The New Vocabulary of Light Text: Ephesians 5:3-7
Introduction: A Culture of Thankful Purtiy
The Christian faith is not a fresh coat of paint on a rotten structure. It is a demolition and a complete new build. When God saves a man, He does not just give him a new destination for the afterlife; He gives him a new nature, a new family, a new Lord, and consequently, a new way of life. This new life has its own distinct culture, its own way of being in the world. And a central feature of any culture is its language, its vocabulary, and what it considers acceptable speech.
In this passage, the apostle Paul continues to draw a sharp, stark contrast between the old life and the new, between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of God's beloved Son. He has just told us to be imitators of God and to walk in love, as Christ loved us. Now he shows us what that walk looks like in the grimy details of our daily lives, particularly in our words and our appetites. He is drawing a bright line, a non-negotiable boundary, between the conduct of the saints and the conduct of the world.
We live in a time when these lines are being deliberately blurred, not just by the world, but by many in the church. We are told that to be relevant, we must adopt the world's vocabulary, laugh at its jokes, and wink at its sins. We are told that holiness is prudishness and that a concern for purity is legalism. Paul will have none of it. He tells us that the culture of the kingdom is a culture of purity, and the language of the kingdom is the language of thanksgiving. The two are inextricably linked. A pure heart overflows with gratitude, while a corrupt heart overflows with filthiness, foolishness, and greed. This passage is a potent reminder that our words are never just words. They are diagnostic. They reveal the true state of our hearts and the true object of our worship.
The Text
But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; nor filthiness and foolish talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no one sexually immoral or impure or greedy, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them,
(Ephesians 5:3-7 LSB)
Unnamable Sins (v. 3)
Paul begins with a cluster of sins that are to be utterly alien to the Christian community.
"But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;" (Ephesians 5:3)
The first two, sexual immorality (porneia) and impurity (akatharsia), cover the waterfront of sexual sin. Porneia is a broad term that includes any sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. Impurity is even broader, referring to any uncleanness, moral or sexual. These are the characteristic sins of the pagan world, then and now. They were woven into their worship, their entertainment, and their daily lives. Paul says that for Christians, this is not just forbidden; it is to be unthinkable.
He then adds greed (pleonexia), which is the insatiable desire for more. It is the grasping, covetous spirit that is never content. Why does Paul lump this in with sexual sins? Because they both spring from the same root: idolatrous self-worship. They are both appetites that, when allowed to run rampant, refuse to honor God or the boundaries He has set for our good. Both sexual lust and greed see another person or thing and say, "I must have that for myself, regardless of what God says."
Now, what does it mean that these things "must not even be named among you"? This does not mean we cannot use the words "fornication" or "greed" in order to identify and condemn them, as Paul is doing right here. Rather, it means these sins should not be named among us in a casual, familiar, or entertaining way. They should not be the stuff of our gossip, our jokes, our casual conversation. When they are named, it should be in the context of church discipline, repentance, or serious warning. The presence of such sin in the camp should be a cause for mourning and alarm, not for titillation or casual chatter. It is not "proper among saints" to speak of such darkness as though it were a normal part of life. It is alien. It is from another world, the one we were rescued from.
The Contrast of the Tongue (v. 4)
From disordered appetites, Paul moves to disordered speech, which is the overflow of those appetites.
"nor filthiness and foolish talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks." (Ephesians 5:4)
Here are three kinds of speech that are "not fitting" for a saint. "Filthiness" refers to obscenity, shameful and indecent language. "Foolish talk" is the speech of a moron, the empty, vacuous chatter that is devoid of wisdom and substance. "Coarse jesting" (eutrapelia) is often translated as "witty" or "clever" talk, but in a negative sense. It is the kind of humor that relies on clever innuendo, double entendres, and a cynical, mocking spirit. It is the humor of the locker room and the late-night talk show. It is speech that is polished, but polluted.
Notice the standard: these things are "not fitting." They don't fit the new identity we have in Christ. It's like wearing muddy work boots with a tuxedo. It is an incongruity. A man who has been washed in the blood of Christ, who is a temple of the Holy Spirit, should not have a sewer pipe for a mouth. Such talk does not fit who we are.
