The First Seven Verses of the Fifth Chapter of the Epistle to Ephesians - Research Paper Example

Ephesians 5 7 Department Ephesians 5 7 It would not be a mistake to suggest that the Bible has played a significant role inthe development of the Western civilization. Indeed, Christianity becomes the moral foundation of the culture that is spread in this part of the world and was able to shape the outlook of people. That is why a careful examination of texts that comprise the Bible is highly beneficial. This paper will analyze the first seven verses of fifth chapter of the Epistle to Ephesians – the text which is credited to Paul the Apostle and is regarded to be one of the most significant in his legacy as a writer. The general theme of this epistle in general and the chapter in particular is adopting a correct lifestyle for a Christian1. That is why the very first words read: “Follow God’s example”, suggesting that the moral rules that are being advocated by Christianity are not some kind of abstract values, but actions which were performed by Jesus Christ when He was living in human flesh (Ephesians 5:1). Then the apostle suggests that the need to follow the established moral rules and regulations is grounded not up fear, but on a different principle: the believers are called “dearly loved children” (Ephesians 5:1). In other words, this reflects the peculiarity of the relationship between Christians and their God Who loves them, not forcing the former to obey. It must be noted that the significance of love as the fundamental principles of connection between God and humans is emphasized all the time in this particular chapter, the entire Epistle as well as the whole New Testament2. Thus, in the second verse Paul the Apostle encourages Christians to adopt a new set of moral principles which he calls “the way of love” (Ephesians 5:2). Later in the same verse the apostle shows that love of God can be manifested in different ways. However, the most important one is that Jesus Christ was sacrificed so that people of the world could be free of the original sin. This means that while resurrection of the Son of God can be seen as an event that has theological significance, it also has important practical implications for the people who are willing to walk the path of their faith to the very end. The next verses in the chapter contain practical advice for the people so that they could live a life as true Christians should. Thus, the apostle says that believers should flee from any kind of sexual immorality3. This is quite understandable since the latter urges a person to focus on concepts that are incompatible with spirituality and will eventual lead one to hell. The apostle carries on and points out that a more general term might be used, namely impurity. Indeed, sexual immorality might be included in the idea of impurity, as may be other actions that deal with one’s body. According to Paul, putting emphasis on this part of the human life is not proper for a Christian4. As a result, true believers should make sure that they are able to keep not only their soul in purity, but also their body. Surprisingly enough, the third element that is mentioned by Paul is greed. It must be noted that this is a rather unexpected concept since it can hardly be connected to sexual immorality and other kinds of impurity. However, if one takes a close look at the fundamental level of it, one will be able to see that greed, just like sexual impurity urges a person to want more, regardless of how much one has at the moment. To sum everything up, the apostle points out that the above mentioned behavior is “improper for God’s holy people” (Ephesians 5:3). This is a particularly important statement since it condemns the values which were widely spread in the contemporary societies of gentiles. In other words, Paul the Apostle wanted to show that the morality that is spread among the Christians is based on completely different fundamental principles if compared to one that dominates the social environment of the time. Afterwards, the apostle carries on enumerating aspects of live that is incompatible with Christianity. If the previously discussed elements were connected to sexuality, the next three concepts that are being mentioned deal with verbal interaction. The first one that is criticized by the saint is obscenity. Indeed, the latter is likely to harm not only one’s soul, but also the reputation of Christians in general. The next behavior that the apostle urges to avoid is “foolish talk”. It would not be a mistake to suggest that the tradition of being engaged in some kind of a foolish talk was supported by the general interest of the gentiles to such art of comedy. That is why the saint points out the necessity not to blend in with the gentiles and refrain from their traditions, retaining the true light of Christianity. The next behavior that is being attacked by Paul is coarse joking. As one can easily see, all three elements represent different kinds of verbal interaction that does not have a goal of convey a particular message, but only diminish the spiritual dignity of a person. In order to avoid this trap, the apostle suggests that true Christians should avoid all this. One should also notice that obscenity, foolish talk and coarse joking fit together better than sexual immorality, impurity and greed. The concept that the former group is being contrasted with is thanksgiving5. Indeed, nowadays, people think that the latter is something that should be practiced once a year or on special occasion. However, the saint teaches that this should be performed on a daily basis in order to avoid sinful activities which were mentioned above. In this case the Christians will know that their soul will be saved. In the verse that follows, Paul the Apostle explains why people who chose to accept Christ in their heart should flee the ways of gentiles. According to him the above mentioned activities should be seen as manifestations of the way idolaters behave. In other words, it is virtually impossible to become a Christian and continue the old traditions. Since idolatry is being condemned in the Bible, starting from the Old Testament, the believers should rest assured that this practice should be abandoned. In order to make the effect even more convincing, Paul the Apostle engages a concept that is characteristic to the New Testament exclusively: according to him, those who have not rejected the old ways will not be able to have “any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5). By saying so, the saint points out the fundamental difference between gentiles, the people of the old age, and Christians, those who will dominate the new age6. There is another aspect that is articulated in the following verses. Paul warns Christians that they could be deceived by “empty words” which are said by those who belong to a different religious environment. This expression might be seen as recognition of the fact that Christianity is the only true religion and other spiritual teachings are not compatible with it and, therefore, should be abandoned by the true believers. Those who are not convinced by his logic may be convinced by the following words: “for because of such things God’s wrath comes on” (Ephesians 5:6). Thus, in spite of the fact that in the beginning of the chapter God is shown as the One Who loves people and takes care of them, wrath of God is inevitable if a person is not able to keep one’s soul in purity. Paul calls such people disobedient. Indeed, this is a rather suitable word. Thus, Jesus Christ was able to provide people with a new set of rule and regulations that the latter should have adopted and obeyed. However, if people choose not to by being engaged in the kind of activities which were mentioned above, they should be called disobedient, suggesting that there is a path that they can follow, but they fail to do so. The seventh verse is by far one of the shortest in the chapter. It simply concludes what true Christians should do while living in the society that is full of gentiles or those who are engaged in the above mentioned activities: “do not be partners with them” (Ephesians 5:7). It must be noted that the saint does not say that Christians should condemn others or that Christianity should be seen as a superior religions. Paul states that those who decided to be the followers of Christ do not need to follow the old traditions. Having examined all the points which were made in the paragraphs above, one might note that the abstract from the epistle in question contains a rather detailed set of moral rules and regulations that Christians should follow in order to save their souls and not be engaged in the sinful activities which are being carried out in the social environment. Bibliography "Ephesians, Book of." StudyLight.org. Accessed March 21, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hbd/view.cgi?n=1887. "Ephesians, Epistle to." Eastonsbibledictionary.org. Accessed March 21, 2015. Retrieved from http://eastonsbibledictionary.org/1224-Ephesians_Epistle_to.php Kostenberger, Andreas J. "What Does It Mean to Be Filled with Spirit." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 40, no. 2 (1997): 229-40. Sherwood, David A. "Ethical Integration of Faith and Social Work Practice: Evangelism." NACSW.com. Accessed March 21, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.nacsw.org/Download/CSW/Evangelism2.pdf Thompson, Frederick M. Devotions from the Epistles of Galatians & Ephesians. S.L.: Authorhouse, 2013. Wells, Jan. Ephesians: An Inductive Bible Study. The Woodlands, TX: Xulon Press, 2004. Read More