Ephesians 5:5-6

Day 45

“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. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” Ephesians 5:5-6

Imitate God, Not the Rebellious World
Paul began chapter 5 urging believers to “be imitators of God.” For individuals living outside of a relationship with God, they have no connection to His inheritance or His family.  They live with a completely different set of priorities.  Immorality and impurity were commonplace in the Greco-Roman world.  These actions were immortalized in the idolatrous worship of their age.  Activities that should have brought shame had become public and prideful acts of worship.  Sexual immorality, drunkenness, and other forms of sin became acts of pagan worship.  Many in the New Testament church grew up in this culture.  In fact, many of the believers in Ephesus participated in these forms of worship.  Paul, with similar language, called out the believers in Corinth with a reminder of their sinful past.  Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (I Corinthians 6:9-11)  “Such were some of you,” Paul reminded them of their sinful past. The early church filled each Sunday with former idolaters.  For them, those old patterns of behavior were still tempting.  That type of normalized behavior paved deep seeded habits that were hard to break.  For the Ephesian church, the temptation to return to their former life made the call to purity rather difficult.  However, Paul reminded them that the rebellion against God will ultimately come to a dramatic end.  God’s wrath will be brought on sinners in their disobedience.  However, believers have a different destiny.  Imitate God.  Do not imitate those who have no future with God.  These behaviors are inconsistent with the family of God. These idolatrous actions will receive our Father’s wrathful and just response. Live differently!

Let No One Deceive You
False teachers throughout the church’s history have brought a variety of divergent theologies into the church.  Some false teachers present a false Jesus, reducing Him to a mere moral teacher or reformer, but not God.  Some teach that Jesus wasn’t really a human, but some type of spiritual being. They affirm His deity while denying His humanity. Some fixate on legalism, wanting to ensnare the church in an endless list of does and don’ts. These false teachers emphasize rules over our relationship with God, thus stealing the joy of the believer. In this case, Paul concentrated on the false teaching that attempted to excuse any behavior as being sinful.  We might refer to this bad theology as “antinomianism.” This false idea emerges out of an incorrect view of salvation by faith alone.  Though it is true that we are saved by faith alone, without regard to our moral ability, our salvation calls us to live like Jesus.  Our works do not save us.  Our morality cannot save us.  However, once we are saved, we are called to a life of imitation.  False teachers throughout the church’s history have taught that the forgiveness of all of our sins in Christ grants to us a certain privilege to sin without any concern of sin’s impact on us or others.  This false notion tells terrible lies.  The source of this lie and all other lies, the devil, told the very first lie.  Satan said to the woman, “You will not die.”  From that moment on, the devil has been at war with truth, especially the truth about God’s call to righteousness. Our morality did not save us.  Our morality does not keep us saved.  We are saved by grace through faith alone. We remain saved by grace through faith alone.  However, as adopted children, let us live to please our Heavenly Father. He adopted us. We belong to Him and His family. We share in His inheritance. Out of our love and imitation of Him, may we live distinctive lives in our pursuit of what is right and good.

Suggested Prayer:  God, I want to live a life that consistently reflects my destiny with You.  You have provided an everlasting inheritance.

Ephesians