Author: Charlie Garrett

Friday, 7 October 2016

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.  Ephesians 5:6

The negatives which were set forth in the previous verses, to include those mentioned towards the end of Chapter 4, are being addressed here. Paul warns the Ephesians by saying, “Let no one deceive you with empty words.” The word “empty” gives the thought of that which is void or worthless. There is no substance behind what is spoken. In other words, the warning is that some will come forward to say that those things which have been warned against are actually ok to engage in.

As people come to Christ, there is almost inevitably a conflict which arises between their old walk and the new walk which they have chosen. Very few are immune to the tempting enticements which pull the old man back to the old ways. There are those who have been friends for years that don’t understand the new direction which has been taken, and they work to bring their “wayward” friend back into the fold of carnal life. They will use words which are intended to convince the young and immature believer that it is ok to indulge in those things. But such arguments are “empty words.” There is no true substance behind them.

Rather, it is “because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” Paul wrote of the wrath of God in Romans 1, explaining what brings it about. The things he mentions here in Ephesians are a part of that process. It is because of participating in these things that the world is judged. And this judgment follows two distinct lines. The first is judgment in this world through diseases, conflicts which lead to physical harm or death, and the like. The second judgment is that of being cast for all eternity away from the presence of God. The Lake of Fire is the ultimate end for all “the sons of disobedience.”

As an apostle, Paul is showing that these vain arguments are exactly that. They are empty and without any substance behind them. The warnings of Scripture, to include the apostolic warnings (which are now recorded in the Bible), are given to direct us away from that which is harmful, and which brings about the wrath of God, and toward that which is pleasing to Him.

Life application: To ignore the warnings of Scripture can only lead to a sad end. There will be trials and pains in this life, and there will be either judgment and condemnation for non-believers, or a loss of rewards for believers. Stand firm on the word, and do not be deceived by vain words which are contrary to the word of God.

Lord God, Your word is often dismissed as a book of heavy handed rules which limit our freedom and which are given to steal our joy. But this is the last thing which is found there. Instead of the bondage of disobedience leading to punishment and death, there is the freedom of living free from that which brings pain and condemnation. The rules in a society are given for the good of the people. How much more then is Your word given for the benefit of Your children! Thank You for the marvelous protections and safeties which Your word gives us. Amen.

Thursday, 6 October 2016

For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Ephesians 5:5

There is an emphasis here which is lacking in the translation. It says, “For knowing you recognize.” The NIV gives a good sense by saying, “For of this you can be sure.” It is at once a warning and a statement of great clarity. It is something that should be obvious on the surface to all who contemplate what will be said.

After this, we are given a direct list of personalities which concerns what will then be explained. These are fornicators, unclean people, and covetous men. The last are then explained as idolaters. The list corresponds to those just mentioned in verses 3 & 4. He first warned that such sins not even be named among us. Then he says that such people have no “inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

People who live in such a manner as described here have misplaced priorities. They look to the things of the world and not to the things of God. Until they come to God through Christ, they remain apart from His forgiveness and salvation.

Having said this, a verse such as this, when taken out of context, can be used to demonstrate a loss of salvation is possible. However, Paul will show this is not the case as he continues with his words. In a similar warning which is found in 1 Corinthians 6, Paul followed up the warning with the words, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

The actions are past tense and they indicate the complete nature of the sanctification and justification of the individual. Although it will be stated differently here in Ephesians, the same thought carries through. Once one is saved they remain saved. From that moment they are granted an “inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

The words here in Greek are tou Christou kai Theou, “the Christ and God.” There is one article applied to both “Christ” and “God” which perfectly demonstrates the oneness of the two. It is a consistent thought found throughout the New Testament that Jesus Christ is fully God. One must truly abuse Scripture to find a separation between God and Christ. They are one and the same.

Life application: Each of us has set up idols in our hearts. We have been unclean and covetous at times as well. And yet, because of applying the blood of Christ to our lives, we are now washed clean and are considered pure before God the Father. Thank God for Jesus Christ who cleanses us from all impurity!

