Walk in Love

As we begin chapter 5, we begin by the word "therefore,"  meaning it was there for a reason.  So chapter 5 simply begins another paragraph in the letter the apostle wrote to the Church at Ephesus.

1. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ² And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Concluding the words that the apostle wrote in chapter 4, Paul now uses the word therefore - or because of, or that is why you are to be imitators of God as dear children as he writes here in verse 1.  Children are natural imitators of their parents or other adults who have significient influences over them.  

• God is our model of how we should behave.  So as children, let's let God be our model for our imitating.  I Peter 1:15-16 tells us to be holy, just as God is holy.  That means holy in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds.   In other words, we put to action our holiness to endeavor to become holy like God.  We are to imitating the character of God - even in our humanness as much as we are able, with the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit. 
• Jesus walked in the light of His Father, so then we too are to walk in the light of Jesus.  Jesus loved the whole world - so much to where He sacrificed His life for the sins of the world.  We too then must display our lives in this same kind of self-giving love.

We read here that Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, giving Himself for us, He became an offering and a sacrifice to God, and God considered it a sweet-smelling aroma.  In other words, it pleased God for His Son to be that sacrifice for our sins. Not that He delighted in His Son's suffering - not at all.  He predestined His sacrifice to happen even before the foundation of the world.  In other words, His death became our life.  Jesus' death became our way back to God - for God so loved the whole world and wanted communion with those Whom He created.

We too, as God's beautiful creation, can be a sweet smelling aroma to Christ as we walk in love toward others.  He also wants our sacrifice, but not the sacrifice like that His Son suffered, on the cross, but He is asking and is so pleased when we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice - holy - holy unto Him.  He delights in that - being very acceptable in His eyes (Rom 12:1).  

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

When we offer our bodies back to God as a living sacrifice, by living holy lives, God considers it our reasonable service to Him.  In other words, that is the least we can do for God.

Do Not Walk in These Sins

³ But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; ⁴ neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. ⁵ For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not be partakers with them.

• Fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness (idolatry):  Fornicators are those who have sex outside of the marriage bed where neither partner are married.  Uncleanness are those who have sex with someone of the same sex or any other kind of perverted sexual sin.  Today,  we call them gay or lesbians.  God wants each believer, then and today, to put those kinds of sins behind them.  The penalty of not stopping is losing their inheritance in the Kingdom of God.  God created a man and a woman to come together as "one," but only within the bonds of the marriage bed.  That is wholesome and pleasing to God. 
   
  • Covetousness, or idolatry is worship of other gods where the Gentiles made it a practice of having sex at the temple as an act of worshiping their idols.  These sins were regularly practiced by the Gentile unbelievers and sadly practiced by some believers even today as well.  As Paul stated, "these sins should not even be named among Christians."  Those who "practice" these sins, meaning they commit these sins on a regular basis, without repentance, cannot have any inheritance in the Kingdom of God.  If they become repentant before God, purposing to end that sin, then God will forgive them as if they had never sinned. 
  • While today we do not have temple to go to to worship idols by having sexual intercourse with temple prostitutes, sex is so prevelant in society, to where is is acceptable in our society today even on the dating scene.  Any sex outside of marriage, however, is unacceptable to God.
    
    
• Do not partake in any filthiness, foolish talk, or coarse jesting or lewd humor.  Again, we are still talking about sexual behavior, whether it done through using our mouth speaking in lewd humor or foolish talk, which could include telling or even listening to dirty jokes, or using sexual conitations toward anyone.  This was an acceptable practice of the unbelieving Gentiles back then, and it had spread into the Church.  As such, the Apostle Paul needed to address this issue.
  
  Even today Christians are not without fault here.  Dirty jokes and sexual conitations are spoken all around us.  People laugh, thinking it funny, but we must realize that this too is a form of perverted sex, and inappropriate.  What then should a Christian do if he or she finds him/herself caught in this sin, even to the listening of a dirty joke and laughing along with everyone else?  You can either confront it or walk away, recognizing this kind of crowd is not the place to ber in.  If, however, you are the jokster, doing the speaking, it needs to be immediately repented of before God so that it does not become a practice.   Again, no one practicing this kind of sin can enter into the Kingdom of God.  That's serious.
  
