Ephesians 5-6:9 Study & Breakdown
SEPARATE FROM DARKNESS-WALK IN CHRIST THE LIGHT-EXPOSE DARKNESS-WALK IN GOD’S WILL
EPHESIANS 5:1-15
5:2-15: “Walk worthy of the calling”, Paul says in (Ephesians 4:1- see also Ephesians 2:1): Here he defines this WALK: Walk in love-(v. 2); walk in light-(v. 8); walk in wisdom – (v. 15): Walk implies a slow, steady pace; a daily effort; a marathon, not a sprint:
5:4: “Just as clamor was the fuel of wrath, so foul talk is the fuel of lust”-(JohnChr):
5:6-7: Paul’s sharp contrast between the two ways, the way of darkness and the way of light, begins here… The animosity between the two ways is in thoughts, words-(vv. 6-10), and actions-(vv. 8-12):
5:8-10: We are to judge the world on what the world says in reasonable based on what God says is true:
5:11-14: Besides separating from darkness, Christians are also to EXPOSE-(v. 11) it: But we must first come out of our own hiding to exposed ourselves: That is, we must confess our sins and repent of them-(John 3:19-21): Orthodox Christians do this before baptism, before the Eucharist, and in a separate sacrament of repentance: The hymn in (v. 14 ) is an early baptismal hymn: baptism is illumination-(see- Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 6:4; and Hebrews 10:32): To walk in the light is to walk in one’s baptism:
John 3:19-21: And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God…
BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT-THE MYSTERY OF MARRIAGE
EPHESIANS 5:17-6:9
5:15-17: The goal is not to abandon the world, but to keep oneself in Christ and salvage as much as possible from this evil world: Christians renounce the fallenness of the world, not creation itself:
5:18-20: Following repentance, a surge of life and joy wells forth: A distinctive spirit, a kind of elation, energizes both darkness and light: For those in darkness, this spirit is like drunkenness, artificial and temporary: For Christians, it is the HOLY SPIRIT – (v. 18), and the joy is the New Covenant worship of the HOLY TRINITY, THE EUCHARIST-(giving thanks, v. 20): to the Father, through the Son Incarnate (LORD in v. 19; LORD JESUS CHRIST IN v. 20), IN THE SPIRIT-(v .18): He who is made drunk with wine totters and sways, but he who is inebriated with the HOLY SPIRIT is rooted in Christ and gloriously sober!!!
5:19-21: Quoting Scripture and singing hymns are not spiritual if there is not also true humility, submission, and THE FEAR OF GOD-(v. 21):
5:21-6:9: (VERSE 21) is a transition to the theme of the next section, where Paul applies the idea of mutual submission to the most basic human relationships-those in the household:
5:22-33: The model is CHRIST AND THE CHURCH-(v. 32), which is then applied to marriage: Yet Christian marriage helps us to understand the mystery of the Church:
(1): FOR WIVES, concerning headship-(vv. 22-24): In both the Church and marriage, there is one who acts as head, who leads: As Man, Christ is first among equals, not superior to us in nature; yet He alone is the HEAD OF THE CHURCH-(v. 23): Likewise, wives are called to submit to their husbands as equals:
(2): FOR HUSBANDS, concerning sacrificial love-(vv. 25-31): Paul writes three sentences to wives, but writes greater length to impress on husbands that they should love their wives: Just as the wife’s submission is to accept the headship of the husband, the husband’s submission to his wife is to sacrifice himself for her: In ancient Israel, the bride would bathe and dress and be escorted to the bridegroom by his friends: In the Church, baptism is that bathing and dressing in which we put on Christ-(v. 26), and the groom Himself, Christ, escorts us-(v. 27): In the Church, the baptized are one humanity, one flesh with Christ; in marriage, husband and wife are one flesh with each other:
PSALM 37 (38) STUDY & BREAKDOWN
PSALM 37 (38)- Reveals the great love of Christ for mankind in His sufferings and death on the Cross, especially-(v.18) “FOR I AM READY FOR WOUNDS, AND MY PAIN IS CONTINUALLY WITH ME…” And although He was “separate from sinners”- (Hebrews 7:26) and “Knew no sin” – (2 Corinthians 5:21), yet out of His great compassion for sinners, he prays this prayer in a relative sense as though He were one of them: Thus, He takes the place of sinners as one of them, and intercedes to the Father for their salvation in the midst of His sufferings and death on the Cross…
LIGHT- The Bible frequently uses “LIGHT” as a symbol of God and of that which is good, that which overcomes the DARKNESS of sin and death…Candles are used in the CHURCH to symbolize the light of Christ…Christians are to be lights shinning in the world to show the way of RIGHTEOUSNESS AND SALVATION!!! (Matthew 5:14; John 8:12)
DARKNESS- A symbol of sin and rejection of God, who is the Light and whose followers walk in the light of Righteousness- (John 1:5; Romans 13:12):
Tomorrow- We will Finish up Ephesians completing Ephesians 6- We will also cover Psalm 38 (39) Study, and will also discuss THE CHURCH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND SALVATION!!!
1 Corinthians 16:13-14: Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love…
“Go out be a WATCHMEN, hold strong in the faith the same faith as Abraham had so long ago…If we are truly in the Lord we are brave because He comforts us, our strength is in His Words because it is His Spirit Who feeds us the Wisdom we need, and lastly love with all of our hearts be merciful all in the name of love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!”
END WITH THE LORD’S PRAYER-
WE DEPART IN PEACE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD
PEACE BE WITH YOU ALL!!!
JPCE SPIRITUAL TALK
NEVER HOLD BACK