Ephesians 5 | Practical Steps to Walk in Your New Identity in Christ

What does Ephesians 5 teach about marriage?
How does the Bible define the roles of husbands and wives?
What does it mean to walk in love as Christ loved us?

Ephesians 5 dives deep into the practical aspects of Christian living, focusing on how believers should walk in their new identity in Christ. Paul emphasizes the importance of avoiding sin, particularly sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness, urging believers to live lives of purity, thanksgiving, and light. He makes it clear that these sinful behaviors should not even be named among saints, reflecting a community that is set apart and striving for holiness. This chapter challenges modern Christian communities to reconsider permissive attitudes toward sin, pushing them toward spiritual maturity and accountability.

The chapter also delves into the concept of walking in love, not merely as an abstract idea but as a call to sacrificial living modeled after Christ’s own love for us. Paul underscores the need for unity within the body of Christ, where every member, by rejecting sinful behaviors and embracing Christ-like love, contributes to a community that reflects God’s glory.

In a cultural context where household codes were prevalent, Paul provides a Christian perspective that redefines roles within the family. Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loves the church, a love that is selfless and sacrificial. Wives are encouraged to submit to their husbands in a manner that reflects the church’s submission to Christ. This mutual respect and love within the marriage are portrayed as vital for maintaining a healthy Christian community and are counter-cultural to the Roman understanding of household authority.

Paul’s instructions serve as a blueprint for Christian households and communities, where every relationship is viewed through the lens of Christ’s love and sacrifice. He warns against being deceived by empty words and stresses the importance of living as children of light, discerning what is pleasing to the Lord. The chapter concludes with a call to be filled with the Spirit, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and always giving thanks to God the Father.

As believers strive to live out these principles, they are encouraged to embrace accountability, repent from sin, and grow in their faith, continually becoming more like Christ. This chapter serves as a reminder that Christian living is not just about personal piety but about fostering a community that reflects the holiness, love, and light of God.

Transcript

 Ephesians 5

Ephesians 5

[00:00:00] Hey everyone, welcome to God's plan, your part year two, where this year we're reading through and studying the entire New Testament one chapter at a time. Thanks again for joining us in discovering God's plan and your part in it. Today, we're looking at Ephesians chapter five, and we are quickly closing in on the end of Paul's letter to the Christians in Ephesians.

Uh, remember he's trying to encourage them to be unified. That's the key to this whole book. I would say, um, I would say today's focus kind of shifts to very specific ways to walk out this new identity in Christ. Yesterday, Paul talked a lot in Ephesians four. Uh, about putting on this new identity, I would say today in chapter five, he's going to get into the nuts and bolts of what that new identity looks like and what walking in that new identity looks like.

And there are specifics attached to this. Yeah. So some of those specifics that I think are just sticking out right away are obviously things to [00:01:00] avoid while also things to strive for in order that relationships would be reflective of Christ and ultimately glorifying. Christ. It's, it's interesting if you look at, um, I mean, you're talking about things to avoid.

If you look at verse three, but sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness, nor foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be Thanksgiving. Like, That's pretty strong language.

Um, and, and it, I think flies in the face of some of the doctrines we've developed in our modern churches can be, I think in like in goodwill and in good, like, I think they're well intentioned, uh, but can be very permissive of sin. Paul here is pretty clear. Like. Knock it off like it like don't even allow these things to be named among you because of the Saints that I'm aware of this Is not [00:02:00] something that is current in their lives.

Well something else I did notice Right off the bat walk in love as Christ love. So I've heard walk in love so many times I feel like it's on its own can be kind of muddled But if you actually read the rest of it, it's walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as fragrant offerings and sacrifice to God.

So I think what's really interesting about this is that it's not just talking about like what you would imagine, like be nice to everybody and all the things like that really soft kind of easy way to take this message. But it's saying like Christ came and sacrificially gave his life. So it's, it's like laying out right at the forefront in order to have this unity.

You also need to. Be willing to give yourself up so that like the unity of the body can exist. Because if we're all doing that, if everybody's giving themselves up for the sake of Christ and for what he's doing within the church body, [00:03:00] wouldn't that be such a beautiful thing? Remember, if you set this in context yesterday in Ephesians four, uh, Paul was talking about equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.