  As a footnote here:  Christians need to give thanks to God for sex in its proper context.  Within the confines of marriage, sex is a gift from God, meant for the bonding together of husband and wife in a one-flesh relationship, which then gives glory back to the Lord.  So then, we all need to keep sex, and its talk confined within the marriage-bed relationship. 

Walk as Children of Light

Even though these Gentile believers of the Church of Ephesus once walked in darkness, they were now light for the Lord and needed to walk as such.  Let's read verses 8-12:

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), ¹⁰ finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 

Before coming to Christ, we all were walking in darkness in varying degrees.  Satan was not only the god of this world, of which he still is, he was a god over us individually.  After coming to Christ, however, we became new creations in Christ where we are now children of light - the light of God.  Therefore, we now serve a different God and are commanded to walk as children of light.  As God's children, we now have the indwelling Holy Spirit living in us so that we are empowered to walk in the fruit of the Spirit, meaning love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control (Gal 5:22-23) is operating in our life.  This is not only acceptable to the Lord, it pleases Him for us to walk in this kind of light.

¹¹ And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. ¹³ But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 

We are not to have any fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.  Does that mean that we go around telling people that these things are shameful?  Within the confines of the Church - yes, this needs to be exposed.  If we confronted unbelievers with what God's Word is telling us, they may turn on us, because that is what they practice.  That is normal to them.  That may not be wise.  We do, however, need to be aware of them so that we don't get entrapped in those kinds of sins.  I think the best way we can expose them to unbelievers is by us purposing to  walk in the light of God's Word.  Not pompously, but with love towards all men.  By living by the fruit of the Spirit toward one another, we will by our lifestule expose anything contrary to God's Word to be wrong.  

¹⁴ Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”

Wake up Christians - wake up Church.  If you have been involved in any of this, stop. wake up and allow the Holy Spirit to show you what God is telling you in His Word so that His truth can change you.  Walk in the light of the Word of God.

¹⁵ See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ¹⁶ redeeming the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be unwise,but understand what  the will of the Lord is.

We have the light of God because the light of the Holy Spirit lives within us desiring to give of revelations of God's truth continuously.   We are the blessed ones.  I like to see myself not as different from the world, but unique.  I hold the Truths of the Word of God within me.  While the world may not look at me as someone special, I see myself as special in God's eyes, and as such, I carry myself as someone special - hopefully, not in a conceited way, but one who walks in the love, knowledge and wisdom of God.  I have the answers for life's problems because I have the Word of God dwelling within me.  

• Carrying that attitude, I run into people all the time who are looking for something, and don't know where to find it.  They find me as the steadfast who has so many answers to life.  They come to me for for answers.

We all need to be reflective of our actions, seeking the Holy Spirit to show us God's Truth from His Word, certainly not walking as fools.

• God so desires that we walk in His wisdom.  God tells us in His Word that if we lack wisdom, ask for it and He will give it to us liberally.
• A simply prayer:  "God, I need your wisdom right now" will do wonders.

We live in evil times, and we have to make the best use of our time.  So then, let's be that light to the world around us walking in the wisdom of God.  There is a world out there dying and going to hell because they have never heard or understood God's Word of Truth.  Let's be that light. 

• A simple "God bless you" or "Jesus loves you" is easy to do wherever you go, and it will braven you up to be a witness for the Gospel to someone who later needs to hear about Jesus.  Opportunities will come your way if you don't let fear get in the way, and come to realize who you are in Christ.  You have the answers to life's problems, and when the opportunity comes, share the full Gospel with someone. 
• Wherever you go, you have the opportunity to plant seeds of God's Truth, or maybe you will be the waterer of someone's else's seeds planted, and maybe you will be there at the right time to lead someone to the Lord.  When you do these things, you will know you are not only walking in the will, but the wisdom of God.  Good place to live be in!

