Day 173 – Friday, August 29, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Ephesians 5

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

Walk in Love

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ² And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

³ But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; ⁴ neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. ⁵ For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not be partakers with them. 

(Ephesians 5:1–7, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• Paul continued his section on practical Christian living by instructing the Ephesians to imitate God like children. He also lifted up the value of Christian love, Godly love toward one another. It is like a beautiful aroma in God’s nostrils.
• Paul then outlawed several sinful acts, even saying that those who practice such thing will not be saved.

Walk in Light

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), ¹⁰ finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. ¹¹ And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. ¹³ But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. ¹⁴ Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light.” 

(Ephesians 5:8–14, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• Paul reminded the Ephesians that God has taken them from darkness into light. Therefore, they should walk in the light in a way that is acceptable to the Lord.
• He then told them to shun the things of darkness, not going back into their old sinful ways.
• Paul warned them that things done in darkness will be exposed in the light.

Walk in Wisdom

¹⁵ See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ¹⁶ redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

¹⁷ Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of God. 

(Ephesians 5:15–21, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• The next practical teaching involves being alert and aware of the temptation of evil.
• He used the word “circumspectly” to describe a 360 degree view of the world around you. Be aware!
• Paul then warned against being drunk with wine, rather pointing the readers to the power of the Spirit as the only right thing to be filled with.
• He encouraged them to sing songs and hymns in order to glorify God. He also told them to be thankful people, and submissive to one another in the fear of the Lord.

Marriage: Christ and the Church

²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. ³⁰ For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. ³¹ “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” ³² This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. 

(Ephesians 5:22–33, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• After declaring the norm to be submission to one another and to the Lord, Paul proceeded to instruct wives to submit to their own husbands, as to the Lord. He declared the husband to be the head of the of the wife, and compared that role to Christ and the church.
• He followed that up with a command for husbands to love their wives in return just as Christ loved the church, giving Himself for it, and leading that church into holiness and service.
• He reminded the church of the concept of one flesh, and then reiterated the need for a husband to love his wife just as he loves himself, and then for the wife to respect her husband.
• While some may consider this passage archaic or culturally irrelevant, it is still applicable for the modern church. Order is Godly, and brings peace and comfort to those who live in Godly order.
• This is not a manifesto on patriarchal oppression, but rather a Godly treatise on order in the home and appropriate emotional roles based on God’s knowledge of our needs.

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page. Another blog will be posted each weekday at 6:00 a.m.