Ephesians 5:15-20
15 See then that you walk [a]circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
| Ephesians 5:15-20 NKJV | Ephesians 5:15-20 ESV |
| 15 See then that you walk [a] circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, |
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, |
Ephesians 5:15-20
15 See then that you walk [a] circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
What does it mean to walk circumspectly?
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- Walk carefully (as in other versions)
- Walk in light (See Ephesians 5:8-14) … because light has been given to us. Notice, also, the word “then” in the verse. It points back to the fact that we have been given “light” and thereby enabled to walk wisely.
- Walk in wisdom (not as fools) … to live like wise men (William Barclay).
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- Adam Clarke thought that the phrase not as fools was connected to the practices of devotion to the ancient god Bacchus, worship with drinking and partying. “Do not become madmen. Here is a most evident allusion to the orgies of Bacchus, in which his votaries acted like madmen; running about, tossing their heads from shoulder to shoulder, appearing to be in every sense completely frantic.” (from Enduring Word Commentary)
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What does “redeeming the time” mean?
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- There were two ancient Greek words used for time.
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- One had the idea simply of day upon day and hour upon hour.
- The other had the idea of a definite portion of time, a time where something should happen.
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- It is the difference between time and the time. The idea here is of the time; it is a definite season of opportunity that Christians must redeem. This same word is translated opportunity in Galatians 6:10.
- Paul isn’t telling us to make the most of every moment, even though that is good advice. He tells us to seize opportunity for the glory of Jesus. It isn’t to make the most of time, but to make the most of the time. (Enduring Word Commentary)
- The idea behind redeeming the time is that you buy up opportunities like a shrewd businessman. You make the most of every opportunity for Jesus Christ. (Enduring Word Commentary).
- There were two ancient Greek words used for time.
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Because the days are evil: This is another reason why it is important to walk wisely. Jesus spoke of a time when, many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:11-12). Surely we are in those times, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
How to avoid being unwise — understand what the will of the Lord is … this is real wisdom
How to understand the will of the Lord — know God’s word … through Bible study
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
contrast between a pagan gathering and a Christian gathering. The pagan gathering is apt to be a debauch. It is significant that we still use the word symposium for a discussion of a subject by a number of people; the Greek word sumposion literally means a drinking-party. Once, A. C. Welch was preaching on this text: “Be filled with the Spirit.” He began with one sudden sentence: “You’ve got to fill a man with something.” The heathen found his happiness in filling himself with wine and with worldly pleasures; the Christian found his happiness in being filled with the Spirit.
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- Walking in the light means constant filling with the Holy Spirit (David Guzik, EWC).
- And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation (debauchery); but be filled with the Spirit,
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- What is debauchery?
- extreme indulgence in bodily pleasures and especially sexual pleasures :
- behavior involving sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. that is often considered immoral.
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- do not be drunk with wine: In contrast with the conduct of the world (being drunk with wine), we are to be filled with the Spirit.
- Paul’s grammar here clearly says, “be constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit.”
- The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event that we live off of the rest of our days. It is a constant filling, asking to be filled, and receiving the filling by faith. Much of the weakness, defeat and lethargy in our spiritual life can be attributed to the fact that we are not constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit.
- The ancient Greek grammar for be filled also indicates two other important things.
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- First, the verb is passive, so this is not a manufactured experience.
- Second, it is imperative, so this is not an optional experience.
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c. Do not be drunk with wine: The carnal contrast to being filled with the Holy Spirit is being drunk. The Bible condemns drunkenness without reservation.
Paul says that drunkenness is dissipation (debauchery). This means that drunkenness is a waste of resources that should be submitted to Jesus. John Trapp writes of drinking “all the three outs” – “That is, ale out of the pot, money out of the purse, and wit out of the head.” (Trapp’s commentary on Galatians 5:21)
We should listen to what Proverbs tells us about drunkenness in passages such as Proverbs 20:1 and 23:29-33.
We must not think that only the state of “falling down drunk” qualifies as sin. Being impaired in any way by drink is sin, as well as drinking with the intention of becoming impaired.
“The danger of drunkenness lies not only in itself but in what it may induce” (Wood). Practically, the world pays a high price for the ruin of alcoholism and drug addiction. To speak of alcohol alone, according to the United States Center for Disease Control, in 2010 88,000 people died of alcohol related causes in the USA, and excessive drinking cost the USA economy $249 billion dollars – almost a quarter of a trillion dollars. It is fair to suppose that the figures are comparable if not worse in many other nations.
