Practical Instructions to Live the Christian Life -Ephesians 5-6
Read Ephesians 5:15-16
Today’s Truth
According to Paul, a life worthy of the Gospel that unites both Jews and Gentiles is a life marked by love, light , and wisdom. These are three nonnegotiable identifiers of God’s new family and people.
The love this new, united community demonstrates is not sexual, perverse, or greedy—and it’s grateful instead of vulgar. Obscenity, greed, and sensuality all prove citizenship of a kingdom not of God. God has rescued his people from that kingdom of darkness, and to return to it would be disastrous. Instead, God’s people are to reject darkness and live as children of the light. Light is good, just, true, and actively exposes the bad, unjust, and false. This exposure isn’t to shame those living in darkness (after all, they used to be just like them), but it’s to transform them. Light by its very nature dispels darkness, and by the light of Jesus in the lives of believers, darkness can be pushed back forever.
Finally, living in love and light in a world of sex, greed, and darkness requires wisdom. But this wisdom isn’t first sobriety and self-denial; wisdom is first being filled with God’s Spirit and understanding what God desires.
Discussion Questions
- What does walking in the light look like in a culture full of spiritual compromise?
- Why do believers need spiritual armor? What does this tell us about the nature of our battle?
- What does it mean to “imitate God” ?
Application
Often, when we read commands like these, we feel guilty for not living up to them. So we promise that tomorrow we will try harder and be better. But tomorrow comes—and the moral progress we hope for is short-lived. We beat ourselves up again and try harder the next day. But Paul has no interest in motivating you with guilt and shame. Paul instead motivates us with the grace, forgiveness, and sacrifice Jesus has given us while we were still sinners.
None of us are as wise, loving, or humble as we should be, but thank God we have a Savior who is for us! So if you’re in a difficult marriage, job, or family, or if you find yourself pulled to your old ways of life, cast your eyes on Jesus and his love, wisdom, and humility! He has not only saved you but he will also perfect you into the loving and humble person he has called you to be.
