Chapter 5

5:1: Just as we have been adopted through Christ, and have become partakers of the divine nature, so we are to walk as an imitator (or "mimic") of our Heavenly Father. We are now children of light and therefore must walk as the "light of the world". This is not a suggestion, rather it is a command in the Lord. We do not imitate Him in His infinite attributes but rather we imitate Him in his character of love.

5:2: Imitating God looks like walking in love, For God is love.

5:3: Just as these actions are improper among saints, so the mention or rather, accusation of them among saints is unproper. "sexual immorality..." This word here is "porneia". It refers to immoral sexual acts. "impurity..." As in contrast to purity. "greed..." Calvin describes "greed" in this context as an "immoderate desire of gain".

5:4: "nor..." Along with these discussed in the verse prior. "jesting..." This word refers to an action unseasoned with grace. "not fitting..." These hings here listed are not fitting to be spoken out of the mouths of those set apart to the Lord. If we are going to speak, let it be done with thanksgiving.

5:5: Nobody stuck in unrepentant, willful, and habitual sin will enter the Kingdom.

5:6: There is not to be any words of assurance to the unbelievers that they are protected or excused from the wrath of God. Any words of this kind are words of deceit.

5:7: "therefore..." because this wrath is coming upon those who are sons of disobedience, and we have no spiritual refuge nor likeness with them as children of light, we are not to partake in these same sins along with them. We are set apart to God and cannot live a life according to the course of the world which is set on fleshly indulgence.

5:8: At one point in time, we walked according to this world’s course and its lawlessness; we were children of darkness—embodying and living in darkness—and due to our darkness, we were children of, or set apart for, God's wrath. But now, the Lord has brought us to Himself as children of light, living on His narrow path of righteousness. Thus, we are children of, or set apart for, the light. 2 Corinthians 6:14 compares righteousness with light and lawlessness with darkness. We have become children of the light, and therefore, children of the Righteous One.

5:9: The natural fruit borne out of the light that we have become, in contrast to being the embodiment of darkness and now being the embodiment of light, is bearing the abundant spiritual fruit of goodness, righteousness, and truth.

5:10: Although we naturally bear abundant fruit of the Spirit, there is always room for growth in the experiential knowledge of the Lord. As light, we strive to become brighter and brighter, looking more and more like the Light, which is our Lord.

5:11: Paul reiterates his previous statement from verse seven. To "participate" in this context is to be a cooperator with or identified with something. As our new identity is found in the Lord, we are not to be identified with darkness, but rather be identified with light. Just as light allows us to see things that were previously unseen to our eyes, so we are to expose the lawlessness of this world. The works of this world consist entirely of lawlessness and are spiritually unfruitful and bankrupt. There is nothing to be reaped from sin but death.

5:12: Sin is not to be taken or talked about lightly rather it is to be treated as it is, shameful and disgraceful.

5:16: "redeeming the time..." Our time is consistently lost to the mistakes, hardships, and worries of this world. The word "redeem" implies that something is already lost and that we are merely earning/taking it back. Our time has been wasted enough on the desires of this world and has been lost to the course of this world, but as children of light, we are to redeem the time, taking it back to ourselves, and using it for the glory of God.

5:17: All truth and wisdom is from the Lord, revealed to us today by His Holy Word. If we are to understand the will of the Lord, we must be diligent students of His word. If we understand what His will is, we will be able to redeem the time. We are not to be foolish, deceiving and being deceived, running on the path of folly but on the contrary we are to be careful and wise as we walk.

5:18: There is no sin in the drinking itself, when done in a holy, respectful manner. The issue resides in the over indulgence and immoderate drinking which brings drunkenness and as a result, dissipation, which is immoral behavior lacking in self control. We are not to act immorally and behave like wild animals rather we are to be controlled and sound, filled in and with the Spirit of God.

5:19-21: In these verses Paul notes the behavior of those who are filled with the Spirit.

5:19: "psalms... hymns... spiritual songs..." Some people make a distinction between the first two, being, psalms and hymns, saying that psalms are typically performed with an instrument whereas hymns are vocally performed straight to God (As in Acts 16:25). I hold no issue or objection to this interpretation of distinction. The wording that is presented here for "spiritual songs" is quite appropriate wording, as the word "spiritual" is describing the content of the song, not the genre of style. These songs are "Spiritual" for they are about God, to God. heart to the Lord... Worship is not an act of the body alone but is also a motive of the heart. All worship is to be done with the heart, to the Lord.

5:20 all things... All things, even hardships, persecutions, etc.

5:21: Believers are to honor one another in heart and deed because of their reverence for Christ.

5:22: As husbands are the head of the household, wives are to be subject to their husbands. Wives are to submit to their husbands in the same way they submit to Christ. This is not to say the husband has the same authority as Christ but rather the wife is to respect and submit to Him as unto the Lord.

5:33: Each man is to love his wife. This is not an earthly love or lust but is a Christlike love unto his own wife. Each wife is to respect her husband in way that brings submission. Without respect there is no submission and that leads to failure in regard to what a Godly marriage should look like.