And what is the alternative? What should fill our mouths instead? The answer is startling in its simplicity: "but rather giving of thanks." Thanksgiving, eucharistia in the Greek, is the fundamental speech of the redeemed. Why? Because gratitude acknowledges God as the giver of all good things. It is the language of humility and dependence. Filthy and foolish talk is the language of pride and autonomy. The coarse jester acts as though he is the center of his own world, clever and cynical. The thankful man knows he is a creature, a redeemed sinner, and that every good thing, from his salvation to his next breath, is an undeserved gift. A heart full of gratitude has no room for the filth of the world. Thanksgiving is the ultimate disinfectant for a polluted mind and a polluted mouth.
The Disinherited and the Idolaters (v. 5)
Paul now raises the stakes. This is not a matter of mere etiquette or social propriety. This is a matter of eternal destinies.
"For this you know with certainty, that no one sexually immoral or impure or greedy, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." (Ephesians 5:5)
He is not saying that a true Christian who stumbles into one of these sins and repents is cast out. The Corinthian church had former fornicators and idolaters in it, who were washed and sanctified (1 Cor. 6:9-11). He is speaking of the one whose life is characterized by these things, the one who lives in them without repentance as a pattern of life. Such a person, Paul says, provides definitive evidence that they have no part in the kingdom.
And here he makes the connection explicit: the greedy man "is an idolater." This is a crucial diagnostic truth. Greed, the lust for more, is idolatry because it places a created thing, whether it be money, possessions, or power, in the place of God. It looks to that thing for security, for significance, for satisfaction, for all the things that only God can provide. The covetous man worships at the altar of Mammon. And you cannot serve two masters. Therefore, the man whose life is defined by the worship of idols, whether they be sexual or financial, demonstrates that he is not a worshiper of the true God. He has no inheritance in the kingdom, because he belongs to another kingdom entirely.
Empty Words and Coming Wrath (v. 6-7)
Because the stakes are so high, Paul issues a sharp warning against those who would try to soften the blow.
"Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them," (Ephesians 5:6-7)
The world is full of "empty words," hollow philosophies that seek to justify sin. We hear them today constantly: "It's not hurting anyone." "Follow your heart." "God just wants you to be happy." "That's just your truth." These are the lies of the serpent, designed to make us doubt God's Word and minimize the deadliness of sin. Paul calls them what they are: deceit. They are empty because they are devoid of truth and reality.
The reality is this: "because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." God is not a doting, indulgent grandfather in the sky. He is a holy God, and His wrath is His settled, righteous opposition to all sin and rebellion. The sins Paul has just listed are not minor infractions; they are high treason against the King of heaven. And those who live in such rebellion are designated "sons of disobedience." It is their family characteristic. This is who they are by nature, apart from Christ (Eph. 2:1-3).
Therefore, the conclusion is inescapable: "do not be partakers with them." This is a call for radical separation. It does not mean we cannot have unbelieving neighbors or coworkers. Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. But it means we cannot participate in their sin. We cannot join in their filthy talk, laugh at their coarse jokes, or adopt their greedy pursuits. We are not to be their partners in rebellion. To be a "partaker" is to share a portion with someone. We are to share no portion with the unfruitful works of darkness. We belong to a different family, we speak a different language, and we are marching toward a different destiny.
Conclusion: Walk as Children of Light
This passage is a bucket of cold, clear water in the face of a sleepy and compromised church. The Christian life is a walk, and that walk must be in a direction that is diametrically opposed to the path of the world. The world is walking in the darkness of sexual rebellion, covetous idolatry, and filthy speech. That path leads directly to the wrath of God.
But we who were once darkness are now light in the Lord. Therefore, we are called to walk as children of light. This means our appetites must be governed by the Spirit, not the flesh. Our desires must be pure. Our checkbooks must be free from the worship of Mammon. And our mouths must be fountains of thanksgiving, not sewers of filth.
This is not a call to joyless legalism. It is a call to joyful holiness. Thanksgiving is the grammar of joy. It is the recognition that we serve a good and generous God who has rescued us from the wrath to come and has given us a glorious inheritance in His kingdom. When a man truly grasps the magnitude of that gift, he finds that the cheap thrills and dirty jokes of the sons of disobedience lose all their appeal. Why would a man who is invited to feast at the King's table want to go back to rooting for scraps in the pigsty? Let us, therefore, cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, and let our every word be an offering of thanks to the One who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.