Reflections — Pastor’s Blog

On the day of Pentecost, Christ poured out the Holy Spirit on his church, equipping her to serve him, giving her what was needed to do her work until the day that he returns in glory. What does the Spirit working in the church look like? Paul explains in Ephesians 5:18–21 as he calls you to keep on being filled with the Spirit.

Be filled with the Spirit. Don’t get drunk! Being under the influence of the Spirit is not to be confused with loss of self-control. In particular Paul warns against drunkenness. Excessive wine leads to debauchery–the kind of life which is the opposite of love, light, and wisdom. Recognize the temptation, and shun it. This is not a command for total abstinence, but it is a stern warning against the abuse of alcohol. It is perhaps something that we need to be particularly aware of as we react against errors of fundamentalism. But, likely the reason Paul singles out this sin is because of its influence. We talk about a DUI. We are to be under the influence, not of alcohol or any other substance, but under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

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As a boy, I grew up climbing the rock peaks around our town. One thing that our father impressed on us was the importance of being self-conscious about where we placed our hands and feet. In Ephesians 5:15–17, Paul calls you to be wise and aware as to how you walk through life.

Watch your step! Live (or walk) wisely. “Walk in wisdom” is the third part (along with “walk in love” and “walk in light”) of what it means to be imitators of God, verse 1. Pay attention. Look carefully. Obedience to God involves effort, not just acting instinctively. Appreciate the tension here. You have been raised with Christ and seated with him. Yet you live and walk in days that are evil. The days are not neutral. Living to God’s glory involves taking care, understanding what is going on around you. It means being aware of the attitudes and assumptions of the world around you. Evaluate them by the Word of God. Remember, and echo Solomon’s prayer. Notice how much of Proverbs is given over to practical warnings.

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Light is crucial for making your way in darkness. In Ephesians 5:8–14. Paul points you to the true light.

Be the light that you are. You were darkness. The light of God’s grace shows most clearly when it is contrasted with the darkness which we once were. Paul repeats the point made in Ephesians 2, that we were dead in sin, blind, unable to remedy the situation. Note the strong language—not that you were in darkness, not that your eyes were dim, but that you were darkness.

But now, because you are light, walk as children of light. Now you are light in the Lord. The One who is the Light of the world has shined into your life, and you, in turn, become a light bearer. You are a lamp on a lampstand. Moses on Mt. Sinai stood in the presence of God until his face shone. You have the glory of the risen Lord permeating your life. You are characterized by light. Because of what you are, walk that way. Walk as children of light. Bear the fruit of goodness, righteousness, and truth. Understand God, soak yourself in his Word, and learn what pleases him.

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There is something really cute when a 2 year old boy tries to act just like his daddy. And, if the father is the kind of man he should be, it’s wonderful to see that boy at 12 or 17 trying to measure up to his dad’s example. Unfortunately, there are some fathers whom one hopes their children never imitate. In Ephesians 5:1–7, Paul calls you to imitate, not a human father, but the perfect Father in heaven, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Be imitators of God. Live as the beloved children that you are. The Fifth Commandment summons children to honor their parents. Paul expands on that, and calls you to honor your Father in heaven. Children learn by imitating. You are called to imitate God. Pattern your life after his holiness. The standard expressed in Leviticus 19 is challenging! You are his holy people—saints. Live as is appropriate for a member of his family. Paul continues the theme of walking (living). Walk in love (our text), in the light (verse 8), and in wisdom (verse 15). Love, as we will see, characterized the obedience of Christ. To imitate God, walk in love.

“In saying that we are saints, God employs sweetness and graciousness, as if he should say, My children, consider with yourselves: for I have not created you without plan and purpose in this world, but I have also adopted you, in order to call you to the heavenly heritage…. I have redeemed you with the blood of my Son, and given you my Spirit who dwells in you, in order that you should be my temples, and I be worshipped there…. If you will be my children, keep yourselves in the state in which I have set you.”

John Calvin, Sermons on Ephesians, on Ephesians 5:3–5

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We may struggle to figure out how much of what we hear is really true. AI can summarize the truth or speak something other than the truth. Regardless of AI and the practice of the world around you, God calls you in Ephesians 4:25–32 to speak the truth.

Do not lie. Put off falsehood. Clear communication is crucial in the military, in business, in marriage, in the family — and in the church. Those who are united to Christ must put off lying, which is a natural response of fallen, sinful mankind. Paul is restating the truth of the Ninth Commandment. God’s law outlines basic principles of justice: judges and public trials were established, Deuteronomy 16:18. Justice was not to be swayed by outside considerations, Exodus 23:1–9. The duty of witnesses was important. There were to be a plurality of witnesses, Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15, and they were to be participants in the judgment, Deuteronomy 17:7. Maliciously false witnesses were to be punished, Deuteronomy 19:16–21. True witness is impossible without the fear of God. Nothing but the truth must be spoken in testimony. Justice needs God’s law, 2 Chronicles 19:6, 7. In an age when the name of God has become an expletive, is it any wonder that the truthfulness, even of sworn testimony, is often in doubt? We are also called to protect one another’s reputations.

“Scarcely one in a hundred will be found who will be as kind in sparing the character of others, as he himself desires to be pardoned for manifest vices; nay, slander is often praised under the pretext of zeal and conscientiousness. Hence it happens that this vice insinuates itself even among the saints, creeping in under the name of virtue.”

John Calvin, Commentary on the Pentateuch, at Exodus 20:16

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