Verse 1.
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;”
When a child recognizes they are
really LOVED by their parent, he or she will want to be LIKE
them. “God is love” (1 John
4:8) and He is our true Parent. Everything He does or
thinks or intends is always based in love. As we will see
in the next verses, we are to “walk
in love” with the same kind of fervent love that
Christ showed when He died so that you and I may live.
To be “imitators
of God” is to STOP trying to live a godly life in our
own strength. The Word of the Lord to you and me is this: “Not
by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of
hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Jesus Christ, Himself God,
lived His life on earth in concert with the Holy Spirit. We
are His “imitators” when we
do the same, and the Holy Spirit is urging us all to be one
in the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.
Verse 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.”
When you look into the “Yellow
Pages” (business section) of a telephone book in many
countries, you are likely to find lots of entries under “C”
for “Church.” The reason
there are often so many churches is because of a lack in the
important area of “love.”
We talk a lot about love, but then divide over lesser
issues. We are to “WALK in love,”
which includes giving up bickering over our viewpoints and
instead give ourselves to Christ’s kind of love.
His love includes sacrifice, as seen
in the sacrifice of Himself on the Cross. You don’t need to
die on a cross because He has already done that. But you
become a “fragrant aroma” in
the sight of God when you become willing to sacrifice your
wishes in favor of someone else’s needs. And, as we shall
see in the next verses, you may have to give up some of what
the world counts as “pleasure,” in order to love others as
much as you love yourself. But He gives us more than
“pleasure” – we have the lasting JOY that only comes from
God.
Verse 3.
“But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be
named among you, as is proper among saints;”
This verse does NOT mean that you
hide who you are and pretend to be something you’re not. It
is instead a call to be changed by the power and love of
God. There is a process occurring in those who are truly
God’s little ones, called “sanctification,” in which He
remarkably changes people like you and me. There actually
is a basic immorality within humans, a sort of negative mark
on the soul that disfigures us – inside.
But when we are “born
again” in Christ Jesus (John 3:3, 7), the Spirit of
God comes into us and the “immorality”
that marks us is replaced. In Him, we gradually become
moral beings who long for purity. The “greed,” the wanting of more-and-more in life, is gradually changed
to love. Instead of wanting it all for ourselves, amazingly
we now want it for someone else – because we love them. And
it’s obvious that when our heart is changed, our words, our
language will be renewed also, as in this verse.
Verse 4.
“and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse
jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of
thanks.”
This is a continuation of the
previous verse. It is interesting that when a group of
“Christian” men are gathered together, especially when they
are not well acquainted, they often lapse into superficial
conversation, or “silly talk.”
Even worse are the “coarse”
or filthy (dirty) words that creep into the discussion.
It’s thought that jokes (”jesting”)
will break the ice and cause conversation to flow. It can
do that, but your choice of a “joke” can lead to immoral
discussion.
Paul offers an alternative – the “giving
of thanks” to God. If you are in Christ, the Spirit
of God will be doing a great work in you. Your language and
your life will be changed from the inside, where it counts.
You should be THANKFUL about what is occurring in your life,
and if so, you will want to tell others of the wonders He is
doing in you. Thankfulness is the opposite of “coarse
jesting.”
Verse 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.”
If you secretly or openly choose to
continue to be an “immoral or
impure person,” you are likely not in Christ. If you
continue to be a “covetous”
person who always wants what you do not have, it’s a sign
you are not right with Him. To be “covetous”
is to be an “idolater,” for
your focus is to worship, to covet the things of this world
instead of trusting in the Creator of all things.
To have “an
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” is to
be utterly changed by Christ (John 3:3, 7). In Him, your
life is being changed from immorality to purity in thought
and action. This is an event, but it is also a process,
often a lengthy one. We need to look at how we have been,
and what we are like now. It is hoped you are “giving
thanks” for the changes God has wrought (verse 4
comments) and that you are encouraged as you see the work He
is continuing in you.
Audio Bible Study-Ephesians 5:6-10
Verse 6. “Let no one deceive you
with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of
God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
“The
wrath of God” is upon this world because of “these
things” which we have been studying in the preceding
verses. “These things”
include: “immorality…
impurity…
greed” (verse 3), “filthiness…
silly talk…
coarse jesting” (verse 4) “immoral”
behavior, along with “covetous”
thoughts (verse 5). The “covetous”
person is considered an “idolater”
in the sight of God.