Like we need to Focus on people within the church and strengthening and growing them into mature adult believers. So he's adding to that argument, I would say this idea that like, Hey, if you want to be equipping the saints, if you want to be growing a mature adult believers, this is what that looks like.

And, and one of the things that it involves is not having sexual immorality among you. And I would say, if you want evidence of. Um, the fact that you're in a group of baby Christians, um, if there's, you know, if there's a, if there's sexual immorality in your group, you're probably spending a lot of time with baby Christians or, or they're not Christians at all.

Um, if there's a lot of these, these other things, like if there's a lot of, uh, filthiness and foolish talk and crude joking, you might be hanging out with some baby Christians. Uh, and I am intentionally saying that like. [00:04:00] It, I don't know that it's evidence of you not being saved at all. I think it's evidence of you being immature in your faith, because I think what Paul's saying is like, Hey, mature saints do not tolerate these kinds of things.

These kinds of things should not be a part of your community. A crazy thing too. Just to add on to that list, uh, verse five says you may be sure of this that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, that's what you've talked about, or who is covetous, that is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of God or of Christ and God.

That's like, that really hits home. Like, it's very strong, very strange. Like, Like weird ones to tap into, but dang, how prominent is that among, like among people who would call themselves believers, I would say, I would say it can be very prominent and I would say particularly among, uh, like when you get into talking about pornography among believers, We have [00:05:00] become very permissive.

Uh, this, this is not a podcast episode exclusively about pornography, but we've become very permissive in how we handle these things. And, and I think it's in good nature. Like, I think we're trying to be nice. But it seems like from what Paul is saying here, and I would say even from evidence of Paul's other letters, the first century church did not just permit these things and was not even tolerating of these kinds of things.

So I think like, as we strive to be mature believers and particularly like if you're a, if you're a, you know, uh, influential church member, or if you're a church leader or something like that, I think we should be very careful Um, that we don't become permissive of, of certain types of sinful activity. I mean, I would say any sinful activity.

And I think Paul's intentionally using very strong language here. I mean, he says, you're not going to inherit the kingdom. That's a big deal. I also think too, it's like these two issues pretty much cover all social media, like to the T, [00:06:00] uh, but anyway. Uh, it also, it kind of moves on then to let no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Is that kind of tapping into what we were talking about even just yesterday, um, essentially of like being tossed out Dissuaded. Is that like what he's going after? Again, I would assume that's what he's talking about. Like I think he's drawing the point home that, um, don't be deceived by false teaching.

And, and, and in the immediate context, like, don't believe that doing these things is gonna be fine. Um, because there will be punishment for darkness, which he goes in and talks about darkness and light. Yeah, the darkness and light kind of comes up right after that, which I really like. Walk as children of light.

Um, because you're, you are essentially in a world for. full of darkness. And if we claim to be something that we're not, we're just stumbling around in the darkness, not making an impact literally on anyone. I just look very hypocritical, but it does say not to take part in any of the works of this darkness.

Instead, [00:07:00] expose them. I liked this verse two and verse 14, or excuse me as well. Verse 14, it says, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, awake, O sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. I like this idea of just like almost that verse of being dead in your transgressions, like you're in darkness, but then when you are in Christ, Like you are a child of light.

There's no, like, there's nothing else that you can do in the world, but be this light. So I really liked that kind of like wordplay right there. Um, so he's really just driving home again. Like you have to stand out. You can't just be muddled in between both because you won't shine. You'll just be in this.

It is interesting and I've touched on this several times, but there's some competing visions, um, for Christian community out there. And one vision is like, become more and more like the culture to attract the culture. Oh, I really do hate that. I really do. The other is, um, Um, be [00:08:00] less and less like the culture to attract the culture.

Like, like both groups are interested in getting attention. And I think that I, I, again, I think there are well intentioned people on both sides. I think becoming like the culture to attract the culture is very dangerous. And I think Paul would push against that. And I think that's clear from, from his letter here in Ephesians.

