[:en]SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 5
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2)
“Wives, submit to your husband as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22)
“Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25)
Paul encouraged us to be imitators of God by living a godly life. Walking in love requires our lives to be a fragrant offering of living sacrifice for the Lord. He reminded us not to have fellowship with darkness. Instead, walk in the light to produce fruit of the light – goodness, righteousness and truth (v. 9). He instructed us to expose the worthless deeds of evil and darkness by lovingly speaking out what is true and taking a stand for what is right. He exhorted us to be wise, to seize every opportunity to understand God’s will and to use our time wisely. He contrasted getting drunk with wine against being filled with the Spirit. Getting drunk with wine loses control but the Spirit gives us self-control. Being drunk has an artificial happiness while the Spirit gives the believer inner joy. A drunk man does stupid things and hurt people but a Spirit-filled believer helps others. He urged us to be filled with the Spirit, to be joyful, thankful and submissive to one another (vs. 19-21).
Paul used marriage to describe the relationship between Christ and the church. Just as Christ love the church by sacrificing His life, husband must love his wife sacrificially. Since Christ is the head of the church, the church must submit to Christ. Likewise, wives must submit to her husband because the husband is the head of the wife.
He cautioned us not to say improper languages – obscenity, foolish talk, course joking in our Christian conversation. We must be friends with unbelievers to lead them to Christ, but we must be wary of those who are immoral, impure, greedy and evil, for such people are more likely to influence us for evil than we are likely to influence them for good.
In closing, Paul again emphasized ways on how a husband can love his wife: through sacrifice, concern and care. Husband and wife are united to become one so that anything that affects one will also affect the other. That is why husband must love his wife and the wife must respect her husband (v. 33)
Lesson: What kind of life must we live?
- A life of love to everyone
- A life of light to the world
- A life with caution against evil
- A life of harmony among believers
- A life of understanding between couples
- A life to comprehend God’s will
- A life to use our time wisely
[:]