Wise Not Unwise | Ephesians 5:15-21

Dealing with a lot of people, I believe very deeply that each and every one of us wants to be wise. People who are wise are able to look at life, extract meaning and when they share it leave a legacy. When I was small, we all used to go to the public library or school library just to get some books so that we can learn and become wise. With the age of information today, with so much of information available people hardly read and even if they read something, most often does not get the right literature. It again takes wisdom to discern what is right and wrong.

How does the world generally define wisdom?

Wisdom is knowledge. Accumulate knowledge. “A wise person knows there is something to be learned from everyone.” – Unknown.

Wisdom is about avoiding pain. “The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain.” – Aristotle. We know that we cannot avoid all pain how much ever wise we are.

Worldly wisdom. Wisdom from different people and culture. “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine

We do not find true wisdom in all these ways.

The book of Job in the Bible says:

Job 28:20 Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?

Job 28:23 God alone understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells.

Job 28:28 And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord-that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

“Augustine understood wisdom most importantly as the person of Christ, the One in Whom all things hold together.” – Augustine of Hippo[1]

When we look into the pages of the NT, Christ is the power and wisdom of God, 1 Cor. 1:30

Paul says in Ephesians that wisdom comes to us through the Holy Spirit of God.

HF: Today, we are going to look at Paul’s admonition to the Ephesians asking them to live wisely:

Ephesians 5:15-20

¹⁵Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.[2]

Apostle Paul writing to the believers in Ephesus wrote about how God has made us new humans by our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to enable us to live a new life. Ephesians 4 onwards Paul is writing as to how we are to live our lives in the Spirit of God. Until this time, Paul’s focus had been how the community of God, the church works together in unity as the body of Christ. Paul has been issuing all kinds of instruction to promote what we call internal cohesion or solidarity, a sense of harmony within the community.

Here, with this particular contrast, we are going to see how he will switch from the relationship with the wider church that he has been describing as the household of God into a relationship with the micro-household of individual believers, namely a small family home setting.

He starts by challenging them not to be unwise.

In this section, Paul starts a new section from 5:15-6:9 as to how this Spirit-led life impacts our relationships; especially husband-wife, parent-child, and slave-master relationships.[3]

The command, ‘be very careful, then, how you live’ is explained by 3 not….but contrasts.

• Not as unwise, but as wise.
• Not foolish, but understanding what the Lord’s will is.
• Not drunk, but (instead) filled with the Spirit.

How To Walk In Wisdom?

A wise person in the ancient world is not someone who has gone through university and has got all A’s in all their classes. A wise person can make a sound moral judgment. A person maybe is well educated or in a high position, but when you look at the actual life they live, it may be a foolish life, there is nothing commendable there.

• In both OT and the NT, the wise person follows the precepts of God and exhibits them in real conduct.
• The wise person makes moral choices at the right time and in the right places.
• Their judgment is highly influenced by what God wants.
• They do well in self-discipline to be able to live these things out. What is in the mind translates into their character and way of life.
• The foolish on the other hand make bad choices.
• The foolish person makes moral choices that in the end affect themselves, affect other people, and society in general. They cause all kinds of problems.
• The foolish person’s judgment is reflected in the kind of life they lead.
• So you can see the way they are leading their lives and you know that they have made some bad decisions in their lives.

For Paul in Ephesians, the wise is the one who has come to know the Lord and is living to please the Lord.

Let me highlight a few things from this passage looking at the unwise-wise contrast.

Unwise-Wise Contrast

Ephesians 5:15-17

¹⁵Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

1. Call For A Wise Use Of Time.

In Greek, it is “buying time.” The wise person seizes the time. They make good use of time. They do not procrastinate. At every given time they make the right decision to get the best out of their lives. Pay whatever price it needs to be paid to grab, take hold of the time, and make good use of it. Don’t let time run you, manage your time.

Paul’s point is, in the moral context, when you are thinking about Christian behaviour, make good use of your time. The reason is that time is crucial here, ‘the days are evil.’

You cannot afford to just live your life anyhow in these times, make the most out of your time.

