Eph 5:7-9 | KingComments | STEP | . When we do what is said in the last verse of the previous chapter, we can be addressed as “imitators of God”. That means that we are able to do what God did in showing His kindness. It may even be expected from us. Anyway, in itself it is a huge thing to be addressed as ‘imitators of God’. Yet, that is not all: we are even called “beloved children” of God. God has not only forgiven us all our debts, but He also made us rich, as we became His children. You should realize this as well. You are a child of God and He loves you! . Then you will not only show kindness and forgiveness in imitating God, but your whole conduct, your whole walk, will be “in love”. You show kindness and forgiveness if you do not blame your brother or sister anymore for what he or she did wrong. To show ‘love’ goes a step further. Love is not so much engaged in what the other has done, but is involved with the other himself. Love always seeks good for the other. The exhortation “walk in love” simply means that you show the Divine nature in daily practice. How that is practiced, is seen in the life of the Lord Jesus. In Him God’s nature is perfectly made manifest. Love brought Him to a deed which we always will admire. That deed of love has been His full surrender to God – to death. His death is the absolute culmination of His love for God and for us. His life and death gave God the greatest joy. There has never been anybody on earth who has served and honored God with all his love and so fully devoted. The Lord Jesus was the One Who did. The “offering” and the “sacrifice” speak of His whole life up to and including His death on the cross. It was all a “fragrant aroma” to God, while His death on the cross was also for us. He died in our place. As a result of that we are saved and all hindrances for God to bless us have been removed. In that perfect surrender He is unique, therein we cannot imitate Him. Yet it is said: “Walk in love, just as Christ also.” Only then we shall walk in love in the same way as Christ if we also fully dedicate our life to God and His interests. Then it would be, as if God will be reminded of the walk of His Son, and through our life a fragrant aroma will rise up to Him. .The admonitions here from Paul connect to a walk of life in the light. Everything that cannot bear the light of God must not have room among believers. Besides, it is against love. Love always seeks the good for the other, even at its own expense. The things mentioned here only serve to satisfy one’s own lusts. Those are sins in which one obtains pleasure at the expense of someone else. Everything is measured by the standard of Who God is. The believer is created according to Him ( ). God is light and love ( ). Believers walk as children of God in love ( ) and as saints they walk in the light ( ). The things that are mentioned from do not fit with love and light. The believer should not do things, not even mention things “which are not fitting” ( ), that means that do not fit with the nature of God. It is not so much about the deeds, but what is preceded by that. It is about what is in the heart and what flows from the mouth. “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” ( ). Paul, of course, condemns here a manner of speaking that betrays one’s lust. When he mentions things that should not even be named, he does not contradict his own admonitions. He certainly names them, but in a disapproving sense. This is the way to speak about these things when discipline must be practiced in the church, or when these things should be denounced somewhere else ( ). Do not be tempted to name these things lightly or as a joke and do not even tolerate that. By “immorality” is meant sexual intercourse in the broadest sense of the word. It regards all sexual contact outside marriage and that is more than adultery. By “any impurity” is meant every kind of uncleanness, in words as well as in deeds or in thoughts. “Greed” is the thirst for more possessions, and is not limited to money. The absence of such talk is fitting with “saints”. Decent people watch out for what they say, so that they do not spoil their reputation, but ‘saints’ have a higher motive. They don’t belong to the world where these subjects are generally accepted, but to the new creation. . Nor should “filthiness”, i.e. obscene, indecent in words and gesture, be part of your language. It includes anything contrary to what is worthy of being honored. “Silly talk” is foolish talk. Someone who does not regard God is called a fool ( ). “Coarse jesting” you hear in jokes with a double meaning. It is all ‘not fitting’; it does not fit with the standard of the saints of God. Therefore, you should not allow yourself to descend to the level of talking rubbish and playing the funny man. He, who is known like that, is not a Christian, whatever his profession may be. It is not about general humor here. It is about people who seek to extend moral borders and to take down thresholds of decency by their foolish and ambiguous talk and their coarse jesting. To ‘saints’, people who received forgiveness, “giving of thanks” is fitting. That indicates an opened mouth out of which words of thanks flow ( ; ) instead of debauchery. . In the evil was mentioned, here we see the perpetrators of it. You know well, and you also have acknowledged, that because of everything you were in in the past and wherein you partook, there was no connection with the area where Christ and God have all control. You confessed that at your conversion and you’ve seen that all that has disappeared in the judgment that came over Christ. Yet you can forget that and again start to live as you did in the past. Therefore your conscience is appealed to here to remind you of what you formerly confessed and have put away at the cross. There is not only a reminder of what has been put away, however. There is also a prospect for “an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God”. This kingdom will be established in the fullness of times ( ). It is ‘the kingdom of Christ’ because He is the Center of it, the One Who rules. It is the kingdom ‘of God’ because He is the Inventor of it, it is His counsel. By “inheritance” you think of the future; you are an heir and the inheritance is yet to come. Your inheritance in the kingdom you will receive in the fullness of times at the revelation of Christ. The rights of God and His government will be established in the universe. It is mentioned here to indicate that you should see your life in the light of that time. The result will be that you give the control of your life in the hands of Christ and God now already. . Then you will not be tempted to live unholy which can cause you to end up again in the company you were in in the past (cf. ). You can be deceived by empty words, words that conflict with the Scriptures. Different forms of living together that the Scripture calls fornication, are being justified, as living together unmarried and the opening up of marriage between people of the same sex. These things are also defended in professing Christianity with nice, but empty words. But bear in mind: “For because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” ‘Sons of disobedience’ are people who are deliberately disobedient. . Stay far away from them. Do not join them and do not behave like them. Just assure yourself that you will not be seen as a partaker of them (see also ). Children of God and sons of disobedience have nothing in common spiritually. You should not only avoid sins, but also the connection with sinners. . Do you know why you have to avoid those connections? Because of what you were in the past and what you have become now. It is put as a fact. And that change has been achieved through the work that God did on you. You were not only in the darkness, you were darkness. You were characterized by a nature that is in darkness and you found pleasure in everything that was against God. But now you are light in the Lord. Nothing is hidden, everything is visible and that is the way you should walk. Now read Ephesians 5:1-8 again. Reflection: What belongs to the light and what does not belong in the light?

