Rachel Workman: 5 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us[a] and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. And that's exactly how I want my life to look. A pleasing aroma to God but I know it's far from it.
3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
We cannot continue in our sin once Christ is in us. If we can then I'll go as far as to say Christ is not in you. The Holy Spirit has a way of rooting sin out of you. If He isn't then you're not allowing the Spirit to lead you.
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Mike
Grimm: 5 1Therefore
be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2and live in love, as
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice
to God. Just as children imitate their parents, we
should imitate Christ. His great love for us led Him to sacrifice himself so
that we might live. Our love for others should be of the same kind -- a love
that goes beyond affection to self-sacrificing service.
Renounce Pagan Ways
3But fornication and impurity of any
kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among
saints. 4Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk;
but instead, let there be thanksgiving. Obscenity
and course joking are so common that we begin to take them for granted.
Improper language should have no place in the Christian's conversation because
it does not reflect God's gracious presence in us. How can we praise God and
remind others of His goodness when we are speaking coarsely? 5Be
sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that
is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
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John Burnett: Walk in Love
5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved
children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ
loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God. I am good at telling people
that I love them but terrible at showing a sacrificial love and putting others
before myself.
3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or
covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among
saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor
foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but
instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you
may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or
who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of
Christ and God. As a non-believer, verse 5
was going to put me deep deep into hell. I am so thankful for God’s grace
and the gift of the Holy Spirit to help me in my battle with the flesh.
The idol of the idolater in verse 5 is self. Worshiping and pleasing
self, consumes the sinner and hardens them to only worship one thing,
themselves.
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Tomorrow’s reading for Ephesians
5:6-14.
Don’t be fooled by those who try to
excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t
participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were
full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of
light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good
and right and true.
10 Carefully determine what pleases the
Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and
darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk
about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their
evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for
the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,
“Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”
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