Eph. 5:22-24 - Wives, Husbands, Church

22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

God’s Heirarchy

This is one of those sets of verses that seems to plant land mines and booby-traps for me. It is one of those topics so fraught with the possibility to be misunderstood. The man-woman relationship is such a hot issue.

From a commentary: “Building on the principle of mutual submission in Eph 5:21 (which itself stems from being filled with the Spirit in v. 18), Paul presents examples of how believers should be subject to one another in household relationships. In the first-century Graeco-Roman world, it was standard for every household member to be subject in daily affairs to the patriarch. This viewpoint was central to Graeco-Roman society.
Paul works within this framework to suggest a model that makes Christ the ultimate authority—his viewpoint is based on mutual love. In these sections of Ephesians, Paul addresses wives and husbands, children and parents, and servants and masters. As he does so, he follows a similar pattern: He first calls on the subordinate—according to Graeco-Roman values—to submit to authority, and then reminds the superior to exercise authority considerately, in ways that honor Christ. Compare Col 3:18–4:1.” (See Note 1, below)

The subject of submission is carried into chapter 6 of this letter. Paul was quite aware of submission - slaves to masters, children to parents, wives to husbands, husbands to Jesus Christ. The church - in fact, all believers - are in submission to Christ. A commentary opined: “Submission does not mean inferiority. As well, submission does not mean silence. Submission means ‘sub-mission.’ There is a mission for the Christian marriage, and that mission is obeying and glorifying God.” (See Note 2, below)

Wives

Vs. 22 - “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord." - The people who are staunchly advocating women’s rights may take umbrage at these sections of verses. However comma…

"as to the Lord." This is about the marriage relationship, not about politics, business, education, etc. This not about men being superior to women; this only concerns the home and church.

I think that David Guzik’s commentary explains this very well: “The words in the fear of God describe what should be our motive for submitting to one another. We should submit to one other — see ourselves no longer in an individualistic way, but as a unit, as a company or a battalion — out of respect for God the Father,  respect for Jesus Christ… The motive for submission is not social kindness. The motive for submission is not the law of God. The motive for submission is respect for Jesus Christ. If we respect Jesus, we then should submit to one another because we love Jesus. Paul uses the term fear in this passage, but it is a fear — a respect — that is compatible with love. It is a fear of disappointing Jesus, a fear of grieving Him. That is totally compatible with love. When you really respect someone, you care about pleasing him or her, and you are afraid to disappoint that one.” (See Note 2, below)

Paul is not saying women are inferior to men, or that wives are inferior to their husbands; those concepts are neither scriptural nor Christian. Paul is emphasizing the ‘team’ or ‘squad’ idea. The idea that a woman is inferior to a man is concentrating on the individuals, a very secular way of thinking. Our salvation is not dependent on our selves, or our abilities, or social status. We are wholly and completely saved only by the power of Jesus Christ. We owe everything to Him. What He wants must be our command, not just a suggestion.
For example: On a football team, every player is necessary. There may be a spectacular play, but the touchdown reception happens when the coach calls the right play, the team blocks the opponents correctly, the receiver runs the right route, the other receivers provide enough deception that they cannot be ignored, the quarterback throws the ball to the correct spot, and the receiver catches the ball. We, the church, are all vital to the mission set before us - to reach the lost and share the gospel. See: “In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Rom 12:5)

Also, from Guzik’s commentary, submission “means: ‘Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands because it is a part of your duty to the Lord, because it is an expression of your submission to the Lord.’ Or, ‘Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands; do it in this way, do it as a part of your submission to the Lord.’ In other words, you are not doing it only for the husband, you are doing it primarily for the Lord Himself… You are doing it for Christ’s sake; you are doing it because you know that He exhorts you to do it. It is well-pleasing in His sight that you should be doing it. It is part of your Christian behaviour, it is a part of your discipleship.” (Lloyd-Jones) (See Note 2, below)

Vs. 23 - “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.”

