Absolute Morality

(Ephesians 5:5 – 7)

Introduction
The Glory that was Greece

The lines “the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome”
From Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “to Helen” which was a tribute to Jane
Stanard, the mother of a childhood friend

Ancient Greece was a great civilisation. The ancient Greek world

began to emerge in the eastern Mediterranean during the third
millennium B.C.E. and continued until Rome conquered the region in
the first century B.C.E. Many elements of modern Western
civilization—including art, architecture, literature, philosophy,
science, and medicine—rely on the cultural achievements of the
ancient Greeks.

For all its achievements, can we really consider Greece as glorious? In

the eyes of God, does Greece deserve to be glorified?

• Pagan society – Ancient Greeks worship many gods. They have

a god for every occasion and festival. They have a pantheon of
gods whose behaviour largely reflect man’s weaknesses
• Immoral – There were temples with priestesses that cater to the
baser instincts of men. These priestesses are prostitutes who
service the worshippers. Homosexuality abound. It is common
and natural for men to have homosexual relationships. They
even find it admirable.
• Cruel and inhuman – Female infanticide is regularly practiced.
A father could choose whether to officially accept a child or not
and many men prefer to raise sons, who could help with farm
work, inherit the estate and so on
•

This is the background of the Ephesian church. No wonder Paul gave

them a stern warning about associating with the immoral, impure, or
greedy

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Be Warned of the Decadent (v. 5)
Verse 5 is a hard warning on decadence. The Greco-Roman society of
Ephesus was immersed in decadence. The temple of Artemis was the
centre of pagan worship. The ungodly influence of this cult was
evident in the values of the people. Immorality, impurity and greed
ruled.
Corruption
Paul warned against these corrupt persons: immoral, impure and the
greedy of which he deemed as idolaters. God hates idolatry. It is the
first commandment He gave to Moses. Our God is a jealous God and
he does not want competition

Exodus 20: 3 – 4 3 "You shall have no other gods before [a] me. 4 "You
shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven
above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not
bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a
jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the
third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love
to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my
commandments.

Idolatry is worshipping false gods. The pagan practices of the

Ephesians were Paul’s major concern. The prevailing influence of
idolatry is overwhelming. The whole city was immersed in idolatry. In
Acts 19, Demetrius the silversmith led a riot against Paul because the
influence of Christianity was bad news for the craftsmen and
silversmiths. Nobody was buying the shrines and idols of Artemis. It
was threatening their livelihood. Idolatry is corruption. Idolatry and
Godliness cannot co-exist in the same person.

In the New Testament, Matthew 23:27, 27

"Woe to you, teachers of the
law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,
which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead
men's bones and everything unclean is another instance of God hating
corrupt men. Jesus railed against the corrupt practices of the Scribes
and Pharisees and denounced their hypocrisy. Such strong words of
rebuke against the religious establishment of Israel

Corruption is uncleanness. Corruption is sin. God’s holiness cannot

and will not tolerate sinfulness and corruption hence the reason for
this stern warning. Corruption has its price and the price is
condemnation.

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 Condemnation
Paul warned about the consequences of sin and corruption. He said
that they will not inherit the kingdom of Christ and of God. In other
words they will not be allowed to enter heaven. There are only two
choices, heaven or hell. If they can’t be in heaven then it is hell for
them. Very simple, yet very sad and tragic. We cannot go against
God’s holiness. It is against His nature to tolerate sin. The corrupt and
the sinful cannot withstand His Holiness.

In Genesis 18, we can read about God’s condemnation of Sodom. The

whole city was so corrupt that God wanted to destroy it. Abraham
bargained and begged that the city be spared if there is anyone who is
righteous in the city. Eventually in chapter 19, God brought his
judgement upon Sodom and Gomorrah. It rained fire and brimstone
and everything in the city was destroyed and reduced to ashes. Now
that is condemnation.

Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed in a matter of hours or days. A

worse fate awaits the corrupt and idolatrous Ephesians, eternity in
hell. When Paul said that they will not inherit the kingdom of Christ
and God it means a destiny straight to hell, forever. Revelation 20:14
– 15 talks about that destiny, eternal condemnation in the lake of fire.

Application
This verse is really the basic stuff. In fact it is a reminder to the Christians of
Ephesus as well as to us. Corruption and sin lead to condemnation. Corruption is a
manifestation of Christ’s absence in our hearts. Idolatry is God’s absence in our
hearts. There is no place in heaven for the immoral, impure, and the greedy.
Having a clean heart, a clear conscience and a generous spirit is the right choice
and that can only be had if we have Jesus in our hearts, if we have Him as our
Lord and Saviour.

Be Wary of Deception (v 6)
The great Chinese general and military strategist, Sun-Tzu, laid down the 18th
principle of waging war, that is, all war is deception. Paul’s warning is about
spiritual warfare and deception is a power tool in the devil’s tool chest.