“How
could this happen to me?” has been the cry of
humanity, and many have shaken their fists at God for some
“unthinkable” event in their lives. “How
could this happen?” is a phrase that could also be
uttered by God, as He looks at the thoughts and actions of
mankind. Another way of looking at our lives is to
recognize that God could have destroyed the human race at
any point in history. The fact that you are able to read
these words right now is a testimony to the grace of God.
He has spared many for this time, in the hope that some will
look to the Lord and be saved.
Verse 7. “Therefore do not be
partakers with them;”
Immorality,
impurity, greed, filthiness, silly talk, coarse jesting,
covetousness, and idolatry (as described in the preceding
verses), are actually the characteristics of humanity. To
tell us to “not be partakers”
with others of our race is like telling a bird to not fly.
Sinners sin, just as fish swim and bacteria multiply. It
follows that if this verse is applicable in our lives, we
must be changed inside in order for it to be a reality.
And that is why
Paul, the human writer of Ephesians, is able to comfortably
tell us: “Do not be partakers with
them” (those who sin). As we will see in the next
verse, when we are “born again”
(John 3:3, 7) by the power of the Lord, we are taken out of
the “darkness” of this world
and made “light in the Lord”
(Ephesians 5:8). Paul was dramatically changed from a
murderer into a man of God and we can be changed, too. To “not
be partakers” is to look to Him.
Verse 8. “for you were formerly
darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as
children of Light”
“Darkness”
in Scripture typically refers to a depraved person who acts
in a shameful manner and then hides what he or she does.
When Jesus said to His disciples, “You
are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), He was
revealing the good news that God will change us into the
kind of people who no longer need to hide our thoughts and
actions. He continued, “Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Note the important
purpose you have in living a clean, open life: Others will
see you. They will be surprised that you do not behave like
they do and some will want what you have. It takes EFFORT
to hide, to live a lie, and people everywhere want to be
changed, deep inside. If you have been made new by the
Lord, your life is evidence that such change is possible.
You offer hope to the world, and it’s very important to
respond to Paul’s words: “walk as
children of light.”
Verse 9. “for the fruit of the
Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth,”
Just the right
amount of sunlight will work wonders for your garden: seeds
will germinate, plants will grow and flowers bloom. And so
it is with us. The Son of God brings just the right amount
of “Light” into your heart,
your life (He illumines your understanding). He nurtures us
and is the Master Gardener in the King’s garden. Growth
will occur, for He will make it happen.
Samples of the
good “fruit” to be expressed
through those who trust in Christ are found in a number of
places within Scripture, and three of them are here in this
verse: “goodness and righteousness
and truth.” All of us know what “good” is, even those
who don’t want to be good. These three characteristics will
be brought into our lives as we become open and begin to
trust in the Lord: GOOD thoughts, RIGHT actions, and we will
become people who love the truth.
Verse 10. “trying to learn what is
pleasing to the Lord.”
You will be
changed by the presence of the Lord in your life, and a key
part of that amazing change is revealed here: you will want
to do what is “pleasing to the Lord.”
That is basically the opposite of what humanity counts as
valuable. And note that we are “trying
to learn” what is pleasing to Him, for it’s not that
we suddenly know it all.
There is a common
misconception that a person who receives the Lord in a
personal way, is to be suddenly made perfect. Not true. We
are IM-perfect, which is why we need Him so much. Just like
a hospital is full of sick people, the church is full of
sinners. A problem arises when we forget that we are
learning and think we have learned it all. We need HIM, who
DOES know all things, and we need others in the body of
Christ who have learned what we don’t know.
Audio Bible Study - Ephesians 5:11-15
Verse 11. “Do not participate in
the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose
them;”
There’s always
somebody nearby, in your city or in your computer, who wants
to lead you along a “road” to a place where you should not
go. The words, “I dare you,” have led many into the “unfruitful
deeds of darkness” as in this verse. “Unfruitful”
carries the idea of barrenness, like a grapevine that does
not produce grapes as it is supposed to. “Darkness”
relates to thoughts and actions that are shameful.
