Ephesians   Chapter 5

Vs. 1 Be followers of God like children who follow a parent.

Vs. 2 Walk in love, as Christ loved us. He has given Himself for us. He was an offering for sin—a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling offering.

In the Old Testament, the people of Israel were to give offerings of lambs, goats, cattle (bulls), birds, flour, oil —as offerings to God. There were offerings for sin and other kinds of offerings when animals were sacrificed.

Jesus was called The Lamb of God. He was a sacrifice for sin.

We should have died for our sin, but He took our place.

Vs. 3 Do not do sexual sins, or any other unclean behavior. Sexual sin is any sexual union with any person who is not your husband or wife.

Do not covet (greatly desire and be jealous, greed) of things someone else has. No one should ever be able to blame a follower of Christ for these sins.

Vs. 4 Do not use words that dirty, dirty stories and jokes, swearing, bad language. Foolish talk, and joking are not a good thing. Instead of this kind of talk—you should be giving thanks.

Dirty words, swearing, and bad language should not be done by Christian people. When Paul talks about joking and foolish talk–he says it is not “convenient” (King James Version). Joking and foolish talking can hurt peoples feelings. It can make them feel embarrassed. It is better not to do this kind of talking.

Vs. 5 No person who does sexual sin, or covets, or worships idols, can enter into the kingdom of Christ and God.

Vs. 6 Do not let anyone fool you with words saying these sins are okay —these things are sin and they disobey God—-God’s anger is on people who do these sins.

Vs. 7 Do not take part in these sins.

Vs. 8 Before you became believers, you did those sins. Those things are sin and darkness. You are now children of the light. You have the light of the Lord. You know what the word of God says. You know what is right and wrong. So walk like children of the light.

Vs. 9 The “fruit” of the Spirit of God is goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Vs. 10 Do what pleases the Lord.

Vs. 11 Do not take part of the behaviors of darkness and sin. Instead you need to tell them that it is wrong.

Vs. 12 It is a shame to even talk about those sinful things that those people do in secret places.

Vs. 13 The truth of God will show them that what they do is wrong. The light of God’s word will show them their sin.

Vs. 14 Long ago, Isaiah, the prophet said, “ Get up, you who are sleeping” Isaiah 60:1 get up from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.”

John 5: 25 “the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that

hear shall live.”

Vs. 15 Take care that you live in a careful way. Do not be foolish, be wise.

Vs. 16 Use time wisely. There is much evil and sin in the world. So live carefully and wisely.

Vs. 17 Do not be unwise. Learn and understand what the will of God is.

Vs. 18 Do not get drunk. (Being drunk makes a person lose control–they can not think straight, they say things they should not, they can not walk straight, often they become angry.) Paul tells them to be filled with the Spirit of God. Keep being filled with the Spirit of God.

Vs. 19 Speak to yourself and other believers about the psalms, sing hymns, and other spiritual songs.

Vs. 20 Give thanks to God always for all things—in the name of our Lord.

Vs. 21 Give in to one another because you have respect for God.

In other words, do not be stubborn to get things your way. Be willing to do things their way. Do what leaders ask you to do. Be co-operative and be in harmony with those in leadership.

Vs. 22 If you are a wife, submit (be willing to come under the authority) —of your husband. Just as you would yield to the authority of Christ.

Vs. 23 The husband is the “head” over the wife. (Like a president of a company.) Just as Christ is the “head” over the church, and He is the savior of the body.

Vs. 24 In the same way that the church is under the authority of Christ, so is the wife under the authority of her husband—-in every thing.

Vs. 25 Husbands you should love your wife as Christ loved the church. Christ died for the church—so great was His love. Love your wife like that.

Vs. 26 Christ died for the church so He could make it clean and holy —-washing it with the “water” of the word of God. Psalms 119: 9 “ How shall a young man make his way clean? By giving attention to Thy word.” The word of God teaches us. We learn how to walk clean before the Lord because His word tells us how.

Vs. 27 So that someday He will have a glorious church, clean, pure, no spot of sin, no wrinkle of anything unclean. It will be holy and without any fault.

Vs. 28 Men should love their wives like they love their own bodies. He that loves his wife is showing love to himself. It is to a man’s benefit and profit to love his wife.

Vs. 29 No man yet has hated his own body. He feeds it and takes care of it.

Just like Christ takes care of the church.

Vs. 30 We believers are part of the body of Christ.

