Walk in Purity
EPHESIANS 5:3-7
AS YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, GOD does not wish for us to live lives of impurity; God wants us to live lives that demonstrate purity. As God’s children, we are to mimic our Father and reflect His attributes and characteristics. Because our Father is pure, we are to be pure.
THE TITLE OF OUR BLOG FOR THIS WEEK FROM GOD’S WORD IS “Walk in Purity.” It focuses on Ephesians 5:3-7…
NAS Ephesians 5:1-7 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. 3 But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them;
“SILLY TALK,” “COARSE JESTING,” “EMPTY WORDS” – It sounds like we’ve heard this all before in Ephesians, does it not? For just one example…
NAS Ephesians 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.
BUT RATHER THAN APPROACHING OUR PASSAGE AS IF WE ALREADY KNOW what Paul is saying, we need to look at these verses as if they are the living Word of God that they are and understand that they are immediately relevant to our lives. The fact that they seem somewhat repetitious should not cause us to be indifferent, but rather they should alert us to their importance. Repetition in the Bible is purposeful. Repetition should tell us something. Repetition is an important feature of the Bible. Repetition is one of the premiere ways God emphases biblical truths in His Word…
GOD IS INTENTLY INTERESTED IN OUR CONDUCT AND OUR SPEECH. Chapters 4-6 deal mainly with the practicality of our Christian faith, how we live and how we speak.
I MUST TELL YOU THAT THIS PASSAGE IS NOT DIRECTLY ABOUT PURITY. This passage would more accurately be described as being about impurity, or even perversion. I originally titled this study, “Abstain from Evil.” But by focusing on the words of impurity in the passage, I think you’ll agree, we get the impression easily that God does not want us to walk in impurity, but to “Walk in Purity.” When the context of chapters 4-6 – especially chapters 4 and 5 – is carefully considered, I think “Walk in Purity” is a good and appropriate title for this passage.
THE WORD “WALK” IS INDEED PROMINENT IN CHAPTERS 4 AND 5 of Ephesians. In chapter 4, v. 1, the springboard for all that is to follow, tells us to “Walk Worthy”…
NAS Ephesians 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
IN V.17 OF CHAPTER 4, THESE WORDS…
NAS Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
IN 5:2, WHICH WE HAVE ALREADY READ…
NAS Ephesians 5:2 and walk in love…
AND IN 5:8, the focus of our message for next week…
NAS Ephesians 5:8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light
AND FINALLY, IN 5:15…
NAS Ephesians 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise,
“WALK” IN THE BIBLE, YOU’LL REMEMBER, REFERS TO ONE’S CONDUCT, his or her behavior, one’s lifestyle.
“PURITY IS NOT A VALUED CHARACTER TRAIT TODAY IN SECULAR AMERICA or even among some religious people. Today just about any behavior is generally accepted as long as someone else doesn’t feel his or her rights are being violated. This ‘anything-goes’ attitude was prevalent in first-century Ephesus too – hardly a godly state of mind for the Ephesian believers whom Paul exhorted to ‘be imitators of God’ (5:1). Paul called these early Christians to abstain from specific expressions of evil practices both in conduct and in conversation. They were God’s new people, new because in Christ they had put off the old man and had ‘put on the new man, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth’ (4:24). Evil practices were antithetical to love and should have no place in believers’ lives. This Paul sharply contrasted his understanding of living in love to the contemporary cultural understanding of love.” – Garner
“WHATEVER GOD ESTABLISHES, SATAN WILL EVENTUALLY COUNTERFEIT. Where God establishes love, Satan produces counterfeit love. Counterfeit love characterizes Satan’s children, those who are of the world, just as true love characterizes God’s children, those who are in heaven. In contrast to godly, unselfish love, the world’s love is lustful and self-indulgent. It loves because the object of love is attractive, enjoyable, pleasant, satisfying, appreciative, loves in return, produces desired feelings, or is likely to repay in some way. It is always based on the other person’s fulfilling one’s own needs and desires and meeting one’s own expectations. Worldly love is reciprocal (reciprocal is that which is given or done in return for something – TAR). That kind of love is selfish and ultimately destructive, a deceptive counterfeit of God’s love. It is always conditional and is always self-centered. It is not concerned about commitment, but only satisfaction. It is not concerned about giving but only getting.” – MacArthur
VERSES 3-7 COME IMMEDIATELY AFTER VS. 1-2… The command to imitate God and to walk in love. On the heels of imitating and living as God, Paul gives us a further list of vices to be avoided…
THESE VERSES GIVE US OUR JOB DESCRIPTION AS BELIEVERS… They tell us who we are and what we are to do as “Imitators of God”…
“BE IMITATORS OF GOD… AND WALK IN LOVE”… Love is the key to imitating or mimicking God…
WITH ALL THIS IN MIND, IN VV. 3-4, PAUL TURNS TO THE PERVERSION OF LOVE Here he tells us to abstain from evil, or, as I have chosen to title this passage, to “Walk in Purity.”