Be Filled With the Spirit

 ¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of God.

The Apostle Paul now is giving instruction by making contrast between the ways of life of an unbelieving Gentile and a believer in Christ.  Remember, the apostle was speaking to a Church of primarily all Gentile believers who had come out of the lifestyle of fleshly living of the unbelieving Gentiles.

• He speaks first of a believer who lives LIKE an unbelieving Gentile, walking in carnal, fleshly living as a way of life.  He gets drunk with wine, which is dissipation, meaning (according to the Oxford Dictionary) a descend into drunkedness and sexual dissipation.  In other words, this kind of fleshly believer chooses to live like others in his world, not being commited to Christ.  This is a waste of a person's life - and not a way to live for any believer in Christ.  He lives for self, and not for Christ, having his senses diminished by the wine.  One may question whether this person is a true believer in Christ, or one who has given lip service by believing in his head - not his heart. 
  
  
  • Churches today are filled with believers who live like the world, but give lip service to Christ only on Sundays.  There are also many who claim to be a believer, but never darken the doors of a church.  Since God looks at the heart, He is their judge, knowing whether that person is a true believer, or one who believers only with his head.  We as fellow believers may question whether they are a true believer, but we can never judge that person' faith because, unlike God, we cannot see his or her heart and we are not qualified to be any man's judge.  We can look at the fruit of the person's life, which is often an indicator of the heart, but we cannot judge the person to be an unbeliever, unless their lip service has openly confessed to be an unbeliever in Christ! 
    
    
• The second the apostle speaks of is a believer who is filled with the Holy Spirit - one who is filled with the joy of the Lord, making melody in his own heart to the Lord.  His senses, unlike a carnal believer, are lifted with the joy of the Lord.  That kind of joy is expressed outwardly by speaking to other believers in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs - always giving thanks to God in the name of Jesus. 
  
  
  • That does not mean he or she goes around singing to other believers all the time, but that the joy of the Lord is expressed in his or her countenance - one who edifies and lifts up others, as well as submits to other believers because of the love and respect he or she has for the Lord.   This kind of believer is not self-serving like the carnal believers, but gives out to others.  The joy of the Lord becomes a way of life to this true believer.  What a wonderful way to live.  

Comparing Christ and the Church to Marriage

²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

The spirit-filled life in Christ is marked by mutual submission.  We have learned that we submit one to another in the fear of the Lord - not the fear of man.  That means, we all have a place and a part to play in life - a rank of authority so to speak.  That way, we can work together as a team, each person knowing his or her own place.  Now this is not a negative statement, but one of reality of how God set up the earth, going all the way back to Adam and Eve.  That way the world should be able to run in harmony instead of mutiny and chaos.  Since God is the One who appoints us in our place in life, and He is the One Who opens the doors to our position in life, we must live our life as He calls us to live.

For instance: 

• In the Church there are ranks or levels of authority.  We saw that in our last chapter - having the five-fold ministry gifts in place to equip the Body, which each person is a member, having their own gifts and talents to bring to the Body.  If there were no rank of levels of authority, there would be continuous mutiny within the Church.
• We have the same kind of ranks or authority in the world.  We have bosses within a company, leaders in government, and wherever we go, there must be some sort of authority running the place to avoid chaos.

Levels of authority has nothing to do with who is smarter, or better than someone else.  The Apostle Paul lays it out quite clearly in Gal 3:28 that there is no difference in people, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female.  We are all equal in the site of God.

Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

So as an extension, this same understanding applies to marriage and the family.  The Bible never commands a general submission of women unto men in society - only to her own husband.  A husband and wife are one, and God created a woman to be a helpmate to her husband.  They work together as a team - as one.  That does NOT mean he is smarter than her, but in any group on earth, God created mankind to have levels of authority so that everyone can work together as a team.  Someone has to take lead, yet, they rely upon each other.  It does NOT mean the husband is the boss, only the leader.  As such, the burden of leadership is upon him.  He has the god-given responsibility to love his wife as his own body, taking care of her and her needs, and be the one responsibility to make sure the home is secure. The woman on the other hand, has the God-given responsibility to respect and honor her husband, working side by side with him in the functioning of a home.  She cares for the nuturing of the children and the care of the home. 