Vs. 31 So that a man and wife can become “one”– that is why they leave their father and mother. The two join together to become one.

Vs. 32 I (Paul) use this as a picture to show how Christ and the church are one.

Vs. 33 Everyone of you needs to love his wife as he loves himself. And the wife is to show respect and honor to her husband.

A husband loves himself when he feeds himself, he keeps clean,

He takes care of his body by going to the doctor and dentist. He buys things for his needs and his enjoyment.

He should do all those things for his wife.

Through the years of time, much attention has been given to Verse 22—the wife to submit-be willing to come under the authority of the husband. For many husbands that is where they stop reading the chapter.

But Verses 25, 28, 33 speak to the husband. They are very clear about how the husband is to love his wife.

He is to love the wife as Christ loves the church. The husband is like a president of a company. The president is in charge and makes the final decision about things. A wise president does not boss people around and act like a tyrant king. The best way to get a company of people to do their best work is to talk to them with respect. Find out what they are good at doing. Ask for their opinions and how they feel about things. Try to get the work done in a way that keeps the people happy and willing to work.

A wise president says “thank you” to the people. He encourages them. He tells them they are doing a good job. He shows he appreciates them.

A president who goes around bossing everyone to do things his way and yelling or punishing people if they don’t —will have everyone hating him.

The people may do the work, but they will hate every minute of it.

A husband who runs his house like that will have his wife and family hating to be around him. No woman wants to be married to a “boss”.

The husband’s job in being the “head” of his family is not to carry out his personal likes and wants. He is not the “head” for the purpose of having servants to do all the things that please him.

The word “husband” is a word that was used as the word “gardener”. He was a man who took care of the grapevines. He watched over the vineyard and took care that the plants had water, weeds removed, vines cut in the right way, etc.

The “husband” was in charge of other men to get all this done. His job was not to walk around being a “boss” with servants running to do as he said.

Husbands in a family have a job like a husband of a grape vineyard.

A husbands job is to have the authority to take care of the things needed to help his family grow, be healthy, grow up well, etc. It is a big responsibility.

A president of a company needs a vice-president to help him run the company. The vice-president is not a “dummy” who is a puppet doing what the president says. The vice-president is smart and has good ideas and understanding of what is needed. The vice-president shares those ideas. The vice-president tells things that are needed and talks about ways to do things.

Wives are like a vice-president. They help run the family. They have good ideas of what is needed. Husbands need the wives ideas and understandings. Husbands need to respect the important place the wife has in the family.

Christ is head of the church. Christ does not “boss” us around making us servants to do things for His selfish likes or wants. Christ has rules about how we should live and not sin. That is for our own good.

The rules Christ makes is not for His benefit. The rules are for our good.

Sin destroys us.

Christ is loving, suffers long with our weaknesses, is patient, kind.

Husbands are to be like Christ.

Christ is completely faithful to us. He will never leave us. He will never love another and ignore us. Husbands are to be like Christ.

There is a popular song, “You Are Always on My Mind”. It speaks of

a person who does not do things that show his love, but he says that the one he loves was always on his mind. If his love was really on his mind, he would have done things to show that love. The thing that was really on the man’s mind what was he wanted at the moment.

A wife wants faithfulness in actions. She does not just want to be in the husbands thoughts only, while the husband makes love with someone else, or the husbands spends time off on his own pleasure.

There is no comfort for the wife when the husband says, “But I was thinking about you.”

Christ is always faithful. Husbands should be faithful as Christ is.

Wives will move toward a husband who loves her and shows that love. She will move away from a husband that loves himself more than he loves her.

Wives should honor their husbands. They should not complain about them in front of others. They should talk to their husbands with words of honor and respect.

Speak to “the king” in your husband not the “fool”. If you speak to him like he is a fool, he will resent (hate) it. Soon he will hate you. He may decide to do things like a fool—if that how he is spoken to.

If you speak to him like he is worthy of respect (king), he will try to live up to it. It will bring out the best in him. Everyone does better when people respect them.

The relationship between a wife and husband is different than any other relationship. Yet one basic rule works. Do to the other as you want them to do to you.

If you want them to talk to you with respect—speak to them with respect. If you want them to be honest with you—be honest with them.

If you want them to do nice things for you—do nice things for them.

Both husband and wife should be responsible. Do the work that is yours to do. Be wise in using your money. Share. Be kind. Do not tell things about your mate that are hurtful. Talk things over with your mate. Listen carefully to them. Do things that please them.

All these things show love.