‏ Ephesians 5:7-9

A Walk in Love and in Light

Eph 5:1. When we do what is said in the last verse of the previous chapter, we can be addressed as “imitators of God”. That means that we are able to do what God did in showing His kindness. It may even be expected from us. Anyway, in itself it is a huge thing to be addressed as ‘imitators of God’. Yet, that is not all: we are even called “beloved children” of God. God has not only forgiven us all our debts, but He also made us rich, as we became His children. You should realize this as well. You are a child of God and He loves you!

Eph 5:2. Then you will not only show kindness and forgiveness in imitating God, but your whole conduct, your whole walk, will be “in love”. You show kindness and forgiveness if you do not blame your brother or sister anymore for what he or she did wrong. To show ‘love’ goes a step further. Love is not so much engaged in what the other has done, but is involved with the other himself. Love always seeks good for the other. The exhortation “walk in love” simply means that you show the Divine nature in daily practice.

How that is practiced, is seen in the life of the Lord Jesus. In Him God’s nature is perfectly made manifest. Love brought Him to a deed which we always will admire. That deed of love has been His full surrender to God – to death. His death is the absolute culmination of His love for God and for us. His life and death gave God the greatest joy. There has never been anybody on earth who has served and honored God with all his love and so fully devoted. The Lord Jesus was the One Who did.

The “offering” and the “sacrifice” speak of His whole life up to and including His death on the cross. It was all a “fragrant aroma” to God, while His death on the cross was also for us. He died in our place. As a result of that we are saved and all hindrances for God to bless us have been removed.

