Ephesians 5

Live in Love

¹ Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children

The only way to imitate God is to know Him. The only way to know God is through study of the entire counsel of the Word of God. Once a believer learns Bible doctrine, then he can know and imitate Him. Believers are to imitate God the Father just as children are to imitate their earthly father.

In the last chapter, the Holy Spirit enlightens, baptizes, indwells, seals, guides, and teaches the believer. However, the Holy Spirit can also be grieved. If a believer does grieve the Holy Spirit, then the good news is that they are still His children and they will never be forsaken. Believers may be disciplined but not forsaken.

² and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

The believer imitates God by walking in love. Love is sacrificing oneself for others. Jesus proved His love by sacrificing Himself on the cross.

The cross was not the place of the execution of a common criminal. The cross was a fragrant offering to God. It was the brazen altar where the Lamb of God was sacrificed for the sins of the world.

³ But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints.

Rome was an empire of fornication, adultery, temple prostitution, lesbianism, homosexuality, and animalism. God pulled the Ephesians out of this culture and placed them in the body of Christ. They were now a new creation and an ambassador of Christ, so they were not to return to the Roman lifestyle. America's favorite buzz word is the new morality. This is nothing but the old sin nature. America has fallen back into the Greco-Roman culture.

⁴ Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting – all of which are out of character – but rather thanksgiving.

Instead of profanity and crude jokes, the Ephesians were to praise God with thanksgiving. After all, they had been chosen out of this immoral Roman lifestyle. There is nothing wrong with humor, unless it is profane and used to tear someone down.

⁵ For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

When the literal 1000 year Millennial Kingdom comes to earth at the Second Coming of Christ, en this kingdom will not tolerate immorality, impurity, or greed. Sinners who do not accept Christ after 100 years will suffer the death penalty. There will be angels all around the Millennial Kingdom who can stop any kind of immoral sin. Jesus will rule with a rod of iron. 

Live in the Light

⁶ Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience.

There will be false teachers in the local churches who will speak words that mean nothing. The sons of disobedience are those who reject Christ. They are children of the devil. God's wrath will fall on these agents of Satan.

⁷ Therefore do not be partakers with them,

The Ephesians were not to fellowship with the children of Satan.

⁸ for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light –

At one time, the Ephesians were not just walking in darkness, but they were darkness. However, the Holy Spirit illuminated them so that they could hear and understand the gospel. Without this illumination, no one can be saved. Now, the Ephesians are to reflect the light of the Lord.

⁹ for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth –

If a person is saved, then he will reflect light. This light will shine and glorify Christ through these listed fruits of the spirit.

¹⁰ trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Those who love God want to learn what pleases Him. Those who love God want to learn the mind of God. Those who love God will master and apply Bible doctrine.

¹¹ Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

Believers are commanded to expose darkness. Believers are to expose the darkness of all cults and isms that attack the deity of Christ. Believers are to expose denominations and cults who do not teach salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. Believers are to expose evil in politics, religion, education, business, home, culture, entertainment, and media. Believers are to expose false doctrine in local churches. Believers are to expose false doctrine in the Charismatic, Armenian, prosperity, emergent, seeker, mega, feminist, post-tribulation, and Catholic churches.  If this is done as Christ commanded, then the mature believer needs to be ready to be called non-tolerant, arrogant, mean-spirited, not practicing agape love, and other such verbiages. However, also be ready to receive crowns in heaven for doing God's work.

¹² For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention.

Man is an actor on a stage. He puts up a front for his audience. When he is alone in secret, his sins are too shameful to even mention. What is done in secret is open scandal in heaven.

¹³ But all things being exposed by the light are made evident.

Darkness does not dispel light, but light dispels darkness. When one turns on the light in the barn, all of the rats and spiders start running for cover. Believers are to teach light so that evil can be exposed.

¹⁴ For everything made evident is light, and for this reason it says: “Awake, O sleeper, Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!”

This is not an Old Testament quote. It could have been a popular quote or song during Paul's day.  This popular saying was not inspired, but the meaning of this quote does express divine spiritual concepts. A person who falls into sin is a dead man who needs to be awakened out of darkness, raise himself up, and allow Christ's light to shine upon him.

Live Wisely

¹⁵ Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise,

Wisdom comes from studying and applying the Word of God. Anyone who does not study the entire counsel of the Word of God is foolish, because they are not preparing themselves for the angelic warfare. They will become a casualty. Paul will teach about preparation for this warfare in the next chapter.

