In the previous chapter the Apostle Paul discussed the believer’s behavior relevant to other believers, to spiritual gifts and to the former life. In this chapter he continues his discourse on practical matters relating to the Christian’s spiritual walk. Here he discusses the believer’s behavior relevant to evil (vss. 1-17), the Holy Spirit (vss. 18-21) and to a particular social relationship, namely marriage (vss. 22-33).

Additional enlightenment regarding the Church, the Body of Christ, is mentioned in this chapter. The Church will be seen as the Bride of Christ. Today the Church is espoused or engaged to Christ, but after the Rapture will be wedded to Him (Revelation 21:2, 9). Today the Church is to walk as His future bride not looking back at previous relationships, but in earnest anticipation of her coming Husband (2 Corinthians 11:2)—her Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

The word, “therefore,” connects these on-going comments with those of the previous chapter where the walk of the believer is under consideration. The injunction for Christian conduct continues. Because Paul will later in this chapter reveal that the Church, the Body of Christ, is also the Bride of Christ, he is particularly interested in its chaste (pure) presentation to her coming Husband (vs. 27). Therefore he emphasizes pure conduct (against evil), the manner in which pure conduct may be achieved (Holy Spirit) and the illustration of a proper marriage relationship.

Paul initially refers to the fact that believers are children of God and therefore, as earthly children often imitate their earthly parents, he exhorts believers to be imitators of God. This refers back to his previous instruction in verse 4:32, And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. There is no greater example of kindness (grace), tenderheartedness (empathetic compassion) and forgiveness (merciful pardoning) than God, in Christ Jesus, taking on the sins of the world, as each person’s substitute, paying the penalty-price for such sin on the cross, so that by faith alone in Christ alone anyone may freely receive the gift of eternal life. Paul is saying that just as God in this manner looks upon and treats sinful man, the Christian should likewise look upon and treat one another.

This not only looks back, but it also looks forward to his instruction to “walk in love,” again using the example of Jesus Christ who so loved the world (each person) that He gave Himself as a sin-offering and sacrifice to God “for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

More specifically, the Christian who will “walk in love,” (the equivalency of “walking in Christ,” as seen in Colossians 2:6), will then, in fact, be offering up a sacrifice for a sweet-smelling aroma to God.

Paul continues by listing some of the evils Christians are to abhor and avoid.

Instead of the above, Christian conversation should continuously be characterized with expressions of thanksgiving to God (vss. 2:7; 5:18; Colossians 2:7; 3:15).

Paul elaborates on why his Christian readers should not allow their conduct to reflect the evils mentioned in the previous verses. He draws upon their understanding that no fornicating, unclean or covetous people—all of which are idolaters—have any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Most commentators apply the designation of “idolater” only to the “covetous” person. This may be the correct interpretation, but maybe not. The word, “unclean” (Gk. akathartos) in 2 Corinthians 6:17 in the Septuagint appears to refer ultimately to all idolatrous worship and heathen impurity. And “fornicator” (Gk. pornos) may also apply to differing forms of impure or unclean behavior (1 Corinthians 5:9-11—cf. 5:1, 13; Hebrews 12:16; 13:4; Revelation 21:8; 22:15).

In any case Paul is not so much talking about engaging in acts of sin as he is speaking about “inward character.” He is speaking about habitual sinning in the described categories, because the “inner nature” allows nothing else. He confirms this by stating that these are “sons of disobedience,”—those who are descended from disobedient Adam and who willfully follow him in disobeying God (Revelation 21:8)—and that they will have “no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (another example where Paul stresses the equality between the Son and the Father—both being God) and the “wrath of God” will come upon them. Essentially, Paul is saying don’t allow your conduct to mirror the involuntary conduct of those who are lost and without Jesus Christ.

He says: Therefore do not be partakers with them. Regarding this, the Life Application Bible published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. contains the following cogent commentary:

Paul next contrasts his reader’s past life before Christ as one of darkness and their new life now in Christ as one of light, just as he reminded his readers in 2:1-3 and 3:17-24. Not only did they live in darkness, they were darkness (4:18). But now they have been delivered from this state of darkness and have inherited the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12, 13). They were more than in the light, they were light—a position only possible due to their union with Jesus Christ, who is Himself the Light (John 8:12). Henceforth believers should behave as those who live in the light.

