Ephesians 5: 3-14 (No more playing games with sin; Children of the light)

            Summary:  Paul begins this section of scripture with a “but”, this must cause us to have to refer back to what he has just said in verses 1-3.  He has just mentioned some things that are a pleasing aroma unto the lord, that is to walk love and abide in Christ.  The “but” indicates a turning an appeal to the opposite.  Paul says now the things that do not offer a pleasing aroma unto the lord.  Those things being sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness, filthiness, or crude joking.  Paul now states that those who willingly participate in these things have no inheritance in the kingdom of God and in fact are threatened by a Holy and Mighty and Infinite wrath of God the Father.  He then urges that no one might be deceived with empty talk from false prophets who only tempt our flesh to sin.  He then, in verse 7, uses another word that demands our attention, the word “therefore”.  Paul is setting up to give an application.  He says that because they, those who participate in worldliness, deceive us and are under the weight of a terrifying wrath we should not become partners with them.  Not even mentioning what they do because it is disgusting.  Instead of these things walk as children of light, as adopted sons in and through Christ.  Let the light of Christ shine on you thereby sanctifying us from our ungodliness slowly and painfully but ever steadily.

            Note: The Greek word porneia which covers ALL forms of sexual immorality.

Timeless Principle:  Paul is putting importance on this passage by using strong adjectives.  He is trying to get several extremely important points across.  The first of these is led off with a word that indicates a turning from the previous passage.  The verse beforehand talks about offering up a pleasing aroma to God by walking in manner worthy of being called a son of God.  He is now saying what that does not mean.  Well then what is the opposite of walking as a child of God, adopted in grace?  The opposite as described by Paul in this text in commanding the Ephesians to not so much as allow sexual immorality, covetousness, and course joking to be named among us.  Paul is not playing games in this passage, rather he attacks the hearts of the church.  We all fall victim to one of the specific sins mentioned in this text.  He knows that we should be so disgusted by them that we cannot so much as mention them except in making war against them.  The absence of war against our flesh brings on one terrifying consequence, namely played out in a horrifying wrath against sin by God (v. 6).

Sexual immorality is probably the prominent sin in this list.  The word used for immorality is the word porneia. Sound familiar?  The word, as though by some and wrongly so, does not merely mean adultery although it does cover that.  It actually covers all forms of sexual sin.  Included under this definition are homosexuality, lust, fornication, adultery, prostitution, etc.  This sin kills community and is one of the few specific sins that is mentioned in almost all of Paul’s lists of things to avoid in the church.  First and second Corinthians were both written to protest against sexual immorality.  Even some of the most upheld laborers are scarred by the empty deceit of the adulteress.  No one is above it, and it must be daily hung on a cross or it will, especially in men’s lives, cause major problems in the body and destroy personal pursuits towards holiness.  Every other sin is done outside the body but it alone is a sin against a person’s own body. 

The second point made in this text is that we should not be partnered with the world.  The word in verse 7, “therefore” indicates one thing.  Paul is setting the stage for a point.  He explains rather explicitly that we should have nothing to do with the world because all it does is deceive and corrupts the body and because of those things the wrath of God is coming (Col. 3:5,6).  Playing around in the world causes death.  It brings no good but rather causes only harm.  Paul in one instance curses the sons of disobedience saying that they claim to know God (one of their deceptions) but deny him by their works, they are detestable and disobedient, unfit for any good work (Titus 1:15).  May this never be said about us.  May we never claim to know God and then lounge in the desires of our flesh which will only lead to our own demise.  David exclaims in psalm 7 the terrible consequences of a life that knows about God but does not submit to Him in repentance and personal experience. 

“God is a righteous judge and a God who feels indignation every day.

If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow;

Preparing for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts….

[In his evil] He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.

His mischief returns upon his own head, on his own head does his violence descend.” (Psalm 7: 11-13, 15-16)

It is clear here that God does not play games with sin.  He does not partner with it or those who are partnered with it but rather he crushes it and in doing so them.  Paul realizes how real sin is and commands his last point.  The point that he has spends most of his letters trying to get across, to be put simply, kill yourself, do away with the old you, and put on the new self which is “created in the likeness of God.” 

            Paul now calls those who are saints in Christ to walk in the light.  That is to walk in a manner worthy of the calling by which they have been called.  A life that is no longer hostile to the creator, a lifestyle that is above reproach out of a love for Christ and gratitude of His sacrifice.

            The light in this passage does not mingle with darkness.  There can never be dark or light, just one or the other.  The light when it comes exposes sin for what it is and does not play games with it.  Therefore we must allow Christ to expose our falsehoods whereby he will nail them to the cross through the long and grueling work of the Spirit towards sanctification.