Passage Explorer

Ephesians 5

Setting the scene
Who wrote it
Paul (debated)
Who it was for
Believers in Ephesus and nearby churches
What was happening
Imitate God in love, walk as children of light, be filled with the Spirit, and a picture of marriage in Christ and the church
Read the full background in the book overview

What’s happening

"Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. Walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance." Sexual immorality, uncleanness, and covetousness must not even be named among them, as is fitting for saints, nor filthiness, foolish talk, or crude joking, but giving of thanks. No one should deceive them with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience. "For you were once darkness, but now are you light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), proving what is well-pleasing to the Lord. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them." It is a shame even to speak of the things done in secret, but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, "for everything that is revealed is light. Therefore he says, 'Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'" So look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Don't be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. "Don't be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ." Then follows household teaching: wives, be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body; as the assembly is subject to Christ, so wives should be to their husbands in everything. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." So husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself, for no one hates his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the assembly, because we are members of his body. "'For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and the assembly. Nevertheless each one of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

Why the setting matters

Chapter 5 continues the practical section and leads into the household teaching that runs to 6:9. In the ancient world, writers on household management (and the "household codes" of Greek and Roman writers) commonly told wives, children, and slaves to obey the male head, so Paul's lists are not unusual in structure, but his content is. He addresses wives, husbands, children, parents, slaves, and masters directly, treats each as a moral agent responsible to Christ, and puts the heaviest weight on the husband, whose model is Christ's self-giving love. The whole passage hangs on verse 21, "subjecting yourselves to one another," which grammatically depends on being filled with the Spirit (5:18). The meaning of "head" (kephalē) is debated: authority, source, or both. How this passage applies today is something Christians continue to discuss, and readers should look at how the passage frames Christ's own sacrificial love as the model. The contrast with drunkenness (5:18) may reflect the ecstatic worship of Dionysus, in which wine was used to seek a god's presence; Paul says to seek filling with the Spirit instead. The fragment in 5:14 looks like a line from an early hymn or baptismal song.

Read Ephesians 5 (World English Bible)

Who’s in this chapter

Paul

Teaches a walk of love and light, and a marriage shaped by Christ.

Jesus

The Savior of the body, who loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Wives

Addressed in the household teaching.

Husbands

Called to love their wives as Christ loved the church.

The Gentile believers

Once darkness, now light in the Lord.

Talk it through

  1. "Be imitators of God, as beloved children." What does it mean to imitate God?
  2. Paul sets "be filled with the Spirit" against being drunk. What does he suggest the Spirit gives that wine only imitates?
  3. The household teaching begins with "submit to one another." How does that change how we read what follows?
  4. The husband's model is Christ giving himself up for the church. How does that picture reshape what "headship" means?

Read Ephesians 5

World English Bible

1Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. 2Walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance.

3But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints; 4nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate, but rather giving of thanks.

5Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

6Let no one deceive you with empty words. For because of these things, the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience. 7Therefore don’t be partakers with them. 8For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, 9for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, 10proving what is well pleasing to the Lord. 11Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them. 12For it is a shame even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light. 14Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

15Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, 16redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17Therefore don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father; 21subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body. 24But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.

25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it; 26that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, 27that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without defect. 28Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. 29For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly; 30because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones. 31“For this cause a man will leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two will become one flesh.” 32This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and of the assembly. 33Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Text: World English Bible, Public domain. About our sources