BEING A FOLLOWER OF GOD
Ephesians 5:1-7
Introduction: This chapter presents the fourth “walk” proposed by the Holy Ghost through the Apostle Paul. There are three walks prior to this “walk.” We are the “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. . .that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10}; “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called” (Eph. 4:1); “walk not as other Gentiles walk” (Eph. 4:17). Now we are to “walk in lcve ” (Eph. 5:2). The previous chapter presented the “old man” and the “new man.” In the following verses, we are again given a contrast between a “new man” and an “old man.” The chapter begins in Ephesians 5:1 (KJV) Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children, which is evidence of the “new man.” This is addressed to “dear children” who believe in Jesus Christ. The first two verses here are devotional and an exhortation to the church about our “lifestyle” and how God views a committed Christian. The other verses, Ephesians 5:3-7, are an exhortation about things a Christian should not engage in if they plan to demonstrate a commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.
- BEING A FOLLOWER OF GOD, Ephesians 5:1-2. There are two words here that
speak to this, “sacrifice” and “sweetsmelling savour” (Eph. 5:2). These two verses are the devotional (challenge of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ) and an exhortation to be a “sacrifice” to God.
- Being a Person Who Follows Jesus, Ephesians 5:1. There is one major problem that deserves attention. The new translations have done some injustice to the first verse. They have the word “imitators” in place of “followers.” This comes from the Strongs Concordance. The dictionary definition of “imitator” is “someone who copies another person. A copy is never equal to the original. A synonym is “impersonator” or we might call them a “counterfeiter.” Unfortunately, almost every new translation has the word “follower” as “imitator.” Paul talks about the “serpent” who beguiled Eve, the same could corrupt the minds of believers from the simplicity of Christ (2 Cor. 11:3). He then concludes with a warning telling them in 2 Corinthians 11:13 (KJV) For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. This is as important today as it was in the early stages of the church. There are “false teachers” everywhere, and they are prominent on YouTube. You should be warned when the new bibles change something from what the KJV translated. Satan is the “great” imitator according to 2 Corinthians 11. Jesus is called the “Lion of the Tribe of Juda, the root of David” (Rev. 5:5). Satan is identified as an “imitator” in 1 Peter 5:8 (KJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Note the devil is “as a roaring lion,” suggesting an imitation. Many places in the new translations distort true doctrine.
- Being a Person Who Walks in Love, Ephesians 5:2. Note the two phrases that begin with “hath.” The first “hath” describes Jesus’ love as a total sacrifice. In the construction of the first part of verse 2, note the little two-letter word “as.” It is a conjunction and usually indicates a “comparison.” Here, the “love” of Christ is being interpreted and is defined as “hath given himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God. . .” Have you ever heard a person say, “I don’t like so-and-so,” they have an unusual personality. We should be glad Jesus did not evaluate us as a candidate for eternal life. He loved us “unconditionally” or with no preconceived ideas about our lifestyle or behavior. He overlooked all of that and “loved us.” He never said your personality was “pugnacious” and not a good candidate for salvation, and to know my love. We have a Saviour who accepts us as we are (warts and all) and forgives us. That is the kind of love we need. Many Christians carry a “grudge” against someone who has a “deep-seated resentment or ill will.” We can be very thankful that Jesus did not take us based on our personality and behavior to pay the penalty for our sin. Jesus went to the cross and paid the penalty for the entire human race (1 John 2:2) and never evaluated us to see if we were good candidates for salvation. One truth we must consider is that we cannot atone for sin, but we can forgive as Jesus did. How forgiving are you? We will develop a wrong attitude toward people when we refuse or fail to forgive. The idea of the principle of learning to “walk in love,” which means when we walk, we are coming into contact with people. That is when you need to season your “walk” with love. Look back at Ephesians 4:32 (KJV) And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
- BANISHING BAD BEHAVIOUR, Ephesians 5:3-5. Do not overlook the three-letter word “But.” This is to introduce a contrast between what is stated in vss. 1-2 and what is stated in vss. 3-7. This is the “testimony” section that contrasts the “old man” and the “new man” although they are not mentioned. Note the lifestyles listed and the way a Christian believer acts. It is worth noting that “fornication” is synonymous with “uncleanness” and “covetousness.” Most do not connect “uncleanness” with “fornication.” Note the phrase “let it not be once named among you.” In other words, it should not be in our conversation or in our thoughts. Jesus made a strong statement about fornication or adultery in Matthew 5:28 and equated a look in lust with adultery.
- “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness” are activities Christians should never engage in nor let it be “named among you” and then “as becometh saints” (Eph. 5:3). Do not overlook the word “saints,” which is a word to describe believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Most do not consider a person’s reputation and how it reflects on the family. When I was in elementary school, a boy was in trouble all the time. This behavior carried through Middle School, and he never made it to High School because he dropped out. It was not long since he was in jail and later in the State Penitentiary. The sad thing is that he had four other brothers, and all of them but one were in prison for various thefts and breaking the law. When Jesus stated that the activities mentioned in vs. 3 should not be mentioned, He is attaching actions with reputation, where people talk about this activity.
