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EPHESIANS CHAPTER 5 KJV WEB See previous page Eph 5-1,2 (12d) Servant >> Father is our example through Christ (42g) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformation >> Conform to the Love of Christ (78n) Thy kingdom come >> Putting your heart on display >> The result of a renewed mind – There are many worldly people in the Church who don’t know God, yet they do acts of love. The difference between them and us is that God doesn't notice their good works, because they are not His worshippers, but those who belong to Him walk in love, and when we get to heaven, God will reward us for our faithfulness with a better resurrection and a closer position with Christ. So we have plenty of spiritual motives for being imitators of God as beloved children, and we have many reasons to avoid sin, but there are still many in the Church who practice sin. This could be the result of immaturity. Maybe they’re new Christians and they’re struggling to overcome their fleshly impulses. Young people's bodies are made to reproduce, and they want to get started right away with whomever will pay attention to them, but as they mature in the faith, they are able to harness these forces that reign in their flesh that tempt them to pit their bodies against the Lord and oppose His will. This takes trial and error, and sometimes we need to give them space and time to overcome their fleshly desires. Sometimes we check back in five years and they are dedicated Christians; they finally got a handle on their flesh and are walking and living for Jesus. Other people surrender to their temptations, and it ruins them; for them, they may have never been Christians. (81a) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> The priesthood >> We are a type of Jesus’ priesthood – Paul uses the symbolism of old covenant temple worship, saying that He gave Himself an offering and sacrifice to God, a fragrant aroma. Christ offered Himself to God and Paul is telling us to do the same. Walking in love is not free; it will cost our entire lives. We also must remember that we are not offering ourselves to people but to God, and people are the beneficiaries of our sacrifice. When we offer ourselves to God, He is in control; we must do it His way, just like old covenant temple worship, which was meticulously performed as it was written, “[See] that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain” (Exodus 25-40). Depicted in the laws of Moses, they were meticulously instructed how to offer sacrifice to God on the altar that God instructed to build for Him. So when we offer ourselves to God, we do it on His terms, and that requires obedience. The offering of ourselves is translated to serving others in specific ways that God would direct us. (91m) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Trail of good works >> The trail that Jesus walked (125a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of faith >> Love is the response of receiving from God – The Bible speaks of this aroma as the smell of death, “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life” (2Cor 2-15,16). In old covenant temple worship the high priest was anointed with fragrant oil before performing the annual sacrifice and entering the Most Holy Place with the blood of a beast. When Israel obeyed the commandments and performed temple worship, their burnt offerings were a sweet aroma to God, but if they thought they would sacrifice these animals and expect God to be pleased with them for following a set of ordinances, meanwhile ignoring the Law, hating their neighbor, wanting what they can’t have, being filled with lust, pride and greed, God showed no interest. Isaiah 1-14 says, "I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them." If we sacrifice ourselves according to the will of God for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ, He will receive our sacrifice. (139h) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Edification -- These verses go with verses 18-20 (187a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to minister to God >> Jesus died to self and ministered to God – God has called us to be a fragrant aroma first to those of our brothers and sisters in Christ and then to the world. We are called to love our immediate family members, and the members of God’s household, and our neighbor, but notice what Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15-13). We are to lay down our lives for one another, but we are not to sacrifice ourselves for those who would not benefit. We should love our neighbor, but many would just laugh in our face. Instead, we are to invest what God has given us in those who hold promise for a return. We are to invest our lives in the people of God who will receive us and benefit from our commitment to them. We are to be imitators of God and lay down our lives for the brethren as Jesus laid down His life for us. (253d) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the internal qualities of the Father >> Jesus is the exact representation of the Father – Paul commanded the Ephesians to be imitators of God, but what do we know about God, except what we know about Jesus, who came to show us God? Imitating the Father by imitating Christ is to confess that Christ is equal to His Father, and if He is equal to Him, then He is God, for how could someone be equal to God and not be God? Eph 5-1 (33h) Gift of God >> Believers are children >> God is our Father >> Children are being molded after their heavenly Father – God uses the things that Paul said to remind us of His truth. These statements are the very building blocks that God uses as we walk in Him to edify us in our most holy faith. “God is love” (1Jn 4-8), so to walk in love is to be like God. We are to love others as Christ loved us by giving Himself to God, “an offering and a sacrifice as a fragrant aroma.” We are to love the brethren, not for their sake but for the Lord. Eph 5-2 (189a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Holy sacrifice >> The smell of death >> Priestly anointing perfume of sacrifice – For Christ to offer Himself a fragrant aroma refers to old covenant temple services, where, after catching some of the animal's blood, they burned its flesh with fire, releasing a fragrant aroma to the Lord. It also refers to the perpetual incense they burned in the holy place. Putting them together, Christ offered His body on the cross as His ultimate prayer to the Father on our behalf that He would be merciful and forgive those who would repent of their unbelief and seek His favor through the sacrifice of Jesus' body on the cross. (210b) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Jesus is our sacrifice >> Jesus goes to the cross willingly – There shouldn’t be any question as to what the cross of Christ represents; Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself to His Father in order for Him to forgive us. The Father judged our sins in Jesus’ body on the cross and then raised Him from the dead to justify us. Jesus was our substitute; He died in our place with all our sins judged on the cross. We are no longer guilty in the eyes of God of past, present or future sins; they’ve all been nailed to the cross. The high priest would sprinkle the people with the animal's blood, and then enter the temple and present the offering to God in the Holy of Holies as an annual depiction of the sacrifice that Jesus made with His own body (see Hebrews chapter 9). God raised Him on the third day, and He ascended to heaven and sat on His Father’s throne at the right-hand of His power. God glorified Himself through His cross; heaven was exalted, and by this He will bring many sons to glory. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5,3-14 (191i) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Set apart >> Set apart from sin – Paul wants the children of God to live as saints and to commit every waking hour to practicing righteousness and to all that is godly and Christ-like. He didn’t want us to deviate from these things for a moment, not to waste our words or their time on fruitless discussion, but to always maintain Christ in their relationships and dialog with one another. This may seem fanatical to some, but this was Paul's vision, and it was how he lived. All his possessions he considered resources that he used to serve God, because he knew he had only a certain amount of time and his life would be over and the opportunity to prove his love to God will have been spent. God demands the same high level of expectation from us. Paul did not give us leeway or option to obey the Lord. The true Christian prefers to live in the freedom of Christ rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, but the unbeliever who has a mere religion and not a genuine faith in God does not value the freedom of Christ, whose freedom is a two edged sword: freedom from sin and freedom to righteousness, with one establishing the other. See also: Freedom; Eph 5,3-7; 92l Eph 5,3-12 (162j) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> Bad company >> Do not associate with people who practice sin Eph 5,3-8 (167e) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Walking outside the realm of faith Eph 5,3-7 (64k) Paradox >> Anomalies >> God helps Satan >> God’s judgments accomplish the devil’s will (92l) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Our holy conduct along the narrow way – There is a freedom that is just out of sight. We often walk in this freedom when the temptations of sin seem distant, and other times our temptations creep behind us seemingly unnoticed, but there is always something in us that knows about them. Our conscience becomes cloudy and our faith overcast and it looks like rain. It’s going to be a cold and windy day, and God calls us to work through it, because nice balmy days are just ahead and we want to enjoy them. There may be two weeks of cold rain coming, but eventually it will give way to blue skies. Then we will wish we had stood our ground and maintained a clear conscience and obeyed