Life is EASIER and
better when we are open, honest, and are not hiding
anymore. And Paul, the author of Ephesians, is encouraging
us to go even further than just saying “No” to those who
would lead us astray. He’s saying, “EXPOSE
them” to other people. Paul is writing to the
CHURCH, and the one who fails in an attempt to lead YOU into
works of darkness will turn to somebody else and try to
damage THEM. “EXPOSE them!”
for the safety of others.
Verse 12. “for it is disgraceful
even to speak of the things which are done by them in
secret.”
Here in the early
part of the 21st Century, the “disgraceful”
has become commonplace, incredibly the norm for people just
about everywhere, and “secret”
things, shameful things are now done openly. “Disgraceful”
things are portrayed openly in the movies and in popular
music. But our culture, our world, is still going down, for
even worse actions than we could imagine are being done in “secret.”
Actually, “goodness
and righteousness and truth” (verse 9) DO exist in
the world and when we find such things, we should speak of
them and rejoice in them. As Paul said in another place, “Whatever
things are noble… just…
pure…
lovely,
whatever things are of good report…
meditate on these things”
(Philippians 4:8). Why? – If you do, “the
God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).
Verse 13. “But all things become
visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything
that becomes visible is light.”
Jesus said, “You
are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). He
continued the idea in a manner that helps us understand what
“light” is in this context:
“Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven” (Matthew 5:16). To be “light”
is to become open, to be honest, to not hide who you are
anymore. And the goal in all this is greater than any need
you may have for personal privacy.
The goal is that
you, by your changed words and behavior, will cause others
to “glorify your Father in heaven.”
We were created to glorify God, and the wonder of it all is
that He will “transform our lowly
body, that it may be conformed to His glorious body”
(Philippians 3:21). We can safely become utterly open, we
can give our lives to the “light”
of God; and we can do it without fear, for He intends to
bring GOOD to you, to me, and through us, to those we meet.
Verse 14. “For this reason it
says, ‘Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ
will shine on you.’”
To be a person of
“light” as in the preceding
verses, is to abandon yourself to Jesus Christ. To live in
“darkness” (verse 11) is
actually to be “dead” to
God, as we glimpse in this verse. To come to Christ, to be
“born again” (John 3:3, 7),
to be literally raised from spiritual death. The Son of God
is like the sun is to this earth, for He gives “light”
to you and me. Without Him, we have no light at all.
This is one of the
greatest verses in Scripture, for it utterly and completely
shows our need for God, our inability to find Him on our
own, and it gives us the method of salvation. We were dead
to God. We had no relationship with Him at all. Then
Christ came and He IS “the light of
the world” (John 8:12). If you are willing, “Christ
will shine on you” (this verse) and give you not only
His “light,” but also LIFE
from God Himself.
Verse 15. “Therefore be careful
how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,”
Since those who
are in Christ Jesus are children of His “light”
(preceding verses), risen from the dead and awake at last to
God (verse 14), Paul is now adding this advice: “be
careful how you walk.” The phrase, “how
you walk” is a reference to our behavior. We are to
give thought (and prayer) to what we say and what we do.
The world is watching, more than we know, and the stakes are
very high.
Paul is telling us
to become “wise” men and
women, and in the next verses, he will offer concrete
suggestions as to how we may “walk”
in wisdom. We’ll look at Paul’s words, always understanding
that we are like little children, learning to grow up in the
Lord, for this direct purpose: that others will see the
change He has wrought in us and they will want Him, too.
Audio Bible Study - Ephesians 5:16-20
Verse 16. “making the most of your
time, because the days are evil.”
In the original
language, the idea of this verse is: “Buying
up for yourselves the opportunity,” carrying the idea
of a merchant, who, knowing the value of something, finds
out it is for sale and promptly buys it. We have been
seeing in Ephesians 5 that Christ gives us “light”
(understanding – verses 13 and 14) and we are to allow as
much as possible of His “light”
to come into the world through us while there is still time.
The “days
(were) evil” in the time of
the Apostle Paul and they are evil right now. “Darkness” (verse 11) has filled this planet for thousands of years
because of the darkened hearts of men and women everywhere,
and it is a high privilege to receive (and transmit) His
light. Jesus said, “You are the
light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) and “making
the most of your time” is letting HIS light shine
from you to others of this world.