And I would point to Corinthians, um, as well. I think it's also just like, it's hard. Like, it's harder, like, I don't know, when I think of, I always go to this, I always go to this example, but like, if you're thinking of trying to lose weight or become fit, you don't want the people around you that are just going to be like, you're just so great, like you're not really doing anything that's different than what you were doing before, but you are just so great, like you're not going to make any difference.

And I have. Experience in the past, like people that give you that tough love or perhaps even, um, [00:09:00] what were you saying yesterday? Uh, love. It's, um, shoot, help me speaking the truth and speaking the truth and love. It's been so helpful because like, thank you for being honest with me about what is going on.

I think that equates to what we're talking about here where like the church should be different. You shouldn't walk into a church and expect life to just continue to stay the same. Um, and, and in a. In an effort to maybe take the edge off a little bit. Um, if you are experiencing sin in your life, if you are struggling with sin in your life, um, there is a way out.

Like you repent, like you repent for that sin and you ask people to hold you accountable. So I do think like, if you feel like I'm being harsh, it's possible. I, I sound harsh. Um, I'm just to, just to walk that back a little bit, like there is room for repentance. So. So repent for your sin and strive to come out of that sin.

And I'm talking specifically to Christians. Like if you are a professing Christian believer and you are aware that there's [00:10:00] sin in your life, you need to repent for that sin and you need to embrace accountability. Like find somebody who will help hold you accountable so that you do not continue to fall into that sin so that we walk as children of light.

And so like, okay. In an effort to not be too harsh, like understand that there is forgiveness. Um, but we, we should not accept these things as just how it is. Uh, we should continue to push toward repentance and, and push toward accountability because we are honoring Christ more and more as we become more mature, as we become more like him, as we resist those sins.

Um, more and more effectively through the Holy Spirit first and foremost, um, but also by like good accountability with other believers. So I do, I don't know, I've, I think I really appreciated this part because it is encouraging again, unity through walking out these things, uh, specifically, like we said at the beginning, like things to avoid as well [00:11:00] as, um, things to adhere to.

So we get to this next section, which. It has its place, I guess. Um, we go from like unity to husbands and wives. Again, have the context that he's trying to be very specific with how to honor Christ in your life. And so it's very fitting that he goes into these family roles because he's going to teach like, what does a good Christian husband look like?

What does a good Christian wife look like? What do Christian children look like? Uh, he even talks about household rules in there. So. The, the context that's important, which is not all covered today, it's not, there's going to be some more tomorrow. Um, what's important here to understand is that it was very common in Roman culture to have household codes.

So people understood like, like essentially it would go something like, if you are a good Roman, then you live this way. And so what Paul's doing is he's taking these household codes that people were familiar with, and he's putting a different [00:12:00] Christian spin on them. So this is the, the Christ like take on the Roman concept of family.

And this would have been a concept that's very familiar with people. Um, they, they would have known about these things. And what's interesting is a Roman household code was basically like, Hey, The dad's in charge, do everything he says. It does not matter if he's right or wrong. What matters is that you follow him and obey him.

And in some Roman circles, if you did not obey the father, like he could beat you, he could disown you, he could get rid of you. And that was applicable to kids and to wives. So what's unique about the Christian spin on this is that the husband, uh, the father is accountable to God and the husband and father has to care well for his family.

Not just provide for them, but actually support them. Something crazy too that I actually just noticed as you were talking. Um, So Paul is really pointing out these things specifically for marriage and you said too for other [00:13:00] relationships as well as we read throughout the rest of the chapters, but it does say in our study bible that there are principles of marriage that are referenced in Ephesians.

Yes. And one of them being, which again, this is tomorrow's reading, but I think it's really helpful because with a strong husband and a strong wife that are dedicated to Christ and understand the roles that women submit to your husbands, or excuse me, wives submit to your husbands and men love your wives.

It's like this crazy cool balance, but at the same time, uh, our Bible references that marriage involves spiritual warfare. Yes. Yes. Okay. Which includes the full armor of God for husbands and wives to wear. And it's like, it's so crazy. Like all the things that, that marriage can be attacked on based on that armor of God visual is like, wow.

Like the way that we work together, that whole picture of unity is even so. Intimate, even like within [00:14:00] marriage, not just the body of believers, but like, holy cow, if every, if every couple married couple was like this or desired to be like this, imagine how 50 couples like this would work as a body of Christ.

