Brentwood Baptist Church

Brentwood Baptist Church

Ephesians in Reverse

Darkness Hates Light

Ephesians 4:17–6:9

October 9, 2016

PREPARATION

> Spend the week reading through and studying Ephesians 4:17–6:9. Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools (such as a concordance or Bible dictionary) to enhance your preparation.

Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group.

> Pray for our pastors, the upcoming group meeting, your teaching, your group members, and their receptivity to the study.

HIGHLIGHTS

Biblical Emphasis: Christians are called to be light in a dark world.

Teaching Aim: Christ followers are to imitate God and represent the gospel where they live, work, and play.

INTRODUCTION

As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going.

• When you were growing up, did you have an older sibling or someone you admired whom you longed to imitate? If so, who was it? Why did you hope to be like him or her?
• If you are a parent, do your younger children imitate their older siblings? How do you feel when they do?
• Would it make you uncomfortable if someone tried to imitate you, or would you be flattered?

It’s often been said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Whether or not we realize it, we often imitate people we admire. Sometimes imitation can be a good thing. In fact, the Bible has a good deal to say about imitating godly examples. The Scripture writers understood the power of example. For instance, the writer of Hebrews instructed his readers to “remember your leaders” and “imitate their faith.” (Heb. 13:7). However, Christ followers are to pay close attention to whom they imitate because the Christian faith calls for a new way of living. Christians are called to bring light to a dark world.

UNDERSTANDING

Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic.

> Have a volunteer read Ephesians 4:17-24.

• Paul instructs his readers to no longer walk the same way the Gentiles do. What reasons does Paul give to avoid acting like them (v. 18-19)?
• What do passages like this one tell us about the correlation between our faith and our behavior? Is it possible to possess authentic faith that doesn’t impact our behavior?
• Glance back at verse 24. Paul not only tells his readers to “take off your former self” but he also instructs them to “put on the new self.” Practically speaking, what do you think that means? What do you do with old things?

As Christians, we are not called to live like unsaved people around us. Christians think differently than unsaved people, and our thinking (whether we realize it or not) dictates how we live. As our thinking is transformed, so is our behavior. Paul denounces the former way of living and refers to it as “the old self.” But the Christian life should never be minimized to a list of things to avoid. Paul commands his readers not only to “take off the old self” but also to “put on the new self,” which is being created according to God’s likeness.

> Have a volunteer read Ephesians 4:25-32.

• What examples does Paul provide for “taking off the old self” and “putting on the new self”?
• How does being an active part of biblical community help us to live in the way that Paul describes in these passages?
• Do you know mature believers whom you long to imitate?
  

Paul provided five practical examples of what Christian living looks like in the context of our relationships. Paul makes it clear that we don’t simply just quit a particular behavior; rather, we replace it with a new one. For instance, we are not only to avoid lying but also to speak truth into each other’s lives. Paul’s examples include a negative command, a positive command, and a spiritual principle in which the principle is grounded. The Christian life should never be confused for simply a list of things to avoid. While it’s true that there are some things believers are commanded to avoid, Christian living calls for a new and vibrant way of life—one that replaces the negative and destructive patters from our former way of living.

> Have a volunteer read Ephesians 5:1-5.

• Who does Paul instruct his readers to imitate?
• What are practical ways we can imitate God’s love?

Paul challenged believers to “imitate God.” That may sound impossible, but if it were, Paul wouldn’t have commanded it. While it’s true believers can’t emulate God’s power, presence, knowledge, or wisdom, with the help of the Holy Spirit we can imitate Christ’s sacrificial life and walk in His love. In the same way that children often pick up the characteristics of their parents, Christians are called to reflect the character of Father God. God is love and his Word commands His children to “walk in love.”

> Have a volunteer read Ephesians 5:6-21.

• How does Paul describe our walk as “children of light”?
• In our culture, what are ways we can walk as “children of light”?
• How does American culture tempt us to walk in the darkness of greed and idolatry?

Paul commands all Christians to “walk as children of light.” This is his main point of this passage. Jesus spoke often about light and darkness. To “walk as children of light” means to live before God in transparency with nothing to hide. It’s fairly easy to put up a good front and hide things from other people, but God is all-seeing and all-knowing. We can hide nothing from Him. To “walk as children of light” means our private faith is consistent with our public faith and we have nothing to hide from God or man. In addition, walking in light means revealing God’s light in our conduct and character as we live our lives in a dark world. Light reveals truth and exposes darkness.