Verse 17. “So then do not be
foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
A great deal of
what the world counts as important is really “foolish”
if you look at it closely. Sports, movies, and
entertainment give temporary pleasure, but they can waste a
lot of time and we should examine ourselves – What is the
lasting BENEFIT of what we do? What is IMPORTANT in life?
So many work all week, practically LIVING for their plans on
the weekend, and you have to ask: To what end?
Many work hard for
their money, and then throw it away on useless pursuits.
The Lord is NOT against us enjoying life, but you need to
ask – what is the “will of the Lord”
for YOUR time, your money, your life? He has a plan for us
all, including YOU. Someday, all will realize that the
opposite of the Lord’s will is simply – foolishness.
Verse 18. “And do not get drunk
with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the
Spirit,”
The person who
tends toward alcoholism should NEVER take an alcoholic
drink. But we know from places like 1 Timothy 5:23, that
wine is not in itself sinful, for Paul the Apostle told the
younger man, Timothy, to “use a
little wine for your stomach’s sake.” Timothy was
trying hard and had become a very tense young man. “Relax,”
Paul was saying. What this verse in Ephesians points out is
that to become “DRUNK” with
alcohol or other drugs is dissipation – a waste of our
lives.
Not unlike verse
17, where we see the “will of the
Lord” contrasted with foolishness, this verse
contrasts getting “drunk” to
being “filled with the Spirit.”
The false happiness that comes from drinking only has a
vague similarity to the JOY in the Spirit that comes from
God. One takes FROM you and the other, the Holy Spirit,
satisfies you, deep inside.
Verse 19. “speaking to one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody with your heart to the Lord;”
There is a false
notion that Christians don’t have fun. Actually, we do,
though our “fun” comes from and through the changes the Holy
Spirit of God is making in our hearts and lives. Yes, we
are to give up gossip, drunkenness, greed, covetousness,
silly talk (as Paul puts it), immoral thoughts and behavior,
and so on. But in exchange for giving up the
inconsequential in life, we are given – EVERYTHING,
especially the joy of the Lord.
Christ really does
make a difference. We are given LIFE to a degree and in a
way that no one knows until they have received the Lord. We
are given the Holy Spirit of God, who leads us and directs
us, cleanses our thoughts and lives, gives us hope and
peace, and lets us know He is always with us. And so we
sing, “making melody with
(our hearts) to the Lord.”
We have a lot to sing about, for we are learning to love,
and we are – loved!
Verse 20. “always giving thanks
for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God,
even the Father;”
A lot of times we
don’t understand life and what is happening to us, so it’s
hard to be thankful. Life can be not unlike going to the
hospital. It’s uncomfortable being in the place and often
painful things happen to us while we are there. Hospital
personnel make holes in our bodies, poke needles in our
arms, give us bad tasting medicine and so on, but the
purpose of it all is to heal us and make us well.
So it is with our
Lord Jesus Christ, who not only died for us, but He also
expects that you will die to this world for Him. He said, “If
anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and
take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).
Our circumstances may seem difficult, but Jesus Christ is
the one who heals you, rendering you able to have
eternal life with God the Father. We are given certain
hope, abiding faith and the love of God. It is reasonable
to thank Him all the time.
Audio Bible Study - Ephesians 5:21-25
Verse 21. “and be subject to one
another in the fear of Christ.”
It is simple
logic, open for all to see, that we should respond to the
will of God! And our Lord, when He was here on earth, was
absolutely clear that God’s will is that we are to LOVE one
another (John 13:34-35). We are actually to ESTEEM others,
placing their needs ahead of our own (Philippians 2:3). “Fear,”
in this context, is actually summed-up by the word
“reverence.” We should revere our Lord so much that we
cannot help loving one another.
We should be so
grateful for what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us,
that it makes sense for us to thank Him continually
(Ephesians 5:20). And we should be so much in love with Him
because of what He has done, that we find His love
overflowing through us into the lives of others. To be “subject”
to others is to be like a servant to them – being interested
in their needs and trying to help them.
Verse 22. “Wives, be subject to
your own husbands, as to the Lord.”
