Quick Edification Series: Ephesians 5:5 and Salvation

 

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

Scouring across the terrain of the internet one cannot escape vast valleys of deceit. More often than not these days, one has to work their way through the digital fog, and climb to a peak void of the noise to find the truth so often obscured.  As it is with the case of the Bible, many proponents of false positions love to take their anonymous blow horn touting their half baked opinion on scriptures such as these.  I have discovered many love to cherry pick their pet verses and build their straw hut of doctrine, that mere context could easily blow down. One of these such verses is Ephesians 5:5. So instead of the big bad wolf huffing and puffing and blowing down the poorly constructed dwellings of swine, let's allow instead the Holy Spirit's breath to melt away the misconceptions of swine like interpretation.

The misconception of this verse state that people who commit the sins that Paul mentions can: A. Lose their salvation or B. Cannot be saved.  Some expect that you have to broom sweep and squeak clean your life before God accepts you. Others that if you stumble as a believer into these sins you are at a grave risk of being voided of your grand inheritance in God's kingdom. Instead getting into a verbal tussle here, one should ask what saith the scriptures? 

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Ephesians 4:17

Throughout many of Paul's letters, he compares and contrasts what a Christian's walk should be, compared to that of the world of unbelievers. He talks of being imitators of God, and walking in his light (Ephesians 5:2). So when we get to Ephesians 5:5, Paul is saying not to walk like those in the world (Ephesians 4:17) because they have no inheritance in God's kingdom. Paul warns to stay away from these things because they are the very reasons that will cause God to pour out his wrath on sinful earth.  Notice Paul in 5:7 mentions to be not partakers with them.  Believers should not have yoke with the world (2nd Cor 6:14), and this is what Paul is talking about.  Those who live such lives void of regeneration will be judged for these things.  So Paul is not talking about losing one's salvation, but rather stating that we should all allow Christ to live through us, rather than give place to the vain spirit that plagues this world. We should not live vainly for these are the very reasons God will judge and carry out his penalty on a sinful world. After all, worldly things are temporal and will perish (Proverbs 14:12).  If you would like to see how scripture supports that a believer is eternally secure see my article: 7 Reasons All in Christ are Eternally Secure.