Ephesians5

Ephesians 5 exhorts believers to walk in love, imitating Christ's sacrifice, and to live as children of light, shunning darkness and its works. It calls for wisdom, redeeming the time, and being filled with the Spirit, expressing thankfulness. The chapter concludes with instructions on mutual submission, specifically detailing the roles of husbands and wives within marriage, mirroring Christ's relationship with the Church.

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Walk in Love and Purity

¶ Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Rejecting Immorality and Greed

¶ But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

Walk as Children of Light

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Living Wisely in the Spirit

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

¶ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Christ and the Church: The Marriage Standard

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Study Notes for Ephesians 5

Verse 1

Following the imperative of 4:32, the call to be 'imitators of God' means reflecting His character, especially His forgiving and sacrificial love.

Verse 2

Christ's love is defined by His self-sacrifice. The imagery of 'offering and a sacrifice' echoes Old Testament terminology, emphasizing the perfection and acceptance of Christ’s atoning death.

Verse 3

Paul lists sins related to sexual impurity and greed, demanding that these vices not even be discussed among believers, as they are inconsistent with the new identity as 'saints' (holy ones).

Verse 5

Paul equates covetousness (greed) with idolatry, recognizing that misplaced ultimate desire for wealth or material things is a form of worship that displaces God. Such practices exclude one from inheriting the Kingdom.

Verse 6

The 'vain words' likely refer to false teachers who minimized the seriousness of sin or suggested that Christians could indulge in immoral practices without suffering divine judgment.

Verse 8

This verse contrasts the former state ('darkness,' an identity) with the present identity ('light in the Lord'). Christians are called to live according to this new reality, characterized by moral virtue.

Verse 14

This appears to be a quote from an early Christian hymn or prophetic utterance, serving as a call to spiritual awakening and repentance for those who remain spiritually dormant or morally compromised.

Verse 15

The command to walk 'circumspectly' means living precisely, carefully, or accurately, in contrast to the reckless living of the 'fools' (the morally and spiritually unwise).

Verse 16

'Redeeming the time' (literally, 'buying up the opportunity') urges believers to make the most of every opportunity for righteous living because the present age is characterized by evil and opposition.

Verse 18

Paul contrasts the uncontrolled, wasteful indulgence of drunkenness ('excess' or dissipation) with the ongoing, filling presence of the Holy Spirit, which results in communal worship and thanksgiving (vv. 19-20).

Verse 21

This verse serves as the foundational principle for the entire household code (vv. 22–6:9). Mutual submission, motivated by reverence for Christ, governs all relationships within the Christian community.

Verse 22

The instruction to submit is qualified by the phrase 'as unto the Lord,' meaning the wife’s obedience is ultimately an act of devotion to Christ, not merely human servitude.

Verse 23

The husband’s 'headship' is defined by Christ’s model: sacrificial love and responsibility as the 'Savior of the body.' This authority is protective, not domineering.

Verse 25

The command to husbands is extreme and unilateral: they are to love their wives with the self-sacrificial, initiating love (agape) that Christ demonstrated on the cross.

Verse 26

The 'washing of water by the word' refers to the cleansing and sanctifying power of God’s Word (the gospel message), which prepares the church to be presented to Christ.

Verse 31

Paul quotes Genesis 2:24, establishing the creation mandate for marriage as a permanent, exclusive union that results in profound intimacy ('one flesh').

Verse 32

The 'great mystery' is not marriage itself, but the hidden truth revealed by God: that the marriage relationship is a profound earthly illustration of the spiritual union between Christ and the Church.

Verse 33

This verse summarizes the section, reiterating the dual responsibilities: the husband must maintain Christ-like, self-sacrificial love, and the wife must show respect (reverence) for her husband.

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Ephesians5

Walk in Love and Purity

Rejecting Immorality and Greed

Walk as Children of Light

Living Wisely in the Spirit

Christ and the Church: The Marriage Standard

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