Ephesians-How to Walk
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no 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. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:1-22 (ESV)
When you become a new mom there is lots of things to keep track of. Not only do you have to function on little to no sleep, keep them fed and clean, you have to keep track of all the milestones. The firsts--the first word, the first time they ate solid food, and when they learned to walk. I set the bar pretty low for myself. I tried to take pictures and even went so far as to make a baby book for each of my kids with said pictures but failed when it came to those details. Recently for a school project my daughter asked me when she learned to walk and I literally had no idea.
The bible is full of analogies and that’s one reason it’s hard to understand. As you read through scripture you’ll word pictures that describe what it’s like to live in a fallen world with a holy God. One of those descriptors is “walk” and it’s used multiple times in the section of scripture we are considering today. To walk as a Christian simply means to live each day in relationship with and as a representative of God. Like my daughter learned to walk, at first, it’s unsteady, then we get more confident and we can go longer each day, more in balance. In Ephesians, Paul, in the application half of the letter, is describing what it’s like to walk or live with God each day—how the reality of our great salvation and our great Savior informs our actions, words, and thoughts. At first glance it looks like legalism but it really the model of what a heart transformed by the love, light, and wisdom of God looks like.
Walk in love v 1-6
The first category to consider as we live with God is to demonstrate love. The basis of this love is the model set for us by Christ; He asks us to live as He did. He showed love practically by His sacrifice on the cross. He freely gave of Himself for us and He appeals to His act to encourage our loving of others. With allusions to the sacrificial system of the old testament, these acts are like pleasing fragrance wafting its way to heaven in God’s view.
In our culture love has become a catch-all word. We can love our mom, a new car, or even spaghetti. Love for some is mistaken as sexual intimacy, which Paul warns of in verse 3. The words people speak to each other (including comments on social media) are filthy, foolish or even crude. Christians are often deceived and follow the crowd, not considering a biblical world view to define their ethics and opinions. Lewd acts, profane speech, and naivete are not the pattern of life we are to live if we are being transformed by the gospel. Those things mark someone walking from God, walking toward His wrath against sin, not one who has been cleansed by the blood of Christ.
Walk in light v 7-14
Paul calls us to avoid partnering with those in darkness because our new identity is children of light. This does not mean you form an inward Christian bubble. Jesus in His high priestly prayer[1] asks that we are kept from the evil one, not from contact from non-believers. The partnering in Ephesians means don’t participate with them in the evil things listed in the first 6 verses. Acting as the world does is a way to go back to the darkness you were a part of. But that is not what you are. You are light and it is fitting that you who the change by your actions. Living in the light means bearing fruit, spiritual transformation that results in goodness, righteousness and truth. Instead of doing what they do, show personal integrity and moral courage, godly character, and expose their deeds by living differently and producing a different outcome. One of my past “learn how to walkers” is now a freshman in college and will be tested to make different choices that his peers. We pray he stays close to Christ and is empowered to expose the deeds of those around him by his godly character.
Walk in wisdom v 15-20
A day is coming when all will be revealed, the Light will come again, Jesus is returning. So be careful how you walk, be wise and leverage your time. Walk in the will of God by embracing the virtues of Jesus in your life and seeking them. With help from the Spirit, grace when you fail as in Jesus you are already made perfect, but seek holiness. It’s unwise to be drunk. Instead seek the supernatural high of worshiping God, that inner elation that’s like a melody of the heart. It’s better to be thankful than under the influence controlled by a substance.
How can we live in love, light, and wisdom? We are beloved children and big brother Jesus gave us access to the Father. The Spirit is ready to fill us as we walk with the Trinity and become transformed into the image of God day-by-day, step-by-step.
Reflections:
1. Is it motivating to love others because Jesus acted as model and at a cost to Himself, loved us?
2. Do you find it challenging to make different choices than those around you who are in darkness?
3. Something that fills me with joy is the fact that Jesus is returning agin. How does that fact help you seek wisdom?
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