Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20100110.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Ephesians: Overcoming Our Insecurities In Christ
Part II: The Believer's Practice Based On His Secure Position In Christ, Ephesians 4:1-6:24
D. Living In Selfless Love Toward Fellow Believers
(Ephesians 5:1-6)
  1. Introduction
    1. Jesus claimed our testimony as His own before the world is based on our love for one another, John 13:35.
    2. Accordingly, it always edifies to have a clarification of the expressions such love might have that we can use as a practical guideline for loving one another, and Ephesians 5:1-6 provides us such a clarification:
  2. Living In Selfless Love Toward Fellow Believers, Ephesians 5:1-6.
    1. Ephesians 5:1-6 KJV describes what Paul in Ephesians 5:2a introduced as the believer's "walk in love," and it gives practical advice as to what such love will produce in one's life, Bib. Kno. Com., N. T. , p. 637.
    2. Specifically, every believer should imitate his spiritual heavenly Father, God the Father, and walk in love as He has richly expressed His love to us through our Savior, Jesus Christ, Ephesians 5:1-2.
    3. The conjunction "and" that begins Ephesians 5:2 could actually be rendered, "'that is'" since it begins a description showing "how a believer is to imitate God: by walking in love," Ibid.
    4. In particular, we are to love one another in a self-sacrificing manner just as Christ loved us, and gave Himself up for us as an acceptable offering to God, Ephesians 5:2. In effect, the believer should be prepared to give up his own human life if necessary for fellow Christians, Ibid., p. 637-638; 1 John 3:16.
    5. Since the self-sacrificing nature of true love is exemplified in Christ's example on the cross, another way to discern such a love is to give its contrasting opposite, the selfish sinfulness of his past lost state that the believer is to avoid. Paul provides this contrast we believers must avoid in Ephesians 5:3-4c as follows:
      1. In following Christ's example of selfless love, we must not tolerate selfish sexual immorality in our Christian walk (porneia), Ephesians 5:3a [KJV "fornication"; NIV "sexual immorality"]; Ibid., p. 638.
      2. In following Christ's example of selfless love, we must not tolerate any kind of impurity ('akatharsia) in our Christian walk, that which represents the general "immoral state of the pre-Christian life," Eph esians 5:3b [KJV uncleanness"; NIV "impurity"]; Theol. Dict. of the N. T., v. III, p. 428-429.
      3. In following Christ's example of selfless love, we must not tolerate any greed in our walk (pleonexia), Eph. 5:3c [KJV "covetousness"; NIV "greed"]; U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 674; Ibid., B. K. C., N. T.
      4. In following Christ's example of selfless love, we must not tolerate obscenity in our walk (aischrotes), "shameless talk and conduct," Ibid.; Ephesians 5:4a [KJV "filthiness"; NIV "obscenity" ].
      5. In following Christ's example of selfless love, we must not tolerate foolish talk (morologia), that is, "stupid words," in our walk, Ibid.; Ephesians 5:4b [KJV "foolish talking"; NIV "foolish talk"].
      6. In following Christ's example of selfless love, we must not tolerate coarse jesting (eutrapelia), "vulgar, frivolous wit", in our Christian walk, Ibid.; Ephesians 5:4c [KJV "jesting"; NIV "coarse joking"].
    6. Rather, we must avoid such unedifying acts that harm relationships with fellow Christians, and rather give thanks for the value of one another, Ephesians 5:4d; Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T.
    7. Paul's admonition on avoiding the vices mentioned in Ephesians 5:3 is strengthened by his claim that people who typically practice them are the unsaved who will not inherit God's kingdom, Ephesians 5:5: the immoral (pornos, see porneia in verse 3a), the impure ('akathartos, see 'akatharsia in verse 3b) and the greedy (pleonektas, see pleonexia in verse 3c), namely, folk who look idolatrously to material possessions for fulfillment, do not inherit the kingdom of Christ and of God.
    8. Indeed, Paul warned his Christian readers not to be deceived by words that are empty of content and come from false teachers about such sins: God's wrath is coming on the world because of these vices, so a believer should avoid them in his walk of true selfless love toward fellow Christians, Ephesians 5:6; Ibid.
Lesson: Based on God's great grace to us in Christ (Ephesians 1-3), we Christians must walk in love toward one another, and, in practical terms, this involves copying Christ's self-sacrificing love in expressing thanks to one another while not tolerating immorality and greed in relating to each other.

Application: May we rely on the Holy Spirit to practice the walk of love taught in Ephesians 5:1-6.