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Title: For This You Know
Intro:
We’ve spent a few weeks doing some deep dives into the original Greek language to draw deeper meaning, but today’s language is pretty straight forward so we’re going to focus more on context and application.
Let me just highlight briefly a few of these terms.
Terms to know
“fornicator” a man who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, a fornicator
(anyone who indulges in sexual activity outside of marriage)
“unclean person” in a moral sense, one who is unclean in thought and life
“covetous man” one eager to have more, especially what belongs to others; greedy
“idolater” a worshipper of false gods
This person has NO inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God
Is anyone here NOT guilty of these things?
Can anyone offer a solution then?
Matthew Henry:
But those who are impenitent, and allow themselves either in the lusts of the flesh or the love of the world, are not Christians indeed, and so belong not to the kingdom of grace, nor shall they ever come to the kingdom of glory. Let us then be excited to be on our guard against those sins which would exclude and shut us out of heaven.
Dave Guzik:
a. Has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God: The people mentioned in Ephesians 5:3 (the fornicator, the unclean person and the covetous man) have no inheritance in God’s kingdom. If God’s kingdom is alive in them, a transformation has occurred so that they cannot rest in the habitual practice of these things.
- Paul’s idea in this passage can be applied out of context in a condemning way. One might say, “Well, I’ve thought about committing fornication, so that means that I have fornicated in my heart and that means that I am as guilty as someone who has actually committed the act of fornication. Since I am as guilty as that one, and they have no inheritance in the kingdom of God, neither do I, because of my thoughts about fornication.” This deceptive thinking goes against the plain sense of God’s word.
John Brown:
1. Of course, all of these people will be in Heaven!
a) But, they will have repented and accepted Jesus as a covering for their sins.
2. The people in this verse are the one’s content with “practicing” their sin and making a mockery of the cross.
Conclusions to Consider:
- Do we struggle with these things, or are we a “habitual practicer” of these things?
- Do we see growth in these areas, are we making progress or getting worse?
- Do we have accountability systems in our lives for these sins, and are we regularly acknowledging, confessing, and repenting of these sins.
- Do we hate our sin, or do we love it?
Closing Thought:
In the greater context of Ephesians, Paul’s intent is to make a distinction between the lives of believers and unbelievers. Believers are supposed to live distinctly differently. Instead of sexual immorality and vulgar speech, believers are to exhibit pure lives and live with gratitude. Unbelievers are marked by their evil actions and will not inherit the kingdom of God. However, believers are certainly given the gift of eternal life (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8–9). Because of this, they should live in a way that imitates God (Ephesians 5:1), turning from the sinful practices of their life before Christ.
Christians are capable of sin, even though we are saved (1 John 1:8). Thankfully, Christ is willing to forgive (1 John 1:9), and the salvation we have can never be lost (John 10:28). Those whose lives are marked by persistent sins, such as those mentioned here by Paul, however, have reason to closely examine their spiritual lives.
Q&A