Like, that's so cool. Like imagine the possibilities. I guess. And again, he's trying to bring unity. He's trying to bring people together and bringing clarity to what these roles looks like is important. And, and two, the Roman understanding of a household would have been, you all serve the husband and father, right?

That's what you do. He doesn't love you. He commands you and you obey him. The, the Christian spin on this is we all serve under Christ. The husband and father obeys Christ. He has to love those under him as though he is loving, like, like Christ, like he has to love, like Christ, like love your wife, like Christ love the church.

Um, it, it, Paul actually says, um, if, uh, if a husband hates his wife, where is it? Um, [00:15:00] Who loves his wife, loves himself for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ does the church. Like this is a high command for husbands and fathers. And it was a radically counter cultural command for husbands and fathers.

So I know sometimes this passage gets a bad rap, like, Oh, submission, Oh, submit, submit, submit. Um, I don't, you look like you want to throw in on that. Well, I was just thinking too, like the actual. Comparison of the church and God like it's a big deal. God requires us to submit to him so much so that he literally died for us.

Like that is the sacrificial love part that he is giving to us or has given to us. And our job is to submit to him. And it's not like you were saying, it's not like this. Well, God says that you just do it. There's no love in return. Like, Holy cow. God sent Jesus. Like there's no, there's no better gift than that.

So I like the comparison across the board. I always like to point out that it is wrong. [00:16:00] For wives to refuse the submission part. Like, I know that's probably not like a super popular opinion. It has so many layers that people put there that don't belong. And just as wrong as it is for wives to reject their husbands, it is wrong for husbands to reject their wives.

So it is like this mutual submission thing that is like, man, I actually believe that the higher command here is that husbands are to love their wives. Like Christ loves the church. Like that is no small thing. Um, So, so you can't, the problem with this passage is when you overemphasize one over the other, right?

All of this is occurring together and Christ is the head. And again, what would have been normal in Roman culture was the husband and father was the head and you just did what he said. This is a very different take. And I think this is a good. Thing for us to follow even today, I would say we followed this in our own family.

I like to say several times that we have tried every kind of way. And, uh, this just works well for us. It's [00:17:00] possible that you could hear that and say, well, of course you think that, um, Um, I think perhaps the idea that we've had to go through so many different ways to get here is like, dang, we could have saved a lot of time.

Yeah. Um, but there was so much of me that pushed back against this. Yeah. All the time because I was like, no, I'm supposed to be X, Y, Z. I'm supposed, and it's like so freeing, honestly, to not just going to leave that there. All right. Okay. So as far as the, your part goes, um, I think this is another great, your part for pursue maturity, uh, whatever that looks like, I encourage you dig into these family codes, read them for yourselves, um, and, and see where you have room to grow.

And I don't mean just the family code part. If you need to grow in this walk in love. Part like the beginning of chapter five read that for yourself. See what you need to grow. Yes expose the darkness embrace accountability like do not be afraid to repent for your sin and Pursue a life that honors Christ in in your life and in your decisions So there's plenty [00:18:00] of your parts to be taken out of Ephesians 5 this book has been so rich I hope you're encouraged by it.

We will be wrapping it up tomorrow with Ephesians chapter 6. We'll see you then Hey, before we get into the reading, we want to tell you quickly about logos Bible software. It's very helpful to us as we prep for the podcast and we can offer it to you at a discounted rate. There's two links in our description.

One will get you the logos fundamentals pack for 50 bucks, which is a great price. The other one will get you a percentage off any package that you want. We use it often. We think it will be useful to you. And if you use that link, you'll be helping out the podcast. So go check that out with that in mind.

Here's today's reading Ephesians chapter five. Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.

Let there be no filthiness, nor [00:19:00] foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure or his covetous, that is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Therefore do not become partners with them, for at one time you were darkness but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true. And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them, for it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.

But when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on [00:20:00] you. Look carefully, then, how you will walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of time, because the days are evil.

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.

So [00:21:00] that he might present the church to himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself, for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.

Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife. And the two shall become one flesh. The mystery is profound, and I'm saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of God's Plan, your Part.

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Thanks again for listening. We'll see you again tomorrow.