In that perfect surrender He is unique, therein we cannot imitate Him. Yet it is said: “Walk in love, just as Christ also.” Only then we shall walk in love in the same way as Christ if we also fully dedicate our life to God and His interests. Then it would be, as if God will be reminded of the walk of His Son, and through our life a fragrant aroma will rise up to Him.

Eph 5:3.The admonitions here from Paul connect to a walk of life in the light. Everything that cannot bear the light of God must not have room among believers. Besides, it is against love. Love always seeks the good for the other, even at its own expense. The things mentioned here only serve to satisfy one’s own lusts. Those are sins in which one obtains pleasure at the expense of someone else.

Everything is measured by the standard of Who God is. The believer is created according to Him (Eph 4:24). God is light and love (1Jn 1:5 ; 1Jn 4:8 ; 16). Believers walk as children of God in love (Eph 5:1-2) and as saints they walk in the light (Eph 5:3-21).

The things that are mentioned from Eph 5:3 do not fit with love and light. The believer should not do things, not even mention things “which are not fitting” (Eph 5:4), that means that do not fit with the nature of God. It is not so much about the deeds, but what is preceded by that. It is about what is in the heart and what flows from the mouth. “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Mt 12:34). Paul, of course, condemns here a manner of speaking that betrays one’s lust.

When he mentions things that should not even be named, he does not contradict his own admonitions. He certainly names them, but in a disapproving sense. This is the way to speak about these things when discipline must be practiced in the church, or when these things should be denounced somewhere else (Eph 5:11). Do not be tempted to name these things lightly or as a joke and do not even tolerate that.

By “immorality” is meant sexual intercourse in the broadest sense of the word. It regards all sexual contact outside marriage and that is more than adultery. By “any impurity” is meant every kind of uncleanness, in words as well as in deeds or in thoughts. “Greed” is the thirst for more possessions, and is not limited to money.

The absence of such talk is fitting with “saints”. Decent people watch out for what they say, so that they do not spoil their reputation, but ‘saints’ have a higher motive. They don’t belong to the world where these subjects are generally accepted, but to the new creation.

Eph 5:4. Nor should “filthiness”, i.e. obscene, indecent in words and gesture, be part of your language. It includes anything contrary to what is worthy of being honored. “Silly talk” is foolish talk. Someone who does not regard God is called a fool (Psa 14:1). “Coarse jesting” you hear in jokes with a double meaning. It is all ‘not fitting’; it does not fit with the standard of the saints of God.

Therefore, you should not allow yourself to descend to the level of talking rubbish and playing the funny man. He, who is known like that, is not a Christian, whatever his profession may be. It is not about general humor here. It is about people who seek to extend moral borders and to take down thresholds of decency by their foolish and ambiguous talk and their coarse jesting.

To ‘saints’, people who received forgiveness, “giving of thanks” is fitting. That indicates an opened mouth out of which words of thanks flow (1Thes 5:18; Col 1:12) instead of debauchery.

Eph 5:5. In Eph 5:3 the evil was mentioned, here we see the perpetrators of it. You know well, and you also have acknowledged, that because of everything you were in in the past and wherein you partook, there was no connection with the area where Christ and God have all control. You confessed that at your conversion and you’ve seen that all that has disappeared in the judgment that came over Christ. Yet you can forget that and again start to live as you did in the past. Therefore your conscience is appealed to here to remind you of what you formerly confessed and have put away at the cross.

There is not only a reminder of what has been put away, however. There is also a prospect for “an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God”. This kingdom will be established in the fullness of times (Eph 1:10). It is ‘the kingdom of Christ’ because He is the Center of it, the One Who rules. It is the kingdom ‘of God’ because He is the Inventor of it, it is His counsel.

By “inheritance” you think of the future; you are an heir and the inheritance is yet to come. Your inheritance in the kingdom you will receive in the fullness of times at the revelation of Christ. The rights of God and His government will be established in the universe. It is mentioned here to indicate that you should see your life in the light of that time. The result will be that you give the control of your life in the hands of Christ and God now already.