There is a reason
why a Christian wife can safely be “subject
to” her husband, and that is because her husband is
to love her with the same kind of fervent devotion that
Christ had when He died for our sins on the cross (verse
25). That is the Lord’s will for the husband – he is to
LOVE his wife. There is a problem, however. The husband is
a sinner like everybody else and so many husbands place
their own needs ahead of their wives.
Husbands have
often become abusers rather than leaders, which has ruined
God’s good intention for many marriages. The wife is
supposed to follow her husband BECAUSE OF his devotion to
God and his love for her. When he does truly utterly give
himself to the Lord, his wife can safely follow his lead,
because he finally becomes open to the leading of the Lord
for himself and his marriage. He will love her with the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
Verse 23. “For the husband is the
head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church,
He Himself being the Savior of the body.”
This verse
reflects God’s will for marriage. A look at marriages in
the 21st Century clearly shows that most are far
from the will of God. As the “head”
of the wife, the husband is commanded to watch out for her,
protect her, and deny himself in relation to her needs. Her
duty is “subjection” to him
and their marriage is to be like a parable, showing the
world how the church is supposed to respond to Christ.
Here is what
subjection is meant to be all about: 1) She is NOT to be his
servant or be like his child. 2) He is to be wise and loving
in leadership. 3) It is a LIMITED subjection – the wife is
to “obey God rather than men”
(Acts 5:29), if he leads her in a direction contrary to the
will of God and His Law. 4) She is to love him (Titus 2:4)&
not cower before him. 5) He is to love her (Ephesians 5:25).
Verse 24. “But as the church is
subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their
husbands in everything.”
We know from
places like Matthew 20:26-27, that God’s expectation for
leaders in the kingdom of God is completely unlike
leadership is understood in this world. In those verses,
the Lord said, “Whoever desires to
become great among you, let him be your servant, and whoever
desires to be first among you, let him be your slave.”
And then He continued, “just as the
Son of Man (Christ) did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a
ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
If the husband is
to be “the head of the wife, as
Christ also is head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23),
he is to do what Christ did and place her needs ahead of his
own. This does not mean in any way that the wife is to rule
over her husband. These verses were added by the Holy
Spirit through Paul so that wives would NOT decide that
their “freedom” in Christ gives them license to assert
themselves over their husbands, contrary to God’s intention
for marriage.
Verse 25. “Husbands, love your
wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself
up for her,”
Husbands are to
love their wives even to the point of being willing to die
for them. For many husbands, giving up for their wives some
sporting event or surrendering time that might be “good
fun,” can seem like “death” to them. It’s important to
recognize that when Christ loved you enough to give up His
life for you, He revolutionized your life and you will never
be the same. Husband, you were called to receive and
transmit His love to your wife.
For the husband
who is in Christ, there is no such thing as adultery,
bigamy, polygamy or any kind of selfishness. Divorce is not
in his vocabulary, and the phrase “until death do us part”
is law for him, “in sickness and in health.” If she is
paralyzed and in a wheelchair, she is his and he is hers.
If her mind is gone due to Alzheimer’s or her breast was
taken due to cancer, they are still married because he loves
HER, not just some outward part of her.
Audio Bible Study - Ephesians 5:26-30
Verse 26.
“so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the
washing ofwater with the
word,”
These verses discuss marriage, but
they also reveal God’s intention for the church. Jesus
Christ “washed” the called-out ones of God, the “her”
of this verse. He “cleansed”
us with the words that came from God and with His own
blood. He gave us everything, including His life, because
He loves you and me. If He is real to you, then you will
find you are being “sanctified” (cleansed), with an infusion
of the Lord’s faith, hope and love. A husband is so loved
by the Lord that love should overflow out of him into the
life of his spouse, the woman God gave to him - which is
God’s intention for marriage.
The “Word”
of God is the key to the husband’s ability to love his wife
as Christ loved the church. The Bible is God’s Word for
your life and mine, and when you prayerfully study His Word,
the Holy Spirit will remarkably change you. You may think
you don’t need to be changed, but husband, your wife thinks
otherwise. To receive Christ is to set out on a lifetime
journey in which we all are being “washed” by the Word of
God, as revealed through His Holy Spirit.
Verse 27.
“that He might present to Himself the church in all her
glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that
she would be holy and blameless.”
