Today we’re sharing an excerpt from Lifeway Women’s new Bible study Ephesians by Jackie Hill Perry, Jasmine Holmes, and Melissa Kruger. This excerpt was written by Jackie Hill Perry. Learn more about this impactful new Bible study here!
If I called you a saint, would you know what I meant by the term? It’s neither a flattering description nor a realistic assumption if you’re imagining pompous perfection. Images of men long gone, with halos overhead as if to say to all who see them, “We are the special ones.” But if by saint we mean what the Spirit, through Paul, means in Ephesians, then the dance of duty and delight is made available to us.
This term saint isn’t reserved for the few who walked with the risen Christ; it’s applied to all the children of God (Eph. 1:1). It implies something about grace since it’s an identity none of us deserve but many of us have received. And, by virtue of said grace, our halos aren’t above us but proven through us. Which is to say, saints live like saints.
In chapters 5–6 of Ephesians, we learn how to be imitators of God, what is proper for saints (like us), being light in the Lord, and its bearings on our relationships. This outward display of the identity we’ve received is imperfect on most days; but even still, if it is the name you’ve been given then it is the life you can live.
In Ephesians 5, Paul’s instructions continue with some admonitions against behaviors that are opposed to our identity as “saints” and “children of light.” The warnings in these passages could come across as unnecessary to some. If we are “saints,” why should we be warned about things like judgment and the like? As we will soon learn, God uses the warnings of Scripture to preserve us. With our new identity, there comes an expectation that we will be who we are in Christ, living as Jesus did, and displaying in our lives and even in our speech, the holiness that befits our new nature.
In my own ministry, I’ve made a practice of referring to saints as saints. Articulating this in whatever forum God allows serves to remind men and women of who they are so as to encourage them in how to live. There is an expectation that comes with being new. Having a new self must result in having a new way of being. Paul helps us see that our new way of being includes the way we use our entire body—the mind, the mouth, the words, and everything else.
Read Ephesians 5:4 below:
Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks.
I find it interesting that Paul doesn’t simply restrict the content of the saint’s speech by saying “don’t talk this way” and nothing more. He offers an alternative form of speech, which is thankfulness.
Thankfulness is just as much of an outworking of the new self as sexual purity is. This is because thankfulness is God-oriented speech. Paul’s word to the Ephesians (and to us) is about much more than simply changing the way we talk as saints; it’s about a total reorienting of our language around the glory of God.
Now read Ephesians 5:5 below:
For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Why might Paul need to remind saints of these things?
As an incentive, Paul makes it clear that the person who practices sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness will not inherit the kingdom of Christ and God. It may seem odd that such a severe point would be made to “saints,” but as we all know, it is fairly easy for us to forget and/or presume upon God’s grace. The reminder of God’s wrath trains us not to take holiness lightly.
Moses reminded God’s people of the judgment that would come if they continued in disobedience (see also Deut. 7), and we see Paul doing much the same. This isn’t to say that occasionally disobeying God in these ways warrants an eternal penalty. Paul has already made the case that these saints are forgiven, redeemed, and secured in Ephesians 1. However, if and when these sexual sins and covetousness rule the life of an individual in the church, it is evidence that person is not in fact a saint and therefore excluded from the inheritance saints will receive.
Any teaching that would tempt the Ephesian saints to believe that continuing in unrepentant sin won’t lead to judgment is considered “empty” (Eph. 5:6). Let’s look at a few Bible translations to get a sense of the meaning here.
Let no man deceive you with vain words:
for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience (KJV).
Let no one deceive you with empty words,
for because of these things the wrath of
God comes upon the sons of disobedience (ESV).
Let no one deceive you with empty arguments,
for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things (CSB).
From as far back as the garden, the authority or lordship of God has been called into question. With Ephesians 5:6, Paul reminds his readers that the grace and love of God is not license for sin; rather, it ushers in a new level of expectation for behavior and conduct—the expectation that one’s actions imitate God. To live counter to God’s vision for the Christian life is an invitation for His wrath.
What’s at stake if the saints believe that the sexually immoral, impure, and covetous will inherit the kingdom of God? What would it say about the holiness of God?
Reflect
Apply Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 5 to your own life. Confess your patterns and tendencies toward immorality. Confess the parts of your life that imitate the Gentiles. And praise God for your identity as a saint. Ask Him to help you live fully as who you are in Him today.
Want to learn more about the Ephesians Bible study? Watch the short video below or view a free sample and teaching video clips at lifeway.com/ephesiansstudy.
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