Paul’s elucidation of the Christian walk in Ephesians 5:1–21 must be understood within the larger context of the letter. In the theological exposition of the letter (chapters 1–3), Paul asserts that humanity is captive to "the prince of the authority of the air," and so is alienated from God (2:1–3; compare 6:10–20) as well as from each other (2:11–12).1 Christ’s triumph over such cosmic forces of darkness upon the cross (1:7; 2:13, 15–16) has brought the estrangement to an end, bringing about a harmony between God and humans and establishing unity among members of the human family (2:13–18).

As a result of Christ’s victory, in Ephesians 4–6, Paul entreats the community of believers to realize completely the "reconciled life." Members of the "body of Christ" (1:22–23; 2:16; 4:4, 12, 16; 5:23, 30) ought to yield to the mighty transforming work of the Spirit (2:22; 3:16; 4:23, 30; 5:18) so that the Spirit might fashion a community wherein believers, "speaking the truth in love, might grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ" (4:15). The Spirit works to actualize the reality already created through Christ’s reconciling work—"a new humanity" comprised of Jews and Gentiles (2:13–18), the body of Christ, the household of God (2:19), and a holy temple (2:21).

This universal church is the chief focus of Ephesians, specifically because it reveals to humankind and "the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places" (3:10), the fullness of God’s purposes in history to "re-unify" all reality in Christ (1:10). The letter is thus characterized by a pervasive theme of unity, in which members of the church are continually called to "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (4:3) so that the church might make manifest, in part, the cosmic unity in Christ (1:10).

I recently attended the Society of Biblical Literature meetings in Philadelphia. At the Hellenistic Moral Philosophy and Early Christian section, Max J. Lee, a teacher from Wheaton College, presented a paper that sketched the classical philosopher of Galen of Pergamum’s program for moral progress.

Galen’s map to moral progress and the reversal of a bad character involved three parts.2 According to Galen, one must (1) cripple the power of the passions by denying the bodily impulses that feed it (for example, food, drink, and sex); (2) train the part of the soul to reflect obedience toward reason; and (3) strengthen the power of reason through the use of philosophy.

Such a construal of moral growth is open only to a select few who have innate capacities to occasion progress: "in the end, Galen’s is a system of moral transformation for only an elite group who possess, from the very beginning, the potential to become people of virtuous character."3

Paul’s vision of moral transformation is radically different! The walk and growth of believers is based on God’s redemptive work in Christ upon the cross and is actualized by the Spirit’s empowering work of transformation. Believers have "put off their old self," which was "corrupt through deceitful desires" and have "put on the new self, created by God in true righteousness and holiness" (4:22, 24). This clothing imagery that highlights the new creation is further explicated with light/darkness terminology in which Paul declares that believers "were once darkness, but are now light" (5:8).

The conduct of the old way of life and the new one is sharply drawn in Ephesians 5:1–21. The old way of life was characterized by sexual immorality, greed, filthiness, foolish speech, and vulgar talk; believers were once "dark" and performed secretive unfruitful works of darkness that are too shameful even to mention. Paul strongly urges his hearers to avoid such degrading vices of their former life for they wreak havoc upon the unity of the church.

By contrast, the new way of life is distinguished by imitating God (5:1), "walking in love" (5:2), "walking as children of light" (5:8), a commitment to understand the will of the Lord (5:16), and a joyful spirit of singing and thanksgiving (5:19–20). The apostle’s ethical exhortations for believers "to walk" in such a manner makes possible the realization of "the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" within the household of God.

Imitating God involves emulating his gracious activity of forgiveness to sinners. Just as God forgave us in Christ, as beloved children, we must also imitate such activity and freely extend forgiveness to others (4:32; 5:1). Walking in love entails following Christ’s example of costly sacrificial love, preeminently manifested upon the cross (5:2). Walking as children of light consists in bearing "the fruit of light" (5:9); believers exemplify fruit-bearing light by performing every kind of good works (all goodness), seeking right relations with God and humanity (righteousness), and being committed to truthful speech (truth).

The practical instructions of Ephesians 5:1–21 thus exhort the new humanity of Jew and Gentile to manifest concretely the reconciled life in earthly existence. Words are not enough. Believers must bear "the fruit of light" and manifest in deed the good works that "God has prepared beforehand" for them (2:10). The redemptive work of God in Christ along with the sacrificial love of Christ stands as the ultimate examples for Christian conduct. The new humanity could not have loftier models to emulate.

Notes and References

1. Scriptural translations are my own.
2. Max J. Lee, "Lending Nature a Helping Hand: An Examination of Galen’s Treatise De Affectuum Dignotione in Reference to Pauline Christianity," 2–4.
3. Ibid., 12.

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