The Apostle Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians


Chapter 5

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

Once again, the word "therefore" forces us to look at the previous context to make sense of the present text. In this case, "therefore" refers to verses 31 and 32 of chapter 4. Since God has been kind to us and has forgiven us, we should imitate God and let love characterize the way we live our lives. 

By instructing us to be like God, Paul is once again teaching us the principles of Leviticus. In Leviticus 19:2 it says: "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy." The word "holy" simply means to be "set apart" or "different." God expects His people Israel to be different from the rest of the world. The Master also teaches this Torah principle when He said: "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world" (John 17:16) and the Apostle Peter quotes Leviticus by saying "but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY’" (1 Peter 1:15-16). So, the question we should ask ourselves is, when it comes to any topic, am I different than the rest of the world? Whatever it may be, if our thoughts, attitudes, speech and actions are no different than the rest of the world, are we being holy as God commanded?

Perhaps the most important way we can show that we are holy is in the way we treat each other. We are to treat each other in such a way that demonstrates the Messiah's sacrificial love. The Messiah doesn't love us because what He gets out of it but because His love is self-sacrificing. Real love is the giving of one's entire self for the sake of others. Paul engages in the sacrificial language of the Torah by stating that the Messiah's sacrifice was a fragment aroma to God. This expression is found all throughout Leviticus and refers to a sacrifice when it is brought properly. Messiah’s sacrifice was the perfect sacrifice; the only sacrifice that can atone for all of our sins.

3But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 

Paul lists immorality, impurity and greed as, perhaps, the foremost vices that should be so absent from the lives of Believers that they're not even named among us. Being immoral, impure and greedy are completely natural to the world. This is why, as God's holy people ("saints"), by God's strength, we are to rise above and overcome the sinful nature’s tendencies. Paul is essentially summarizing several Torah commandments. Leviticus 18 lists various sexual practices which God's people must never participate in. Additionally, greed, here, refers to more than just material lust but includes the lusts of immorality. This is exemplified in the last of the Ten Commandments which states that we are not to covet our neighbour's house, wife, servants, animals nor anything that belongs to our neighbour (Exodus 20:17). As Paul mentions in the next verse, our lives should be characterized, not by greed, but by gratitude.

As God's holy people, we must speak with holy language. Simply put, the way we speak must be different from the rest of the world. The people of the world have no problem speaking of immoral things. Among Believers, on the other hand, there must not be any filthy talk. Additionally, we must refrain from "silly talk" and "coarse jesting." The phrase "silly talk" actually comes from the Greek word "morologia" and can be translated as "moronic words." Continuing Paul's earlier theme of "laying aside the old self" and "putting on the new self," he now describes what we are to "put on" after we've laid aside things associated with immorality. That is, instead of immoral and useless speech, we should give thanks to God. The Greek that Paul used here can refer to spontaneous giving of thanks but it is also used elsewhere in the Apostolic Scriptures to refer to the set brachot that are said at various times and occasions. It is fitting that Believers imitate Yeshua and the rest of greater Israel in giving thanks to God in everything we do by reciting the traditional prayers and blessings.

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

Paul, here, lists the same negative characteristics as he did in verse 3. This time, however, he substitutes covetousness instead of greediness, thus confirming our interpretation. He also added idolatry to the list because the sum of immorality, impurity and coveting is idolatry. The person whose life is characterized by these is not following the God of Israel but is instead serving themselves. This is why Paul states that no one who is immoral, impure, coveting or who worships idols will have a share in the Messianic kingdom.

Of course, there are those presume upon God's grace and believe that God's grace excuses sin. They say “let us sin, so that grace may increase!” (cf. Romans 6:1). On the contrary, the gracious act of regeneration produces a life that consists of obedience to God's commandments. Let no one deceive you into thinking that people whose lives are characterized by sin are saved. Lives characterized by disobedience are not lives that have been transformed by God.

7Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 

We are not to associate in any sort of intimate way with unbelievers, for while we were once in their shoes, that’s not who we are now. Notice, in verse 8, Paul says that we actually were darkness. It’s not that we were victims of darkness or just surrounded by darkness but we were the actual agents of darkness. Darkness, here, refers to all forms of sin. This is another way of saying that we were dead in our sins or, as he puts it elsewhere, that our very nature is sinful. After God transforms us, in Him we are made to be light. Paul exhorts us to live our lives as children of light. You’ll remember that the Apostle John used the word “light” to refer to the life that was in Yeshua (John 1:4). Apparently, the word “light” was used in the Jewish thought of the day to refer to all goodness, righteousness and truth, as Paul says that these things are the fruit of the light. In other words, to walk in the light is to live our lives in such a way that our thoughts, attitudes, speech and actions are in concert with the Word of God. This is confirmed by verse 10 which further defines walking in the light as “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” The only way we can learn what is pleasing to God is by studying the Scriptures. The Scriptures alone contain the revealed will of God. This is confirmed in the Proverbs, as the Torah is described as the source of illumination. It says: “the commandment is a lamp and the Torah is light” (Proverbs 6:23a), therefore if we are to live as children of the light, we need to learn from the Scriptures what that looks like.

11Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you."

Paul says in 2 Corinthians: Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Notice how light parallels righteousness and darkness parallels lawlessness. The consistent message of the Bible is that God has a standard and we are to live by it. Unbelievers are dead in their sin and cannot submit to God’s ways (Romans 8:7) but Believers have been given the ability and life to obey God. It’s not that Believers are perfect; it’s that we are no longer in darkness. When we sin, we are aware of it and we grieve over it, just as the Spirit that is within us is grieved when we sin. The light that is within us shows sin for what it really is. Since this is our reality as Believers, we are not to participate in sinful activity but instead expose it. Paul is again reiterating the commandment found in Leviticus 19:17 that we are to reprove our neighbour, for it is disgraceful for there to be sinful activity among Believers. Paul makes a spiritual application based upon a scientific truth that all things become visible when they are exposed by light. In this context, he’s referring to the fact that when compared to the light of the Scripture, sinful activity is shown for what it truly is. He then midrashically quotes Isaiah 60:1, applying the Light to the Messiah, just as the Apostle John did in John chapter 1. Our salvation is like being awaken from a spiritual sleep; now that we are awake we should let Messiah shine on us and through us by not engaging in sinful activity and instead obeying the commandments of God.

15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 

Paul exhorts us to be careful how we “walk.” Once again, the word “walk” refers to our daily living and when it’s used in reference to our life in God, it refers to how we interpret and obey the Torah. He explains that we are to be wise, not unwise. Wisdom in the Bible refers to the application of God’s revealed standard. In other words, we should live our lives in such as way that we use the time God has allotted for us to obey His commandments and not to indulge in our own sinful desires. To make the most of our time means to focus on the task at hand, so to speak. It's so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life. We should instead focus on one thing at a time. How can we accomplish this and avoid being foolish? Through studying the Word of God, we can know what the will of God is and therefore make the most of our time. When we know His will, we should be diligent to do it.

18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 

In verse 15, Paul said that we should not be unwise in the way we live out the life of God. One practice that would be unwise to engage in is that of getting drunk. Consistently getting drunk only leads to dissipation. Dissipation refers to a lifestyle of unabashed sinfulness. Believers whose lives are controlled by alcohol or any other substance usually do not grow spiritually but instead fall deeper into sin. It's possible that the drunkenness that Paul referred to here is in connection with the worship in the pagan temples. The pagans would get drunk in order to, in their minds, be controlled by the gods. His point is that in our worship, we are not to get drunk and therefore be controlled by ungodly forces. Instead, we are to be filled with and therefore controlled by the Spirit. The word "filled," in the Greek, is "pleroo" and refers to being made complete. In other words, we are so permeated by the Spirit of God that He is living through us; the Spirit of God has completed us, so to speak. To put it another way, being filled speaks of being controlled. We could paraphrase it this way: “be continually controlled by the Spirit.” Our life of worship before God should not be controlled by anything but the Spirit of God.