Be careful about making poor moral judgments. Understand what the will of God is and let that shape your life.

Then he makes another contrast of what the foolish likes to do.

Ephesians 5:18-20

¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,

The foolish would like to get drunk, it leads to debauchery. The word ‘debauchery’ can translate licentiousness (behaviour that is sexual, in a way that is uncontrolled and socially unacceptable)[4]

It leads to all kinds of sexual immorality, and sexual deviance. Do not get drunk on wine because it leads to debauchery but on the contrary as wise.

How do we understand: Do not get drunk with wine.

In Paul’s time, drinking was all over the place. It was a culture where drinking was part of their daily meal. In the Greco-Roman meal time when the family meets for food, they are likely to be sitting on the floor. They have wine there and they sing some pagan hymns or some songs. They have their family deity. So in the course of their food, they may say some prayers and thanks to the deity that supplied them with that meal. Paul is saying, “When you come to mealtime, instead of all these pagan activities you must be filled with the Spirit.”

It is said that the Greek god, Bacchus is the god of wine and fertility. One of the main rituals associated to the god of wine, Bacchus is that people would gather in the middle of the night in celebration of Bacchus. They would enter eat meat (raw with sometimes a lot of blood in it) and they drink a lot of wine with it. Their rituals include a lot of drunkenness and promiscuity As they are doing that, they believe that they are being filled by the power of the pagan god.

Paul is speaking to their context and reminding them that before you came to faith, you used to practice drinking and singing to the god of wine. Now that you have been saved, don’t fill yourself with the bottle and the spirit of the pagan god and its practices; be filled with the Holy Spirit. Now when the Spirit of God fills you something else happens.[5]

When the early church met, they would meet for a meal and break the bread. This had an echo of pagan practices. Their background is what happens in the shrine of Bacchus.

Paul’s point is: “Don’t get drunk with wine. That is what the foolish do. The wise on the contrary are filled, they avail themselves to be filled by the Spirit.”

The command to ‘be filled in the Spirit’ is unparallel in the Bible. Gordon Fee calls this imperative the key to all others and is the ultimate imperative in the Pauline corpus.[6]

Paul has already written in this letter, the importance of the Holy Spirit.

• Possession of the Spirit is the mark of being a Christian, 1:13-14
• The church is the dwelling place of Jesus Christ, the place where his fullness/Spirit resides, 1:23.
• Paul prays for a greater understanding of the love of Christ so that one may be filled to all fullness of God, 3:19
• Christ ascended in order to fill all things, 4:10
• Ministry of the church attains fullness to the measure of Christ. Paul notes that God has gifted his church with all manner of gifts so that the church might grow into a ‘mature man,’ unto the measure of ‘the fullness of Christ, 4:13[7]

So in Ephesians, ‘fullness’ and ‘Spirit’ refers to the abiding presence of God in Christ with, in, and among his people.

The scripture gives examples of people being full of the Spirit: Jesus after his baptism (Lk. 4:1), Stephen (Acts 6:5), Barnabas (Acts 11:24). The seven chose to serve the widows (Acts 6:3).[8]

While Christ ‘fills’ all things in that his rule as Lord is cosmic in scope, his presence resides uniquely in the church (1:23; 4:10-13). God has created the church to be his new temple, the place on earth where he dwells ‘by the Spirit’ 2:22.”[9]

Paul emphasises that Christians are to be continually filled with God’s Spirit. They are controlled not by wine or anything else, but by the Spirit.

Paul has been developing this contrast between the spiritual and nonspiritual man or believers and unbelievers.

Unbelievers live according to ‘the futility of their minds’; 4:17.

They are darkened in their understanding; 4:18.

Therefore ‘they are excluded from the life of God’ and have given themselves over to ‘sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness;’ 4:19.

They live according to the dynamic of the old creation, which is ‘being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit;’ 4:22.

In contrast to this is the life that is to characterize believers.

They are to live according to the new creation dynamic, the ‘new humanity’, which ‘according to God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth;’ 4:24.