NAS Ephesians 5:3-4 But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
NOTE FIRST THE LITTLE WORD “BUT.” This tells us that our passage for this morning is in direct contrast to vv. 1-2, and, really, in contrast to all Paul has said about “Walking Worthy.”
“EVEN THOUGH PAUL’S SUBJECT IS STILL CHRISTIAN CONDUCT, a shift obviously occurs at 5:3. Whereas 4:25-5:2 was primarily concerned with practices Christians should adopt, 5:3-14 focuses on what should be avoided.” – Snodgrass
“THIS PASSAGE IS ONE OF THE LENGTHIEST N.T. TREATMENTS OF SEPARATION from the world.” – Snodgrass
“THERE IS NO ROOM IN THE GODLIKE LIFE FOR UGLY ATTITUDES AND SINS that belong to the old life. Bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and malice are poisonous to your soul. Rid yourselves of those poisons now. ‘Do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you.’” – Steadman
“IMMORALITY” OR “FORNICATION” AS IN THE NKJ IS FROM THE GREEK WORD πορνεία (por-nei-a), the Greek word from which we get our English word “pornography.” πορνεία (por-nei-a) refers to all sexual sin. “Immorality is the most commonly used term in the Bible for any kind of sexual misconduct.” – Steadman
ALL SEXUAL SIN IS AGAINST GODLY LOVE, THEREFORE, IT IS AGAINST GOD Himself.
“IMPURITY” OR “UNCLEANNESS” COMES FROM THE GREEK WORD ἀκαθαρσία (a-ka-thar-see-a), defined by BDAG’s lexicon as 2. fig. a state of moral corruption… “Impurity or uncleanness refers to anything that is filthy or obscene.” – Steadman
“GREED” OR “COVETOUS” IS THE GREEK WORD πλεονεξία (play-a-nex-ee-a). BDAG defines it as the state of desiring to have more than one’s due, greediness, insatiableness, avarice, covetousness… In this context of sexual immorality, this word really refers to greed for another’s body. It really means lust.
“PAUL SAYS THAT ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE FORBIDDEN TO BE EVEN NAMED among followers of Jesus Christ. It is not only the acts themselves that are prohibited, but talk of sexual expression outside of marriage is to be shunned.” – Steadman
AND LOOK AROUND IN THIS COUNTRY TODAY; WHAT DO YOU SEE? Almost nothing but immorality and uncleanness and greed. “We are living in a pagan world. We are literally breathing the atmosphere of ungodliness.” – Kent/TAR
REPETITIOUS? PERHAPS, BUT we should instead look at these words as emphatic reminders. “Human beings need to be reminded continually not to allow the standards of the world around them to provide the norms for their lives.” – Kent
WHEN WE SEE THIS PASSAGE THIS WAY, CAN WE NOT REALIZE its importance for us today? Paul’s words in vv. 3-7 could not be more relevant.