After the fall in the Garden (Gen 3:1-19), God did not change that symbiotic relationship when He ejected them from the garden, and He has not changed it when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In fact, the concept is enhanced by our Savior, and is the third reason for the submission of wife to husband. Jesus Christ is the head of the church - it does not exist without His sacrifice and resurrection - the church submits to Him. Jesus Christ is the head over man, the man and husband - the Christian man submits to Him, as is fitting and commanded.

“For the husband is the head of the wife” - Here is the second reason regarding submission. We see in Gen 2:18-24, man (the male) was created first, and the woman (the female) was created after. She was created to be a companion and partner for the man - and it was good. They were created for each other, and each had a role with respect to each other.

“as Christ also is the head of the church” - After the fall in the Garden (Gen 3:1-19),when He ejected them from the garden, God did not change that symbiotic relationship; and He has not changed it when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In fact, the concept is enhanced by our Savior, and is the third reason for the submission of wife to husband. Jesus Christ is the head of the church - it does not exist without His sacrifice and resurrection - the church submits to Him. Jesus Christ is the head over man, the man and husband - the Christian man submits to Him, as is fitting and commanded.

Vs. 24 - “But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.”

“so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything” - Jesus Christ is head over the woman - even if she is not married - and the Christian woman submits to her husband and to the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the hierarchy ordained by the Lord.

“Everything” - There may be exceptions to the “everything”, Guzik highlights the following: “When the husband asks or expects the wife to sin, she is free from her obligation to submit. This applies in a place of clearly Biblical sin — such as signing a fraudulent tax return. It also applies in matters of true Christian conscience. But we must be very careful to distinguish between true Christian conscience and mere opinion. Yet the wife does not have to submit to a request to commit sin…When the husband is medically incapacitated or insane, she is free from her obligation to submit… A wife does not have to submit to the requests a husband makes when he is insane or medically incapacitated… When the husband is physically abusive and endangers the safety of the wife or children, the wife is free from her obligation to submit. She does not have to submit to his violence… When the husband breaks the marriage bond by adultery. Obviously, a wife does not have to submit to her husband’s adultery, and just accept it. The Bible says she has the right to ‘come out from under his rank’ in such cases. ‘If the husband has been guilty of adultery the wife is no longer bound to give him obedience in everything. She can divorce him, she is allowed to do so by the Scripture. She is entitled to do so because adultery breaks the unity, breaks the relationship. They are now separate and no longer one. He has broken the unity, he has gone out of it. So we must not interpret this Scripture as teaching that the wife is this irrevocably, inevitably bound to an adulterous husband for the rest of her life. She may choose to be — that is for her to decide. All I am saying is, that this Scripture does not command it.’ (Lloyd-Jones)” (See Note 2)

To Sum up - Three Basic Reasons for Submission: The church is a collection of believers.  Submission to Christ our Lord is a foundational to the mission which is to seek and save the lost, which includes the husband/wife relationship. God has set up a hierarchy for all creation,  which is in submission to Christ, and includes wife/husband relationship. Jesus Christ is Lord, and we submit to Him because we love Him as He loved us - the husband is to demonstrate that love to his wife.

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Note 1: copied from ‘Faithlife Bible” found on Logos App.
Note 2: Guzik, David. “Commentary on Ephesians”, Blue Letter Bible App. There is much more in the commentary mentioned above, and I can’t quote it all here. I suggest that you look it up and read his comments.

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Eph. 5:18-21 - Be Filled by Holy Spirit

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Faith and Nothing but Faith

Paul continues his discussion of living a consistent Christian life. We may wonder how do we do that. We may wonder about the 'rules' for living; what the guidelines may be. We want directions; we want boundaries. Paul boils it down to a simple step.

Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Vs. 18 - “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,”

“But be filled with the Spirit” - What an interesting juxtaposition: drunk compared to filled with Holy Spirit. I have heard various and sundry explanations for this verse. A view that makes some sense to me is as follows: When you get drunk your behavior is not completely under control. The alcohol has reduced your ability to act in socially normal manners. You have lost control (you do stupid things, or at least behaviors you would never do when sober).