the Lord, so we could enjoy those beautiful days of freedom in Christ. See also: Freedom; Eph 5,3-14; 191i / Slave to freedom; 1Cor 13,1-8; 230k (172f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Tares among the wheat >> Hypocrites among the just >> Talkers among the walkers (203f) Denying Christ >> Dishonor God by dishonoring your own body Eph 5,3-6 (78o) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind >> Putting your heart on display >> Consequence of not renewing your mind – Paul is not suggesting these things as though they were wise choices, but speaks like James that if we can't prove our faith, then it only means we don't have any. Does the Bible really teach that if we believe in a certain set of doctrines, we can go to heaven? No, this in no way encapsulates the Bible’s definition of faith! If we can’t prove through our behavior that we belong to God, what other proof is there? People can talk about their faith all day long, but if they consistently surrender to their fleshly passions and desires, they are only fooling themselves. Hypocrisy complicates faith for those who straddle the fence, but to us who believe through obedience, it is simple enough a young child can understand it. If a person claims to believe but lives no different from the world, it makes us wonder why he even wants to go to heaven, perhaps just to avoid hell. Paul said, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” The emptiness of their words is in their lack of works. They say they love God, but they go to wild parties and having sex with whomever will have them; they are corrupt in their business deals and demonstrate their love of money more than their love of God. See also: Faith versus works; 86f (86f) Thy kingdom come >> Belief >> Mental ascent (believing a set of facts) – This passage makes it sound like no one will make it to heaven, because virtually everybody is guilty of these sins. There is a controversy within the Church: Faith Versus Works. Which one saves us, faith or works? Most say that we are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2-8,9), but some say we must work our way to heaven. It is not surprising that there is such a controversy, since Paul wrote about both; therefore, both must be involved. He is the one who said we are saved by grace through faith, and he also wrote that we should force our flesh to serve the Lord (Rom 6,12-15). According to these verses, no matter how much we believe, if we don’t act like it, we won’t go to heaven. Everybody has a sinful nature. James, the man who coined the works-based faith is also the one who said that of all the beasts of the earth, man has tamed them all, but no one can tame the tongue; “it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison” (Jm 3-8). Nevertheless, Paul says, “there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting,” which James says is impossible to achieve, yet this is God's standard that He set in Christ for us to follow. The Christian has his plate full. See also: Faith versus works; Eph 5,5-7; 156k / Faith (Salvation is through grace, apart from the works of the law); 2Cor 3-5,6; 116h Eph 5,3-5 (10c) Responsibility >> Bring order to the Church >> Dealing with immorality (22b) Sin >> Greed tries to satisfy man’s need for security >> The idolatry of greed (145h) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> Demon possession >> Human state >> Filthiness >> Deeds of the flesh (250i) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> List of traits that can be found in man >> List of deeds of the body Eph 5-3,4 (85j) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Better not to say anything >> Shut up! -- These verses go with verse 12. Paul has taken away our freedom of speech, telling us that we don’t have a right to say whatever we want, and James said in his epistle, “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well” (Jm 3-2). At the same time, he also said that nobody can actually do this. We all sin by our words; the things we say are just as much actions as the things we do, but we tend to discriminate between them, giving the impression that what we say is not as grievous. Things we have done were very evil, but we have sinned just as harshly with our tongue. Paul is not talking about lying or deceiving or criticizing or boasting or condemning others; instead, he is talking about some of the less sinful things we say, such as telling dirty jokes. We tend to lose touch with our spiritual side and forget about our commitment to exemplifying the true faith, and we start saying whatever comes to mind; much of it is evil, and we are all guilty of this. Silly talk, course jesting and worldliness, being concerned with our favorite celebrities, God wants us sober-minded and fixed on His truth. He doesn’t want us taking a break from our faith to entertain worldly people and ideas; rather, He wants us to keep our eyes on the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun, but our fun should be in the Lord. All these things become more and more true as we see the day of the Lord drawing near. We are to ratchet up our faith and devotion to Christ as the signs of His return become more pronounced. (89a) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Being sensible is always wise (142h) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Reputation exposed to slander >> Protect your reputation Eph 5-3 (62g) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Being clever >> Maintaining a blameless reputation (134k) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Immorality >> Sexual perversion >> Basic immorality -- This verse goes with verse 5 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5,5-8 (167j) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to the world >> The world of sin -- These verses go with verses 11&12. If the man of God grows weak in faith and falls under bondage to sin and remains there, and if he denies the Holy Spirit speaking in his heart, and His voice fades to nothing, eventually it will lead to a reprobate mind, and then he will not be able to repent of his unbelief. If the man has a tendency to lie to his own heart about what is really happening within him, and lies about his relationship with God, he really is putting his eternal destiny in jeopardy. He fabricates doctrines in his mind telling himself that he can live any way he wants and practice any sin and still believe in God, but he is just lying to himself. He is replacing the voice of the Holy Spirit with the doctrines of demons, and these doctrines have attached themselves to many churches, and on a global scale the Church believes it can live any way it wants and still believe. They refuse to acknowledge the fact that their sin is a sign of unbelief. The Bible says that faith is how we access the grace of God, but if our faith degenerates to zilch, how can we access His grace walking in unbelief? Bondage is one thing; almost every Christian falls under bondage to sin at some point in his life, and often more than once. The process of repentance is painful and arduous, but the man of God will suffer through it for the promise of heaven. He will put down his sin, and he will live for his Lord and Master Jesus Christ until the end, because he has his mind set on the goal of eternal life. He will make it to heaven no matter what it takes, but the one who gives himself to wanton pleasure is dead even while he lives (1Time 5-6). See also: Reprobate (Defined as quitting on God); Rom 8-35; 26e Eph 5,5-7 (45g) Judgment >> Believer’s sin >> God will judge us with the world if we live like them (48a) Judgment >> God judges the world >> Eternal judgment >> Consequences for sin (51c) Judgment >> Judging the Church with the world >> Warning of Wrath >> God warns the Church (156k) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Living an ungodly lifestyle >> Practicing sin – That sounds pretty harsh. Is Paul really saying that immorality and impurity and greed will condemn us to hell? Yes, that is exactly what he said! We are living in an era of licentiousness where people give themselves a license to sin. They figure that since Jesus died for sins, they can sin because God will forgive them, but what Paul is saying is that anybody who practices sin is exhibiting signs that they are not children of God. Anyone who lives in sin as a lifestyle without making any efforts to become free or showing any signs of remorse simply does not belong to God, because if he were a true child of God his sin would make him miserable. Repentance is not an option for the Christian but a requirement. To believe in the grace of Jesus' sacrifice is the only way we will get to heaven, not by abusing that grace. There is nothing we can do on our own to be forgiven, except to rely completely on Him. Not even repentance can save us, but neither can faith without repentance. That is, our righteousness does not save us, but it acts as an appeal to God and a sign to man that we believe in Jesus, but if the sign is missing, so is the faith. See also: Faith versus works; Eph 5,3-6; 78o Eph 5-5,6 (182e) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Three causes of interpreting Scripture falsely >> Because they have no regard for God’s word Eph 5-5 (36i) Gift of God >> Inheritance >> Our inheritance can be withheld (122d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in God to keep you – Knowing with certainty is an excellent definition of faith. Then there is the New Testament's overall definition of faith: a God-given ability to believe in Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Through this God-given faith in the truth we know that living an ungodly lifestyle is not what someone does who is hoping for eternal life. A person who lives in sin does not have faith to understand that his eternal destiny is at risk, not that sin will sever him from his inheritance, but that sin erodes his faith, which is the very thing that gives him access to God's grace, that or sin is a sign he doesn’t believe in the first place. When a person gets tempted and