Ephesians 4:17-32
Summary for Eph 4:17-5:20: 4:17–5:20 a Paul gives believers specific guidelines for living a new life in Christ. 4:17 b God’s people are called to a way of life that is different from that of the Gentiles (pagans, unbelievers) of the world.4:18 c Their minds are full of darkness because their minds are closed and hearts are hard (see 2 Cor 4:4 d).
4:19 e no sense of shame: The hardness of unbelievers’ hearts is reflected in their moral insensitivity and sexual immorality (see Rom 1:21-31 f).
Summary for Eph 4:20-24: 4:20-24 g What you learned about Christ is the truth that comes from him. He gives true understanding (cp. John 14:6 h) and calls his people to an entirely new way of life (cp. Rom 6:3-14 i; 13:12-14 j; Col 3:8-10 k).
4:24 l A believer has a new nature: God’s Spirit expresses his life within the believer (see Col 3:10 m; cp. Gen 1:26 n; Rom 12:1-2 o; Gal 5:22-23 p). The transforming work of God’s Spirit is part of the gift of salvation (Eph 2:8-10 q).
4:25 r Let us tell our neighbors the truth: Cp. Zech 8:16 s.
• for we are all parts of the same body: See Rom 12:5 t; 1 Cor 12:12-13 u, 27 v.
Summary for Eph 4:26-27: 4:26-27 w “don’t sin by letting anger control you” (literally “be angry and do not sin”): This verse quotes Ps 4:4 x. The literal form of the quotation cannot be used to justify anger, for anger gives a foothold to the devil (cp. Jas 1:20 y). God’s people are to be gentle and gracious, not harsh or angry (see Eph 4:31-32 z).
• Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry: Anger must quickly be resolved, not allowed to stew.
4:28 aa Christians are to be hard-working people who have integrity and care for others (cp. 1 Thes 4:11 ab; 2 Thes 3:6-12 ac).
4:29 ad Believers are to learn new patterns of speech to be an encouragement to others (see also 5:3-4 ae, 12 af).
4:30 ag Believers must not alienate God’s Holy Spirit, who identifies them as belonging to God (cp. Mark 3:29 ah; Acts 5:3-5 ai, 9 aj; 1 Thes 4:8 ak; Heb 6:4-8 al).
• has identified you as his own (or has put his seal on you): The presence of the Spirit both confirms and guarantees the future redemption of believers (see Eph 1:13-14 am; Rom 8:16-17 an; 2 Cor 1:22 ao; 1 Jn 4:13 ap).
4:32 aq Forgiving fellow believers is a natural and good response to experiencing God’s forgiving grace in Christ (cp. Col 3:12-13 ar; 1 Jn 4:19 as).
Ephesians 5:1-20
5:1 at Imitate God ... in everything you do: Primarily by expressing love (5:2 au; cp. Matt 5:44-45 av, 48 aw).• because you are his dear children: Just as children follow their parents’ example, believers should follow God’s example (1 Cor 4:14-17 ax).
5:2 ay Christ’s love is shown especially in his offering himself as a sacrifice for us (cp. 5:25 az; John 15:13 ba; Rom 5:8 bb). Christian love is motivated by and modeled after Christ’s sacrificial love (see Phil 2:5-8 bc).
• Paul draws on Old Testament imagery, where the smell of a burning sacrifice was a pleasing aroma to God (see Lev 1:9 bd; 2:2 be; cp. Rom 12:1 bf).
Summary for Eph 5:3-5: 5:3-5 bg God’s people (literally holy ones) must have a holy lifestyle, avoiding the immorality common among unbelievers (cp. 4:19 bh; Col 3:5 bi).
5:4 bj The speech of God’s people is to be characterized by thankfulness to God (see 4:29 bk; 5:3 bl, 12 bm).
5:5 bn Many similar statements describe the kind of person who will not inherit the Kingdom of ... God: See 1 Cor 6:9-10 bo; Gal 5:19-21 bp; Rev 22:15 bq; cp. Col 3:5-6 br.
• For a greedy person is an idolater: The things greedy people desire become their gods (see Matt 6:24 bs).
5:6 bt The anger of God will fall at his final judgment (see Rom 1:18 bu; Col 3:5-6 bv; cp. John 3:36 bw).
5:7 bx Don’t participate: Cp. 2 Cor 6:14–7:1 by.
5:8 bz Darkness is ignorance of God and his ways and being dominated by sin (see 4:18 ca).
• Light from the Lord is Christ’s good news (see John 8:12 cb). As people of light, believers live in fellowship with God, in whom there is no darkness (see 1 Jn 1:5-7 cc; 5:9 cd; cp. Matt 5:14-16 ce; John 8:12 cf; 12:35-36 cg, 46 ch; Rom 13:12 ci; 2 Cor 6:14 cj; 1 Thes 5:4-8 ck; 1 Pet 2:9 cl).
5:9 cm God’s people are to do what is good and right and true, in harmony with God’s light (cp. Rom 12:2 cn; some early manuscripts read Spirit instead of light; cp. Eph 4:22-24 co; Matt 7:16-20 cp; Gal 5:22-23 cq).
5:10 cr Carefully determine what pleases the Lord: The point is to obey God’s will, not simply to understand it (cp. Rom 12:2 cs; Phil 1:10 ct).
5:11 cu expose them: By the light shining from their lives (cp. John 3:20-21 cv; Rom 13:12 cw; 1 Pet 2:9 cx), not by verbally accusing or condemning people (see 1 Cor 5:9-13 cy).
Summary for Eph 5:13-14: 5:13-14 cz “Awake, O sleeper”: This might be a fragment from an unknown Christian song, perhaps based on texts in Isaiah (cp. Isa 26:19 da; 52:1 db; 60:1 dc). It calls on God’s people to turn from their sinful darkness and live in the full light of Christ.
5:15 dd Fools have no understanding of God and his ways, but those who are wise do know God and understand his ways (see Job 28:28 de; Prov 1:7 df; 2:1-22 dg).
5:16 dh Make the most of every opportunity: See also Col 4:5 di.
• in these evil days: See Matt 24:6-12 dj, 15-22 dk; 2 Thes 2:3-10 dl.
5:18 dm The Holy Spirit, not wine, should dominate believers’ lives (see Prov 23:29-35 dn; cp. Acts 2:15-18 do).
• be filled: The grammar here suggests that believers’ lives are to be continuously filled with and governed by the Holy Spirit.
Summary for Eph 5:19-20: 5:19-20 dp Lives filled with the Holy Spirit will be expressed in singing ... and making music (Col 3:16-17 dq). Joyful praise, worship, and giving thanks are fitting responses to God’s saving grace.
• among yourselves: Singing together builds up the body of Christ.
• The Lord hears the music in our hearts.
• in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ is our mediator and representative as we approach God (cp. John 14:13-14 dr; 16:23-27 ds; Rev 22:4 dt).
Copyright information for
TNotes