“SUCH UNHOLY THINGS SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTABLE SUBJECTS OF conversation among people whom God has called to be holy.” – Bruce
“UNDERSTAND, PAUL IS NOT SAYING WE SHOULD NEVER TALK ABOUT SEX. He is saying we should not talk about distortions and perversions of God’s gift of sex.” – Steadman
“FILTHINESS” (αἰσχρότης [ais-kra-tace]), BDAG says, is behavior that flouts social and moral standards, shamefulness, obscenity. The word “denotes shameful conduct.” – Kent… Remember, conduct is our “walk.”
“SILLY TALK” (μωρολογία [mo-ra-la-gee-a]). Yet another emphasis on speech in this practical section of Ephesians. “Foolish speech is at best a waste of time, but it can also lead to grave trouble. Life for Christ is a serious matter, and provides ample material for serious and profitable discussion. Paul regards it as immature, a quality characteristic of the young, who, as Aristotle said of the same Greek word are ‘fond of laughter.’ But here it is a quality not appropriate for the people of God.” – Bruce
“BELIEVERS HAVE RECEIVED SO MANY BLESSINGS FROM GOD, THAT thanksgiving should be a dominant note in their speech as well as in their thought.” – Bruce
“THANKSGIVING IS AN EXPRESSION OF UNSELFISHNESS.” – MacArthur… All these negative things that Paul is relating to us can be seen as examples of selfishness.
NAS Ephesians 5:5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
“WHEN GOD LOOKS AT MEN AND CHARACTERIZES THEM WITH THE TERMS mentioned here, they have no share in the kingdom of Christ and God. The naming of both Christ and God in the Greek text – with the article before the first term but not the second – associates these terms in the closest possible connection (though this is not a Granville Sharp construction – TAR). If Christ were not Deity, this juxtaposition would be incongruous.” – Kent
A “COVETOUS” OR “GREEDY” PERSON IS AN IDOLATER…
NAS Colossians 3:5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
GREED OR COVETOUSNESS IS IDOLATRY BECAUSE IT IS PUTTING SOMETHING before God…
WITH YOUR PERMISSION, I AM GOING TO BRIEFLY SAY BUT A FEW WORDS about “the kingdom.” That is a big subject and deserves much more time than I can give it here is this blog. Let me simply say that the kingdom is the rule of God. “The Kingdom of God has two aspects, both centering in Christ {1} It is already present, though veiled, as a spiritual realm and {2} It is still future when God’s rule will be openly established on earth.” – BKC
NAS Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
“EMPTY WORDS.” The Greek word for “empty” (κενός [ken-os]) means being devoid of intellectual, moral, or spiritual value [BDAG]. Notice the emphasis yet again in this practical passage on speech.
THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE SPEAKING EMPTY WORDS TODAY in our technological, media-driven society. “Empty words” are words devoid of worth, and worth comes ultimately only from God. Words that promise reward or satisfaction or true knowledge apart from God and the Bible are deceptive. God does not excuse those who allow themselves to be deceived through ignorance of His Word.
IT MAY BE RIGHTLY SAID THAT THE KEY TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS OBEDIENCE. If one is not obedient, he is a “son of disobedience.” “Willing obedience is the only kind of sacrifice that God desires.” – Bruce
NAS Ephesians 5:7 Therefore do not be partakers with them;
THINK THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO END OUR STUDY FOR THIS WEEK: A simple, direct, forceful command not to join in the world and its evil. Yet another verse that tells us to live lives distinct from our culture…
“DON’T BE PARTNERS WITH UNBELIEVERS IN WICKEDNESS. Be partners with Christ in righteousness. Don’t imitate the world, but rather be imitators of God, as beloved children.” – MacArthur
DON’T WALK IN IMPURITY; “WALK IN PURITY.”
– Professor Thomas A. Rohm