falls into sin, he does it from doubt and unbelief on some level, but he also believes in Jesus, so he repents. Then there is the person who gets tempted, falls into sin, allows his weakness to dominate him and never repents. Of course the person doesn’t want to give up his hope of salvation, so he continues believing in God, though he is living in sin. A person can do this for a while, but eventually God will call him to repentance. The man will either hear His voice and repent, or he goes on sinning which causes that small, still voice to become smaller and stiller with the man further retreating from God, like Adam and Eve ran from God's presence. The man who lives in sin will begin to avoid the things of God and deny the Holy Spirit’s voice in his heart, eventually commanding Him to leave him alone, which is blasphemy; and if he goes down that road too far, he reaches a point of no return. See also: Blasphemy leading to a reprobate mind; 1Tim 1-18,19; 199e (134k) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Immorality >> Sexual perversion >> Basic immorality -- This verse goes with verse 3 (195g) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Worshipping men >> Worshipping the idol of pleasure (221j) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> God hides from sin >> He hides behind disobedience – This short list of traits of the unbeliever are sins that he commits that bars him from heaven and blinds his eyes and deafens his ears, so he cannot see or hear the creation in front of him proclaiming the glory of God. He refuses to know anything that puts the Lord in a positive light or gives him reason to believe in Him, and these are the very things that God uses to hide from him. Just as Adam and Eve hid from God when they sinned, so God hides behind unbelief and disobedience, while the unbeliever proclaims there is no God. His haughtiness and arrogance defies Him as he points into the darkness and says, ‘Where is He?’ He doesn't realize that God is always behind him, behind his sin, behind his unbelief, behind the devil who lurks behind every idol. God has the attitude that if people don’t want to believe in Him, then He will give them reason not to believe, but to those of His children who do believe in Him, He gives every reason. God makes himself available to those who seek Him and scarce to those who don’t. The universe declares the glory of God, and we see His beauty all around us; living things are from the hand of God, and if man refuses to believe, He will send them to a place where it is impossible to believe, where life itself is impossible, where God is completely absent, though He is keenly aware of everything that is happening there. Then they will know that God was in fact visible in the life they once knew on earth with living things all around them declaring the glory of God. Sunlight, a glass of cold water, food for the stomach, energy, health and a sense of well-being, all these things are from the Lord, but the unbeliever cannot see God in any of it. All these things exist, and the unbeliever stands in the midst of it and witnesses the creation for a fleeting moment, until their time expires, and they disappear into the void, and the universe continues without them. God is responsible for everything that exists, for everything that is good, right, holy and beautiful, but He is not responsible for the the sinner's disobedience and unbelief. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5,6-14 (184a) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Darkness >> Hiding behind your own imagination >> Hiding behind a false partition Eph 5-6,7 (230g) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking >> Partaking of God’s judgment – The new covenant is all about the first two commandments, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Mat 22,37-39; taken from Deuteronomy 6-5 & Leviticus 19-18). This sounds as though we have traveled full circle seeking salvation through our works again, for Paul has warned us not to walk in the flesh, but there is a difference between self-righteously seeking favor with God and doing good works as a disciple of Jesus. If we walk contrary to the teachings of Christ, we will not be going to heaven; it is verses like this that make that crystal clear. Do our works play a part in salvation? The Bible teaches that if we do not have good works, we will not see heaven (Mat 5-20). How much less likely will we see heaven if we walk in the evil works of the flesh? How then do we find balance between faith and works and make sense of the gospel? In Hebrews it says that the new covenant is a better one, meaning that the goal of fulfilling the requirements of the Law has not changed, meaning the Law was not abolished; rather, it has become obsolete. The law is still here but set aside, still true but irrelevant; that is, we still should not commit murder; we still should not commit adultery; we still should not seal or lie, but the emphasis of the gospel has shifted to seeking God's favor through the forgiveness of the cross, and sanctification through the Holy Spirit, who gives us a desire to do His will. In this way He has written the law in our heart so we instinctively know right from wrong. We don’t have to live by the Law anymore; all we have to do is walk by the Spirit and we inadvertently fulfill the requirements of the Law. See also: How faith works; Mat 14,34-36; 146k Eph 5-6 (177f) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >> Beware of false doctrine Eph 5,7-12 (193f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Repent >> Bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance >> Instruction to the Church Eph 5,8-14 (92b) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Trail of good works >> Ray of light leading to the face of Christ – Christ shines on our trail of good works, and in the process shines on us. Light is in reference to truth; the word of God comes alive when we walk on His trail that He designated for our feet; we understand the truth by the Spirit as we do the works of God, but before we can know the will of God, we must become students of the Word and disciples of prayer and live by our convictions, until Christ reveals Himself in us. When we walk by His plan, which transcends our conscience, the anointing covers us and all men see our good works and glorify God through us. (112f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Obeying the truth in broad daylight >> Church’s deeds in the light -- These verses go with verse 27. Everyone who partakes of the light becomes a light source; when Christ shines on us, He fills our lamp with oil, and we become light. The children of God have an inner glow as the light of Christ emanates from us to expose the darkness. We are not merely reflectors His glory like Lucifer who is now Satan (Rev 12-1), represented by the moon, which merely reflects the light of the sun. Eph 5-8 (33a) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> Believers are children >> Children of the light Eph 5-9,10 (43b) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Conform to the character of Christ >> Conform to His nature – Some words in the New Testament are interchangeable, such as faith and love, but here Paul is talking about the fruit of the light. This suggests that light and “Spirit” are much the same. That is, the Holy Spirit is all about enlightening the word of God in our heart. The “fruit of the Spirit” is: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5-22,23), whereas the fruit of the light is in reference to the truth. Paul is saying that the truth and these nine fruits of the Spirit are the same in that we emulate the character of Christ through the knowledge of the Spirit as we walk in Him. There are many examples in Scripture of terms interrelating with each other, since many of these things essentially have the same meaning. We learn about the truth through the Spirit, and John commanded us to walk in truth, which is the same as walking in the light, and by this we learn what is pleasing to the Lord. God is all about faith, love, truth and light; faith is love and light is truth. If we learn to love all that is good and right, we learn about God, and if we do what is good and right we prove to be the children of God. See also: Faith and love; Eph 6-23,24; 138h (86h) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word >> Clothe yourself with the word of God >> Obey the truth (95h) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >> Ready to do God’s will (107m) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> The Bible will lead you to truth >> True light (127f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >> Rewards for doing good >> Sow the seeds of goodness >> Goodness bears the fruit of the Spirit – Goodness is one of the fruits of the Spirit. People often confuse goodness with being nice, but God has not called us to be nice; He has called us to be good. The difference between them has to do with who gets the glory. Every nice person is seeking glory for himself, and every good person is seeking the glory of God. (128l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >> Living a fruitful life >> It is a way of thriving Eph 5-10 (78j) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind by the word of God >> Study the Bible -- This verse goes with verses 15-17 (81b) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> The priesthood >> Striving to please Christ (247i) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> Things that please God – What is pleasing to the Lord is written in the Bible; all we need to do is read it. We know what the Law says, but these are generalities that apply to every person. What we need to know is the specific will of God, and it takes more than reading the Bible to discover it. God has a specific designated path for each person, and He guarantees that He will be pleased with us in every respect if we find our trail of good works and stay on it. Discovering it is not easy, but it is worth the search. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5,11-14 (112h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Light exposes sin >> Light reveals hidden deeds – Flip on the wall switch and the whole room instantly fills with light; then use a flashlight and it exposes only that which is in its path. We’ve all seen on TV someone erratically aiming a flashlight until it lands on the culprit raiding the cash register, and suddenly his crime is exposed. Paul is not talking about exposing someone else’s sin but our own. (197e) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Man withers when he is in control >> Fruitlessness >> A fruitless life offends God Eph 5-11,12 (10a) Responsibility >> Bring order to the Church >> Dealing with problems in the Church – A Christian can live in bondage for a season, and eventually he will rise above his evil passions and desires through the power of God. Paul is not talking about the sin of Christians in this passage but unbelievers in the Church, things people do so evil that it is not appropriate to mention. We should expose the sin and not necessarily the sinner by speaking privately to him, warning that his behavior can lead to worse sins and even hellfire. If he will not listen, then we are to take another person or two along as witness to the conference, and if he still won’t listen, then we are to expose the person by name to the congregation, warning that he is spiritually dangerous and should be avoided (see Mat 18,15-17). The Church after that is to treat the offending person as an unbeliever, assume that he doesn’t know God. Every step of this process incurs further exposure, which is meant to be a warning to curtail his behavior. (153e) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> God bears witness against the world >> Shame >> Hiding under a cloud of guilt >> Preferring darkness over the light (167j) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not conform to the world >> The world of sin -- These verses go with verses 5-8 (194f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Hate evil >> Condemning sin >> Judging evil – Gossiping about sin is not the same as exposing it, since gossip itself is considered sin. We cannot judge sin with sin; we can only judge sin by being innocent of it. Being that we are living in sinful flesh, we really don’t have any choice but to sin, except that Jesus has forgiven us and empowered us to rise above such slavery. People throughout the ages have developed sinful habits that have corrupted their lives and their minds, people and society, making the whole world evil, and Jesus came to deliver us from these things. We can’t help but sin, and when we do, we confess our sins to the Lord, and He is faithful and righteous to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1Jn 1-9). Practicing sin does not continue indefinitely in a sincere believer. Eph 5-11 (69k) Authority >> Righteous judgment (outcome of discernment) >> Executing God’s judgment by His authority – Instead of participating in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, we are to expose them, but before we can do that we must first be aware of them. We stay abreast of sins in the Church through a spirit of discernment, and through that Spirit we pass judgment on those who have not repented. We operate by one of two modes of judgment, either according to our own sin that seeks retribution or according to the indwelling Holy Spirit who seeks reconciliation. We know those who judge according to the flesh are guilty of the same sins, and all they hope to accomplish is factions and skirmishes, becoming just as guilty as the people they judge. We are to expose the darkness through the light, in hope that the darkness becomes light and people repent, but unrepentant sin becomes toxic and contagious, and we cannot afford to allow it to wreak havoc among the saints. We gently guide the sinning Christian into repentance, as Paul said in Gal 6-1 with a gentle spirit, lest we too be tempted; but if he refuses to repent, then we must remove him from the Church (1Cor 5-13). (122m) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Boldness to rebuke the world for unbelief – The very next verse says, “It is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret” (v12). If it is disgraceful to speak of these things, then how can we expose them? One thing, we don’t expose sin through gossip, which only gives sin publicity, the very opposite of what we are trying to do. Instead, we tell the sinner to his face what sins he has perpetrated that is sure to bring down judgment upon themselves. Mollycoddling the sinner will only give him opportunity to design a defense and a rebuttal instead of repenting. We don’t deal with spiritual matters politically; if someone is sinning, we tell him to his face; that is what Jesus did to the Pharisees. He didn’t gossip about them; if He had something negative to say about someone; He personally told him in the presence of witnesses, the less willing to repent, the more witnesses. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5,12-14 (212h) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> God is all knowing >> Nothing hidden >> God exposes things hidden in darkness Eph 5-12 (85j) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Better not to say anything >> Shut up! -- This verse goes with verses 3&4 Eph 5-13,14 (25l) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> You’re walking in death if you’re not walking in Jesus (38c) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection overcomes death (106a) Thy Kingdom Come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Attaining the hearing ear >> Knowing the sound of His voice >> God speaks in the darkness to shine the light (117k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing through the eyes of your spirit >> Light illumines your spirit – Paul talks about the unfruitful deeds of darkness, which suggests there are also deeds of light. The person who struggles in his faith often doesn’t understand what’s wrong; he tries but can’t get himself to believe in God. Since the deeds of darkness keep him from believing the way he wants, he can employ deeds of light to counteract the darkness of doubt and unbelief. This will solve his spiritual problems, but what are the deeds of light? They are more than acts of righteousness, behaving properly and living by our conscience, though these things are good. The deeds of light are works that God has prepared for us. Eph 2-10 says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” If we step on this trail of good works, we will walk by its light, and our faith will enlighten everyone in the room. See also: Trail of good works; Eph 5,15-17; 78j (196j) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Replacing God’s standard of excellence with yours >> Sleeping in the spirit Eph 5-13 (194j) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Yielding >> Confessing your sin to God KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5,15-17 (62l) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Being clever >> Grow up (78j) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind by the word of God >> Study the Bible -- These verses go with verse 10. In the books of First and Second Timothy and Titus and Philemon, Paul breaks away from his spiritual vision of the Church and writes on a more practical level, teaching the Church how to lead a godly life. To use our time wisely is to dedicate our lives to the faith in whatever capacity God has called us. He said not to be foolish but to “understand what the will of the Lord is.” What does God want us to do? We know His general will: read the Bible, pray and go to church, but if every Christian knew God's specific will and was doing it, we could accomplish anything God asked of us. This might be the reason people are not zealous, because they don’t know the specific will of God; after all, how can we be zealous if we don’t know what to do? The reason many don’t know God’s will is that they never bothered to ask. So there are reasons for our ignorance and lack of understanding; it is called apathy, and when apathy reaches epidemic proportions in the Church, it is called apostasy. See also: Trail of good works; Eph 5-13,14; 117k (89f) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Deeds of wisdom – Paul approached Christianity on a very sensible level, appealing to us to live out our days in a simple manner, using wisdom and moderation to guide us, telling us to make the most of our time, “because the days are evil.” Some say that America is just like the Roman empire, whose favorite thing to do was gather around the coliseum and watch the games, so people today are oriented around the television set, and our demand for entertainment has escalated into an addiction. Many still love the old movies from the forties and fifties; they were the entertainment of the time and they were great, yet in our day their storylines seem to creep in slow motion, because we are used to events flashing past our eyes at a blinding pace; if people back then tried to watch one of our movies, they would get sensory overload with a migraine headache. How do we use our time? Paul was committed to the gospel, so we Christians should be zealous too, suggesting we should devote more time to our faith in whatever capacity God has called us. (93e) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way >> Walk carefully with wisdom – God has charged the Church with being the salt of the earth and preservative of the world, suggesting that if the Church were doing its job, the world would not be in such a mess. The world has grown cold and callus because the Church has failed to represent Him on the earth. We go through the motions of church and then go home and continue with our lives unaffected. The Church is a total mess, and Paul explains why: we are ignorant of God’s will. Eph 5-15,16 (7i) Use time wisely (Key verse) (7m) Responsibility >> Use time wisely >> Get ready >> Live right during these times – This appears to be the theme of this