Lord God, if we truly look at our lives, we cannot deny that we have engaged in all of the things which are opposed to Your splendor. We have coveted, we have lied, we have been unclean in our hearts and actions too. And yet, because of Your great love with which You love us, You sent Jesus to pay our sin debt. His shed blood is fully sufficient to cover our sins and to keep covering them throughout our lives. How marvelous this thought is, especially when we stumble and fall. Thank You for the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus to purify us once and for all! Amen.

Wednesday, 5 October 2016

…neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. Ephesians 5:4

In the previous verse, Paul gave several negatives which Christians are to refrain from in their behavior and conduct. He continues with more negatives which are certainly tied to the “all uncleanness” of the previous verse. They are:

“Filthiness” – This Greek word is found only here in the New Testament. It indicates  obscenity, indecency, or baseness. Those things in a conversation which are indecent, both in speech and in gesture are included in this.

“Foolish talking” – The Greek word morologia, is again unique to the New Testament. It is the combination of moros, (think of a moron), and lego, indicating speaking. Thus it is moronic speech. It gives the sense of “speech flowing out of a dull, sluggish heart (mind) that lost its edge (grip) on reality. This is the ‘talk of fools, involving foolishness and sinning together’” (HELPS Word Studies).

After this, he mentions “course jesting.” For a third time, a unique word in the New Testament is used by Paul. It is, “From a compound of eu and a derivative of the base of trope (meaning well-turned, i.e. Ready at repartee, jocose); witticism, i.e. (in a vulgar sense) ribaldry – jesting” (Strong’s). This would thus give the sense of “polished and witty speech as the instrument of sin; refinement and versatility without the flavor of Christian grace” (Vincent’s Word Studies).

Paul, under inspiration of the Spirit, tells us that these things are “not fitting.” Our speech and actions are to be wholesome and pure, not sensual and unclean. In today’s world, where everything seen on the internet is so vulgar, and where a thousand posts a day are viewed by our eyes which are nuanced with perversion and vulgarity, it is a hard thing to distance ourselves from. And yet, it is what we are called to do.

Instead of these things, we are to rather give thanks. Jamieson-Faucett-Brown says that the word here has “a happy play on sounds in Greek, ‘eucharistia’ contrasted with ‘eutrapelia’; refined ‘jesting’ and subtle humor sometimes offend the tender feelings of grace; ‘giving of thanks’ gives that real cheerfulness of spirit to believers which the worldly try to get from ‘jesting.’”

Life application: Instead of rude, course talking, we should be speaking words of edification to one another, and of praises to God. Instead of fighting in the flesh with our mouths and actions against that which is upright and moral, we should be singing in the Spirit. Let us keep this thought at the forefront of our minds, doing our best to speak that which is wholesome, glorifying of God, and edifying of others.

Heavenly Father, our eyes are introduced to a thousand profane emails and posts a day. Vulgarity and crude innuendo are seen in a continuous stream as we interact with others on social media, and yet You ask us to not engage in such things ourselves. Help us in this endeavor. It is so easy to become what our eyes and ears have beheld. Keep us free from this type of corruption, and help us to live and speak in holiness and with pure tongues. Help us to be edifying of others and glorifying of You. Amen.

Tuesday, 4 October 2016

But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;  Ephesians 5:3

The verse begins with “But…” as a contrast to being imitators of God, walking in holiness, and being an acceptable offering and sacrifice to God. In contrast to those things, we are warned against “fornication and all uncleanness.” Fornication is sexual intimacy which is outside of the bonds of marriage. This is connected to “all uncleanness.” It is a general reference to life’s impurities, and anything that a man could pursue which would otherwise defile himself. Such things are to be considered in the same light as fornication.

Along with that, he includes the words, “or covetousness.” In using “or” instead of “and” he places “covetousness” in a distinct class, and yet it is closely associated with fornication and uncleanness. Covetousness indicates a desire for more and more. It demonstrates eyes that are never satisfied with what they have, and an attitude which is insatiable towards self-gratification.

The connection between the two is obvious. Fornication and uncleanness are things we are actively participating in which defile us. They are acts of self-gratification being fulfilled, but covetousness is a state of mind for more of the same. It is the mental state that what “I am being filled with is insufficient. Therefore, I will go after more in an attempt to find satisfaction.”

