Series Ephesians
This Message Ephesians 5:5-21
When we began this study of Ephesians several weeks ago, I gave you a brief outline of the letter. Let me remind you of the themes we have been emphasizing:
Part 1 explained the spiritual benefits which are bestowed on individual believers. Key words: spiritual benefits for individual believers.
Part 2 continued the theme of benefits but explained how they were bestowed on the corporate body of believers. Key words: benefits for corporate body, the Church.
Now we are in part 3. Beginning with chapter 4, the emphasis has been on the attitudes and behaviors which are expected of individual believers. All the teaching in part 3 relates to the command “Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”
The first verse in our reading is a “transition” verse. It summarized what we talked about in the previous message and also introduces us to what follows. Throughout this letter Paul has contrasted the attitudes and behaviors of unregenerate pagans with the new radically different lifestyle expected of believers. Believers were to renounce and put off the old evil habits and live in true righteousness and holiness. In the verses for today, Paul gives more instructions about the attitudes and behaviors to be followed by believers.
Read Ephesians 5:5-21
In verse 5 Paul warned his readers about the serious consequences of the old lifestyle. Believers needed to know that there was no room in the kingdom of Christ and God for those who continued to be immoral, impure, and greedy. Beginning in verse 6 Paul provided three more reasons why believers must live a life of holiness.
The first reason concerns judgment. Verse 6 indicates that disobedient people face God’s wrath and are ineligible to receive God’s inheritance. Among those who are subject to God’s wrath are those who “deceive … with empty words.” Paul had previously mentioned the fact that believers must be on their guard against deceptions and temptations. Among the deceivers in Ephesus were teachers who introduced strange ideas and opinions about God and God’s standards of behavior. Scripture indicates that God has a special hatred toward those individuals who deliberately turn His people away from the truth.
In Paul’s lifetime, there was a religious movement (Gnostism) which promoted the heretical idea that believers could give in to their physical desires without adversely affecting their spiritual condition. Some of these false teachers were very persuasive, and they led some new and immature believers back into old sinful habits. Paul did not want the Ephesian believers to be fooled by these teachers.
The phrase, “because of such things,” refers back to earlier verses which described sexual immorality, impurities, and greed. It was “because of these kinds of old pagan habits” that the wrath of God would come. Paul did not want believers to become “partners” (literally “participants”) with those who were under the condemnation of God.
In verses 8 through 14 Paul illustrated the difference between the old life of pagans and the new life of believers by contrasting darkness and light. He began this paragraph by reminding his readers what kind of people they had been in the past. This is the third time in this letter that Paul used this approach to a new topic (see 2:1-3 and 4:17-24). In previous passages he reminded the Ephesians that, before their conversions, they had been “dead in their transgressions and sins,” with “hardened hearts,” “darkened in their understanding,” and “separated from the life of God.” However, they had been rescued from the dominion of darkness and had become “light.”
Verse 8 does not say that they were living in the light. Rather Paul states that they had become “light in the Lord.” Not only had their lives been illuminated by the Lord through their new relationship with the Lord, but through their new lifestyles, they had become the means of introducing light into the dark areas of human behavior.
Because believers are “light,” they have two responsibilities. They must “live as children of light” and they must “find out what pleases the Lord.” Verse 9 explains what it means to live as “children of light.” They must give evidence of “the fruit of the light” which is found in all that is good, righteous, and true. Believers thus become sources of spiritual reality to those who live in darkness.
The phrase, “find out what pleases the Lord” refers to the will of the Lord. The verb means “to discover by investigation.” Believers must continually seek to understand the will of God in every situation so that everything they do will be pleasing to Him.
Verse 11 has two important commands. The first part of the verse is the command to “have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness.” This is a logical follow up to the command to “live as children of light” as well as the follow up to the command in verse 7 “do not be partners with disobedient sinners.” Those who live in darkness cannot produce “fruit of the light.” There is no spiritual light in them. They can only produce the barren “fruitless deeds of darkness,” deeds which qualify them for God’s wrath.
The second command in verse 11 indicates the initiative that believers are expected to take. They, as light, must expose the deeds of evildoers. The implication in the Greek language is that believers must let their light shine brightly in the darkness so that hidden and disguised evil deeds will be revealed as the evil that they are.