chapter, making the most of our time because the days are evil. This is why we shouldn’t waste our time with filthy and silly talk and course jesting, as stated in the beginning of this chapter. These things do not profit or edify, and they are not fitting for a person of faith, rather giving of thanks. (I'm preaching to myself here.) Having a grateful edifies the body of Christ. We are supposed to be showing each other the way and encouraging each other to walk faithfully with our God, and we do it by being an example of good works. We must make the most of our time, because there is great opposition in the world with respect to faith in Jesus Christ. He is trying to establish His spiritual kingdom in our heart, while the world is trying to establish its kingdom on the same construction site, so we don’t have time to dilly-dally. Paul says we should mean business and be serious about our faith and try with all our strength to be an encouragement and have things to share with each other. Eph 5-17 (247j) The Will Of God (Key verse) (248a) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> The will of God >> We play our part in the will of God >> Knowing the will of God KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5,18-21 (13f) Servant >> Serve the body >> Promoting its health >> Servant is anointed Eph 5,18-20 (6i) Responsibility >> Ministering to people by being in the Spirit (96d) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Positive attitude toward God >> Having a thankful attitude (113j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Filled with the Holy Spirit – When we compare this verse with the general attitude of this chapter, it becomes clear that Paul doesn’t want us doing anything apart from building up of the body of Christ. Paul also said in 1Cor 14-26, “Let all things be done for edification.” When Paul says, “Do not get drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit,” he is referring to a substitutionary process, suggesting that this is a simple recipe for overcoming alcoholism, trading spirit for Spirit. This is actually the Bible’s remedy for everything. God is not interested in taking anything away from us without replacing our vices with Himself, who can fill us to overflowing with the knowledge of Jesus Christ. He is able to fill any void with springs of water and turn our darkness into light for people to see and gather around our fountain and imbibe the life-giving virtue that God has given us in place of our bondage. (139h) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Edification -- These verses go with verses 1&2 Eph 5-18 (132h) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> Filled with the Spirit >> Filled to overflowing – The outcome of being filled with the Spirit should be speaking the oracle of God to one another “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord,” in short: edification. Paul mentioned throughout His epistles that everything should be for the purpose of edification, the building up of one another. If we exit the church encouraged in the faith week-by-week, it is an indication of many people serving the Lord from the top down; but if we are not edified, it is an indication of mass disobedience from the top down. (159h) Drunkenness (Key verse) (159j) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit anointing >> Drunkenness >> The alcoholic – Paul does not strictly forbid the drinking of alcohol; rather, he strictly forbids drunkenness. Remember, Paul said in Rom 14-14, “nothing is unclean in itself,” meaning that there is no physical substance on earth that is intrinsically evil, only in the way we use it. That is, alcohol is not evil, man is evil for abusing it. The drunkard cannot hear the voice of God over the demons that speak to him in his drunken addiction. (162e) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> A slave to unbelief >> Bondage to an inability to believe – Paul wants us filled with the Spirit in place of getting drunk, suggesting that there are similarities between these two. In contrast, recall the laughter movement in the 1990’s, when people would laugh hysterically in church at nothing, claiming to be filled with the Spirit, quoting this verse with Act 2,12-18. That laughter movement was a deception from Satan, but what Paul was saying was true; being filled with the Spirit is intoxicating, only it is not expressed as laughing hysterically, but as the Spirit of Truth revealing God’s word to us. One result of being genuinely filled with the Spirit is hope, and hope brings joy. However, this laughter movement brought no hope; it edified no one; God was not glorified, and the truth was not exalted. Had it been a divine movement, it would have enhanced the truth, launching the people into deeper spiritual maturity, but maturity was never a result. (199c) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Frustrating the grace of God >> Frustrating Jesus >> Frustrating the Holy Spirit (203k) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Back-slider >> Practicing sin >> Living in sin (208h) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Personal relationship >> Being the friend of God >> Relationship with God by the Spirit KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5-19,20 (81k) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church >> Giving thanks (85h) Thy kingdom come >> Words that are spoken in faith >> Verbalize your faith – Here is another process of substitution; we are to substitute course jesting, filthiness and silly talk in verses 3-5 with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in our hearts to the Lord. All that is edifying, all that blesses, all that glorifies the Lord, these should be the focus of our conversation. (252f) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God >> Worship God who is Spirit >> Worship God in the Spirit Eph 5-19 (74b) Thy kingdom come >> The heart >> God wants a relationship with your heart (151a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Speak the word >> Speak the logos – We are to read the Bible to each other and sing hymns written by inspired writers that elucidate the Scriptures. Many of the psalms of the Bible have been put to music, and there are other inspired hymns that encapsulate the Scriptures, and we use them to edify our faith. It is mentioned on a number of occasions in the Scriptures that the saints acted this way, such as in jail when they sang songs until the walls caved to freedom (Act 16,25-31). Also, Jesus sang hymns with His disciples just before His arrest (Mk 14-26). Biblical music encourages us and keeps our mind busy with the Scriptures, enlightening and inspiring each to serve the Lord. Music is part of the Christian life, and if music has a place in this life, then it also has a place in heaven. Eph 5-20 (67k) Authority >> Jesus delegates authority >> Praying in Jesus’ name (250e) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> In all things ... >> Give thanks for all things – When Paul said “all things”, he meant the good and the bad. We are not to give thanks just for the good and be angry and bitter about the bad. We give thanks, not just because God intends to work His will into our hardships; we give thanks for the hardships themselves. Good things are the fruits that we enjoy of our labors from the past, and bad things are opportunities to bear fruit for the future. Without hardship and the testing of our faith, we wouldn’t know that we believed in God. He doesn’t test us to learn of our faith, but He tests us that we might learn of our faith. Bearing up under trial is crucial in our relationship with God and in our fellowship with others, in that it increases our faith and it helps people trust us. If our character does not sway with the circumstances, we will encourage others to do the same, and they will want to model their lives after us. The goal is consistency in our walk, and we look for consistency in others as examples of faith, and the first step in becoming consistent is giving thanks for all things. Gratitude in itself has the power to change our lives; a person who is truly grateful will give thanks, and a person who never gives thanks is not grateful. We give thanks to God for the good that is in our lives; we give Him thanks for our difficulties that we might endure them in hope of receiving a full reward both in this life and in the life to come. Eph 5-21 (88k) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God >> Revering God – Many people in the Church don’t believe they need to fear God. They think unsaved people should fear Him because they are on their way to hell, but Paul is talking to the Church, mature Christians, the Ephesians. They were a holy people, and they were obedient and faithful to God, and Paul was telling them they too had reason to fear God. We fear Him by subjecting ourselves to Christ and becoming servant to all. We don’t dare consider ourselves greater than others, for to do so is to have no knowledge of God, and the ignorant man doesn’t know enough to fear Him. Faithful Christians who know and love their Master, who seem to have less reason to fear God, fear (revere) Him the most. (235f) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Giving (your inner self) >> Giving preference to one another – Being subject to one another is giving preference to each other (Rom 12-10). We are to submit to all people in the faith and they are to submit to us. This reflects what Jesus said, “The one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great” (Lk 9-48). The servant who is subordinate to his Master is subject to him, and whatever the Master says the servant must do. That is the arrangement, and that is our place in the body of Christ. The servant greater than ourselves deserves a better place in the ministry, and it should be given him instead of jealously withholding it. Those who love God and serve others are often never recognized in the Church, because the people who should recognize them are too inexperienced in obedience and ignorant of the Scriptures to understand how the Kingdom of God works. If one is truly great, he will continue to serve even if unacknowledged. