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5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear
children; 5:2 And walk
in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not
be once named among you, as becometh
saints; 5:4 Neither filthiness,
nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather
giving of thanks.
5:5 For this ye know, that no
whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor
covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom
of Christ and of God.
5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these
things cometh the wrath of God upon the
children of disobedience.
5:7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord:
walk as children of light: 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all
goodness and righteousness and truth;) 5:10 Proving what is acceptable
unto the Lord.
5:11 And have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather reprove them.
5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of
them in secret.
5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light:
for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the
dead, and Christ shall give thee
light.
5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of
the Lord is.
5:18 And be not
drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with
the Spirit; 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to
another in the fear of God.
5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own
husbands, as unto the
Lord.
5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the
head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives
be to their own husbands in every thing.
5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church,
and gave himself for it; 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water by the word, 5:27 That he might present it
to himself a glorious
church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that
loveth his wife loveth himself.
5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and
cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 5:30 For we are members of
his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall
be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning
Christ and the
church.
5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife
even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Ephesians
Book: Ephesians
Chapter: 5
Overview:
Exhortation to brotherly
Love.
(1,2) Cautions against several
sins.
(3-14) Directions to a contrary behaviour, and to relative
duties.
(15-21) The duties of wives and husbands are enforced
By
the spiritual relation between
Christ and the
Church.
(22-33)
1,2 Because
God, for
Christ's sake, has forgiven you, therefore
be ye followers of
God, imitators of
God. Resemble him
especially in his
Love and pardoning
Goodness, as becomes those
beloved
By their heavenly
Father. In
Christ's
Sacrifice his
Love
triumphs, and we are to consider it fully.
3-14 Filthy lusts must be rooted out. These sins must be
dreaded and detested. Here are not only cautions against gross
Acts of
Sin, but against what some may make
Light of. But these
things are
So far from being profitable, that they pollute and
Poison the hearers. Our cheerfulness should show itself as
becomes Christians, in what may tend to
God's
Glory. A covetous
Man makes a
God of his
Money; places that
Hope, confidence, and
delight, in worldly good, which should be in
God only. Those who
allow themselves, either in the lusts of the
Flesh or the
Love
of the world, belong not to the kingdom of
Grace, nor shall they
come to the kingdom of
Glory. When the vilest transgressors
repent and believe the
Gospel, they become children of
obedience, from whom
God's wrath is turned away. Dare we make
Light of that which brings down the wrath of
God? Sinners, like
men in the dark, are going they know not whither, and doing they
know not what. But the
Grace of
God wrought a mighty change in
the souls of many. Walk as children of
Light, as having
knowledge and
Holiness. These
Works of
Darkness are unfruitful,
whatever profit they may boast; for they
End in the
Destruction
of the impenitent sinner. There are many ways of abetting, or
taking part in the sins of others;
By commendation, counsel,
consent, or concealment. And if we share with others in their
sins, we must expect to share in their plagues. If we do not
reprove the sins of others, we have
Fellowship with them. A good
Man will be ashamed to speak of what many wicked men are not
ashamed to do. We must have not only a sight and a knowledge
that
Sin is
Sin, and in some
Measure shameful, but see it as a
Breach of
God's holy
Law. After the
Example of prophets and
apostles, we should
Call On those asleep and dead in
Sin, to
awake and arise, that
Christ may give them
Light.
15-21 Another remedy against
Sin, is care, or caution, it being
impossible else to maintain purity of
Heart and
Life. Time is a
Talent given us
By God, and it is misspent and lost when not
employed according to his design. If we have lost our time
heretofore, we must double our diligence for the future. Of that
time which
Thousands On a dying
Bed would gladly redeem at the
price of the whole world, how little do men think, and to what
trifles they daily
Sacrifice it! People are very apt to complain
of bad times; it were
Well if that stirred them more to redeem
time. Be not unwise. Ignorance of our duty, and neglect of our
souls, show the greatest folly. Drunkenness is a
Sin that never
goes alone, but carries men into other evils; it is a
Sin very
provoking to
God. The drunkard holds out to his family and to
the world the sad spectacle of a sinner hardened
Beyond what is
common, and hastening to perdition. When afflicted or weary, let
us not seek to raise our spirits
By Strong Drink, which is
hateful and hurtful, and only ends in making sorrows more felt.
But
By fervent
Prayer let us seek to be filled with the
Spirit,
and to avoid whatever may grieve our gracious
Comforter. All
God's people have reason to sing for joy. Though we are not
always singing, we should be always giving thanks; we should
never want disposition for this duty, as we never want matter
for it, through the whole course of our lives. Always, even in
trials and
Afflictions, and for all things; being satisfied of
their loving intent, and good tendency.
God keeps believers from
sinning against him, and engages them to submit one to another
in all he has commanded, to promote his
Glory, and to fulfil
their duties to each other.
22-33 The duty of wives is, submission to their husbands in the
Lord, which includes honouring and obeying them, from a
principle of
Love to them. The duty of husbands is to
Love their
wives. The
Love of
Christ to the
Church is an
Example, which is
sincere, pure, and constant, notwithstanding her failures.
Christ gave himself for the
Church, that he might sanctify it in
this world, and
Glorify it in the next, that he might bestow
On
all his members a principle of
Holiness, and deliver them from
the guilt, the pollution, and the dominion of
Sin,
By those
influences of the Holy
Spirit, of which baptismal water was the
outward sign. The
Church and believers will not be without spot
or wrinkle till they come to
Glory. But those only who are
sanctified now, shall be glorified hereafter. The words of
Adam,
mentioned
By the
Apostle, are spoken literally of
Marriage; but
they have also a hidden sense in them, relating to the union
between
Christ and his
Church. It was a kind of
Type, as having
resemblance. There will be failures and defects
On both sides,
in the present state of human nature, yet this does not alter
the relation. All the duties of
Marriage are included in unity
and
Love. And while we
Adore and rejoice in the condescending
Love of
Christ, let husbands and wives learn hence their duties
to each other. Thus the worst evils would be prevented, and many
painful effects would be avoided.