Jesus Christ gave Himself so
completely that the “church,”
the “called-out ones” of God, are made clean in the sight of
God. We are like an article of clothing that has become
dirty and wrinkled, so that any wearer would be ashamed to
put it on. The blood of Jesus Christ removes the
disfiguring “spot(s)” on our
souls, and the “wrinkle(s)”
in our thoughts, attitudes, words and actions are made
smooth because of what He did.
When husbands are made clean and
beautiful inside by the Lord, they show that the work of God
in their lives is real by similar actions in the lives of
their wives. Mr. Husband: Is your wife fulfilled and made
complete by your love? Are you concerned enough about her
so that you want “spot(s)”
of sorrow to be removed from her soul? Are you looking for
ways to smooth and soothe the “wrinkle(d)”
places in her mind and heart?
Verse 28.
“So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own
bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;”
The problem with people everywhere
is that we often put our own needs far above those of anyone
else. Husbands tend to marry, not because they can give
themselves TO their wives, but because they want something
FROM her. That attitude is so common that we accept it
culturally because we aren’t even fully aware it is wrong.
Frank Sinatra sang, “I’ll do it
MY way,” which should be a warning sign to every one
of us.
This verse does NOT say that the
husband is to constantly deny himself in everything (we’re
human after all). Instead it recognizes that we DO love
ourselves – the difference here is that we are to love
someone else (the wife) just as much. And it should be
clear to us all, as husbands, that if we continue to
fervently love our wives, life will be better, not only for
the wife, but for the husband, too. Husbands should carry
this concept to their children: “If
Mommy is happy, we all will be happy!” (and it’s
true).
Verse 29.
“for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and
cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,”
The husband who acts in a hateful
manner toward his wife is actually hateful, not only toward
her, but to himself as well. God created marriage for many
reasons, and one of them is to provide for our happiness.
If you, the husband, are nursing a grudge toward your wife,
it will ruin YOUR life in addition to hers. We are to “be
kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another,
just as God in Christ also forgave you” (Ephesians
4:32).
That verse is especially applicable
in marriage, where the parties live in such close proximity
to one another that their “nice” behavior is tested to the
limit. Marriage has the effect of revealing us for what we
are and it’s a training ground for men to learn to walk in
the Spirit of God. Every man should look to the Lord. Even
though he may love his wife, he needs the Lord, for only HIS
love in us will last.
Verse 30.
“because we are members of His body.”
When we are in Christ, we are as
close to Him as the fingers, toes, arms, legs and other
parts of our bodies are to human beings. Some manuscripts
add to this verse, “of His flesh,
and of His bones.” The reference is to the formation
of the first woman in Genesis Chapter Two. Eve’s name
indicated she was “taken from man”
and then she was given to him. The church is taken from the
wounded side of Christ and we have similarly been given to
our Lord.
Adam and Eve demonstrated a basic
flaw in humanity: a fatal tendency toward self-direction,
coupled with an unwillingness to respond to the clear
leading of the Lord. That’s why arguments in marriage are
so common and it’s why divorce is so prevalent. We all too
often love ourselves more than we love our spouse. In
Christ, we are being taken out of selfishness and are made a
part of Him, receiving much needed healing and new life. We
are “His body” because of
His love.
Audio Bible Study - Ephesians 5:31-33
Verse 31.
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and
shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one
flesh.”
The first woman, Eve, was literally
removed out of the first man, Adam. They were “one
flesh.” God caused the man to sleep, which was a
picture of death. At that moment, the first woman was taken
out of him, a picture of life. The church was taken out of
Christ – His life was given to you and me. Adam and Eve
were “one flesh” and we are
“one” with our Lord by
simply accepting what He has done for us all. The account
of Adam and Eve may be seen in Genesis 2:21-24 and this
verse in Ephesians is taken from Genesis 2:24.
Marriage was created by God and it
is not merely like a human contract that can be broken by
the parties to it. There are many reasons why God
instituted marriage and probably the most important is that
marriage is a parable given to the world about Christ and
His Church. Jesus Christ gave up everything out of His
love, and the husband is to reveal Christ’s love to this
world through the unselfish love he has for his wife, even
giving up his previous life for her.
Ron
Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
The First Church On The Net
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchOnTheNet.org "While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
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