Paul illustrates how this works practically in Ch. 4-5

As children of God, they are to imitate God; 5:1

Be humble, gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, 4:2

Walk in unity of the Spirit; 4:3

Speak the truth in love; 4:15, 25

Do something useful with your hands; 4:28

Be kind, compassionate, forgiving each other, 4:32

Live in the light; 5:8

Produce the fruit of light: goodness, righteousness, and truth; 5:9

Walk in wisdom; 5:15[10]

In other words, Paul in 5:18 is commanding the corporate church to play their part in being the dwelling place of God on earth.

Here he says, they will have to avail themselves for God to fill them. If only they do so, something will happen. As a wise person, be filled, avail yourself to the filling of the Spirit. When you are filled with the Spirit, Paul says there will be a resultant effect of being filled by the Spirit.

For those who are filled with the Spirit, 4 things happen in their lives.

Ephesians 5:17-20

¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Result Of Being Filled With The Spirit.

• Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
• Singing and making music to the Lord with your heart.
• Giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.[11]

That is what happens naturally to people who are filled with the Spirit. That is the natural outcome.

1. Speaking

Speaking To One Another In Psalms, Hymns, And Spiritual Songs.

Can you imagine, the heart from which you speak? The demeanour/behaviour you put forward, and your personal interaction nourishes and refreshes the person as if you are singing. That will nourish somebody. It will edify someone.

Paul says, “When you are filled with the Spirit, the first thing that results from that is that your speech is affected.” The way you speak to one another changes. The evidence is that when people hear you speaking, it sounds like wonderful music. When someone talks to you the sense of feeling you get must be listening to your favourite music. It also should be the other way round, when you speak to someone, the feeling they must get is listening to their favorite music. When the Holy Spirit fills the believers, one of the outcomes, the resultant effect is ‘speak to one another in song.’

2. Singing

Singing And Making Music To The Lord With Your Heart.

The other thing believer do is sing. That is constructed with the conjunction, making music or making melody. Do that to the Lord with your heart. They do not sing because it is a must to do. They sing out of their fullness of gratitude and joy of their heart, they sing to the Lord.

People who are filled with the Spirit have this effect on their lives.

Application: Can you imagine that you are just doing some housework trying to fix something and all you hear is your wife singing; good voice or bad voice who cares? Wonderful songs praising God because she is overjoyed. Do you think that the first thing that comes to your mind is that our house is so tense, and it is so difficult to be in that house? No, the natural thing is, this is so wonderful. There is so much peace and harmony in the house because of the Holy Spirit.

Sisters can you imagine, while you are cooking in the kitchen, your husband is fixing something in the living room and he turns the television off, he stops the computer game and he is just singing and at some point uncontrollably singing so loud to the point that you could hear him. He is praising God with joy and gladness. Paul says when people are filled with the Spirit, something about what comes from their hearts in praise to God, in making melody is beautiful.

3. Thanksgiving

Giving Thanks Always For Everything To God The Father In The Name Of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving is the only place where Paul says do it ‘always.’ Giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When people are filled with the Holy Spirit, they are full of thanksgiving. They know what God has done and they know the power of God at work within themselves and their behaviour does not remain the same. Their conduct does not remain the same.

Is this virtue of gratitude or thanksgiving how I live my life?

Why is it so difficult to say thank you?

I need to keep telling myself every day that I am not entitled to anything. It is by the grace of God that someone shows me a favor by helping or offering some service to me. Practice thanksgiving in the family. Thank your children for what they do. Thank your spouse for what they do. Be grateful for them.

If you keep studying and meditating on these things from the Scripture, it will being to have fruit in you. Give yourself that assignment, please don’t impose it on your spouse but just ask yourself, “How grateful I am?”

Gratitude is a great virtue. Giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As the Spirit of the Lord works in us, let us look at what others are doing to contribute to who we are so that we can be grateful to God and our fellow members.

The fifth thing that happens when the Holy Spirit is filling us continuously is:

4. Submission.

Submitting To One Another Out Of Reverence For Christ.

