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5
Walk in love
1 Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children, 2 and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma. 3 But, you should not even talk about fornication or any form of moral corruption or insatiableness*Of course doing such things is out of the question, but why can't we talk about them? If you talk about it you will think about it, which will provide an opening for temptation. (as is fitting for saints); 4 nor any obscenity, nor foolish talk or coarse joking (that do not belong), but rather thanksgiving. 5 Because you can know this for sure: no fornicator, nor anyone who is morally corrupt or insatiable (actually an idolater),†To have an insatiable desire for something (say, money) is to be dominated by that something; it has become a god, an idolatry. has any inheritance in the Kingdom of the Christ and God.‡According to the grammatical construction here, “Christ and God” refer to the same person. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words,§Many ‘churches’ these days are making allowances for sexual immorality of various sorts (getting their values from Freud, not the Bible), but they will find themselves excluded from the Kingdom. Watch out for empty words! for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of the disobedience.*See the note at 2:2 above. 7 Therefore do not be participants with them 8 —even though you were once darkness, you are now light in Sovereign.
Walk in light
Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit†Instead of “Spirit”, some 5% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘light’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 approving what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not associate with the unfruitful works of the darkness, but rather expose/reprove them.‡I could not decide between ‘expose’ and ‘reprove’, since the verb here includes both ideas. So let us do both. 12 (It is shameful even to speak of those things being done by them in secret.) 13 Now all things, upon being exposed, are revealed by the light, for whatever reveals is light. 14 Therefore He says:
“Wake up, O sleeper, and arise from the dead,
and the Christ will shine on you.”§This is not a direct quote of any Old Testament passage. Not all God-given prophesies, though written down and read by subsequent generations, were included in the Canon.
Walk in wisdom
15 See then that you walk carefully, not as unwise but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 That is why you must not be foolish,*The ultimate foolishness is to not understand the Lord's will. but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 And do not get drunk on wine, which is harmful and wasteful;†Literally, ‘in which is dissipation’, so where did I get ‘harmful and wasteful’? Well, to dissipate is to waste, and a dictionary I have defines it as “to indulge in pleasure to the point of harming oneself”. Drunkenness always harms and wastes. rather be filled with the Spirit,‡Observe that this is a command, so it depends on us. The Holy Spirit is waiting to fill us, if we will only yield to Him. For light to fill the room all you have to do is flip the switch. 19 speaking to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks to God the Father concerning all things,§We are to declare God's goodness, faithfulness and wisdom, even when we do not like what is happening. in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.*Instead of “God”, perhaps 30% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘Christ’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).
Relationships within the home
About wives
22 Wives, subordinate yourselves†Observe that this is something she should do of her own volition, not because she is beaten into submission. to your own husbands, as to the Lord, 23 because a man is head of his wife as also Christ is Head of the Church—He also is Preserver of the body. 24 Yes, just as the Church is subject to Christ, so also the wives should be to their own husbands in everything.‡This “everything” obviously does not include things that God forbids.
About husbands
25 Husbands, love your own wives just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up on her behalf, 26 in order that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of the water: in a word, 27 that He might present her—the splendid Church—to Himself, not having a blemish or a wrinkle or any such thing, but that she be holy and blameless. 28 Just so the husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own flesh; rather he nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the Church 30 —for we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.§Less than 2.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit “of His flesh and of His bones” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.—an easy case of ‘similar ending’). Flesh and bones are definitely physical, not spiritual; so what is Paul saying? Perhaps he is emphasizing that “His body” is just as real as a physical body. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”*This is not just poetic language, it is a chemical reality. See Genesis 2:24. 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.
33 In any case, each of you individually: let each one love his own wife as himself,†Observe that ‘wife’ is singular. Although in the Old Testament men were not condemned for having more than one wife, in the context of the Church monogamy is the norm. The instruction in verse 33 is basic: if a wife does not feel loved and/or a husband does not feel respected, negative things start to happen. while the wife must respect her husband.

- Ephesians
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*5:3 Of course doing such things is out of the question, but why can't we talk about them? If you talk about it you will think about it, which will provide an opening for temptation.

†5:5 To have an insatiable desire for something (say, money) is to be dominated by that something; it has become a god, an idolatry.

‡5:5 According to the grammatical construction here, “Christ and God” refer to the same person.

§5:6 Many ‘churches’ these days are making allowances for sexual immorality of various sorts (getting their values from Freud, not the Bible), but they will find themselves excluded from the Kingdom. Watch out for empty words!

*5:6 See the note at 2:2 above.

†5:9 Instead of “Spirit”, some 5% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘light’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).

‡5:11 I could not decide between ‘expose’ and ‘reprove’, since the verb here includes both ideas. So let us do both.

§5:14 This is not a direct quote of any Old Testament passage. Not all God-given prophesies, though written down and read by subsequent generations, were included in the Canon.

*5:17 The ultimate foolishness is to not understand the Lord's will.

†5:18 Literally, ‘in which is dissipation’, so where did I get ‘harmful and wasteful’? Well, to dissipate is to waste, and a dictionary I have defines it as “to indulge in pleasure to the point of harming oneself”. Drunkenness always harms and wastes.

‡5:18 Observe that this is a command, so it depends on us. The Holy Spirit is waiting to fill us, if we will only yield to Him. For light to fill the room all you have to do is flip the switch.

§5:20 We are to declare God's goodness, faithfulness and wisdom, even when we do not like what is happening.

*5:21 Instead of “God”, perhaps 30% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘Christ’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.).

†5:22 Observe that this is something she should do of her own volition, not because she is beaten into submission.

‡5:24 This “everything” obviously does not include things that God forbids.

§5:30 Less than 2.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit “of His flesh and of His bones” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.—an easy case of ‘similar ending’). Flesh and bones are definitely physical, not spiritual; so what is Paul saying? Perhaps he is emphasizing that “His body” is just as real as a physical body.

*5:31 This is not just poetic language, it is a chemical reality. See Genesis 2:24.

†5:33 Observe that ‘wife’ is singular. Although in the Old Testament men were not condemned for having more than one wife, in the context of the Church monogamy is the norm. The instruction in verse 33 is basic: if a wife does not feel loved and/or a husband does not feel respected, negative things start to happen.

© 2016 Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM, PhD