So, Paul is urging us to release our self-control, submit to the Holy Spirit. He has been given to us to lead and teach us everything we need to know to live for Christ. Abandon your ‘natural’ inhibitions to the power of the Holy Spirit. Your ‘natural self’ would advise you to take care of yourself first, to not bother someone with the gospel (they might be offended), to not pray in public, etc. Your new nature, guided by the Holy Spirit will be led to speak openly about Christ; to live and chaste and clean life.

Vs. 19-20 - speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father

“Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody” - Encourage each other with singing and songs. Songs and singing are not to take the place of teaching and preaching. People often sing when they are happy. There are several examples in scripture: the song of Miriam (Exo 15:20-21), Moses and Israel’s song (Exo 15:1-18), Moses’ song (Deut 32:1-43), Mary’s song (Luke 1:45-55), and in heaven (Rev. 5:9, 15:3).

“always giving thanks for all things” - We give thanks to Jesus for what He has done! We give thanks to God the Father for providing to us salvation through His Son! We are thankful for more than salvation - salvation is plenty for which to be thankful! He has given us so much more - life and breath, family and friends, peace with God, the peace of God, day to work, night to rest. All is from Him and through Him!

“To God, even the Father” - To God, that is, the Father of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

Vs. 21 - “and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

“be subject to one another” - We have a responsibility to each other as Christians, as members of the church, the body of Christ as well as responsibility to Jesus as our savior. Paul writes to other churches concerning care for each other as Christians. In Rom 15:1 he tells us we are to bear “the weaknesses of those without strength.”
Also, Paul writes: “Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too. Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Let each one examine his own work. Then he can take pride in himself and not compare himself with someone else.” (Gal 6:1-4)

James also lets us know we are responsible to: “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.” (Jam 5:16) Dietrich Bonnhoeffer wrote in Life Together:  “A confession of sin in the presence of all the members of the congregation is not required to restore one to community with the entire congregation. In the one other Christian to whom I confess my sins and by whom my sins are declared forgiven, I meet the whole congregation... For here it is not a matter of acting according to one’s own orders and authority, but according to the command of Jesus Christ, which is intended for the whole congregation, on whose behalf the individual is called merely to carry it out.”

As a Christian you are not responsible to Jesus alone. You are definitely responsible to God for your behavior. But you are also responsible to the Christians around you - for your actions will be reflected upon the church of Christ in this world.

“In the fear of Christ” - God says in Isaiah 8:13, “The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.” If you have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, you have peace, you are forgiven. God is a fierce and loving God. Fear for that fierceness, and thanksgiving for that love propels us to follow His commands for us.

We show our love for Him, because as Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them... Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’” (John 14:21, 23)

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Eph. 5:15-17 - Be Careful

15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

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The Days Are Evil

Vs. 15 - “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,”

“Therefore be careful how you walk” - Take care in how you live out your Christian life. The world around you will be watching - ready to pounce if you stray, ready to cry “Hypocrite! Hypocrite!” Ready to pronounce you a failure as a Christian. Whereas others may try to keep parts of their lifestyle hidden, yours should open for all to see.

“not as unwise men but as wise” - 'Unwise' is living as if God does not exist, or doesn’t care how you live. See: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.” (Heb 4:12-13)

The essence of being ‘wise’, especially in the Wisdom writings in the Old Testament, is following God’s word or commands. Ignoring God, or turning on Him is unwise. See: “Do you thus repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you.“ (Deut 32:6) God is telling them, “After all that I have done for you; things you could never have done for yourself...”

Vs. 16 - “making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

“making the most of your time” - A saying circulated a few years ago, “You are confusing motion with progress.” Another asked the question, “You say you have 15 years of experience of Christian life, are you sure it isn’t 1 year’s experience 15 times?” Paul is urging them to be sure they are focusing on Jesus and what He wants done. Listen to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Follow Him where He leads. Otherwise you are ‘running in place’, getting all sweaty and exhausted but getting nowhere.