Such things show that we do not place God in the center of our minds, but rather He is pushed out of them in order to make room for that which is in opposition to Him. Because of this, Paul says, “…let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for the saints.” Not only are we to abstain from such things, but we are not to even discuss them. The very mention of such things spurs inside of us sparks of desire which can quickly lead to action in an attempt to fulfill them.

Instead, we are to be thankful for what we have, praising the Lord for His grace, and edifying of our fellow Christians through an acknowledgment of His hand in our lives.

Life application: The admonitions of Scripture come to us from the hands of men guided by the Holy Spirit. God created us and He knows exactly what is best for us in our lives. These admonitions, exhortations, and commands are for our benefit. We have been saved through Christ. What God would have us do are those things that a caring Father knows are best for us.

Heavenly Father, Your word is given to us for instruction and guidance, not to take away our rights, but to direct us as children who are loved and cared for. When we look at Your word as a system of rules and punishments, we fail to see the love behind the letter. But You sent Christ to take what we deserve. Now that the judgment for our sins is past, You are instructing us for our benefit. Help us to remember this, and then help us to be obedient as faithful children within Your house. Amen.

Monday, 3 October 2016

And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:2

In order to be imitators of God, as the previous verse demands, we are to walk in holiness and to accomplish those things which were given to us to heed in the previous chapter. But in addition to that, we are to “walk in love.” Love is the tie which binds all of those other aspects of our walk together. This is seen in Jesus’ words of John 13:34, 35 –

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

But this love is defined in a special way by Paul now with the words, “as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us.” Jesus didn’t just command us to love, but to do so with a type of love which is self-sacrificing. He made this known to us explicitly in John 15:12, 13 –

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

We are to follow in His self-sacrificing love. This does not mean that we all have to literally die for our friends, but that our sacrifices are such that we would be willing to die for them. In Christ’s death, Paul next brings in the Old Testament system of sacrifices and offerings to show us that what was in the Old only prefigured the greater and more perfect work of Christ. He says that Christ gave Himself for us “as an offering and a sacrifice to God.”

The offering was His life, lived under the law and in fulfillment of the law, which was given to God on our behalf. He fulfilled the law perfectly and completely without ever failing in any precept. The sacrifice was then His death in satisfaction of the law. This is referred to in Hebrews. Chapter 10 of Hebrews explains it quite well –

Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
⁶ In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
⁷ Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’” Hebrews 10:5-7

The sacrifices and offerings of the Old Testament were mandated under the law, and yet they are not what the Lord desired. Instead, they only pointed to the life of Christ. This is seen in the words, “a body you have prepared for Me.” These words of Hebrews 10 were written by David in Psalm 40:6-8, and they show us that David understood the temporary, transitory, and prophetic nature of the law’s sacrificial system. In Christ, they find their fulfillment. In His death then, there is “a sweet smelling aroma.”

This term goes back to the sacrificial system which is detailed in the Old Testament, especially in Exodus and Leviticus. When a sacrifice was made as a burnt offering or a sin offering, the portion that was burnt on the altar before the Lord was deemed as “a sweet smelling aroma.” These offerings were given in anticipation of the cross of Christ. It was His cross which is the true and complete “sweet smelling aroma” to God. Through Him, full and complete restoration to God is made for the people of the world. Through His cross, we are made acceptable to God once again.

This perfect offering is what we are to emulate. As Christ walked, so are we to walk. And His perfect sacrifice, based on His perfect life, is what we are also to emulate. In our walk, we are to be willing to offer ourselves to God and in the service of others in love.

Life application: It is a very high calling to which we have been called. Are we willing to put aside our petty differences and hold our fellow Christians in high esteem as we have been asked? Are we willing to expend ourselves, serving others even as Christ served us? Let us remember these words and think on them as we interact with other believers.

Lord God Almighty, you have asked us to walk in love, as Christ also has loved us. He gave Himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God. Can we honestly say that we are willing to do the same for our fellow brothers? Help us to be obedient to You in this, and to put others ahead of ourselves. Help us to be a sweet-smelling aroma to You by giving our lives as living sacrifices to You in this way. With this You will surely be pleased, and so may it be in our lives. Amen.