Since this is an imperative, practically speaking, how can we be filled or controlled by the Spirit? Is being filled with the Spirit some ecstatic or ethereal experience? No, to be filled with the Spirit is to simply do what’s right according to what the Bible says. An unregenerate person cannot do what is right because the Spirit of God has not given them the ability. The Believer, on the other hand, is empowered by the Spirit and has the ability to obey God. Remember, Paul does not say “ask to be filled with the Spirit,” as if it was some experience that we need to seek and ask God to give us. Instead, we are commanded to be filled (controlled) by the Spirit. This means that, from our perspective, we must activate our will and make the choice to obey God. This is one of the many tensions that the Bible presents us with. Being controlled by the Spirit is actually a matter of making choices on our part!

There is no easy answer to resolve this tension. One way, though, that we can look at is that even though, at least from our perspective, it is the Believer making the individual choices to do what’s right, in reality, the Believer is simply doing the will of God. In other words, since we are submitting to God, we are essentially being controlled by Him. The fruit of the Spirit of Galatians 5:22-23 work in a similar way. A person will not exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and, most obviously, self-control unless they actually make the choice to.

19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 

A saying that is parallel to the phrase “be filled with the Spirit” is “let the word of Messiah richly dwell within you,” which is from Colossians 3:16. Paul listed the exact same consequences as he did in this same passage. Some of the consequences of being filled with the Spirit or letting the word of Messiah dwell within us richly are worshipful singing, gratitude, submission to one another and submission to your spouse.

In contrast to the drunken orgies of pagan worship, Paul gave instructions on how Believers are to worship. His point is that everyone is under the control of something else. If you are pagan, you are under the control of alcohol and the demonic forces. If you are a Believer, you should be under the control of the Spirit of God. Worship, therefore, is the natural result of being controlled by the Spirit. The following are the things that should make up our times of worship.

psalms - The Greek word used here is "psalmos," which is in reference to the book of Psalms. While the ancient melodies are mostly lost to us, it would be appropriate to learn the Psalms in song form.

hymns - The hymns (the Greek word "humnos") refers to liturgical songs. These would be the liturgical songs of the first century Temple and synagogue.

spiritual songs – Most commentators are uncertain what is meant by "spiritual songs." The Greek phrase behind the English here is "pneumatikos ode." This would apparently refer to songs that come from within. It's possible that he's simply referring to songs that are not necessarily a part of the standard liturgy but are still pertaining to the Spirit.

singing – The Greek word "ado" simply means "to sing." Singing, of course, is one of the most prominent ways we can worship God.

making melody – The Greek word "psallo," translated here as "making melody," literally means "to pluck off." This refers to the plucking or strumming of a musical instrument. 

We see here that Paul listed "psalms," "hymns" and "spiritual songs" as the three main categories of which are musical worship can fall under. This is followed by "singing" and "making melody," which refers to vocal and instrumental worship. All forms of music, when done tastefully and, specifically, with the right heart, are acceptable worship to God.

20always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Master Yeshua the Messiah to God, even the Father; 

Another manifestation of being filled with the Spirit is always giving thanks to God. In verse 17, Paul said that we should know what the will of God is. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says that giving thanks in everything is part of the will of God. The Greek behind "giving thanks" is "eucharisteo." As mentioned previously, it's possible that this is referring to spontaneous giving of thanks but it's more likely referring to the set prayers and blessings of the synagogue liturgy. Hundreds of years earlier, we see in Daniel 6:10 that it was already a custom among the Jewish people to pray and give thanks three times a day. This was certainly the set custom among the Apostolic community. Luke, the author of Acts, actually refers to the ninth hour (3:00 PM) as being one of the set times of prayer. The tradition to pray in the morning, afternoon and evening is a powerful way to connect with greater Israel and the faithful of the Bible as well as manifesting the filling of the Spirit.

21and be subject to one another in the fear of the Messiah. 

To be subject to one another literally refers "to be under" each other. This simply reiterates what Paul had already instructed us, that is, we are to interact with each other in humility and gentleness. In Philippians 2:3, Paul says: "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves." Our motivation for living this way is the fear of the Messiah. To fear the Messiah, in regards to being subject to one another, refers to the fact that the Messiah subjected Himself to the Father, specifically in giving His life for us. The least we can do, as His servants, is subject ourselves to one another, in imitation of His submission.