- “Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient. . . ” (Eph. 5:4). The word “neither” connects vs. 4 with vs. 3. The two words, “talking” and “jesting” are verbal activities. That places “filthiness” in the same category with “fornication,” “uncleanness,” and “covetousness.” The phrases “foolish talking” and “jesting” are activities believers should never engage in. These are verbal conversations that would be in line with Ephesians 5:25, 29. Most Christians do not realize that our conversation speaks volumes about our type of behavior and testimony as Christians.
- “For this ye know. . .” (vs. 5). The list here is not people with stellar reputations. The word “whoremonger” is interesting. This verse is the only place the word is found in the Bible. It is an interesting word. I don’t usually refer to Greek words because the King James Bible has accurate words and needs no reference to the Greek. The word here is “pornos” and the English word pornography comes from this word. A “whoremonger” is a person who deals with prostitutes even male and female. Historically, the word means “a client of a sex worker, or to a person who solicits clients for sex workers” (Internet). During the early New Testament period most Roman men were bi-sexual. Most Roman men and women were sexually promiscuous. Our culture today (2025) is getting close to the same condition. This is an indicator that the Bible is timeless in its application. The new translations I checked do not use the word “whoremonger.” Some sources consider it an “archaic” word. Maybe it is archaic because most do not want to acknowledge the condition of our present culture. The word following “whoremonger” is “unclean person.” Many Christians today fail to understand what “unclean” means. The major dictionaries say it means “dirty, filthy” then it has “morally or spiritually” unclean. A “whoremonger” is unclean in God’s eyes. Then the words are found, “nor covetous man, who is an idolater.” We fail to recognize that most Christians would say, “I am not an idolater, since I don’t worship idols.” God throws cold water on that thought and lets man know that covetousness is idolatry. In other words, wanting something more than giving to God is idolatry. When a Christian puts his desires above his responsibility to offer unto God his tithe could be classified as an idolater.
- “kingdom of Christ and of God.” This phrase puts a thorn in the Christian’s life who would engage in any of these activities. It says, “. . .hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” The phrase could be misunderstood if one does not note the series of the words, “no,” “nor,” and “nor.” Anyone engaged in these activities has no “inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” This passage is difficult because it speaks of the “kingdom of Christ and of God” which occurs nowhere else in the Bible. The phrase “kingdom of God” is found 69 times in the New Testament only. Luke uses “kingdom of God” 32 times, almost half of the 69 times it occurs. The phrase “kingdom of heaven” appears 32 times, only in Matthew. The scholars are varied in their interpretation. Some commentators group the things together and make them all evidence of idolatry. There is a difference between the “kingdom of God” and the “kingdom of heaven.” Bible believers need to know the difference between the “kingdom of heaven” and the “kingdom of God.” They are different, just as “heaven” and “God” differ. They are not spelled the same. This will be explained next week.
- BEHAVIOR THAT ELIMINATES AN INHERITANCE, Ephesians 5:6-7. These two verses conclude the discussion of the previous five verses. This is determined by the phrase at the beginning of vs. 6, “Let no man deceive you with vain words.” The next part of this verse explains why, “for because of these things [vss. 3-5] cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”
- Deception with Vain Words, Ephesians 5:6. The word “deceive” has been used before when they were warned in Ephesians 4:14 (KJV) That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Stability in the Christian life should be a goal of every believer. Sound doctrine is a significant protection against deception. People like the Jehovah’s [false] Witnesses and Mormons prey on Christians who do not know sound doctrine, and they come with words from the Bible to enhance their false teaching. Because it sounds like the Bible, it must be true, is the method of deception. Jesus warned the people six times in Matthew and Mark about the deception that was prominent even then. He talked about false “Christs” (Matt. 24:5, 24; Mark 13:6), “false prophets” (Matt. 24:11), and gave the warning in Matthew 24:4 (KJV) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. The “master deceiver” is, of course, the Devil seeking to “devour” someone who is not alert (1 Pet. 5:8). It is significant that your King James Bible warns about “vain” words (). The wrath of God will be their demise. It is my opinion that the new translations are “vain words.” The primary meaning of “vain” is “excessively proud of or concerned about one’s own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc.” (Dictionary.com). That is the modern definition. The word has the meaning of “empty, devoid of truth.” The “modern” definition is precisely that. A “vain” person is trying to appear as something they are not. To deceive a person, you need to make something look valid when it is not. This is taking place today in huge doses. The internet has opened the door for “false teachers” to peddle things that sound biblical, but close examination demonstrates they are bad doctrine. Take heed to the warning by the Holy Spirit of God and the Apostle Paul.
- Departure From Vain Workers, Ephesians 5:7. The verse is very clear, “Be not ye therefore partakers with them” (vs. 7). The word “partakers” has the meaning of “partaking in jointly, casting one’s lot with, sharing with.” A Christian has no affinity (kinship) with the type of people described in vss. 3-5. We can choose the wrong people to hang out with, and the Christian is the one whose reputation is contaminated. A lot of young people get captured because there is bit of “vanity” in all of. We desire to be something that we aren’t and God is not pleased with. The young person wants to be accepted by the wrong people and find themselves captured by a lifestyle that is not pleasing to God.
Conclusion: The past few studies have demonstrated that there is a difference between the people of God and the people of the world, those who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. Christians need to decide who they are going to follow as a believer. The Lord Jesus Christ or the world system.