But be filled with the Spirit: Paul contrasts the effect of the Holy Spirit with the state of drunkenness. Alcohol is a depressant; it “loosens” people because it depresses their self-control, their wisdom, their balance and judgment. The Holy Spirit has an exactly opposite effect. He is a stimulant; He moves every aspect of our being to better and more perfect performance.
“We find it here imbedded amongst precepts laying down the great laws of self-control, and it comes just before the special directions which the Apostle gives for the quiet sanctities of the Christian home… But then, all the while, it is a thing supernatural. It is a state of man wholly unattainable by training, by reasoning, by human wish and will. It is nothing less than – God in command and control of man’s whole life, flowing everywhere into it, that He may flow fully and freely out of it in effects around.” (Moule)
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
The Spirit-filled life is marked by worship and gratitude.
When we are filled with the Spirit, we will have a desire to worship God and to encourage others in their worship of God.
The connection with being filled with the Spirit and praise is significant. Those who are filled with the Spirit will naturally praise, and praise is a way that we are filled with the Spirit.
Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs: This variety suggests that God delights in creative, spontaneous worship. The most important place for us to have a melody unto God is in our heart. Many who can’t sing a beautiful melody with the voice can have beautiful melodies in their heart.
The emphasis is more on variety than on strict categories. “We can scarcely say what is the exact difference between these three expressions.” (Clarke)
Giving thanks always for all things to God: The one who is filled with the Spirit will also be filled with thanksgiving. A complaining heart and the Holy Spirit just don’t go together.
Paul recommends the same pattern for our thanksgiving as he practiced in prayer in Ephesians 3:14 – giving thanks to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Every hour, yea, every moment has brought a favor upon its wings. Look downward and give thanks, for you are saved from hell; look on the right hand and give thanks, for you are enriched with gracious gifts; look on the left hand and give thanks, for you are shielded from deadly ills; look above you and give thanks, for heaven awaits you.” (Spurgeon)
According to William Barclay … From this passage we can gather that …
(i) The early Church was a singing Church. It had a happiness which made men sing.
(ii) The early Church was a thankful Church.
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The early Church was a thankful Church … because its members were still dazzled with the wonder that God’s love had stooped to save them … ; and because its members had such a consciousness that they were in the hands of God. The instinct was to give thanks for all things and in all places and at all times. (William Barclay).
Lectionary Notes
The Wisdom of Life Well Lived
Ephesians 5:15-20 (NIV)
A proud young man once approached Socrates, the fourth century philosopher, and asked him for wisdom. Socrates, recognizing the young man’s arrogance, led him to the sea and took him chest-deep into the water. Then he asked him, “What did you say you wanted?” “Wisdom, O great Socrates,” said the young man.
Socrates pushed him under the water and held him there for a few seconds. When he let him up, he asked him again, “What do you want?” “Wisdom,” the young man replied.
Socrates pushed him under the water again, this time holding him down for a little longer. When he let him up, he asked him once more, “What do you want?” “Air!” the young man gasped. “I need air!”
Socrates then said to him, “When you want wisdom as much as you just wanted air, then you will find it.”1
The young man in the story was probably looking for a nice quick solution to acquiring wisdom. He did not imagine that wisdom may not come to him as easily as he thought. He learned that he would find wisdom when it became vital to his survival.
In our pericope today, Paul is challenging the Ephesian church to live lives that are wise and not foolish. He will address what a foolish life may look like as well as point towards what a wise, Spirit-led life can and should be — a life well lived.
Let us read our scripture today with the intention and seriousness of acquiring the Spirit-filled life of wisdom that comes from God.
Read, or have someone read, Ephesians 5:15-20.
Throughout the letter to the Ephesians, Paul had been admonishing the believers to live out their lives according to their new identities in Christ. It is one of the key lessons of Ephesians; the foundation for moral living is understanding what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. If you have read the entire letter up until this point it would be impossible to miss this fact.
In chapter 5, Paul continues with this theme and takes it to another level. Much of Paul’s audience came out of the pagan Greek culture. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul mentions that while the Jews sought a sign, the Greeks seek after wisdom. On their list of values, wisdom would have been at the top of that list.
Paul makes an appeal here to their sensibilities. He posits the idea that not living the lives we were meant to live in Christ was an act of foolishness. And that anyone who seeks to be wise would alter their behaviors accordingly.
