Ephesians: The Armor of God

Introduction

In the second half of Ephesians, Paul fleshes out the practical implications of the half. Note that it is not as if Paul had some important theological truths to share (ch. 1-3), followed by a laundry list of unrelated points to make about practical Christian living (ch. 4-6). Chapters 4-6 are deeply connected to 1-3, as the necessary implications of the preceding chapters. We live in a certain way because of how we have been saved.

Children and Parents v. 1-4

We are saved by being brought into a Father/Son relationship. And so, in our families, the relationship between parents and their children says something about what we believe our salvation to be like.

Children – The fifth commandment instructs children to honor their parents, and Paul explains that this is the first commandment to bring with it a special promise – long life in the land. It is worth noting that Paul represents the command to “honor” with a command to “obey.”

Parents – Parents are commanded to raise their children in the training and admonition of the Lord. Be very clear about this. God’s objective for our parenting is that we raise kids steeped in the Gospel, such that they grow up to love God. There are a world of tools that are available to you in reaching this objective (education styles, parenting methods, financial principles, etc). But the tendency of the sinful heart is to replace God’s objective with your own manmade objectives.

This is why Paul warns parents about the danger of provoking their children to wrath (Col. 3:21). The Christian home shouldn’t be exasperating.

Servants and Masters v. 5-9

Similarly, our salvation is described in terms of us having a new master. This means that how we act when service is owed is another declaration of our faith in the Gospel.

Paul recasts how we think about work. We are to imagine ourselves, not working for another man, but for Jesus Christ himself (Col. 3:22-4:1). How would you handle this job if Jesus were the boss? But Paul is saying something stronger than “as if ” Jesus were the boss. He is saying that Jesus actually is the boss that we are serving. This is really the essence of what it means to have a biblical worldview in your vocation. This is a principle that we are to use whether slave or free (v. 8). And it changes not just how we serve, but how we lead.

Introduction

Paul has been telling us how, as a result of what God has done for us, we should now live our lives. And one of the dominating images that he has used has been the action of walking. “Walk worthy. . .”(4:1) “No longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles
walk. . .” (4:17). And now he tells us how we should walk. We should walk in love (5:2), light (5:8), and wisdom (5:15).

Walk in Love v. 1-7

Children imitate their parents. Walking faithfully is a matter of remembering who your Father is. Are you a child of God (5:1) or a child of the enemy (5:6). There are two ways of living contrasted here – a life of giving yourself away (5:2, cf. Gal. 2:20) or a life of resenting what others haven’t given you (5:3). Christ has modeled for us self-emptying love that God has for us. This is the sweet aroma of Christ (5:2), which we become when we give ourselves away to others (2 Cor. 2:15).

Walk in Light v. 8-14

The judgment given in the last section, that no fornicator, unclean person, or covetous man will inherit the kingdom of God, comes across as pretty extreme. But now we see that this is a judgment that includes forgiveness (5:8, cf. 1 Cor. 6:11). Paul reminds the Ephesians once more that they have passed from death to life (5:14), but adds to this the image of “light.” Christians must walk in the light (cf. 1 John 1:5-10).

And light will expose the things done in darkness (5:11). This does not mean we are called to “darkness sting operations” (although we are called to confront sin – Mat. 18:15, Gal. 6:1). Light does not run from darkness, rather darkness flees from light. By being light in the world, the darkness of the world is expose or made manifest.

Walk in Wisdom v. 15-21

Again, Paul gives us two ways of living. There is a dissolute lifestyle, characterized by drunkenness, foolishness, and dissipation (5:17-18). There is a trajectory to this life. It begins with foolishness, that is giving in to not thinking about the result that your actions are causing or cultivating the habit of giving up half way through the math problem. It gives way to dissipation, that is wasting away all that you have. And it ends with a self- centered aloneness.

On the other side, we see Paul describing a pursuit of wisdom, which corresponds in a certain way to drunkenness (cf. Acts 2:13). But it is an intoxication that leads to wisdom (instead of foolishness), to a wiser use of all things (instead of dissipation), and to a deep union with your fellow saints (instead of the self-centered aloneness).

No Longer Walking as the Gentiles Walk (v. 17-19)

Because of what Christ has done for you, there is no longer any good reason for you to act like the unsaved Gentile. This is a life characterized by the futile mind, darkened understanding, alienated from God, ignorant, blind, past feeling, lewd, unclean, and greedy. But you are these things “no longer” (v. 14, 17).

As Peter tells us, you’ve spent enough time there (1 Pet. 4:1-3). Now it’s time to be done with the lusts of the world and to give ourselves to the will of God.

Put Off, Put On v. 20-24

The Christian motivation for obedience is the result of understanding who you are (1 Pet. 4:1, Rom. 6:4-7). The lusts that want to rob you of Christ are deceitful. They enslave you by telling you lies. Remembering who you are in Christ will always be one of the most powerful weapons for putting to death the works of the flesh.

But we are called to put off that old, dead man. Put him off and put on the new man in true righteousness and holiness.

The New Man v. 25-32

Remember that we have been seeing Paul continually bring up this image of a “man” or a “body” throughout Ephesians. At one moment this man is Jesus, the incarnate Son of God. But at other moments, the “man” or “body” being described is the church.

When we think of putting on the “new man,” we tend to think of private, spiritual disciplines that happen in the secret places of our hearts. But it is interesting to note the disciplines that Paul lists when we are putting on the “new man.”

Don’t lie to one another. Don’t get angry at one another. Don’t steal from one another. Instead, look for ways to give to each other. Speak with edification to one another. Get rid of bitterness and anger. Forgive one another.

These are all disciplines for living within the corporate body of Christ. The new man that we are putting on is simultaneously Christ and the Church. We shouldn’t pit the individual renewal against the corporate manifestation of this renewal.