Ephesians 5:1-5

1: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
2: and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

3: But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;
4: and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
5: For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

*** 

Paul exhorted the Ephesians to be imitators of God as His children, for children imitate their parents. He specifically mentioned walking in love, which is not a separate thing from imitating God, but the most primary way to imitate Him. Christ loved us to the point of sacrificing Himself for us. He didn’t just give a gift to God on our behalf, He gave Himself. He didn’t give a possession of His, but His own life, and that while we were still sinners!

Jesus offered both an offering and sacrifice on our behalf—living His life without sin, and then giving it up completely. This was a fragrant aroma to God. The oil and spices on His body in death were representative of the fragrant life He lived, and His sacrificial death, in the eyes of God the Father.

Paul again gave examples of how not to behave—in immorality, impurity, or greed. It should never be spoken of that these behaviors are among the saints. No filthiness, silly talk, or coarse jesting either. Rather, giving of thanks. Paul reminded them, saying they knew that the immoral, impure, or covetous idolaters would not inherit the kingdom of Christ and God.

This covetousness is really a worship of the creature or creation rather than the Creator. Anything in this earth which is coveted, sought after, or pursued in a worshipful way is idolatry, which is a slap in the face to the One who created it all. There are religions, and even well-meaning people, who pursue nature in an idolatrous way. Looking for guidance, peace, protection etc. from what is created instead of the Creator falls into this category. Of course, we can find God in nature (Romans 1:20) yet it is Him we worship, not the evidence of Him, nor what He blesses us with.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Galatians 1:1-10

1: Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2: and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4: who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5: to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen. 6: I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7: which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8: But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9: As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! 10: For am I now see...
Read more

2 Corinthians 7:8-16

8: For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— 9: I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 10: For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11: For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 12: So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you i...
Read more

2 Corinthians 10:1-11

1: Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! 2: I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4: for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5: We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 6: and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. 7: You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we. 8: For even if I boast somewh...
Read more