Welcome to Timeless Truth with Pastor Jim Thomas. In season 1, Pastor Jim is leading us in a study of Ephesians. Today’s passage is Ephesians 5:3-6.
This ancient letter written by the apostle Paul offers helpful instruction on a variety of topics like Christian experience, Christian thinking and Christian ethics. In other words, here we find the integration of Gospel directed behavior with Gospel informed belief, which results in the development of a Gospel shaped life. In stark contrast to the positive exhortations we read in v1-2 for us to become imitators of God and to walk in love, here in v3-6 Paul now turns in the opposite direction with several negative exhortations as regards our personal and interpersonal behavior. This is Paul turning the light on for us to be able to see that there are behaviors that we may find ourselves inclined towards, that will have the negative effects of demeaning others and darkening ourselves.
Specifically, Paul identifies sexual sins, greed, and sins of the tongue. These same three Greek words: porneia, akatharsia, pleonexia were already used as a group earlier in this ancient letter (4:19), there interpreted into English as sensuality, impurity and greediness.
- Porneia is a broad word referring to any kind of sexual sin. The idea is disregard for God’s original creation design of human sexual relations between a husband and wife within the lifelong covenant promises of marriage.
- Akatharsia refers to physical, ritual or moral impurity or uncleanness. It describes the wayward desires and irresistible itch of an impure heart; all of which can lead to self-destructive indulgences.
- Pleonexia refers to the insatiable desire for more and its rule over us. Greed for more is all about self-gratification taken to extremes and it can destroy our health, our work life, our personal relationships with those we claim to love, and covetous greed can lead to behaviors that demean the humanity and dignity of others.
“The reason why Christians should dislike and avoid vulgarity is not because we have a warped view of sex, and are either ashamed or afraid of it, but because we have a high and holy view of it as being in its right place God’s good gift, which we do not want to see cheapened.”
– John Stott
“that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world”
– Philippians 2:15
“When desire for more takes over — especially with sexual relations — it distorts the mind, debilitates us, disrupts life, and finally becomes our master.”
– Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians: The NIV Application Commentary, p276
“In God’s case, God’s wrath flows from his love for his creation. He is angry at injustice, greed, self-centeredness, and evil because they are destructive. And God will not tolerate anything or anyone responsible for destroying the creation and the people that he loves.”
– Tim Keller, The Reason for God
“It is only when we have grasped clearly who we are in Christ, that the desire will grow in us to live a life that is worthy of our calling and fitting to our character as God’s new society.”
– John Stott, God’s New Society