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5,22-33 (3e) Responsibility >> To the Family >> Pattern your marriage after Christ and the Church – Paul compares the relationship of the husband and wife with Christ and the Church saying, “Wives, be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord,” meaning the Church is subject to Christ. The husband should be head of the wife as Christ is head of the Church, meaning wives should respect their husbands because wives tend to have a problem doing so, or perhaps better stated, people tend to have a problem respecting authority. Rebellion is sown into humanity, thanks to Adam’s contribution, and Paul charged the wife to respect her husband before he charged the man to love his wife. That doesn't mean the man shouldn't love his wife if she doesn't respect him, but that it works better if the wife respects her husband first, and then the man responds to her. It's just like Christ and the Church; Jesus can't always demonstrate His love, because the Church doesn't respect him. It is the same way with the husband and wife; if she rebels against his authority, there is nothing the man can do to show his love for her. (11o) Servant >> Example of God’s people >> The Church – We don’t abuse our own bodies and for this reason we don't abuse our wives; instead, we cherish and nurture her. We leave our father and mother and become joined to her, and the two become one flesh. Christ cherishes us, and we reciprocate, yet the Lord will always love us more than we love Him, not because He is bigger, but because He is more capable of love than we. In this life all we can do is eek-out a couple good works, trying to show our faith and obedience and do what we can to keep our sin from getting in the way. What we don’t understand is that these little tokens of faithfulness mean more to Christ than we think, because we are serving Him encased in sinful flesh, which offers an alternative that is constantly staring us in the face, and we choose Him instead. The fact that we choose Christ over sin is elating to Him, because He can use us to prove to the devil that righteousness is better than rebellion. He will never forget our love we showed Him. The things we do for Him in this life will become the seed of faith and love and relationship that will determine our quality of life in heaven. (13l) Servant >> Serve God though small in stature >> Least is the greatest (95g) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Having a cooperative attitude >> An attitude that fosters unity – If every believer had a close relationship with Jesus, there would be unity in the Church, and with it we could change the world. Christ dwells in our unity. In fact, the marriage relationship Paul is discussing between Christ and the Church is consummated in unity, meaning that if we are not united, the relationship between Christ and the Church in this life is not consummated. Unity is a matter of each person recognizing the fact that he has a marriage relationship with Christ, and submitting to His authority, yet many believers feel stuck in their relationship with God, because they can’t do what they want. Conversely, many married couples have a good relationship with each other the way God intended it. They are fruitful and multiply and later have grandchildren, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. They couldn’t fathom living as a single person or being married to anybody else; this is the way Christians ought to feel about Christ, but it takes work and dedication and commitment. The good marriage is the one where each person takes a hard look at their spouse and examines their fruit and sees the value in each other and reciprocates in a mutual exchange where each person benefits from the other. (224e) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The joyful kingdom >> The marriage supper of the lamb – The Marriage Supper of the Lamb is when God finally gets all His people together and consummates the marriage in the most literal sense possible. Sex symbolizes this consummation between Christ and the Church. This heavenly experience will no doubt be unimaginably pleasurable; for if sex is enjoyable in this life, how much more enjoyable will it be in heaven? Sex, when managed properly through marriage, can be our greatest joy on earth, suggesting that this consummation that Christ intends for the Church will be our greatest joy in heaven. Sex in this life bears the fruit of our offspring to perpetuate the next generation, so in heaven the marriage relationship between Christ and the Church will bear fruit of an new species of man who will be gifted with the ability to reproduce and perpetuate the next phase of God’s plan in eternity. Why would Christ’s relationship with His bride be a sterile one? See also: Christ and the Church will be parents of the new creation; Eph 5,25-32; 2a / New heavens and a new earth (Church is wife of the Lamb); Rev 22-2; 145c (225l) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Parables >> Parables about the body of Christ Eph 5,22-32 (136h) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Body of Christ consists of individual members >> We should live as Christ lived Eph 5,22-25 (2b) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Keeping your commitments >> Fulfill your vows in marriage to your spouse – As the woman respects her husband, so the man ought to love his wife, “just as Christ loved the Church. Paul calls men to love their wives because husbands tend to have a problem with that, or at least they don’t always show it. Paul is telling them to openly demonstrate their love as Christ openly demonstrated His love for the Church on the cross. This statement does not account for the demon-possessed man who gouged himself with stones (Mk 5,6-11). Obviously he did not love his own flesh, or the demons that resided in him didn’t. According to the analogy, a person who does not love himself, cannot love his wife; therefore, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the person who loves his wife also loves himself. Eph 5,22-24 (194i) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Yielding >> Yield to God’s right to direct your way -- These verses go with verse 33 Eph 5-22,23 (73h) Authority >> Respect authority in the family >> Respect the institution of marriage -- These verses go with verse 33. Why does the man have authority over the woman? Part of it stems from that whole thing about Adam and Eve; he was first; God put him in charge of His creation before Eve was invented, and it was with Adam that God had conversations in the cool of the day. Adam had a relationship with God, and Eve related to God through her husband. It says that God spoke directly to Eve only after she and her husband fell into sin, suggesting that after the fall, their relationship with Him was equally zero. In the new covenant, though, “There is neither male nor female… for all are one in Christ” (Gal 3-28), but at the same time there must be order in the Church, so someone must be in authority, and it might as well be Adam, since that is how it started. See also: Adam was first and then Eve; 1Tim 5-16; 44j KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5-23 (137a) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the foundation >> Jesus is head of the Church – Christ is head of the Church in the same way that the husband is head of the family. Being that the man is head of the wife, she must submit to his authority, but there is also the fact that Jesus loved the Church and paid the ultimate price for her, saying, “the son of man did not come to be served but to serve” (Mat 20-28). If the husband has the position of Christ in the home, then he is to serve more than he is served; nevertheless, the wife lives in subjection to her husband as chief servant of the family. This corresponds with the teaching of Scripture in regard to the Kingdom of God and how it is designed, the greater the servant the more authority, but it is easy for men to forget their place as servant in the home. Those who lord themselves over their wives don’t have the slightest clue about God or their place in the family. We know that the woman’s place is to be a servant, but the man’s place is to be an even greater servant; and if he is not doing that, then he doesn’t understand the gospel, and he certainly doesn’t live in subjection to Christ. See also: Least is greatest; Rev 21-26,27; 72a (210e) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Jesus is our savior >> Especially of believers -- This verse goes with verse 25 Eph 5,24-32 (73e) Authority >> Respect positions of authority >> Respect Jesus’ Authority – This life is a simulation of the life we will have in eternity. For example, in an earthly sense both husband and wife in the body share the same nature, and when they get married, the two become one flesh. Likewise, when Christ and the Church consummate their marriage and become one, we will receive the same nature as Christ and receive His prominence, being invited to sit with Him on His throne, yet we will be under His authority, just as the wife is under the authority of her husband, and just as Christ is under the authority of the Father. Eph 5,24-27 (227f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Dependence on Jesus >> Depending on Jesus to have compassion >> Depending on Jesus to receive us Eph 5-24 (250c) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> In all things ... >> Be a servant in all things Eph 5,25-32 (2a) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Keep your commitments >> Fulfill your vows in marriage to God – Paul is quoting a verse from the Old Testament, which speaks about marriage between a man and a woman, saying that he should leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. This analogy elucidates the experience of salvation, where the believer who comes to the Lord leaves the world and cleaves to Christ. As an infant, his