Ephesians 5:3-5 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. (4) Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. (5) For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
One of the most disturbing facts of our culture today isn’t the high level of licentiousness and promiscuity all around us, rather, it is the fact that there is so much of it in the church. Paul, as we remember from chapter 1, is talking to the saints at Ephesus. He is addressing believers about their lives and how they should live as followers of Christ. I have found that when I am being corrected for something by another person, it is usually not for things I am not partaking in, but for those things I am allowing to be a part of my life.
Paul addresses three things here in verse 3 because they are a part of the lives of the Ephesian Christians; sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness. He isn’t saying that it is a good idea to not partake in these things, he is saying that as believers in Christ, these things must not even be named among us. You can tell a tree by its fruit, and if our fruit is immorality, impurity, and covetousness, then we are grafted into the wrong tree.
I have spent many years walking alongside men who struggle with these particular sins. I have seen those who gain victory through repentance and I have seen those who simply give up, quit trying, turn away from the things of God and back to their sin. One of the main things I share when I talk with them is that we pursue the things we love. If God isn’t our greatest treasure and pursuit, then we will seek to find pleasure in gratifying the things of the flesh. The first step to pursuing God in this way is to start by falling in love with Christ. Seeking to know Him through prayer and the Word and understanding the price He paid on the cross for our salvation. If you were in a large body of water drowning and a man came and rescued you to the point of his own death you would have a love for that person. You would be thankful and grateful for being rescued, and yet you would feel remorse for the death of the one who gave the ultimate sacrifice. It is a sad thing that we often take the death of Christ for granted to the point that we no longer have remorse for our sin and no regret for grieving the Holy Spirit.
Paul goes on to address filthiness, foolish talk, crude joking, etc… As a man who has come from a blue collar union job in the world, I have found this to be rampant in the way many communicate. There was not a day that went by in my work environment that I didn’t hear foul language, crude jokes, and overt sexual talk. Many times guys would try to engage me in this and more times than not I would quietly excuse myself from the conversation. If there was no escape from the conversation, I would simply change the topic and move it into a new direction. When you live differently people take notice. And Paul says that we are to have an attitude of thanksgiving in our heart rather than foul talk and immorality.
One of the most concerning things he says here is that those who partake in this will not inherit the kingdom of Christ and God. That is incredibly sobering to think that the kingdom is reserved for those who refrain from this type of speech and behavior. The kingdom of God is for the righteous and those who entertain these sins will be cast out. There is an ongoing almost unsolvable debate in Christendom that goes something like this… One side says that if you live this way you can lose your salvation. The other side says that if you live this way you probably aren’t saved to begin with. Regardless of which side is correct, Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says that those who live this way will not inherit the kingdom of God. So regardless of how that takes place, the message rings clear that the righteous, those who are saved, will pursue the things of Christ and not the things of the flesh.
How we live is as important to our sanctification as our initial repentance on the day we accept the gift of salvation. Justification (our entry into salvation through the righteousness of Christ) is not a one shot antidote that gives us a free pass into heaven. We must bear fruit in keeping with repentance. (Mat 3:8) Not in order to earn our salvation, rather, as an indication that we have it. These things, sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness shall not even be named among us, rather, we are to be thankful with a grateful heart toward Christ Jesus for the gift of life we have in and through Him.
We have all we need through the power of Christ. If we struggle with sexual sin, God has already empowered you and me to overcome through the power of the Holy Spirit. If we struggle with foul talk or crude joking, we have the power to stop through the same Holy Spirit. 1Cor 10:13 says that no temptation has overtaken us except that which is common to all men, but God is faithful to not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability and will provide a way of escape so we can endure it.
God knows the enemy is going to tempt us, but in His grace, he will always provide a way of escape so we can walk in the victory He has for us in and through Jesus! ~ Amen…