As a biblical community, how can we encourage one another to walk in God’s light?

The Bible makes it clear that God wants His children to bring light to a dark world. What does this truth tell us about the character of God?

When Jesus was here on earth, His perfect character and conduct exposed the sinfulness and darkness of those around Him. This is why some of the religious leaders hated Jesus and attempted to destroy Him (John 15:22). In our modern times, some nonbelievers are also hostile to the light because it exposes them. This is one of the many reasons that Christians are called to support one another in biblical community. When we face hostility from the world, we need our brothers and sisters in Christ to support us.

> Have a volunteer read Ephesians 5:22–6:9.

• Paul makes it clear that our faith in Christ should impact our relationships. What role does the Holy Spirit play in empowering us to live in harmony with others?
• In what ways does your faith influence your relationships?
• Why is submission difficult for many people?

Paul makes it clear that our standing as God’s children should impact every aspect of our lives. We are to walk as children of light where we live, work, and play. When we live out our faith, we are light in a dark world. Our faith will influence our thoughts, behaviors, choices, and relationships. We will be light in a dark world.

APPLICATION

Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives.

• If all Christians walked as children of light, what impact would it have on this dark world?
• How can we support one another in our pursuit to walk as children of light?
• What is one thing you can do to bring your private faith in closer alignment with your public faith?
  

PRAY

Thank God for giving us the opportunity to be lights in a dark world. Ask Him to empower each of us to live and walk as children of the light. Thank Him for giving us the perfect example in Christ Jesus.

FOLLOW UP

Midway through this week, send a follow-up email to your group with some or all of the following information:

Questions to consider as they continue to reflect on what they learned this week:

• In what ways do I bring light to a dark world?

> A note of encouragement, following up on any specific prayer requests mentioned during your group gathering.

> The challenge to memorize Ephesians 5:8.

COMMENTARY

Ephesians 4:17-32

4:17-19. This section of the letter provides the practical outworking of verse 1. Paul’s exhortations denounced the readers’ former way of life. The content of the exhortation clearly parallels early Christian baptismal practices of putting off old clothes before putting on new clothes to enter the baptismal waters. The picture is similar to one in Col. 3:5-11, except that the Colossians passage contrasts heavenly and earthly life. The Ephesians passage contrasts a person’s former lifestyle and the new life in Christ.

4:20-21. Paul pictures the truth totally in terms of the Messiah, who is the way, the truth, and the life (Jn. 14:6).

4:22-24. The apostle often described who believers already are, while also pointing to what they should strive to become. The practical paradox is that while freedom from sin’s eternal penalty is already ours, freedom from the former way of life (a life of sin) comes only through our daily quest for obedience and purity. These are lifestyle commitments that every believer is called to make.

4:25-32. Paul offered five examples of what living the new life means in the context of relationship with others. All of the examples include a negative command, a positive command, and a spiritual principle on which the commands are based. At the base of all of Paul’s commands is a God-centered spiritual foundation.

4:32. Paul used a play on words to illustrate his point. Believers are urged to be kind (Gk: Chrestos) because of Christ (Gk: Christos).

Ephesians 5:1-33

5:1. Believers are challenged to be imitators of God. Previously they had been urged to learn about Christ (4:20-21) and not to grieve the Spirit (4:30). Believers cannot imitate God in power, knowledge, or presence, but they can imitate Him in self-sacrifice and in manifesting a forgiving spirit (4:32).

5:3-5. All of God’s gifts, including sexuality in the bonds of marriage, are to be subjects for thanksgiving, not of crude joking.

5:6-7. Viewed actively, God’s wrath is His firm, ongoing opposition to evil; He is eternally opposed to everything that is contrary to His design and His holy nature. God’s new community is to reflect the character of God’s Kingdom and the character of God’s wrath by presenting a witness against evil.

5:10. Discerning what is pleasing to the Lord makes duty and Christian living a delight, investing service with joy.

5:11-14. Faithful believers do more than abstain from evil; they denounce the deeds of darkness as unfruitful, shameful, and not worthwhile.

5:15-16. These words provide a solemn warning that Christians should be wise and careful in all things, including their use of time. Our use of time is not neutral; it can be evil if it is not invested for good (Ps. 90).

5:17. Understand what the Lord’s will is summarizes the two philosophies of life described in verses 1-17. The world’s lifestyle is characterized by moral and spiritual darkness. The philosophy for godly living is characterized by moral and spiritual light, and its goal is to imitate God and His love.