Eph 5:6. Then you will not be tempted to live unholy which can cause you to end up again in the company you were in in the past (cf. Psa 1:1). You can be deceived by empty words, words that conflict with the Scriptures. Different forms of living together that the Scripture calls fornication, are being justified, as living together unmarried and the opening up of marriage between people of the same sex. These things are also defended in professing Christianity with nice, but empty words. But bear in mind: “For because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” ‘Sons of disobedience’ are people who are deliberately disobedient.

Eph 5:7. Stay far away from them. Do not join them and do not behave like them. Just assure yourself that you will not be seen as a partaker of them (see also Eph 5:11). Children of God and sons of disobedience have nothing in common spiritually. You should not only avoid sins, but also the connection with sinners.

Eph 5:8. Do you know why you have to avoid those connections? Because of what you were in the past and what you have become now. It is put as a fact. And that change has been achieved through the work that God did on you. You were not only in the darkness, you were darkness. You were characterized by a nature that is in darkness and you found pleasure in everything that was against God. But now you are light in the Lord. Nothing is hidden, everything is visible and that is the way you should walk.

Now read Ephesians 5:1-8 again.

Reflection: What belongs to the light and what does not belong in the light?

Awake!

Eph 5:9. A walk in light is not sterile and cold. In such a walk, life is developing that shows itself in the fruit it bears. This fruit is not because of your efforts and neither a result of some performance you delivered. No, bearing fruit is not what you do, but it is about what you are and where you stand. If you walk in light, you are in God’s presence. He causes the growth (1Cor 3:7).

The Lord Jesus says: “He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). When you draw your ‘life juices’ from Him, your life will bear fruit. That fruit consists of the features of God, which were also visible in the life of the Lord Jesus. You will be a benefit to others when in your behavior “all goodness” is visible. You will give others what they deserve and in that way reveal “righteousness”. Your whole behavior will not be hypocritical, but “truth”, truthful.

Eph 5:10. While you are thus ‘producing’ the fruit of light without doing your best, you are active in “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord”. “Trying to learn” is to examine whether something is good. The result of this examination is that you make choices that are a joy to the Lord.

Eph 5:11. In Eph 5:7 Paul warns that you should not be a partaker of evildoers. You must not connect yourself with these people. In this verse you are reminded not to have anything to do with their deeds. Every form of fellowship with them should be cut off. Light and darkness have absolutely nothing in common (cf. 2Cor 6:14b).

Now you are in the light, it is absolutely unacceptable to do “the unfruitful deeds” because they belong to “darkness”. Besides, have you noticed that there is mention of “fruit (singular) of the Light” (Eph 5:9) and “unfruitful deeds (plural) of darkness” (Eph 5:11)? This you also find in Galatians 5, where you read about “the deeds of the flesh” (Gal 5:19) and “the fruit of the Spirit” (Gal 5:22). What belongs to God and comes from Him, forms a wonderful unity. What comes from the flesh and belongs to darkness, is corruption in many ways.

What happens in darkness should be “exposed” – this means that it must be clearly indicated which sin it is about. The nature of the sin should be exposed. You don’t have to examine the way sin is practiced, but as soon as you become aware of it, you are to name sin as sin and not partake of defending it.

John the baptist is an example in this. He exposed Herod’s way of living by saying that he was living in sin (Mt 14:3-4). Exposure happens by what you say, but even more by the way you live. When you walk in the light, that light will also reveal the deeds of darkness.

Eph 5:12. It is clear that something that happens “in secret”, is deliberately done and not ignorantly. “It is disgraceful even to speak” of things which are done in secret. Should you have to say something about it, do it with disapproval. It can be necessary to talk about homosexuality. When somebody is struggling with homosexual feelings, we shall try to help such a person with compassion. However, when it is somebody who defends homosexual practice, we must take a clear stand against it.