“because the days are evil” - We live in a fallen and broken world - it seems all the days are fraught with evil. We know that Satan is always working to frustrate the cause and ministry of the church. The best way to get us to follow false teachings is to make them an admixture of the truth and lies. Most will not be sucked in by the outrageous big lie, such as stuff you see in movies - e.g., “The DaVinci Code” - or heresies such as Mary Magdalene and Jesus were sexual partners. But more subtle jabs, such the TV series “The Good Place”, or “God Friended Me”, are portraying God as needing help, or just not aware of what is happening. (I am not saying these TV comedies are evil - they don’t have a scriptural basis.) We always must be aware, checking what we are being told or taught with scripture.

Vs. 17 - “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

“Do not be foolish” - Don’t be deceived by false teachers. We can be lead on the wrong path, if what is being taught is almost correct; it has that hint of believability. Compare the teachings to the Bible. See: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)
“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” (2 Cor 11:3 , Also: James 1:16; 1 Cor 15:33)
“We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ.” (Col 1:28)
“I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments that sound reasonable.” (Col 2:4)
“Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” ( Col 2:8 )

“Understand what the will of the Lord” - One of the reasons I love my faith, Christianity, is that it is simple yet deep; it is pure and uncluttered. No secret handshakes, no mysterious puzzles to solve. No secret ‘knowledge’ available to only a select few - who we must ‘trust’ since they have it and we don’t. No pilgrimages, no quests, nothing I need to do except believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. He paid the penalty for the sin of the world - mine are lumped in there. He died. He is resurrected and sitting with God the Father, ready to welcome me to my new home with them. It will be a joyous wedding of church as the bride and the Lord Jesus as the bridegroom. God’s will is that I will be with face-to-face to commune and worship, and share His glory!

Eph. 5:13-14 - Exposed by Light

Ephesians 5:13-14

13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.
14 For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you."

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All Things Become Visible

Vs. 13 - “But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.”

“all things become visible” - This is about more than exposing evil. If that was all it takes to get rid of evil, pornography, prostitution, sexual sins, any criminal act would go away when revealed. In our experience, is that so? No, it is not! We fight tooth and nail, scratch and claw at crime and evil. Yet it is still here, and sometimes seems to prevail. The hope and prayer is that as evil deeds are shown to be what they are - evil, there will be people won to Christ who compare the deeds of those doing evil to the deeds of those living the Christian life.
See: John 3:19-21 - “Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God

“everything that becomes visible is light” - Not that visible things emit light, or are light sources, but that everything that has light shone upon it becomes visible. We can see the evil of pornography as it is exposed. See the spiritual destruction of sexual deviations, or sexual crimes, of crime of any sort. See the coarsening of our morals and culture - all because of tolerating evil deeds. 

These types of human behaviors should never be allowed in the church - especially in the church. We can speak out against pornography, prostitution, adultery, etc., but the natural world has no remedy - they do not have Jesus. Many times they do not want to hear that what they are doing is harmful to their soul.

Vs. 14 - “For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”

“Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead” - Quoted from: Isa 51:17, 52:1, 60:1, 26:14a, 19a. This not a reference to the rapture, or resurrection. Wake up from your spiritual darkness. Turn from spiritual death. See: “Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and ‘live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! Why should you die, O house of Israel?' “ (Eze 33:11 )

Indeed, why should you die in your sin? Wake from your stupor. Turn from your confusion. Let the Light of God shine into your heart and soul. Be born again to new life, eternal life in Christ Jesus!

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Eph. 5:11-12 - Works of Darkness

Ephesians 5:11-12

11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;
12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

Expose Them

Vs. 11 - “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;”

“Do not participate...” - Don’t even go there. A statement heard in warning us away from some activity or action. Now this could mean any action undertaken without the guidance and control of the Holy Spirit. However, looking at the rest of this verse and verse 12, below, it appears this exhortation is aimed at warning us away from immoral, and impure acts (don’t think you need a list of those). You don’t need to ‘expose’ playing golf or reading a newspaper (well, who knows in these days of fake news).