parents were the first people he knew and they remained the most influential and important people in his life, until he got married, and his wife signifies Christ. Hence, when a person becomes born-again, he leaves the world behind and joins himself to Christ, and the two become one Spirit (1Cor 6-17). In the natural realm the man and wife share one another’s flesh in the consummation of the marriage. Sex represents the two sharing a union, and in that way they bear children. By analogy, in our marriage relationship with Christ when we are joined to the Lord and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us, He mixes with our spirit, and the two become one spirit. This new creation that results is no longer man or God, but man and God in a holy spiritual matrimony that will remain throughout eternity. He does not merely dwell in us but has indelibly mixed His spirit with ours and has become the beginning of an eternal marriage bond. On the day of our spiritual birth He brought forth a new creation, no longer the same person, not God and not man but God-man who are so completely intertwined that no man can pull asunder (Mk 10-9; Rom 8,35-39). If God made the man and the woman to be fruitful and multiply, why would it be any different between Christ and the Church, the wife of the Lamb? Our union with Him will produce children, and God will command them to be fruitful and multiply, which they will do throughout eternity to produce an infinite family who will populate the entire universe. See also: Christ and the Church will be parents; Eph 5,22-33; 224e (13d) Servant >> Serve the body >> Promoting its health >> Building up the body of Christ Eph 5,25-30 (103c) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> God’s cleansing power >> Cleansing power of the word (129g) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> love perfects unity >> Love is the martyr between the blocks Eph 5,25-27 (30f) Gift of God >> God is our Father >> Favor with God through His word (31k) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Grace is the work of God (49m) Judgment >> God judges the world >> Condition of the Church in the last days – Jesus washed the disciple's feet in the same way that Paul said God washes the Church by the Holy Spirit, using the word of God as it were soap, that He might present the Church to Himself in all of her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and blameless.” This is the state of the Church that Jesus will receive at His second coming, but the Church today is by no means ready to receive her Lord, like a belligerent child refusing to take a bath. Some of the spots and wrinkles that God intends to cleans from the Church refer to imposters hiding among the saints. He will expose these blemishes through their own resistance, whom He will replace with people who desire to walk in the blessing of Christ. If God must, He will pass over the contemporary church, who call themselves by the name of God but refuses to serve Him in Spirit and truth and establish a new people in His name who will do His will. (191a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Baptism >> Immersed in His Spirit (228k) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God works in you to cleanse you – Jesus gave Himself up for the Church, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.” The water represents the Holy Spirit and the word is the Scriptures, so the Holy Spirit is using the Scriptures to wash the Church of its sin, as Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, saying to Peter, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean…” (229h) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> Kingdom assumes the mind of Christ >> Kingdom grows into the likeness of Christ (246hh) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God demonstrates His glory >> Materializing the inner man Eph 5-25 (3b) Marriage (Key verse) (210e) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Jesus is our savior >> Especially of believers -- This verse goes with verse 23 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5,26-33 (2c) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Keep your commitments >> Complete God’s calling in your ministry >> Christ did as our example Eph 5-26,27 (50db) Judgment >> Last Days >> Great Endtime Revival >> Jews lead the world into revival >> Prophesied to unite the body of Christ at the end of the age – God wants His Church to stop prostituting herself with the world and start living for Jesus like we should, and prepare to meet God. Paul prophesied that prior to Christ's return the Church would be holy and blameless. We know that the Church did not live this way throughout its 2000-year history, but God will expect it from His people in the last days, ridding ourselves of “all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2Cor 7-1). For a 3½-year period during the trumpet judgments of the tribulation God will bestow an anointing on His people to accomplish His will. It is highly unlikely that the Church today will ever repent of its fleshly indulgences; it is simply not in their hearts to serve the Lord and nothing will ever change that. Therefore, God will choose another people who will worship Him in Spirit and truth. Many today who claim to believe will be shaken over the mouth of hell, never to be seen again, and God will raise up another people during the Great Endtime Revival that is coming at the end of the age, who will worship God in Spirit and truth, replacing those who are Christians in name only. They will cleave to this Great Endtime Revival and be part of the five wise virgins, who will be ushered into the presence of God, into the wedding ceremony and celebration of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb following the Rapture, but the others will be “rejected in regard to the faith” (2Tim 3-8). See also: Great endtime revival; 131ja (103g) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Spirit like water >> Anointing cleanses you from the practice of sin (131ja) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Many members but one body >> Many people but one wife of the Lamb – The Church will know the truth in the last days better than the first century Church, and they will establish unity among its members. This suggests that the Great Endtime Revival will be more successful in bringing souls to the kingdom and establishing unity to the Church than the days of the apostles. Jesus taught that knowing Christ in the flesh is not an advantage, compared to knowing Him in the Spirit (Jn 16-7). One of the goals of the Spirit is to lead the Church into unity; therefore, to the extent that we don’t see unity in the Church is the extent that people are resisting the Holy Spirit. According to the Lord’s Prayer, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven” (Mat 6-10), Jesus commanded us to emulate through unity our future home in heaven where Christ will one day gather His people. Unity is the one condition that Christ placed on His return, according to the High Priestly Prayer (John chapter 17). True unity occurred in the early Church, but soon afterward it fizzled; however, when Jesus returns for His people, unity will again flourish among His people, which was Jesus vision from the beginning. The first century Church was the most faithful generation throughout the 2,000-year age of grace, but apparently it wasn’t faithful enough for Jesus to return, for there were schisms and divisions among them, only not like today. The closer to a state of perfect unity, the closer to the return of Christ, but the fractured Church suggests we are further from His return than ever, yet this cannot be true, based on the timeline that indicates we are closer to the end of the age than ever. This means there is something we don’t know about His return, and that missing piece is a Great Endtime Revival that is coming to restore the Church to a state of unity. See also: Great endtime revival; Eph 5-27; 41l (191k) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Set apart >> Set apart by faith in the truth (255a) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> God’s word is Spirit >> Spirit of the word >> Words of His Spirit are life Eph 5-26 (111d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Water and the word KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5-27 (41l) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Blameless before God >> Prepare to enter His presence – When Paul talked about the Church, he was referring to the entire Church worldwide, not just the Ephesian Church. In the last days there will be a revival that will include millions of people, yet it will be a mere trickle of the world's entire population. In the last days a huge influx of souls will fill up the Church, yet many of those who claim to believe in Jesus will not be included. They will reject this revival and its doctrines, saying that it is of the devil, even though it is the work of God. They will know this revival is the work of God because it will be accompanied by signs and wonders, yet they will reject it, blaspheming the Holy Spirit. He initiated it and He will have His people the Jews managing it, and Christ will lead it; consequently, everyone who rejects the last day's revival is rejecting Christ. Participating in this revival will require repentance, and repentance is simply not in the vocabulary of many people in the Church today. See also: Great endtime revival; Eph 5-26,27; 50db (43g) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Perfect (mature) >> Flawless – This verse refers to the Father presenting the Church to Christ on His wedding day at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, which is the celebration immediately following the First Resurrection that occurs after the seven trumpets of the great tribulation. This is when the Church and her savior physically meet for the first time. The Church at that time will be “in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.” Yes, of course in heaven the Church will