Paul instructs the Christians of Ephesus to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. The word for “fellowship” in the Greek is sugkoinoneo, literally meaning “to participate in something with someone,” or “to be a partaker or sharer together with others, a fellow or joint partaker.” Whereas some commentators interpret this to mean that the Christian may still have fellowship with the doer of these unfruitful works of darkness,” just not the “works” themselves; it is impossible to separate the doer from his works. Furthermore, fellowship can be experienced with persons, not inanimate acts of any kind.

Paul is essentially saying that the readers should simply cut off fellowship with those in their assembly who give themselves over to those behaviors he has previously mentioned, e.g., fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness and the like. The Corinthian local assembly had a similar problem with one of its members. This is found in 1 Corinthians 5:1-5, and Paul advised the following.

Here was a case where a person was committing fornication with his father’s adulterous wife (although this could be interpreted as his mother, it was most likely his step-mother). Paul’s evaluation and recourse regarding this sinning Christian was to-the-point and quite stern. They were collectively to discipline this brother by committing him to Satan’s domain, the world (1 John 5:19), which would lead to Satan’s direct punishment under the permissive will of God. This would eventually result in the ruin of his body through sickness and/or death. Persistent sin often leads to physical punishment (1 Corinthians 11:30; 1 John 5:16, 17). Nevertheless, God’s salvation security is certain, because even though the body may be taken from the sinning brother, his spirit would be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

Coupled with Paul’s instruction to have no fellowship with “unfruitful works of darkness,” he points out that it is the reader’s responsibility to expose (reprove) them. This may be accomplished by a two-fold formula. First, the Christian’s life should be of such holy wealth that it serves to convict sinners. Second, many such sinning brethren may have to be dealt with directly regarding their egregious transgression. Whichever the case, the correcting brother must take all precaution to avoid being sucked into the sin of the person being ministered.

This is what Paul means when he says, For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. Paul is saying that for Christians to dwell or elaborate on certain egregious sins that others do in secret, even if it is to disapprove of them, may very well result in their rubbing off on the well-intentioned Christians. When you think about it, Paul is absolutely right. There is never any spiritual profit in allowing oneself to continually bathe in any mental images of sin.

Paul next says, But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. It is important for the believer to understand that in Christ, who is the Light of the World, he is a child of light and possesses the “light of life” (John 8:12). And it is by living a life that evidences this light, that the sins of others are exposed. Why? Because sin can only be made manifest and understood when the sinner comes into the direct rays of the Light of Christ, and these rays of light are distributed by the Word of God and through the lives of individual Christians.

This phrase also has impact on the Christian’s witness. J. Vernon McGee in his Thru the Bible commentary has the following to say on this subject.

Paul next quotes what most commentators believe to be part of a hymn known to the Ephesians, "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." If so, it was probably based on Isaiah 26:19; 51:17; 52:1; 60:1 and Malachi 4:2. Paul was appealing to his readers to wake up and realize the dangerous condition into which some of them had been slipping.

Paul then attempts to instill a sense of urgency into the Christians at Ephesus. He declares that the days are evil and that because of this they should:

And finally Paul says, Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

The first verse in this passage utilizes a metaphor that best describes the condition of being filled with the Spirit of God. This figure of speech as it relates to the doctrine and experience of the “filling of the Spirit,” is one of the most significant contributions to doctrine within the book of Ephesians. But first some review regarding the Holy Spirit and His part in the Christian life. For a more exhaustive treatment, please visit the topical study section of www.bibleone.net.

As the third Person of the Holy Trinity (every bit as much God as the Father and the Son), the Holy Spirit is responsible for and efficacious in (1) bringing the lost person to an understanding of the Gospel (death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ—the fact that Christ is God and the meaning of His substitutionary sacrifice on Calvary’s cross) and (2) bringing the lost person under conviction—the genuine realization of his sinful and lost condition. Upon this initial influence by God’s Spirit, which is conveyed to all persons in various ways, and when the lost person by faith alone in Christ alone receives God’s gracious salvation gift of eternal life, he becomes a Christian—one born from above (spiritually), a position which is eternal (never to be retracted by man or God).