¹⁶ taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Those who are wise with BIble doctrine will take advantage of every opportunity which is given tho them. They must take advantage of divine opportunity  because they are living in evil days.

Believers do not live in a peaceful world. Believers live in the satanic world system. Satan would sift believers like Peter if he could gain permission from God. Bible doctrine is the believer's only defense against the devil and his schemes.

¹⁷ For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is.

Believers must not be foolish. They must become wise by the study of Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God.

Believers cannot receive God's will from charismatic prophets or tongues speakers or from the utterances of the Pope. All of this extra-Biblical revelation is not from God. It is manipulated by Satan to make it look like it comes from God. The originator is actually Satan himself. He wishes to devour those who do not have strong Bible doctrine.

¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit,

Drunken orgies were used in the Greek and Roman culture as a pagan method of contacting demons. The Greek and Roman cultures were brought down by alcoholism.

In the same way, politicians make many very poor decisions for our nation during cocktail hours. One drink too many can cause millions of deaths or millions of tax dollars to be wasted. It is easy for Satan to influence the individual who is under the influence of alcohol. What one needs instead is divine intoxication.

Believers are commanded to be filled with the Spirit. This is not a charismatic superstitious emotional experience. Being filled with the Spirit  means being controlled by the Spirit.  Believers are controlled by the Spirit by taking in Bible doctrine into their souls from the entire counsel of the Word of God so that they can learn the mind of God. Once believers know the mind of God, then they can act like Christ. They can recognize what He wants them to recognize. When believers sin, they must continually confess their sins according to 1 John 1:9, so that they can regain fellowship with God. If they are not in fellowship with God, then they are a dirty vessel. God will not use dirty vessels to perform divine tasks. He will simply call upon someone else who is clean to perform this service. He will give the dirty vessel's crown to another cleaner vessel who completes the service.

Charismatics often falsely equate the filling of the Spirit with the baptism of the Spirit. They are not the same event, as charismatics falsely teach.  The baptism of the Spirit occurs at the instant of conversion. It is always used in the aorist tense, meaning a onetime completed action of the past. It is always used in the indicative mood, meaning that it is a 100% statement of fact.

On the other hand, the filling of the Spirit is always used in the present tense, meaning that it should happen continually many times. It is always used in the imperative mood, meaning that it is a continual command. Every time a believer sins, he is to confess these sins, according to 1 John 1:9. This confession cleanses the human vessel so that it is not a dirty vessel. God will not use dirty vessels. Once the vessel is clean, then it can be filled with the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit means to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord,

Instead of getting drunk and living in debauchery, believers should speak to other believers in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Believers should sing and make music to God. Instead of living in sin, believers should live to glorify God. 

²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Believers are to continually give thanks to God the Father through the character of Jesus. Jesus is Lord, meaning deity. He is also Christ, meaning Messiah, or the anointed god-man-king predicted in the Old Testament. 

²¹ and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

The Greek word for "submitting" is ὑποτάσσω (hupotasso). It is a military compound word, with ὑπο (hypo) meaning under and τάσσω (tasso) meaning arrangement. The compound verb means "to be under the arrangement of God". This verse is used of soldiers being under the direct command of their officers, of believers being under the direct command of Christ, of demons being under the direct arrangement of Satan, and of angels being under the direct command of Christ. This verse is not speaking about husbands and wives exclusively. This verse is speaking about all believers in Christ. Believers are to place themselves under God's divine arrangement.

Exhortations to Households

²² Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord,

How do believers place themselves under God's arrangement? As for husbands and wives, wives are to place themselves under their husband's arrangement just as believers are to place themselves under God's arrangement. The Greek word for "to the Lord" is τῷ Χριστῷ (to Christo), meaning that a wife's service to the Lord is to place herself under her husband's arrangement. She is to be the help-mate to her husband, just as Eve was the help-mate to her husband. This is not a popular teaching with feminists, Biblically-ignorant wives, or Biblically-rebellious wives, but the Word of God takes precedent over human viewpoint.

Many feminists will argue that ὑποτάσσω (hupotasso), the Greek word translated in many English texts as "submit,” is not even in this passage. This verb is in the Textus Receptus, which is most likely more accurate than the Westcott-Hort. Even if the verb is considered not in the text, then verses 21 and 22 are one sentence, so ὑποτάσσω (hupotasso) is carried over into this clause. Feminists incorrectly use the English verse numbering system in order to eliminate ὑποτάσσω (hupotasso) from this passage.

