Ephesians

Ephesians 5:15-21

Paul enjoins us here to walk squarely in the Christian way, keyed into the straight path of righteousness. We need to be diligent, conducting ourselves and using the wisdom he has given us, in the most proper way that the cross of Christ is not liable for external criticism. This is not the same as someone who may deride us for something they think we are doing wrong.

The second half of this verse has an interesting construction. The Apostle Paul wants us to be wise and show forth or manifest the life of Christ in our hearts & mind. The word fools in this verse really should be unwise and not fools.

The word redeeming means to buy up, i.e. ransom; figuratively, to rescue from loss or improve an opportunity. We must live fully vibrant lives, for there is an imperative here not to waste this daily opportunity. In cooperation with this theme set forth in the very first word, the normal word for time is replaced with opportunity, because the days are hurtful… therefore… evil.

Though the word for fools is unwise in verse 15 in the Greek there is another word used here from the Greek used by the Holy Spirit. It means properly, mindless, i.e. stupid, (by implication) ignorant, (especially) egotistic, (practically) rash, or (morally) unbelieving. Understanding means to be able to comprehend or put together. The word will is the expressed decree or inclination of the Lord. The key to this skill of following the Lord is found in the next verse. God sure is wonderful in explaining His Word!

There are warnings in the Scripture against drunkenness (cf. Prov 23:31). The key word in this verse is excess, and it should be noted as one older gentleman who while visiting Israel for the first time drank some wine once told me "If you saw the water in Israel you’d drink wine too". But be filled with the Spirit. There is a contrast here. Anyone intoxicated with wine acts in an uninhibited, sometimes evil manner; a person filled with the Holy Spirit acts in an uninhibited good manner. We need to be continuously filled with the Spirit. A believer can never obtain more of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit can get more of the believer.

How likely is it that if a believer engages in this activity that he will fall prey to temptation? The evidence of the filling of the Holy Spirit is that exuberance of life that shows itself in rejoicing and in continual thankfulness to God.

There is no time or quantity limit on the giving of thanks! Some would restrict this to the blessings mentioned in the epistle, but it seems better to take it in its widest sense (cf. Rom 8:28).

In this section we, as Christians striving to be mature, are admonished to independently, and of our own volition, subject ourselves to each other; so the Kingdom of God may go forth, and we may grow deeper into Christ who is our head.

The word submitting in the original Greek language is primarily a military term, "to rank under" ("hupo," under," tasso," to arrange"). It means to place into an subordinate, yet organized manner, due to some rank, not personal worth. The construction here is rather loose, coordinating with the preceding principles of verse 19--praise and prayer. It is possible to start a new paragraph here and regard submitting as an independent principle previewing the last section of this chapter.

The Greek word for fear is phobos (fob'-os); from a primary word which means (to be put in fear); alarm or fright. The fear of God is an awesome part of our supernatural character which was instilled within us by our loving creator. It speaks towards that part of our nature which would either denigrate ourselves or blaspheme our God. It thus protects us from the fatal flaws with which we are subject to as a free moral agent. It is a "line drawn in the sand" with the finger of God which most folks will not cross.