At the moment the lost person makes a genuine willful decision to trust only in Jesus Christ for his personal salvation, the Holy Spirit (1) baptizes (incorporates) him into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13), (2) indwells (takes up His permanent residency in) the believer and empowers him for holiness, worship and service (John 14:16), (3) anoints the believer for learning Bible doctrine (1 John 2:27) and (4) seals the believer, which is the believer’s eternal earnest guarantee that his salvation can never be taken back and that he will indeed inherit all that God has promised for those who believe in His Son (Ephesians 1, 13, 14).

These are just a few of the marvelous things that the Holy Spirit does in relation to the Christian. Everyone who is in Christ automatically has the baptism, the indwelling, the anointing and the seal of the Holy Spirit. But the filling of the Holy Spirit is different. In verse 18 the reader is given insight to the filling by the use of a comparative figure of speech, that of being drunk with wine.

Yet Paul uses the illustration of being drunk with wine as a contrasting comparison to being “filled with the Spirit.” Why? Because being drunk with wine and being filled with the Spirit of God encompass some distinct similarities.

It is clearly seen that both drunkenness with wine and the filling of the Holy Spirit dramatically affects a person. But there are a couple of differences: (1) whereas excessive wine produces dissipation or debauchery (extreme indulgence of one’s appetites, especially for sensual pleasure), the filling of the Holy Spirit produces no such thing—rather it allows a person to place in proper perspective his natural (physical, sensual) appetites with his spiritual and eternal objectives and relationships and (2) whereas excessive wine produces loss of control, the filling of the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of self-control (Galatians 5:23)—a believer who is filled with the Spirit is never transported outside himself where he can no longer control his actions—the spirit of a prophet is always subject to the prophet (1 Corinthians 14:32).

The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a once-for-all crisis experience in the life of a believer; rather it is a continuous process. The literal translation of the command in verse 18, taking into consideration the tense of the Greek verb, is “be being filled with the Spirit.” It should continue as a moment-by-moment process in the believer’s life. It is the ideal condition for the believer in this life. It means that the Holy Spirit is having His way without being grieved or limited in the life of the Christian. This is the only condition under which the Christian may fulfill his role in the plan of God.

So how is a Christian filled with the Holy Spirit.?” Here in Ephesians the Apostle Paul only commands the Christian to be filled, without an explanation as to how it is done. But from other portions of the Scripture the believer gains insight as to the process. Several commentators attempt to make it a much more complex process than what it is. This is not surprising, since this is always the way of man, and sadly, the evil one. This is first seen in the salvation formula, where man attempts to make salvation a series of steps (works)—such as was recently expressed by the world’s most renowned evangelist at a meeting where he explained that salvation comes only after a person (1) repents—although he never explained this, but assumed that everyone understood it—the truth being that man cannot spiritually repent (which means “change one’s mind” or “turn around” spiritually in and of himself, under his own power), (2) believes in Christ and (3) commits or become obedient to God—another works’ requirement that man under his own power is unable to agree to or accomplish until the Spirit of God transforms him at the new (spiritual) birth.

Listening to this evangelist a lost person may in fact be saved, but unfortunately may also very well place only a limited trust in Jesus Christ, thinking that it is also up to him to change his ways and “do things” necessary for salvation—which then makes it “salvation by works.”

The truth of Scripture is that some 150 times the only requirement placed on man for salvation or the forgiveness of sin is faith. Only on a couple of occasions is repentance mentioned, but then never as a component to be added in addition to faith. When repentance is mentioned it is done so as a representative expression of the entire salvation process, which is saying that the only way a person can repent is by placing one’s faith in Jesus Christ.

To repent then means that a person, under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, understands that he (or any other person, power or system) cannot affect his personal salvation, that only a complete and genuine trust (faith in) in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice will accomplish his salvation; and therefore he can only, by a definite (decisive) act of will, place his faith (trust) in Christ and His sacrifice for to receive this salvaiton.

And never does the Scripture indicate that a person must commit to obedience to anything as a requirement for salvation. All this comes after the salvation experience. Salvation is best expressed by the expression, by faith alone in Christ alone. Nothing else pleases God but a genuine faith in His one and unique Son, Jesus Christ. Nothing else will transform the lost person from a condition and future of darkness to a child of light with the sure expectation (hope) of eternal life.