5:18. Paul’s imperatives contrast the differences between being under the influence of wine, which leads to reckless actions, and being under the influence of the Spirit, which results in joyful living. The commands are plural, thus the commands refer not merely to individuals, but to the corporate community of faith.

5:19-21. The Spirit’s fullness is demonstrated in spiritual understanding, praise, and thanksgiving that are constant and comprehensive. The church that is filled with the Spirit will be characterized by praise and thanksgiving to God. Beyond that there will be evidence of self-control, mutual encouragement, and mutual submission, which is the opposite of rudeness, haughtiness, and self-assertion.

5:21. This verse serves as a hinge to connect what is prior with what follows. Grammatically, the participial phrase (lit “submitting yourselves”) goes with verses 18-20. The content of verses 22-33, however, depends on the principle of submission in verse 21.

5:22. “Wives submit” directs wives to be submissive to their own (Gk: idios; “one’s own”) husbands (cp. Col. 3:18–4:1). The distinctive feature here is that the relationship between husband and wife is compared with that between Christ and the church. No verb is in the original language of verse 22. The imperative “submit” is understood from verse 21.

5:22-24. Paul addressed wives first. They were to be voluntarily submissive to their husbands. No external coercion should be involved, nor should submission imply that the wife is a lesser partner in the marital union. The submission is governed by the phrase “as to the Lord.” Christian wives’ submission to their husbands is one aspect of their obedience to Christ. Submission is a person’s yielding his or her own rights and losing self for another. Submission is patterned after Christ’s example (Phil. 2:5-8) and reflects the essence of the gospel. Submission distinguishes the lifestyle of all Christians.

5:25. Paul turned to the duties of husbands. The society in which Paul wrote recognized the duties of wives to husbands but not necessarily of husbands to wives. As in Col. 3:19, Paul exhorted husbands to love their wives, but Ephesians presents Christ’s self-sacrificing love for the church as the pattern for the husband’s love for his wife.

Husbands are to love their wives continually as Christ loves the church. The tense of the Greek word translated “love” indicates a love that continues. Love is more than family affection or sexual passion. Rather it is a deliberate attitude leading to action that concerns itself with another’s well-being. A husband should love his wife: (1) as Christ loved the church (vv. 25-27); (2) as his own body (vv. 28-30); and (3) with a love transcending all other human relationships (vv. 31-33).

5:26-27. Cleansing her with the washing of water: Paul explains more fully the result of Christ’s atonement for the church: it makes the church holy and pure. The purpose of Christ’s giving himself up for the church is the church’s sanctification and cleansing.

5:28. Since husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, they give up their personal rights for the good of their wives. It is a solemn picture of covenant love.

5:29-30. On first sight, Paul seems to have descended from the lofty standard of Christ’s love to the low standard of self-love when he says no one ever hates his own flesh, but he reminded Christian couples of their oneness, their “one-flesh” relationship. For this reason a husband’s obligation to cherish his wife as he does his own body is more than a helpful guide. His sacrificial love is an expression of the sacred marital union. True love is evidenced when husbands and wives have this spiritual, emotional, and physical oneness.

5:31-32. Paul appealed to Gen. 2:24, which is God’s initial statement in the Scriptures regarding marriage. The marriage commitment takes precedence over every other human relationship.

5:31. One flesh means closely joined. It hallows the biblical standard of covenantal heterosexual marital relations and excludes polygamy and adultery. What is primarily a divine ordinance graciously and lovingly is designed for mutual satisfaction and delight.

5:33. Love ... respect concludes and restates this section’s theme. The husband’s ultimate responsibility is to love his wife with a Christlike love.

Ephesians 6:1-9

6:1-3. Paul’s initial concerns were for children to be responsible to their parents. He called for children to be obedient as taught in natural law, in the Mosaic law, and in the gospel. The word for obey is different from the term for submission. Obedience involves recognition of authority.

6:4. Parents have responsibility both to discipline and to instruct their children. Paul indicated that fathers are to take the lead in this responsibility. Parents are not to stir up anger in their children. Discipline is not to be arbitrary or something done out of anger.

6:5-9. The NT, as well as the OT, includes guidelines for slaves and slavery. These guidelines do not condone slavery, but provided ethical guidance for times and places where slavery existed. Paul’s claim that slaves and masters are equal before God would have shocked his contemporaries. Where the Roman law unfairly discriminated between master and slave, heavenly law does not. Paul’s words in this context provided groundwork for a new sense of brotherhood between races, and were later used to help inspire the anti-slavery movement.