“Instead even expose them” - This is an amazing command. Not only are you to refrain from living out sinful deeds in your life, but you are to shine the light of scripture on the unfruitful deeds. This undoubtedly will lead to an uproar of disapprobation against you. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.“(John 3:19-21) This command is for church members to confront other church members about inappropriate behavior. The church is the witness to the world for Jesus Christ - living sinful lives does not show the new life God has given us in Jesus Christ!   

I am not sure how this command applies to Christians confronting non-Chriatians about their sinful behavior. It seems wrong to think that people who are living moral, Christian lives would not confront those who are not - after all aren’t we supposed to be a witness to the world? But such ‘tough love’ may generate resentment and make people less willing to turn to Christ. The idea that we should not point out sinful behavior seems wishy-washy. Our Christian lifestyle must be what draws others to Jesus. When they ask about our lives - how we are content, or ask why we don’t participate in some activities - that is when we can share that Jesus has changed out lives. He has given us the grace to be able to live pure lives. He is the Lord of Lords, and wants His family to be pure, as He is pure. I think the positive approach will win more to Christ. If asked, or challenged why we don’t participate in some sinful activities, we must not hesitate or waver to give the answer - it is Christ who lives in us and gives us the power to live moral lives. We have no desire to offend the King of Kings who gave His life for us. 

Vs. 12 - “for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.”

“For it is disgraceful even to speak of the things...” - See Rom 1:18-32, All that people need is in hand, but because of their stubbornness and sin they rebel and end up in a death spiral, from which there is no escape except Jesus Christ. Look at our modern culture: the glorification of homosexuality, pornography, and hateful behaviors. We are in the midst of a complete moral breakdown. See Isa 5:20-21 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight!”

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Eph. 5:6-10 - Do Not be Deceived

Ephesians 5:6-10

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
7 Therefore do not be partakers with them;
8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light
9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),
10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

The Fruit of the Light

Vs. 6 - “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. “

“Let no one deceive you with empty words” - This warning reminds us to follow the teachings that match what the scripture commands. There will be people who will try to convince you by logic and persuasion that your freedom in Christ allows you to do what you please - not what Christ and the Holy Spirit commands. (See: Col 2:4; Eph 4:17; Rom 16:19; Gal 6:7; 1 Cor 6:19, 12:2; John 7:12; 2 Cor 11:3; 1 Tim 6:21; 2 Tim 2:18; Rev 2:20 )

- We are not saved to live in sin. We are saved to live out the holiness of Christ - to be sanctified. (See: 1 Thess 4:7). Also, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’" (1 Pet 1:14-16)

"because of these things” - ‘These things’ are immorality, impurity, covetousness, plus other sins of a life not founded on Jesus Christ. There are several impressive lists regarding this subject in the NT. For example: “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless. Although they fully know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.” (Rom 1:28-32)

Vs. 7 - “Therefore do not be partakers with them.”

This seems like a no-brainer. If sin is the reason judgement is meted out, wouldn’t you want to be as far from that as possible? If you have accepted Christ as Lord, committed your life to Him, shouldn’t you wish to live as He commands you to live? If you know better, why live in a manner that shows you do not know better? “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic 6:8 )

Vs. 8 - “for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light”

“for you were formerly darkness” - Without Christ we live in spiritual darkness. “He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves.“ (Col 1:13) See also: Eph 6:12; Matt 6:23, 10:27; Luk 1:79, 11:35; John 3:19, 12:46; Acts 26:18; 1 Cor 4:5) God gave us the light, His name is Jesus (2 Cor 4:6).