Feminism is alive and well in America. They not only attack a wife's Biblical role to her husband, but they also teach women to divorce their husbands, abort their children, engage in witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians.

²³ because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church – he himself being the savior of the body.

Why should a wife place herself under the arrangement of her husband? The reason is theological. Christ the husband is the head of the church, His bride. The human family is patterned after the family of the Godhead.

²⁴ But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Notice here that the feminist argument is silenced, as ὑποτάσσω (hupotasso) is used in this verse in the present tense, meaning that the wife is to be under her husband's arrangement continually and forever.

In what specific tasks should wives be continually and forever under her husband's arrangement? The answer is ἐν παντί (en panti), meaning in all things, or in every single task. If a wife chooses not to be submissive to her husband, then she has committed a sin and she is out of fellowship with God. She is a dirty vessel. God will not use dirty vessels. The unsubmissive wife will be miserable, because she is not following God's will in her life. A wife serves God by placing herself under her husband's arrangement. In Paul's other letters, Paul even commands believing wives to place themselves under the arrangement of their unbelieving husbands.

According to Dr. Charles Ryrie, "Wives are to submit to the leadership of their husbands in the home (vv. 22, 24); they are to respect their husbands (v. 33); they are to love their husbands (Titus 2:4) and live with them until death (Rom. 7:2–3)."

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her

The Greek word for love is ἀγαπάω (agapaow), a present active imperative verb, meaning a command for the husband to continually love his wife with divine love. Divine love is studying the Scriptures from the entire counsel of the Word of God and applying all of these principles in one's life. Love is applying Bible doctrine. Love is sacrificing one's life for another, just as the divine Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross for His bride. Husbands are to do the same for their bride as well. If a husband loves his bride like Christ loves the church, then the wife should have no problem following her husband.

According to Dr. Charles Ryrie, "Husbands are to love their wives, lead them (v. 23), nurture them in the things of Christ (v. 29), and live with them faithfully for life (Matt. 19:3–9)."

²⁶ to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word,

The Greek word for "sanctify" is ἁγιάζω (hagiazo), meaning to make special or holy. The Greek word for cleansing is καθαρίζω (kathario), meaning to cleanse and remove all filth.  The Greek word for λουτρόν (loutron) is bathing in a private or public bath.  The Greek word for "word" is ῥῆμα (rama), meaning the spoken word. The bride of Christ is to be made special and holy by removing all filth by the bathing in the spoken word of God. Notice that if taken literally from the Greek and using the method described by Paul's apostolic authority earlier in his letter, it is the spoken word by pastor-teachers with the gift of teaching that sanctifies (cleanses) the church.

²⁷ so that he may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

Once the bride takes this bath, then Christ will present her as a beautiful, glorious, holy, blameless bride who does not have a stain, wrinkle, blemish, or even a wart upon her. Notice that human brides prepare themselves for their earthly husbands, but Christ prepares His own bride for Himself.

²⁸ In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

Husbands feed and take care of their own bodies. Since the wife is an extension of the husband, so the husband should feed and care for his wife's body as well. Paul was elevating womanhood way above that of the Roman culture (or any other culture in history).

²⁹ For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church,

Christ feeds and cares for the church, so the husband should do so for his wife.

³⁰ for we are members of his body.

The bride of Christ is joined to Christ her husband. They are one flesh.

³¹ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.

A husband and wife is a greater bond than that of parent and child, because the marriage consummates one flesh.

³² This mystery is great – but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

The mystery refers to the husband and wife becoming one flesh. They should serve Christ together with one mind and one body. Their marriage was created to glorify God. If a wife is unsuzbmissive to her husband, then she is not glorifying God.

³³ Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Christianity elevated marriage in the Roman culture. No longer were Roman husbands to commit adultery in the prostitution temples while their wives stayed home and gave birth to the children. Instead, husbands were to love the wife as he loves himself. The wife was to respect the husband. A woman respects her husband by submitting under her husband's arrangement. This is not the feminist view, but it is God's view.

Dr. John Danish made the following comment in one of his audio teachings, "If you are a feminist, then you should not get married. You should stay home and live with your parents."