Jump ahead to verses 13 and 14. There is a physics lesson in these verses. Darkness is the absence of light. Darkness and light cannot exist in the same location at the same time. When light penetrates the darkness, it makes everything visible. When the light of the believer, which is really the light of Christ in the Person of the indwelling Holy Spirit, shines in the darkness, it reveals the presence of sin. In the presence of spiritual light, evil can no longer masquerade as anything other than evil. Jesus said that His followers were “the light of this world” (Matthew 5:14). The believer has the responsibility to expose the evil habits of the world by demonstrating the “fruit of the light.”
I need to clarify something here. Verse 11 states that believers must not have anything to do with the deeds of darkness. Notice that it is “deeds” which must be avoided, not the doers of the deeds. Believers must not withdraw from the world, even though they must not be identified with the thinking and practices of the world. They must live incarnationally among people in order that their light might shine on people.
A second point to clarify: Paul is emphasizing the quality of the lifestyle of the believer. It is the deeds of the believer which will expose the deeds of darkness. I want to quote a verse written by the Apostle Peter to highlight this point. Peter wrote: “Live such good lives among the pagans that … they may see your good deeds and glorify God” (I Peter 2:12). Peter was repeating what Jesus said: “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). It is the quality of the lifestyle of the believer which will expose the behaviors of the people of darkness.
Let me make a comment about verse 12. This verse states that it is inappropriate for believers to talk about the activities that pagans do under cover of secrecy and darkness. This verse agrees with one of the verses we thought about in the previous message, in which Paul stated that “obscenities, foolish talk, and coarse joking, were out of place” for God’s holy people (Ephesians 5:4). Unfortunately, some believers derive a vicarious perverse pleasure in thinking about and gossiping about the sins of others. Probably believers have no interest in the “scandal sheets” which are available near grocery store check-out counters, but I am surprised by the popularity among believers of soap operas and other TV programs which describe blatantly sinful behavior. Basically verse 12 is telling us that we shouldn’t imitate a race horse (which runs best on a dirt track!).
Now a comment about verses 13 and 14. Paul is not suggesting that believers go looking for evil behavior in order to expose it. Believers are not to be detectives in order to catch pagans in sinful activities. The responsibility for believers is to live as children of light in the power of the Holy Spirit. If they do this, then the Holy Spirit will shine through the goodness, righteousness, and truth of the children of light to expose the evil in the world.
Verse 14 is a quotation, but no one knows the source. Paul used the quotation to motivate believers to be the kind of people they were expected to be. When the children of light spend time with pagans, the evil thoughts and actions of pagans will be exposed to spiritual light, and then there will be the possibility that they may be spiritually awakened and be enlightened in Christ. Conversion occurs when a person awakens out of spiritual stupor, is raised from death, and brought into the light of relationship with Christ.
I said that there were three reasons in this passage why believers must live a life of holiness. We have thought about two of those reasons so far. The third reason is in verses 15 through 21. In these verses, there is another kind of contrast. Light and darkness is replaced by the contrast between wisdom and foolishness.
In verse 8 the command was to “live as the children of light.” Beginning in verse 15 the command concerns how the children of light live. Two main ideas come from verse 15: “be careful,” and “be wise.” If believers are to live “lives worthy of their calling,” they must both know what the will of God is for their lives and they must put forth the concentration and effort toward doing what God wants of them.
It is important that believers be careful and wise about the use of their time. All people have, at their disposal, the same daily amount of time each day, but not all people make the best possible use of their time. Carefulness implies that we know what our priorities are — that we know what we should be doing. Carefulness requires discipline about the time and effort we put into our tasks. Paul did not want his readers to be foolish about their priorities. Scripture makes it clear that the priorities of believers are not earthly possessions and positions, but rather the glory of God. Believers are called to be the servants of the living God, to be God’s representatives here on earth. In view of their calling, Paul did not want his readers to waste any opportunities because “the days (on earth) are evil.”