“walk as children of Light” - Jesus is the light of the world. We who believe in Him are His children. We have gone from being enemies of God, to friends and sons of God (John 15:14). If we are His children, we are children of light (Rev 21:23-25) because God is light and not darkness. We, the church, are the light to the Gentiles (Acts 13:47); the light of the world (Matt 5:14-16). The church is the light to the darkness (Rom 2:19).

Vs. 9 - “(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),”

“For” - Since you are a child of light (1 Thess 5:5; ), and the Light in the Lord (Eph 5:8), the following is true:M

“Fruit of the Light” - “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control...” (Gal 5:22-23) Similarly, the three characteristics here are not singular entities but the whole of being in Christ. They are ours because Christ is in us. When we have the Lord Jesus, we have all. God is good; He alone is good (Mark 10:18). God is the source of all righteousness and truth.

Vs. 10 - “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”

“Trying to learn” - The product of walking as a child of Light. Peter said in his letter, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’” (1 Pet 1:14-16 )

None of us know what it means to be holy. We must be taught, we must learn. We can copy the behavior of others who are more mature in the faith than we. Learning also means asking the Holy Spirit to lead you, to show, to guide, to correct so your behavior begins to become a manifestation of Christ in you.

Learning also means that we open ourselves up to the light - the wisdom and teachings of Jesus. In Psalm 36:9 we see “In Thy light we shall see light.” The light that reveals God to us is from God, and is Jesus. Learning is opening ourselves to the leading and correction of the Holy Spirit. (See: John 14:26),

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Eph. 5:3-5 - No Sexual Immorality

3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;
4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Proper Among Saints

Vs. 3 - “Immorality... impurity... greed...” - Sexual misuse of our bodies and minds, such as prostitution and pornography must not be part of the Christian’s life. Generally unclean thoughts and actions, not just sexual impurity, must not be part of the Christian’s life. The “must not” is not a suggestion, nor a ‘should not be’,  nor a ‘best practices’ admonition. It is a command - don't take part in it; don't think about it. If tempted to think about these practices, or if tempted to take part, stop and pray! Call upon the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to cleanse your mind of these desires and temptations. Ask the Lord to drive Satan and these desires from your mind and emotions. Ask to be cleansed. Be on the offensive against immorality and impurity in your life. Take action. Decide to be holy in the name of the Lord. See: Matt 5:27-28

Greed or covetousness are unbecoming to a Christian. “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,’ " (Heb 13:5) Also: “Then He said to them, ‘Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.’" (Luke 12:15)

“As is proper among saints” - There is NO WAY the type of behavior listed above is a good witness of Christ living in you. This follows the expectation, if not a command, that believers’ lives are changed and should exhibit it. Christ indicated that our lifestyle should be different than non-believers. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” (See: Luke 6:32 ) Non-believers love their family and friends, just as you Christians love your family and friends. Jesus' love should flow through you to people who are not your close allies. He loved us first; that is why He came and died to pay for our sin that we might fellowship with Him.

“Peter reminded the church, “so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” (1 Pet 4:2) Your non-believing friends will see a change and wonder why you aren’t partying with them. 

This command to live your life with God in the forefront of your decision making is prevalent in scripture. For example, repeated often in Exodus through Leviticus is 'You shall be holy, for I am Holy' (See: Lev 20:26) The command, “Be Holy” is repeated 23 times in the Pentateuch. The Israelites were expected to be different than the pagan nations around them. Today, in America, it might be said we are living in a ‘pagan nation’.

“For example, we live in one of the most “unchurched” areas of the United States. Polls indicate that many people do not believe there is a God. And about half of those that do believe God do not look favorably on the church or Christians! The church has not been a good witness for Christ. I will admit that some of the animosity to the church is because of its stand against abortion and its belief about homosexuality; or the church has not spoken forcefully enough against true racism. 

