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The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians - Chapter 5
Revised 2013
- 1 Children ought to follow the example of their father. So imitate God - your Father - in forgiving and in loving. Exhortation, to imitate God is unique to Eph.
- 2 And imitate Christ also. “us” suggests this is part of a confessional formula. No language is adequate to express the effectiveness of Christ’s sacrifice for us. We too must show love for each other, as Christ did for us, so that our lives will also smell sweetly to God.
- 3 Fornication is included in impurity - base and impure lusts. Greed or covetousness - immoderate desire for gain. Those who commit these sins are excluded from the company of saints. Do not even mention them.
- 4 Also excluded is anything that is indecent or inconsistent with the modesty of the godly. Foolish talk includes both wicked and unprofitable talk, including jesting, witty and teasing, which can easily hide maliciousness, satire or conceit. A better translation is that all our conversations should be sweet and graceful - full of grace.
- 5 The kingdom of Christ: Christ is already the king of the world, given him by God. When his work is complete & all enemies, including sin & death, have been defeated, then God will be king, as always intended. And we can gain this kingdom through the kingdom of Christ. Implies salvation once gained can be lost. The practices are condemned. Sinner can be forgiven. But those continuing in these practices have no friendship with God, and may be deprived of all hope of salvation. So those abusing sex have no place in the present kingdom, let alone the next. Sexual sins and greed are forms of idolatry, ie putting sex or wealth in place of God.
- 6 There are in all ages many who would promote the attractiveness of these vices: “God is not so cruel as to condemn people for these trivial sins of our human frailty”. Important not to be led astray by false teaching, or to participate in these vices, which brings down the anger of God. “Wrath of God” is not some external punishment but is built into creation. If we misuse God’s gift of sex, it will certainly rebound and punish us, like misusing drugs. In sexual intercourse without complete commitment to each other the bodies are telling lies. Casual sex is a parody and can never bring satisfaction. Paul’s solution is simple & clear: don’t even talk about. Literally “the sons of disobedience”, a Semitism (cf Is 30:9). Paul is not suggesting God threatens believers, but reminds believers that they can see the punishments drawn upon themselves automatically by the unbelievers who practise these vices.
- 7 Draw a clear line between Christians and those who practice sexual immorality.
- 8 As Gentiles you were without Christ, and so were darkness itself, under the dominion of Satan. Now as Gentiles in the Lord, you have become light. And this requires you to live differently. As you have become light, you must bear light to others. You must learn to think straight, not “going with the flow”.
- 9 Points out he road that the children of light ought to follow. A few examples plus the general admonition to follow the will of God. Some translations have “fruit of the Spirit”, which is in some Greek mss. But “light” is surely more consistent with the general text.
- 11 Living in the midst of unbelievers, it is not enough to abstain from these vices. You must not gve consent, advice or approbation; must not assist or join the wicked. Because in these ways one has fellowship with evildoers and connive with them. Instead we must reprove them.
- 12 What is done in secret is not visible and hence not seen as a crime, either by themselves or - they think - by God. But the torch of God’s word opens their eyes; the reproofs of the saints enlightens blind unbelievers, dragging forth into the light those sunk in ignorance. What is done behind closed doors would be seen as wrong if it were visible. Darkness gives courage to pretend it is not wrong, and hope not to be punished. The saints, by reproving them, make their actions visible, and may induce their shame, and so repentance.
- 13 Perhaps implies that Christians must - have an obligation to - shine the light (of truth) on immoral behaviour, making it visible. “Exposed” keeps the image of light, but another translation is “reprove”, since it has the meaning: drag forth into the light what was in darkness.
- 14 An early Christian hymn, possibly baptismal. Challenges the one to be baptised to wake up from the sleep of a spiritual death. Resurrection into newness of life, permeated with the light of Christ. Better: “Christ shall give them light”.
- 15 Having a duty to shine light on others, we must not neglect to shine the light of truth on our own actions. Being enlightened, you are also wise, so must use this wisdom to make the most of the opportunity, being alert in these evil days to discern the will of God.
- 16 But do not be obsessive: learn how to relax, allowing God to give you his peace. Liturgy should bring peace, not reinforce a frenetic lifestyle. But each hour & day is a gift, to be used, not left to pass us by. We cannot gain time but we can - and should learn to make the most of it. As children of the light we should do something about the evils of our age. In evil days, as we are, it is difficult to avoid being contaminated.
- 17 Wisdom is understanding what the will of God is.
- 18 Drunkenness hinders discerning God’s will. Be filled with the Spirit instead. Celebration is good, being drunk is not, because then all restraints are thrown off. Let the Spirit fill your minds & imagination, using resources of Christian tradition. So replacing the joy of drunkenness with spiritual joy, which leads to singing.
