One who won back everything. This wouldn’t have become big news, BUT, Jesus had actually forfeited everything that He had to become a man. A once He became a man, He won/re-inherited everything as the Son of Man, so that as our elder brother, we would be included in the inheritance. The Holy Spirit comes and he takes what belongs to Jesus and he comes to you and me and by disclosing he’s transferring from that account to yours every time. He’s transferring resource of another world into our lives . Maybe the fact that He forfeited everything, is given in Christ leaving the Father in Eph 5:31 and Gen 2:24.