Paul wanted his readers to understand the Lord’s will. Nothing is more important in the believer’s life than to discover and do the will of God. Believers need to comprehend both the general will of God and the particular assignments that God has for them as individuals. In a general sense, God wants all His people to be like Jesus Christ. In his letter to the Roman church Paul wrote that those “who have been called according to God’s purpose He predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:28-29). That is God’s priority. Peter wrote that all believers are to “be holy as God is holy” (I Peter 1:16). That is God’s priority. Earlier in this letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote that all believers are to be “imitators of God” and to “live a life of love” (Ephesians 5:1-2). That is also a priority of God. There is a lot of information about the general will of God.
On the other hand, from the standpoint of individual believers, God has particular and specific assignments. This is why He gives them a variety of skills and spiritual gifts, places them in diverse locations, and assigns them different tasks both in the Church and in the world. In chapter 2 Paul concluded his description of God’s mercy and grace and our salvation with these words: “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Each believer is called for a specific purpose, and therefore it is important that each believer seek to determine what that purpose is.
The general will of God for His people is clearly revealed in Scripture. However, the will of God for individual lives is not so obviously revealed. There are general principles which help and guide individual believers, but detailed understanding about the will of God is only possible after careful thought and prayer and possibly through the counsel of fellow believers. It is important for believers to have understanding and confidence about who they are and what they are to do.
The final verses in this passage are also related to the topic of carefulness and wisdom. Believers are to be careful and wise about the influences which control their behaviors. Both wine and the Spirit can be a controlling influence. Drunkenness was very common in the pagan world (and, based on the number of warnings in Scripture, it seems that wine was also a serious temptation to believers). The danger of drunkenness is that it leads to debauchery, a word which means “wild living” associated with squandering of money and indulgence of physical lusts.
Wine and other alcoholic drinks, when consumed in excess, depress the control centers of the body, the centers which influence clarity of thought, judgment, and self-control. The Holy Spirit, however, sharpens the mind, provides insight and understanding, and enables the believer to live counter culturally, above the ways of the world. One influence dehumanizes people, the other makes people God-like. This is why Paul wrote, “Do not get drunk on wine. … Instead be filled with the Spirit.”
In the Greek language, the verb, “be filled,” is a command which literally means “keep on being filled.” For a believer, the command is not an option to be treated in a casual way. It is a command which is basic and essential, necessary if the believer is to live according to their calling. Also the verb is in the passive voice. The meaning is “Allow yourself to be filled with the Spirit.” The believer gives permission to the Holy Spirit through faith in, and obedience to, the truth of God’s word. The lack of obedience “grieves” the Holy Spirit. Lastly, the verb is in the plural form, and therefore is addressed to every person in fellowship with God.
In place of debauchery the Spirit guides the believer to a completely different pattern of behaviors. Under the influence of the Spirit, the believer will “speak … with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,” “sing and make music … to the Lord,” “give thanks to God the Father for everything,” and “submit to one another.” These action verbs in verses 19-21 are actually participles, which, in the English language, means they are words that end in “i-n-g.” The Greek language literally reads, “Allow yourselves to be filled with the Spirit through speaking, singing and making music, giving thanks, and submitting.”
“Speaking” refers to communication among believers. The mention of “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” suggests that the context is public worship. The “singing and making music” is “in the heart” “to the Lord,” apparently a reference to the attitude which a believer is to have. “Giving thanks” to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is something believers should do at all times regardless of their circumstances, whether good or bad. Believers should be eternally grateful for all that the Father and Jesus Christ did for them. “Submitting to one another” requires believers to put the interests of others ahead of their own. Submission is a form of voluntary servitude for the benefit of others. In the next message we will look at the topic of submission more fully.
God has very high expectations of His people. He wants us to be like Jesus, and He has provided help to us so that our attitudes and behaviors will be conformed to those of Jesus. If we are filled with God’s Spirit, we will have a harmonious relationship with God, worshipping Him with joy and thanksgiving. Likewise, we will have a harmonious and reciprocal relationship with other believers. We will be able to fellowship with each other, submit to one another, and build up each other. And our light will shine brightly in our dark evil world.
Remember this song from kindergarten days?
This little light of mine, I’m goin’ to let it shine
Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m goin’ to let it shine
All around the neighborhood, I’m goin’ to let it shine
Won’t let Satan “Poof it out.” I’m goin’ to let it shine
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