Back to the filling of the Holy Spirit—the point being that, as in salvation, so many attempt to make it a process much more involved than what it is. For instance in one commentary work, which this writer is particularly fond of, it is made to be a 4-step process—confession of sin, complete yielding of the will, comprehensive understanding of the Word and a total emptying of self.

This all sounds good, but much of this is never obtainable before the filling of the Spirit. It takes the filling of the Holy Spirit to eventually achieve such submission and humility. The only valid step mentioned by this commentary’s Spirit-filled formula is “confession of sin.”

The one thing that impedes the filling of the Holy Spirit is sin. When Christians make a willful choice to sin, this impedes and hurts (grieves) the Holy Spirit, thereby limiting His control over the Christian’s life. So the first step in being filled with the Spirit of God is to confess any known sin.

Once the pathway from the Holy Spirit to the believer’s spirit is cleared through the confession process, the only other step required is that of faith that God will do it.

To reiterate, there is only two things a person must do to be filled with the Spirit of God. First, he is to confess any known sin in his life. Second, he is to accept by faith the filling—to have no doubt regarding the issue. God through His Holy Spirit will do the rest.

Christian’s who are filled with the Holy Spirit, according to Paul, will exhibit the following: speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,.

Their speech is decidedly of spiritual content. They evidence inward joy and praise (Luke 1:67-79; Acts 13:52). They are filled with gratitude for all that God has and is doing in their life, both the blessings and the hardships. And they exist in a continual state of submission one to the other (more on this to follow).

This is a passage of scripture that is often distasteful to woman and in which men often gloat. Both attitudes are wrong. Regardless of how a Christian interprets this passage, it remains just as holy inspired as all other portions of God’s Word. The important issue is to interpret it in context and to accept its worth and guidance by faith. Only then will the blessings flow from obedience to God’s in this area of social interaction.

The remarks in these three verses are closely linked with the previous mentioned characteristic of being “filled with the Holy Spirit,” described as, “submitting to one another in the fear of God.” So before anyone rushes to judgment over the word “submitting,” calling it some form of subservience to another, it would be wise to understand that if a Christian is truly “filled with the Spirit,” (living a truly spiritual life) he will be in a continuous state of submission to other Christians, be they men or women. The point is that no matter a Christian’s gender, the truly spiritual life encompasses “submission” both ways. In verses 5:22 to 6:9, the Apostle Paul cites three specific areas in the Christian household where submission is the will of God:

The Greek word for “submit” is hupotasso, which conveys the meaning “to place under in an orderly fashion.” There is no indication of graveling, crawling or inordinate surrender of one’s will in this. But the free-will exercise of respect for the position is warranted. Submission never implies inferiority. Jesus the Son was submissive to God the Father, yet both are God. In the marriage bond, one spouse may in fact in some ways be superior to the other in some qualities, just as the other may be superior in other qualities. Yet both hold and maintain distinct and equally important positions.

There is no doubt that God instituted an order He deemed appropriate from the very beginning. First he made man; then He made woman. He instructs woman to submit to their husbands throughout His Word. There is divine reason behind these decisions. It is not for man or woman to contest God’s order. But unfortunately men have a way of attempting to “make the most” out of Paul’s remarks regarding the husband-wife relationship, and this in itself is displeasing to God. When either party in a marriage diverts from their God-appointed sphere the result is destruction—of the marriage, the home and often a local church. On the other hand, a woman fulfilling the role which God has assigned to her is most attractive. A full portrait of such a woman is given in Proverbs 31—an enduring memorial to the wife and mother who pleases the Lord.

To sum up the matter, a wife is to offer respect to the position of the husband, whether or not the man filling the position is worthy of such respect. In doing this she honors God, not the man. She is to do it “as to the Lord.” God would have the wife understand that in the marriage relationship it is God’s ordained order that the husband take a leadership role, just as Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Paul reiterates this by saying, Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Now comes the balance to the marriage relationship. On one side wives are to submit to the leadership of their husbands in the home (vss. 22, 24); they are to respect their husbands (vs. 33); they are to love their husbands (Titus 2:4) and live with them until death (Romans 7:2, 3). On the other side husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the Church (vs. 25), lead them (vs. 23), nurture them in the things of Christ (vs. 29), and live with them faithfully for life (Matthew 19:3-9).