- 19 Community full of the Spirit is shown by singing. 3 categories: psalms, hymn, spiritual songs. Christians sang the Jewish songs of the OT, now looking back with joy to what the Jews had looked forward to in hope. Hymns might have been newly composed, as quoted in v 14, and spiritual songs more impromptu. But we don’t know. Paul sees singing in this way, either aloud or in your heart, as actually practising your faith, not just aural embroidery. Keeping your garden well stocked with plants is a good way to keep the weeds out. So keeping the mind full of Christ keeps dangerous distracting thoughts away. Stops the mind wandering off. Phrases in spiritual songs keep bubbling up to offer guidance when needed. Paul’s emphasis is again on the mind, and the need for wisdom, as guide to action. Hoping things will work out, without thinking them through, leads to death. You must rise up, rely on the Messiah, letting his light shine on you, so you can walk in the light, illuminating your path through dark alleys.
- 20 In particular use every free moment to give thanks to God, to understand his will for you - and doing it!
- 21 Vv 21-33: Another manifestation of being filled with the Spirit is mutual obedience out of reverence for Christ - who is the prime example of obedience. First the general requirement to be subject to one another, as we are subject to Christ. An elaborate teaching on Christ and the church is woven into this section on wives & husbands, who are to be mutually subject to each other as to Christ. Marriage is a divine institution (Gen 2:24), but also takes on a new meaning symbolising the love between Christ (masculine) & the church (feminine). The wife should serve her husband in the same spirit as the church serving Christ, and the husband should care for his wife with the devotion of Christ to the church.
- 22 Western world has reversed this stereotype of male domination. Men have to apologise for not being female, but for displaying male strength and aggression. Image here is more love by husbands of their wives, less threatening behaviour. So differentiates from surrounding society. But have society’s structures yet changed enough from the patriarchal culture of Paul’s time?
- 23 But Paul does not take an “alpha-male” as role model, but Jesus. The church, as the bride of Christ, has not been dragged off unwillingly, but because Christ gave himself totally for the church. Here Paul lyrically describes Christ’s loving self-giving on the Cross. Women then seen as impure, and so dangerous to a man wishing to keep himself pure. Paul sees Christ as a husband bringing his wife to full purity. Not rejecting her, but cherishing her, letting her know al all times she is valued.
- 24 Paul takes for granted the differences between the sexes, not just physical but also their mutually complementary roles, both in the family and in society. Husbands should take the lead, but following the self-sacrificial model of Christ. Our modern societies do not provide a better model!
- 25 Important to balance the apparently sexist teaching of vv 22-24 with the duties on husbands in vv 25-33.
- 26 Unique: Christ sacrificed himself for the church, to make the church holy - ie separate it apart for himself - , purified with baptismal washing and proclamation of the Word, so that it can be presented “to himself” as a glorified church, holy & spotless. Paul means by washing by baptism that God uses baptism to signify that we are washed, and at the same time time God performs what it represents. It is improper to say that baptism is the washing of the soul; neither the water nor the minister cleanse the soul: that belongs to God alone (Calvin). The sacrament must lead us to Christ, not to man. It is God who washes. But “by the word” is essential: the spoken promise which explains the sign, is essential.
- 27 Paul completes his analysis of baptism: its purpose is that we might live holy and unblemished before God, and not return to our pollution, retaining throughout life the purity we have received. As the beauty of the wife produces love in the husband, so Christ gives holiness to the church as proof of his love for the church. The beauty of the church consists in its conjugal chastity, ie in holiness & purity, both in the eyes of men, and in the eyes of the Lord. This is Christ’s purpose, in progress, not yet completed. This completes Paul’s description of the 4 marks of the church: one, holy, catholic, apostolic.
- 28 Love of self - made in God’s image - is a virtue. As we must love our bodies, feeding and nurturing them, so Christ loves the church, which is his body. A man who loves himself cannot help loving his wife, because they are now one in flesh, so she is part of himself.
- 29 Possible reference to the Eucharist. The strong affection which a husband ought to show to his wife should be modelled on the love Christ shows to the church, and the unity in marriage is an example of the unity between Christ and his church. What a mysterious intercourse we have with Christ!
- 30 Not just that Christ partakes of our human nature, but that we share in Christ’s human nature.
- 31 Gen 2:24, climax of 2nd creation story, to support unity of husbands & wives in the one body of Christ, which is his church. Perhaps a frequent problem in some marriages is that one or both partners fail to emotionally leave their parents and devote themselves totally to each other. Paul takes Gen further: God’s ultimate intention in creation: the man - Messiah - will leave the place where he was at home, and go in search of a bride (Cf Phil 2:6-11; Col 1:15-20). As Eve was formed out of the substance of Adam’s body, and so was a part of him, the two becoming one person, so - as members of Christ - we share his substance, uniting into his body, as symbolised and pledged by the Eucharist. “We are members of his flesh and of his bones” (v 30), so he offers us in the Eucharist his body to be enjoyed and to nourish us.
- 32 Astonishment at what a great mystery this is. No language adequate to explain it. Mystery because not fully understood in its original setting (Gen) but real meaning of two becoming one flesh is now seen as the model for Christ’s relationship with his church.
- 33 Brief summary, after digression to teach about the nature of Christ’s relationship to his church.