While society today has done a lot of role changing, due to such things as:  Living beyond one's means, man's lack of responsibity for his wife and the home over the centuries -either by insisting on being boss instead of head, neglecting to love his wife as himself, or neglecting his most needed role as provider.  That then brings women to fight for their rights, which only intensified the problems of unity.  In most families today, both the husband and the wife work outside the home to make ends meet.  This then automatically changes roles, because trying to take over two jobs becomes a real burden, and adjustments have to be made to compensate so that balance is brought back into the home.  Whether we will always be this way, only time can tell. 

I just showed you the biblical way of a marriage.   Can we ever go back to that?  It may be the ideal, but in today's society, is that possible?  With high mortgages hanging over our heads, women enjoying high powered positions in the workplace, husbands depending on wages of him and his wife - I don't know.  Not that it is wrong, by any means, but the question is - can we go back to what once was?  As Christians, how do we act within our own society?  For most of us, I think we simply try to do the best we can to align ourselves with God's Word for marriage,, however we see it in our hearts.   

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but 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. ³¹ “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” ³² This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The Apostle Paul is now making a comparison between and husband and wife and Jesus and the Church. 

 Men and woman are equal in the eyes of God, but each one are different in that each has their own function in how God wants them to live.  No one is superior or inferior of the other.  In a biblical marriage, the husband is the head of the family and the wife is his helpmate, walking side by side with one purpose - being of one flesh.  The husband nourishes and cherishes his with his whole being while he protects and provides for all the needs of the home.  The wife compliments her husband with her beauty and charm, making sure the home is taken care of nurturing to her husband and the children, and running her household efficiently.  They work together as one to make it a biblical marriage the way God intended.  While the husband loves and protects his wife in all aspects, the wife then respects her husband for how he loves and takes care of her.  That is the formula for a happy marriage and a happy home. 

• In this comparison, the Apostle Paul is showing us that Jesus is the head of the Church and gave Himself for us.  He takes care of us by setting us apart for salvation, cleansing us from all sin by the washing of His Word.  While the wife is the one kept, preserved, guarded, shielded and provided for by her husband, the husband in essense is her savior, lover, protector, shielding her against the wiles of enemy forces in the world.  That is what Jesus does for us.  He loves us so much to where He died for us, He is our Savior, our Protector, and whatever we, as the Church may need.  His end goal is to present us to God His Bride, fully cleansed without spot or blemish
• The bare bones is that if we neglect God's simple biblical marriage relationship the essential order of creation is squewd, as we can see that God continued it all the way through the dispensations..  God's principle of submission works if we work it as the Bible tells us.  Enduring Word Commentary pulls it altogether by saying:

• • Jesus submitted to His parents (Luke 2:51)
  • Demons submitted to the disciples (Luke 10:17).
  • Unseen spiritual beings submit to Jesus (1 Peter 3:22).
  • Christians should submit to God (Hebrews 12:9 and James 4:7).
  • The church should submit to Jesus (Ephesians 5:24).
  • Servants should submit to masters (Titus 2:9 and 1 Peter 2:18).
  • Christians should submit to church leaders (1 Corinthians 16:15-16 and Hebrews 13:17).
  • Wives should submit to husbands (Colossians 3:18, Titus 2:5, 1 Peter 3:5, Ephesians 5:22-24).
  • Citizens should submit to government authority (Romans 13:1 and 5, Titus 3:1, 1 Peter 2:13).
  • The world will one day ALL submit to Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:27 and Ephesians 1:22).

Love and respect in the marriage is not a matter of feelings - it is a choice that is made each and every single day. Only when there is abuse or domination in the marriage, illness where the husband is incapacitated, or other other serious factors come in to where both the husband and wife are unable to fulfill their role should it be where roles are exchanged. 

Click here for Ephesians, Chapter 6

Pastor Joyce Erickson
Believersbibleschool.com