Here the standard for the husband is much higher than it is for the wife. Husbands are not told to keep their wives in submission; they are told to love their wives. But the degree of love they are to exhibit toward their wives is of the highest standard. It must be a love equivalent to the utterly unselfish love Christ had for the Church. It must be a totally sacrificial love that mirrors the sacrifice Christ made for the Church on the cross of Calvary. It is an all-consuming, all-encompassing love, which can only be fully accessed and experienced by the “filling of the Holy Spirit” in a person’s life. A love of this degree will only seek the best for the object the love, in everything.

Paul illustrates the depth of such a love by comparing it with Christ and His love for the church that:

Not only does the love of the Lord Jesus Christ assure the Christian, as part of the Church, that he will continually be nurtured with God’s Word while on earth but eventually and most assuredly the day will come when he, as a member of the Church, will be presented to Christ in an absolutely flawless state. At that time he will be free of the sin nature, in perfect form and bathed in the joy of being with the Savior for eternity.

This passage concludes with Paul saying, So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. Self-preservation is probably the strongest instinct of man. All humans naturally “love” themselves, which is to say they place themselves first when it comes to caring, i.e., feeding, clothing, and protecting from pain, discomfort and harm. This solicitous interest is but a pale shadow of the love and care Jesus Christ has for each believer as part of the Church, His body. Nevertheless, the husband is to love his wife in this same manner. His instinct to care and protect her should be no less intense than his instinct to care for himself.

It should also be mentioned that the phrase, “he who loves his wife loves himself, is one of a few passages of New Testament Scripture that validates monogamy as God’s approved marital arrangement. Although He permitted polygamy in the Old Testament, He never approved it. If there is any question regarding this concept, one may always go back to the very first creative and approved marital arrangement established personally by God, that of (one) Adam and (one) Eve in the Garden of Eden. Anything that subsequently differed from that holy ordained pattern was of man, not God.

Although this passage could have been included in the previous passage for commentary, it is separated for a distinct reason. That reason is because Paul, even though he again concludes that the husband should love his wife and the wife should respect her husband, now stresses that the basis for this mutually submissive relationship is anchored in that very great mystery that only until New Testament times was revealed to man. Here, as in other parts of the Bible, he expands on the marvelous mystery (a previous secret now being revealed) that every believer has truly been (spiritually) united with Jesus Christ.

Again it must be emphasized. Christianity is NOT religion. Religion is man’s efforts to achieve the approbation (approval) of God. He does this through a regiment of following rules, regulations and the recognition of symbols (idols) and structured procedures. All such self-efforts and routines are considered as “filthy rags” in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). Christianity, on the other hand, revealed here in this passage and other scriptures throughout God’s Word, is a union or relationship with a Person, Jesus Christ. In Christianity it is not what man can do for God; it is what God has done for man. It is not man striving to reach God; it is God who has reached out and touched (provided for) man. Religion is all about man and his efforts; Christianity is all about Jesus Christ and what He did and completed on the cross at Calvary. Religion is works and insecurity of final results; Christianity is grace in by faith alone in Christ alone and blissful security (assurance) in the final result. Religion is the antipathy of Christianity; it is Satan’s primary tools in keeping those who are lost and without eternal hope cemented in that condition. Christianity is born on the wings of faith in Jesus Christ and continues its flight on that same and sure principle. It is by grace through faith…..and never of works. Being a Christian is to be permanently united with Jesus Christ.

The metaphor of “flesh and bones” is used, but the meaning is clear. And by understanding this, the concept of becoming “one flesh” in the martial relationship, which God established at creation, may also be understood.

One last note. The attitude encouraged by the Apostle Paul for both husband and wife only works when each one, by an act of continuous will, makes it so. These cannot be forced by intimidation, bickering, preaching, probing, prodding or wrangling. It will do no good for either the husband or wife to attempt to force the issue unless the partner, by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, wishes (wills) to adopt God’s standard and be obedient to His purpose and plan. And what’s more, the individual members of the Bride of Christ, even though eternally saved, cannot be forced to be submissive to their coming Husband, unless they will to adopt God’s standard, which is to “walk in Christ” through the means of confession (1 John 1:9) and faith Colossians 2:6). Nevertheless, the wonder of it all is that no matter the choice, the Christian is eternally united with Jesus Christ.