match this description, but Paul is talking about the Church in this life; he is not spiritualizing this but saying that Christ is coming for a Church without spot or wrinkle, speaking about us as a single entity, referring to our unity. This is not an accurate depiction of the Church today, though; obviously the Church will undergo a major transformation between now and then. This verse is talking about the Church preparing to receive Christ in person, as it also says in Rev 19-8, “It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Note that the Church prepares herself. Christ doesn’t want his bride whoring around prior to their wedding day, and in many respects that is what the Church is doing in its unfaithfulness and disloyalty. (105b) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart >> A pure heart is an unleavened heart – It is difficult to envision the Church today resembling this description. How will the Church suddenly turn and head toward righteousness and holiness of the truth when it is faltering down the path of apostasy? No doubt there are many faithful people in the Church, and when God calls them, they will respond without a hitch, but there are many others who will find it extremely difficult if not impossible to repent of their complacency. The heart of man is like a giant ocean liner. When it gets its turbines running full steam on a straight course in open water and then suddenly needs to turn, it needs hours to do a 180, and the turn-around distance is measured in miles. When it is under a time constraint, it is a major problem. This is the situation in the last days; people won't have time to turn their hearts to face the Lord when He calls them to attention. See also: Apostasy (Our light is extinguished); Act 9,32-35; 4f (112f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Obeying th e truth in broad daylight >> Church’s deeds in the light -- This verse goes with verses 8-10 (115l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through Good Works >> Works that God prepared for you – Christ will present us to Himself, for without Him we can do nothing (Jn 15-5). He expects us to prepare ourselves according to Rev 19-8, “It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Our garments were prepared for us; we only need to put on the good works of our wedding clothes. We understand God's mercy in terms of going to heaven, but His grace pertains to the things we do for Him on earth. We were born in sin; what do we know about righteousness? God integrates His grace into our works through His word and by His Spirit, and we work His grace into our lives. We put on our wedding clothes; we couldn’t do it without Him; so yes, Christ has indeed presented to Himself the Church in all her glory. (133f) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >> The body of Christ is holy >> God has made His people holy – This verse is a prophecy of endtimes. When we view the Church throughout history, it has never resembled this description. Many theorize this verse to mean that God looks at His Church through the eyes of Christ, and Paul's description is what He sees. Understanding this verse in a more practical sense, however, we understand that God intends to clean up His Church in the last days. We know this verse is a prophecy of endtimes simply because historically the Church has been rebellious since the third century, and there is no sign that She will repent anytime soon. God has patiently waited for the Church to cleanse herself of her idols of religion, but she has refused, no different from Israel of the Old Testament. The Church is supposed to be the salt of the earth, yet during the age of grace man has been involved in bloodier wars than any other time in history. The only logical conclusion we can derive from these facts is that cleaning up the Church will never happen until God makes it happen, which He will do in the last days. (234a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> God chooses us as we seek His glory >> As we submit to Him KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5,28-30 (134d) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Composition of our bodies is from the earth >> We are physically subject to this natural realm Eph 5-28,29 (9c) Responsibility >> Prevent disunity within the body of Christ >> Prevent discord within the Church (190d) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Masochism (Self-made martyr) >> Self-afflictions that are against the will of God – We are to love our wives as our own bodies just as Christ loves the Church, because we are members of His body, so to love our wives is to be like Christ. Therefore, anybody who doesn’t love his wife is cousin to a masochist. There is a new term these days “cutting”; it refers to people intentionally cutting themselves, so do these cutters prove Paul wrong when he said, “no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it”? No, Paul was talking about people of sound mind, whereas masochists are mentally ill, if they are not demon possessed. The true body of Christ is not demon possessed. It wouldn’t be surprising to know there are demon-possessed people who frequent our local churches, but these are not members of the True Church. (206f) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to promises >> Conditions to the love of God >> Conditions to loving Jesus Eph 5-29,30 (213f) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> We are his instruments >> We are tools in the hand of God >> We are extensions of His body – Paul is talking about husbands loving their wives and wives respecting their husbands. He was talking about marriage and about the fact that the two become one flesh, and for this reason we cherish our wives because we are one flesh with her. Nobody in his right mind is masochistic to his own flesh, but we do see the demon-possessed man bludgeoning himself with stones (Mk 5,1-5). The Christian is anything but demon-possessed; on the contrary, the Holy Spirit possesses him. Nevertheless, he does things that would appear masochistic to his own body by committing sins of the flesh. Sexual sins are a type of masochism, yet Christians are known to do them. If we are members of His body and have received the calling to minister to those in the Church and in the world to bring them to Christ, that the Church may grow spiritually and numerically, sexual sins must be the exact opposite of this. If we are extensions of His body, then He is calling us to live as He lived during His 3½-year ministry, which involved preaching the gospel of the kingdom to the world and making disciples in all nations and doing good works wherever we go. This is the reason God didn’t Rapture us the moment we believed. He left us here to live out our lives to promote the Kingdom of God in the world, so others may be saved and so store up treasures for ourselves in heaven that are waiting for us when we get there. Eph 5-31,32 (36l) Gift of God >> Adopted >> We are adopted by the Spirit (61a) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Church shall leave—The law (her tutor) / The world (her tyrant) (90d) Thy kingdom come >> Keeping the law >> Law is our tutor >> It takes Jesus’ place until He arrives (118m) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Law of the spirit >> Newness of the spirit transcends oldness of the letter (141b) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Old Testament bears witness to the new >> It bears witness to Jesus >> Prophesy about Jesus’ ministry >> Jesus as head of the Church (205h) Salvation >> Salvation is based on God’s promises >> New covenant >> The old one is obsolete (208ja) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Personal relationship >> Being married to God >> Knowing God >> Church knows Christ as a woman knows a man (230k) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Solving the mystery of godliness >> The love of Christ is the mystery of godliness – Scripture doesn’t speak of the woman in this way but of the man, that he should leave his mother and father and be joined to his wife. So the man is the one who has a hard time cutting the apron strings and starting a family of his own. This is not an issue with her but with him, and if he should have a deleterious relationship with his mother; he finds it difficult being the head of his own household. Paul says this mystery is great, but steers us into a greater mystery with reference to Christ and the Church. It says the two shall become one, not flesh but spirit. Just as the man and wife become one flesh at the consummation of marriage, so Christ and the Church become one spirit in the consummations of faith. Marriage is obviously consummated with sex, whereas faith is consummated with the Holy Spirit, spiritual intercourse. They intimately share things with each other in the deepest part of their souls, where no one else can reach. No one can touch the human soul like God, just like the sexual union between a man and his wife. (243n) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> There shall be no end to His increase >> God's kingdom is Infinite >> We will be married to Christ KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Eph 5-33 (2b) Responsible to avoid offending God >> Keeping your commitments >> Fulfill your vows in marriage to your spouse (73h) Authority >> Respect authority in the family >> Respect the institution of marriage -- This verse goes with verses 22&23. Men and women have their respective problems: men with loving their wives and wives with respecting their husbands. These are trends, meaning that the wife has moments when she also doesn’t love her husband, and the husband has moments when he too doesn’t respect his wife. However, Paul is pointing out their most common weaknesses. (90h) Thy kingdom come >> Keeping the law >> Righteousness of the law >> We must keep the law because it is righteous (194i) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Yielding >> Yield to God’s right to direct your way -- This verse goes with verses 22-24 See next page