Speaking of Greek, verse 15 says, “Being very careful, then, how you live …” The Greek renders this idea as keeping your eyes peeled, to be alert, so that you can live carefully (wisely).
Our pericope today may not be popular to some. Criticizing or denouncing the morals of the world can make the church seem polarized against society. The world often has a hard time not seeing the church as hostile and judgmental towards them already.
As a church, we are to find ways to build bridges to our communities and not barricades. We should be very sensitive to how we might be making it difficult for our neighbors to see the love of Christ. But we also must not allow the ever-changing winds of our cultures to determine what our beliefs and practices should be. Otherwise, we are sacrificing the truth at the expense of accommodation. Can we deny that living a Spirit-directed life may look very different from a life that is constantly being seduced by all things seductive and shiny?
Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV)
The Message Bible paraphrases verse 16 as saying that these are desperate times! What is being indicated here is that we are to be on mission, and there is so much for us to do. The opportunities abound for us to be of service to this world. In fact, the idea here is one of “buying back” our time. It’s like stumbling onto a bargain that we just can’t pass up.2
The way that we are to live is to be carried out with wisdom, knowing that our time is short. As disciples of Christ, we submit to the one who leads us to live out our faith with wisdom.
In our lives and in our churches, let us keep our eyes open to what is happening around us in our world. To be innocent as doves but wise as serpents, as the Bible says. Let us not put obstacles in the world’s path to seeing Christ. But let us also be joyful witnesses to others of how a wise, Spirit-led life can be.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:17-18 NIV).
This is a good time to reflect and even ask, what is God’s will? What does he desire? And how are we to participate in that? These are important questions to consider when we look at the state of the world around us. God’s will is for our lives to reflect back to the world the same love that we have received from the Father. We are to make good use of our opportunities for the sake of others.
It’s interesting how Paul singles out drunkenness as one particular behavior that was foolish to exhibit as a believer. Why did he do that? There had to be a lot of poor behaviors that the Ephesian church could have been exhibiting, so why was drunkenness singled out?
One possible reason for this is that it provided a contrast that would have been easily understood by the Ephesians. When someone is drunk, they are under the influence of a substance to the point that their behaviors become altered. Their perception changes, and they do and say things that they probably wouldn’t have done or said without being under the influence of alcohol.
The contrast to this is being filled with the Spirit. In a Spirit-directed life, we are under the influence of God. In Christ, our perception of things has completely changed. We are not the same people who we once were. We now do and say things that reflect the love of Christ, and we stop doing those things that are not reflective of embracing the love of Christ.
Drunkenness is a counterfeit. It gives the illusion of joy and peace but leads to all sorts of bad behavior and negative consequences. Contrast that with being under the Spirit’s influence where we exhibit true peace and joy. And if that weren’t good enough news, there is no hangover in the Spirit.
Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:19-20 NIV)
Paul had previously spelled out what wrongful, foolish living looks like. Now he switches it up with a positive example of what a wise, Spirit-led life should exhibit. Those who live wisely are filled with joy that overflows into song. When we live under the Spirit’s direction, we are able to sing, and make music from our hearts. Even our speech, the way that we speak to one another, should sound as pleasing as music to our ears.
When we live wisely, we are led towards gratitude. We are able to thank God for all good things and recognize him as our constant source of blessing. We aren’t accomplishing anything by our own will or resources, rather, his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3).
Mitch Albom wrote the bestseller, Tuesdays With Morrie. The book is a series of discussions that Mitch had with his old university professor. Morrie Schwartz, who is dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease. In one of his discussions, Morrie turns to Mitch and says, “Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”
We have died to the lives that we once had prior to Christ. Now, we have the opportunity to really live. A wisely lived life awaits us. A life that is of utmost importance where our time can be spent recognizing the opportunities in front of us to show how beautiful and fulfilling Christ’s life is. It is a life that others need to see. It is a life where our time can be spent recognizing the opportunities in front of us to show how beautiful and fulfilling Christ’s life is.
We leave behind foolish ways that don’t have their place in our lives. We sacrifice certain behaviors that hold no redeeming value as they can lead only to foolishness. Our lives are to exhibit the wisdom of a loving Savior. One who has redeemed us of that former way of life.
Finally, we celebrate this life together with fellow believers. So much so that it flows into worship and gratitude. And as we lift each other up in the body, the church starts to resemble a musical celebration that catches the attention of a world that is dying to witness true joy and peace. Let us exhibit the wisdom of a life well lived.