Awake, O Sleeper! (Ephesians 5:1-21)
Ephesians 5:1-21
This is a recap of our Bible Caller Club meeting on June 16th, 2026 over this passage. If you want to join the club and attend future meetings and study with us via phone, click here.
Context:
In our study on the evening of June 16, 2026, we continued our journey through the book of Ephesians. The group remembered that chapters one through three focus on God's grace and love, while chapters four through six are the practical application of how our lives should change because of that grace, which flows directly into today’s passage.
1. What’s happening in this passage?
Tonight, we studied Ephesians 5:1-21, a passage that calls us to live a new life in Christ through a series of sharp contrasts. It begins with a powerful command: "be imitators of God as beloved children" and "walk in love," following the example of Christ who gave himself as a sacrifice for us (Ephesians 5:1-2). This sets the stage for the rest of the chapter, contrasting the old life with the new. The passage then starkly contrasts this loving walk with behaviors that have no place in God’s kingdom, such as sexual immorality, impurity, greed, foolish talk, and coarse jesting, identifying them as forms of idolatry (Ephesians 5:3-5). A key warning is against being deceived by "empty words," because such disobedience invites God’s wrath (Ephesians 5:6-7). The writer urges believers, who were once "darkness" but are now "light in the Lord," to "walk as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8), producing fruit that consists of goodness, righteousness, and truth, and exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness by letting the light of Christ shine through us (Ephesians 5:8-14). The final section exhorts us to walk wisely, making the most of our time, understanding God’s will, and being filled with the Spirit instead of wine (Ephesians 5:15-18), which expresses itself through singing, giving thanks, and submitting to one another (Ephesians 5:19-21).
2. What is God revealing about humanity?
During our discussion, it became clear that this passage reveals a lot about our human nature and our susceptibility to deception. As one member pointed out from verse six, we are often deceived by the world's "empty words," which can trick us into thinking that worldly behaviors won't affect us. We saw that without God, we were "formerly darkness" (Ephesians 5:8) and can be easily led into sinful lifestyles. One person pointed out how children naturally imitate their parents, for better or for worse; if our "father" is the world, we will imitate its darkness. Humanity has a choice of who to imitate. It was brought up that we are easily influenced by the company we keep, and we must be intentional about what influences we allow. Another member highlighted the contrast in verse 18, noting that we are always under the influence of something. We are faced with a choice: to be "drunk on the world," which leads to dissipation, or to be filled with the Spirit.
3. What is God revealing about Himself?
Our study highlighted that God presents Himself as a loving Father whom we, as His "beloved children," are called to imitate, with Christ as our template (Ephesians 5:1-2). He is the ultimate example of love, demonstrated when Christ "gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma" (Ephesians 5:2). We also observed that God has standards for His kingdom; He is holy, and those who practice idolatry cannot be part of His kingdom because they have placed something else on His throne (Ephesians 5:5). While we often focus on God’s love, the passage also reminds us that He has wrath for disobedience (Ephesians 5:6). However, as one person beautifully stated, God doesn't just leave us there. He is revealed as "light" (Ephesians 5:8), and it is His light, through Christ, that has the power to expose darkness and transform us from death to life. Ultimately, it is through His Holy Spirit that we are empowered to live this new life, and He is worthy of our praise, thanks, and reverence (Ephesians 5:20-21).
4. How should our lives change?
This passage gives us a clear and practical guide for Christian living, a fact our group noted was almost overwhelming. The most direct application is to be "imitators of God" by actively "put[ting] away" the old ways of darkness and intentionally "walk[ing] as children of light" (Ephesians 5:7-8). As one member mentioned, we should really think about how we present ourselves and use our time, avoiding things like "foolish talk" or "coarse jesting" (Ephesians 5:4) and seeking to correct them. Instead of being "drunk with wine," which we understood as a metaphor for being under the influence of the world, we are to be "filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). As someone in our study explained, we should choose to be "drunk on the Spirit," allowing Christ to "shine on" us (Ephesians 5:14) like a seed planted in the truth. This allows the Spirit to naturally produce its fruit in our lives, resulting in three specific outcomes: having a joyful heart that makes melody to the Lord, maintaining an attitude of thankfulness in all things, and being subject to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:19-21).
