Paul's Letters Ephesians

Walk In Love and Light

Discover Jesus as: The Head Ephesians 5 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 542 of 730
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INTRO

MacArthur summarizes the message of chapter 5 as “God’s standards for faithfulness in the church.”1

TEACHING

Ephesians 5:1-7: In verses 1–2, Paul tells his readers to be imitators of God. Nelson’s Commentary explains, “Believers are to follow the example of God’s actions. He loved us when we were still His enemies. As imitators, believers should demonstrate that type of self-sacrifice love.”2 MacArthur describes being imitators of God as “the very purpose of sanctification, growing in likeness to the Lord while serving Him on earth.” MacArthur continues, “The Christian life is designed to reproduce godliness as modeled by the Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, in whose image believers have been recreated through the New Birth.”3 According to 1 Peter 1:15–16, there is no greater calling or purpose than imitating the Lord—to look more like Him every day. That allows us to walk in love.

Verse 2 describes Jesus’ life as a “sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.” MacArthur explains Christ’s offering on the cross “…for fallen mankind pleased and glorified His heavenly Father, because it demonstrated, in the most complete and perfect way, God’s sovereign, perfect, unconditional, and divine kind of love.”4 In Leviticus, five offerings were commanded by God.

MacArthur outlines the first three as: “(1) the burnt offering (Leviticus 1:1–17), depicting Christ’s perfection; (2) the grain offering (Leviticus 2:1–6), depicting Christ’s total devotion to God in giving His life to please the Father; and (3) the peace offering (Leviticus 3:1–17), depicting His peacemaking between God and man.”5 These three were a soothing aroma to the Lord. MacArthur explains of the last two, “The sin offering (Leviticus 4:1—5:13) and the trespass offering (Leviticus 5:14—6:7), were repulsive to God because, though they depicted Christ, they depicted Him as bearing sin (Matthew 27:46). In the end, when redemption was accomplished, the whole work pleased God completely.”6

We should imitate Christ in all our actions. We cannot allow sexual immorality or greed to be in our lives (v. 3) or allow coarse and foolish talking or joking to come from our mouths (v. 4). Nelson’s Commentary explains, “The Christian’s life must not be degraded by filthiness, foolish talking, coarse jesting” because they “do not honor God nor give Him thanks for redeeming us.”7 Paul said those who were immoral, greedy, or an idolater had no inheritance in God’s kingdom and would face God’s wrath (vv. 5–6). God does not tolerate sin. Paul stressed that the Ephesians should guard themselves against false teachers who “deceive you with empty arguments” (v. 6) and warned them, “do not become their partner” (v. 7), so that nothing would get in their way of being pure, holy, and clean.

Ephesians 5:8–14: Paul moves on to contrast living in light with darkness. MacArthur explains, “Darkness describes the character of the life of the unconverted as void of truth and virtue in intellectual and moral matters.”8 Paul explained the believers had been in darkness before Christ but now lived in the light (v. 8). The believers should be walking in LOVE and in LIGHT. Living in the light allows us to have the fruit of that light—goodness, righteousness, and truth—so we can discern what pleases God (vv. 9–10). Believers should avoid the fruitless works of darkness and expose the shamefulness of what is done in darkness instead (vv. 11–12). On the other hand, what is shown by the light is seen clearly (vv. 13–14).

CLOSING

We are to pay attention to how we walk as the wise in Christ, so we bring glory to Him.

  1. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2005), p. 1697.

  2. Earl Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, and H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), p. 1538.

  3. 3 MacArthur, pp. 1697-1698.

  4. 4 MacArthur, p. 1698.

  5. 5 MacArthur, p. 1698.

  6. 6 MacArthur, p. 1698.

  7. 7 Nelson’s Commentary, p. 1538.

  8. 8 MacArthur, p. 1698.

Questions

  1. According to Ephesians 5, what are some of the things that will bring God’s wrath? What can we do to avoid His wrath?
  2. What did Paul advise the church in Ephesus to do to avoid being deceived?
  3. In Ephesians 5:16, what did Paul say to do? What does it mean to you, to make the most of your time? Do you think this is in line with what God wants you to do with your life?
  4. Ephesians 5:22–30 speaks of how husbands and wives should act toward one another. Why is this important, and what relationship did Paul compare this to in this chapter?
  5. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Ephesians 5 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin Ephesians 5

“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us,a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.”

Have you ever seen a little child wear a pair of their daddy’s shoes and attempt to walk around, pretending to be his or her daddy? It can look kind of clumsy and funny, but the heart of the child longs to walk like his or her daddy. In a similar way, as a follower of Christ, you are to imitate your heavenly Father. You are to walk in love and light just as Christ the Messiah loved you and sacrificed His life as a fragrant offering to God. What does it look like for you to walk selflessly in love and light? Be wise, not unwise. Think about others first, not just what’s best for you. Don’t be foolish but understand what God’s will is. Be filled with the Spirit. Give thanks and praise to the Lord. Fear the Lord, not man. Walk in the light of Christ, not in darkness.

Today, imagine putting on the shoes of your heavenly Father, and, as you walk in His shoes, imitate His love. It may feel clumsy at first, but with time as you grow, it will feel more natural, and the love of your heavenly Father will overflow from your life. Walk in His love so you can walk out His love.

“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.”

— Ephesians 5:1–2

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • Ephesians 5:15–21 — “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making he most of the time, because the days are evil. So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.”
  • 1 Peter 1:14–16 — “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”
  • 1 John 1:6–7 — “If we say, ‘We have fellowship with Him,’ yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”