Ephesians 5:1-21

Ephesians 5:1-21

This passage is one of the most beautiful and striking descriptions of living as a faithful Christian disciple. The descriptions we see here of the moral ethic are nothing short of marvelous. As disciples, our lives are no longer lived in darkness, but rather our lives become anti-darkness; we become the light of the world. The contrast between the lives of the disciples and that of the pagan world could not have been starker. Taken as a whole, this passage is a beautiful description of a beautiful life. Taken in the individual councils, these passages give us fantastic guidance.

Oftentimes we rushed to specific verses to address specific issues such as dirty joking (v. 4), drunkenness (v. 18), or worship music (v. 19). We need to be shaped by both the general admonitions and the specific instructions; we must be careful not to miss the proper underlying motivations.

The holy life described here grows out of our desire to be like our heavenly Father. When I was a young parent, one of the lights of my day was tucking my son into bed. Words cannot express the tender emotions those memories evoke. The best description may be a feeling very akin to homesickness. Not for a place but for a person and a moment. Long before my son was born, I lost my right index finger in a work accident. One night when my son was about four years old, as I tucked him in bed, he told me that when he got bigger, he was going to cut off his finger so that we could be alike. That tender moment struck me in two ways. First, it reinforced the importance of living my life carefully as a good example. Second, I needed this beautiful childlike faith so that I would want to be like my heavenly Father. The word “imitators” comes from the Greek word from which we get the English word “mimic.” We are to mimic God in our lives. That will certainly be expressed and holy living. But how can we know what it means to mimic God? The one who most perfectly reflected the Father was Jesus. Jesus’ purpose was not strictly to be an example. His purpose was to be God’s perfect man and perfect sacrifice. Out of that life, He is our example. The motivation for us to live that kind of holy life must be because we love and want to be like our Father. No other motivation can be strong enough to change us. No outside force can root out evil. Only the love from the inside out can displace our darkness. Love your heavenly Father by knowing Him in Jesus Christ.

“Lord, help me to love You so much that I want to be like You. AMEN”