Eph 5:13. The special feature of light is that it reveals everything when its rays shine on it. Light exposes the true nature of something. He who does good things has nothing to hide. He stands fearless in the spotlight. Everything he does may be seen. He who does evil, hates the light and avoids it (Jn 3:20).

Eph 5:14. The work of light is made clear in the previous verses. It is also made clear that there is absolutely no fellowship between light and darkness. Of course the enemy doesn’t like that. He doesn’t succeed in mixing light and darkness. But what he does succeed in doing, is to turn both around and to present darkness as light and light as darkness. He is tirelessly busy to make people think reversely. In various media he has found a great means for his endeavor.

The prophet Isaiah has spoken out the ‘woe’ regarding the exchange of light and darkness (Isa 5:20). And bear in mind: he indeed speaks to the people of God! This reversal of matters has also permeated professing Christianity. Christians have been deceived by the enemy and have fallen asleep. They are detached from the light of the glory of Christ. Therefore out of the glory comes a call from the glorified Christ to every Christian individually: “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Just imagine: You see a lot of people lying on the floor. They don’t move. They all seem dead. There is no sign of life. The tragedy the apostle is painting here is the apparent similarity between the sleeper and the dead. Although the sleeper is alive, he is yet just as the dead and just as insensitive to the light. That is the application here. Somebody who sleeps doesn’t hear or see anything. There is no communication with the living, for in fact he is in the condition of a dead man.

The Christian who sleeps, is deactivated to witness to the glorified Lord. In order to rejoice in Christ again, he must awake and arise. He has to open his eyes and realize that he has been deceived “with empty words” (Eph 5:6), and therefore he became like the dead.

If you become aware that your life is no longer a testimony of the glorified Christ, then do something about it! It may be that you haven’t sinned at all. Of itself that is wonderful, but it might be the case that you have become blind to the glorified Christ and to your connection to Him. You went to live on the level of the world. You started to think horizontally. You’re not aware anymore of the vertical relationship with the Lord. You do not reflect the new life anymore.

If you recognize this, you have been awakened. Confess to the Lord that you’ve failed and rejoice again in Christ, the Light source. In His Person everything that God is has been revealed in the midst of evil and darkness. If you rejoice in Him, God will be revealed in the midst of evil and darkness. After all, you have been created according to God. The section that deals with light and darkness in such a special way, closes so to say, with the call to rejoice in the light.

Eph 5:15. After this digression about light and darkness Paul returns to the walk, about which he spoke in Eph 5:1-6. By walk is meant the way of life we live. He exhorts us to watch carefully how we walk. It is, after all, about a walk in love and light (Eph 5:1 ; 8), a walk wherein the new life becomes visible (Eph 4:22-24), so a walk wherein Christ is being formed (Gal 4:19). That comprises our whole life.

After the contrast between light and darkness you see another contrast, that between unwise and wise men. Who is wise? Wise is he who knows how to apply God’s Word in different situations. You are unwise if you live to your own ideas, as if you would not know anything of the very plans God has with you. You are wise if you ask yourself in all your decisions whether it fits with your relation with the heavenly Christ, as that is the issue in this letter.

Eph 5:16. Walking wisely becomes clear in how you use your time, how you use opportunities that God gives you to let your light shine. A wise man makes the most of his time to show the new man. “Making the most” means that you make the best use of what you have, not for yourself, but rather at your own expense.

That “the days are evil” or full of sin is another exhortation to make most of your time. You won’t have that chance in heaven. Only in the time you are on earth you have chances to show Christ in the midst of sin. If you want to see these chances, you must be awake, your eyes must be open, and you should also watch out how you walk. There is always that danger of falling asleep.

Because you live in an evil, sinful world, you should watch yourself and your environment. This doesn’t frighten you or make you tremble. No, what you see makes you zealous to be fully and continuously committed to the Lord. You become aware that time is a gift from Him to serve Him with. When we do not see opportunities, it’s not the Lord’s fault, but ours.

Now read Ephesians 5:9-16 again.

Reflection: How do you make the most of your time?