< Ephesians 5 >

At the end of the previous chapter the apostle exhorted the disciples to forgive each other, as God had for Christ’s sake forgiven them. Therefore he continued with the exhortation: “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love”.

By loving one another we do as Jesus has done for us.

It is vital for us to love fellow believers if we are to receive the favour of God, but it is also essential to separate from others who practise the evils listed by the apostle and which are rife in the world today. Such people do not “have any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ” and “the wrath of God” will come upon them.

The disciples of Christ are commanded to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove” for, having learned the truth, they walk in the light and light, has no fellowship with darkness 2 Corinthians 6:14.Waiting for response for 2 Corinthians 6:14 A great advantage of having light is that we can see where we are going.

To enable us to walk according to God’s will, the apostle gives us commandments to obey, including those concerning domestic relationships, especially marriage. The disciples of Christ are represented in the scriptures as his bride whom he loves and for whom he gave his life. Therefore, any disciple who is a husband or wife is commanded to be towards his or her spouse as Christ and his church are to each other. It is unfashionable today to recognize the husband as the head of his wife, but Christians will maintain this relationship in their marriage to reflect the beautiful one between Christ and his bride. Husbands and wives benefit greatly from developing their marriage according to this commandment of Christ for they are based on undying love.

The love between Christ and his bride is expressed beautifully in the Song of Solomon, a love poem cited here by the apostle, in which the bride is without blemish Song of Solomon 4:7.Waiting for response for Song of Solomon 4:7 Other passages in the Old Testament also portray this beautiful relationship between Christ and his bride, and Paul gives a remarkable illustration from Genesis. When Eve was created and presented to Adam he said: “This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh”, and God said: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” Genesis 2:23-24.Waiting for response for Genesis 2:23-24 This, says the apostle, expresses the intimate relationship between Christ and his disciples, and this is a great mystery (secret). We have the privilege of knowing this secret. Just as Adam’s side was opened while he was in a deep sleep and a bride was developed out of his side, so when Jesus fell into the sleep of death on the cross his side was opened and out of it came his blood, the shedding of which provided the means for the development of that holy community which constitutes his bride!