Vs. 4 - and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

“No filthiness and silly talk... coarse jesting...” - Filthiness: Cursing, “f”-word, vulgar sexually charged and sexually laden language. This is more, or at least different, than the list in verse 3 above, which are actions, or behaviors. The second list in verse 4 are verbal manifestations of attitude. The things done first show a life not in control of Jesus. The second show life that is dismissive of allowing Jesus to be in control.
Both are indicators of rebellion and rejection. Sometimes mocking or belittling with humor, denigrating with foul epithets can seem sophisticated and intelligent. This is not a ‘ranking’ of sin - i.e., the sin of speaking is not as ‘bad’ as acting out. Wrong! There is no such thing as a good or acceptable sin, or a sin so insignificant that God will look the other way. (“I didn’t see anything. Did you see anything?”)

Any sin separates us from God. Confess and repent!

In the midst of the Coronavirus scare, there were people enraged that a Christian organization (Samaritan’s Purse) would provide medical care and treatment in New York City. New York may have been one of the worst locations for the virus outbreak in the United States. Some will curse and mock the Christian organization for its involvement. They would rather have people die than take help from a Christian group. But we don’t answer to human judgements, but to the Lord.

Making jokes (“slightly soiled”, if not outright dirty) and double entendres are a way of ‘fitting in’ with the non-believers - “See. I belong.” (“Wink, wink.” “Nod, nod.” “Say no more!”) (See note 1, below) These show a person looking askance at faith; being sophisticated by not being sucked into a more simple chaste lifestyle. This is not saying all humor is bad or evil. Paul is not commanding us to be “strait-laced, sober and sad”.

They can tell we are Christians by our love; but they may be confused by our lifestyle or behavior. Our life demonstrates whether or not Jesus Christ is living in us and controlling us. 

“Giving of thanks” - The object of temptation is to get you to do something; (See note 2, below) usually to do something under your own power and direction, in lieu of by the power of the Holy Spirit. If you feel tempted to make a coarse joke or comment, you can be sure it is not Jesus urging you to do so. As a suggestion, when under such desire, allow the Holy Spirit to change your direction, to lead you into giving thanks for salvation and growth in Jesus Christ. I don’t mean being proud that you are saved, unlike those others (a fairly Pharisaical attitude), but that Jesus loves you and has an abundant life for you. There is no need to be off-color, slightly soiled, or silly or filthy.

Vs. 5 - “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

“For this you know with certainty” - This steps into the middle of a theological controversy: Who can be saved? For example: If a person says they have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, but still lives a life violating most Christian mores, is that person ‘saved’? The safe answer is, “I don’t know. Only Christ knows. Only Christ makes that decision.” But, it kind of makes you wonder...

“inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” - We can know, because it is in the scriptures, that there will be NO unsaved persons in eternity with the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. See: “Now to the one who is able to keep you from falling, and to cause you to stand, rejoicing, without blemish before his glorious presence, to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25 )

And: “But to the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. That is the second death." (Rev 21:8 )

Or: “For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly. All these evils come from within and defile a person." (Mark 7:21-23 )

It is also true there will be former immoral, impure, and greedy persons in heaven. If you have been an immoral person, you are demonstrably a sinner - there is no place for you in God’s kingdom. But, if you have been an immoral person and have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, your sins are forgiven.You are now without spot or blemish, pure and suitable for His kingdom.

By the way, even if you are not immoral you are a sinner because of the sin passed down from Adam to you. You still need, you will always need, the saving grace of Christ’s blood shed for you.

The rub comes in the question: can a practicing immoral, impure person be a Christian? Or conversely, can a practicing believing Christian be immoral, impure and covetous? This question is harder to answer with a firm yes or no. I am not copping-out, but the answer is not mine to make. On the other hand, the nomenclature 'immoral, impure Christian' is an oxymoron. There might be one of several reasons why a 'Christian' would act an immoral manner - one of which is the person has not accepted Christ as savior at all. God knows for sure. “All creation lies open and exposed before His eyes, and it is to Him that we must give an account for ourselves.” (Heb 4:13)

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Note 1: From a “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” skit.
Note 2: From “The Normal Christian Life”. Watchman Nee. chapter 10.

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