22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 

In addition to the general admonition that we are to be subject to all within the Believing community, wives are to be subject to their own husbands. Paul is specifically giving women the antidote to the curse given to women after the fall:

To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you will bring forth children; yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." (Genesis 3:16)

What does it mean that the woman's desire will be for her husband? Since this is a curse, this can't be referring to a positive desire. The Hebrew word translated here as "desire" is “teshukah” and is used only once more in the Torah. It is used in Genesis 4:7:

"If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."

The desire that sin had for Cain was a desire to dominate and overpower. Therefore, it’s very possible that the desire that women have as a result of the curse is the desire to dominate and overpower their husbands. The curse, apparently, embedded a sinful instinct of mistrust towards men within women. Eve enjoyed a blissful trust in Adam previous to the fall. Subsequent to the fall, Eve and all of her daughters would never instinctively trust their male counterparts. Instead, only those women who are filled with the Spirit have the ability to reverse the curse and instead trustfully submit to their husbands. Just as women submit to the Lord, so too should they submit to their husbands. Notice that Paul does not say that women must display this kind of submission to all men but only to their own husband. There is mutuality here because her husband is hers but she's to submit to him.

23For the husband is the head of the wife, as the Messiah also is the head of the assembly, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24But as the assembly is subject to the Messiah, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

God's has a created order. In order for relationships to properly function, there must be a descending order of authority. The reason why wives must submit to their husbands is because the husband is the head of the wife. In the same way that Believers submit to the Messiah, wives should submit to their husbands. The Messiah, as head, is our loving source of authority. The husband, as head, should be the loving source of authority to the wife. This is not to be viewed as a master and slave type of relationship. Believers gladly submit to the Messiah because He is our saviour. So too, wives should gladly submit to their husbands because husbands must love their wives with a selfless love. In the ideal husband and wife relationship, wives should be submitting to their husbands in everything, just as Believers should be submitting to the Messiah in everything. This is, of course, limited to every lawful thing. Wives do not have to submit to their husbands when their husbands lead them into sin.

25Husbands, love your wives, just as the Messiah also loved the assembly and gave Himself up for her, 26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that He might present to Himself the assembly in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

Paul's instructions to wives do not work without husbands fulfilling the instructions found in these verses. Also, just as Paul's instructions to wives provides an antidote to the curse of Genesis 3, so too, these instructions provide an antidote to man's sinful instinct to dominate women. Instead of dominating women, husbands should love their wives with complete selflessness. Men must display the same selfless love that Messiah displayed when He gave himself up for Believers. In the same way that wives must submit to their husbands in everything, so is there no limit on the love that husbands must display to their wives. The result of husbands loving their wives with sacrificial, selfless love is that husbands will be able to lead their wives in sanctification.

The purpose to which the Messiah died for us is so that we could become sanctified to God. Without the Messiah’s sacrifice, Believer could never become holy and blameless. Just as a bride would undergo a ritual immersion in a mikvah just before getting married, the Messiah also immerses us with the Word. God cleanses us with the Word by changing us and leading us in obedience to His commandments. The Messiah didn't love us for who we are but instead His love changes us into what He wants us to be. Paul’s point is that husbands should love their wives and lead them into obedience. When a husband leads their wives into sin, he ceases to lover her like how the Messiah loves His community.

28So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Messiah also does the assembly, 30because we are members of His body.

Husbands should love their own wives as their own bodies because, as a married couple, the husband and wife are one. He is, of course, alluding to Genesis 2:24 (a verse he will quote in verse 31). It is human nature to be selfish and take care of your own needs and desires. If husbands want to be filled with the Spirit they will have to rise above their selfish nature and instead love their wives as they would love themselves. Exodus 21:10 indicates three minimum requirements that a husband must provide for his wife; namely, food, clothing and conjugal rights. A Spirit filled husband should go above and beyond these minimum requirements and seek to bless his wife in all areas. This is the way the Messiah treats us and no student is above his teacher.

31FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to the Messiah and the assembly. 33Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

Paul now quotes Genesis 2:24, once again showing that his teachings were indeed based upon the Torah. Paul sees the marriage relationship as a fitting analogy for the relationship between the Messiah and the ecclesia, which he called a “mystery.” The husband and wife must be unified otherwise they are not displaying to the world the united relationship of the Messiah and His people. Paul reiterates how this type of unity can exist among husbands and wives: the husband must love his wife as himself and the wife must respect and submit to the husband.
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