Here, submission is not to God. Most people find it easy to submit to God. That is not the point here. Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

It is here that Paul is going to link this conversation to how husbands and wives should relate with one another. If you are filled with the Spirit and your speech is affected, and you sing and make melody to the Lord, and you have filled with thanksgiving always to God, and you are ready to submit. This submission is not to you a failure. With submission, things will change for better in our homes and relationships.

“What is beyond question is that the three paragraphs that follow are given as examples of Christian submission and that the emphasis throughout is on submission”[12]

If we are all filled by the Spirit, then we can submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. It is in this thought that Paul is going to be from here the household code of husband-wife relationships and parent-children relationships from hereon. Christian examples of submission have to be practiced in the below six groups: Husbands and wives 5:22-33; children and parents (6:1-4); slaves and masters (6:5-9).

CONCLUSION

“Jesus said in Matthew 7:24 Anyone who hears these word of mine and puts them into practice is like wise man who built his house on the rock. It did not destroy in rain, stream, and wind came against it. But the foolish built his house on the sand. When the rain, stream arose, and winds blew it fell with a great crash. So one needs proper foundation for Christian morality. That is why we need church, fellowship and Bible study.

We are to be filled by the Spirit, led and controlled by the Holy Spirit of God. A wise person is able to understand the deep demands of knowing God’s will and live accordingly. What we do (live righteous and holy) is a deep knowledge of what God demands and not a blind practice.

In conclusion, believers are to be filled and led by the Spirit which will help us to be careful, wise, discerning the will of God, and making the most of the time because the days are evil.” [13]This will in turn result in good speech, songs, thanksgiving and submission in our life.

Questions to Ponder:

Am I Continually Filled By The Spirit? Am I Led By The Spirit?

What Steps Can I Take To Live A Wise Life?

Am I Making The Most Of My Time & Opportunity?

Do I Discern And Do The Will Of God?

Is My Life Full Of Joy And Song From The Spirit?

Is My Life Full Of Thanksgiving?

Am I A Submissive Or An Arrogant Person?

Ask The Lord To Fill You With His Spirit Today.

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EndNotes

[1] Laverty, ‘Christ, the Way’.

[2] ‘Bible Gateway Passage’.

[3] Snodgrass, The NIV Application Commentary, 641.

[4] ‘Licentiousness’.

[5] Rogers, ‘The Dionysian Background of Ephesians 5:18’, 254.

[6] Fee, God’s Empowering Presence, 721–22.

[7] Snodgrass, The NIV Application Commentary, 650.

[8] Snodgrass, 649.

[9] Gombis, ‘Being the Fullness of God in Christ by the Spirit’, 3–4.

[10] Gombis, 265.

[11] ‘Prison Epistles – Darko’.

[12] Stott, The Message of Ephesians. Originally Published as ‘God’s New Society.’, 215.

[13] Wintle and Gnanakan, Asia Bible Commentary Ephesians, 145–46.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bible Gateway. ‘Bible Gateway Passage: Ephesians 5 – New International Version’. Accessed 27 February 2023. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%205&version=NIV.

Fee, Gordon. God’s Empowering Presence. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1994.

Gombis, Timothy G. ‘Being the Fullness of God in Christ by the Spirit: Ephesians 5:18 in Its Epistolary Setting’. Tyndale Bulletin 53, no. 2 (1 November 2002): 259–71. https://doi.org/10.53751/001c.30234.

Laverty, Rhys. ‘Christ, the Way: Augustine’s Theology of Wisdom’. Ad Fontes, 5 April 2022. https://adfontesjournal.com/web-exclusives/christ-the-way-augustines-theology-of-wisdom/.

‘Licentiousness’, 22 February 2023. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/licentiousness.

Biblical eLearning. ‘Prison Epistles – Darko’. Accessed 27 February 2023. https://biblicalelearning.org/new-testament/prison-epistles/.

Rogers, Cleon L. ‘The Dionysian Background of Ephesians 5:18’, n.d.

Snodgrass, Klyne. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1996.

Stott, John R.W. The Message of Ephesians. Originally Published as ‘God’s New Society.’ Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 1979.

Wintle, Brian, and Ken Gnanakan. Asia Bible Commentary Ephesians. Bangalore: Theological Book Trust of Bangalore, India, 2004.