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Confusions
Jesus says in John 8:44 that Satan is a liar and the father of lies. Satan
uses two basic tactics against men and women.
1. He makes us doubt God’s Word. In Genesis 3:1 – 7
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Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the
LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say,
'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
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The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in
the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree
that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you
will die.' "
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"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For
God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and
you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
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When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food
and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she
took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was
with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were
opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig
leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

is the dialogue between Eve and Satan. In this conversation,

Satan planted the seed of doubt in Eve’s heart. In this case, he
boldly declared that nothing would happen if Adam and Eve
disobeyed God. He contradicted the spoken word of God, and
asserted that they could defy His rules without consequences.
Eve, none the wiser, swallowed the bait.
2. He makes us doubt God’s character. What Satan implied was,
"God doesn't really love you, and He isn't doing what is best for
you. He's keeping something from you that you really ought to
have. And He's doing it with dishonorable motives—He doesn't
want you to be like Him." What foolishness! Adam and Eve were
already like Him. They were made in His image.
Most of our spiritual problems arise from these confusion and
untruths. When we doubt God’s Word we disobey what He told us in
His Word. We take His Word for granted and we do our own thing.
When we doubt His goodness and question His love for us, we try to
take care of ourselves in our own way. If we doubt that we are not

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important in His sight, then we take away His primacy in our lives. He
is no longer number 1. We become self-centred and selfish.
It is this confusion and disinformation that leads to disobedience.
Satan thrives on this situation very well. He strikes at our vulnerability
at the worst possible time. He takes advantage of the weakness of the
human nature. 1 Peter 5:7 – 9 8Be self-controlled and alert. Your
enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because
you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the
same kind of sufferings.

Paul’s warning is very serious. The root of this deception is evil. The
devil uses people to sow deception and lies amongst the Ephesian
believers. The ultimate goal of this deception is to sow confusion
which will lead to disobedience.

Contempt
Disobedience arising from deception and confusion brings contempt
from God. It draws God’s wrath. Like a father whose children are
disobedient, God brings them to discipline. It is not good. Deception
affects believers and unbelievers alike. But the effects are different.

The followers of Christ who lapses into disobedience as a result of

deception are chastised. This discipline is brought about by love. In
Hebrews 12:5 – 6, we are reminded that God’s discipline, His
chastisement is an expression of His love to aid our spiritual growth
and bring the necessary changes that we might experience His
goodness and righteousness.

But for unbelievers, disobedience will bring grievous results.

Disobedience will not only bring contempt. It results in condemnation
as pointed out earlier. It is God’s will that all may come to salvation as
stated in 1 Timothy 2:3 – 4 3This is good, and pleases God our
Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of
the truth
This will is fruitless if the person is blinded by deception and
confusion. If he is led to believe that salvation through Jesus Christ is
just one way among many. If he is led to believe that salvation can be
attained by good works. If he is led to believe that salvation is
uncertain and there is nothing final about our destiny. If he is led to
believe that hell does not exist and heaven is just a state of mind.

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 There is a serious battle of ideology out there. It is a serious war. The
confused and deceived will be collateral damage that will lead them
straight to the fires of hell
Application
How can we know the absolute truth and not fall to deception? Pray
and pray without ceasing. Through prayer, God will give us
discernment and the frame of mind to recognise what is true and real
and differentiate it from lies and deception. Study His Word
diligently. The Bible is so rich that its depth is unfathomable. Equip
ourselves with the knowledge of His Word. In Ephesians 6:17, the
word of God is the sword in the arena of spiritual warfare. It is our
best offense to take on the world.

Be Willing To Disengage (v 7)
This verse is an admonition from Paul about being influenced by the
type of people that will lead you astray. The decadent and the
deceivers will lead you down the wrong path. It is a strong advice. Do
not be partners with them. These clichés apply, don’t even go there.
Don’t touch it with a ten-foot pole.
Command
This verse is a command. Paul had articulated the results of
compromising with sinners and deceivers. It leads to condemnation
and contempt from God. A command is a unilateral action that
demands obedience. It is a must do. It is not a suggestion where there
is the option of not doing it. In a command the receiving party must
conform or suffer consequences. Why is it necessary to keep away
from sinners and deceivers when they are the very people we want to
reach? If all the people within our spheres of influence are all
Christians how then can we reach out to unbelievers? The Greek word
is συμμέτοχος summetochos or participant. It is an admonition that we
do not participate in their deeds. We are sanctified temples of the Holy
Spirit. Sinning and deceiving are no longer our nature. 2 Corinthians
6:14 is an illustration of this unholy relationship. It is an example
taken from farming practices in those days. In the Middle East,
plowing is done by a pair of beasts of burden. The same animals
should be paired or yoked together. Can you imagine if the plowing
team consist of a donkey and a camel? It will be hard to control as
these animals are very different. It is an unequal yoke and God wants
us out of it. We must not be unequally yoked with sinners and liars as
it is no longer our nature.

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 Compromise
This verse about compromise. We are commanded not to compromise
with people who will lead us astray. Compromise is a shaky ground.
Compromise puts us in unholy ground. It is the result of the
partnership with these people. Compromise is disobedience. When we
try to please both God and man we end up displeasing the Lord. This
is the essence of this command. Put God first in your life. If there is
contention and God’s law and will are to be compromised. The choice
is clear. Move away from people who will lead you to disobey and
compromise the Lord. The church of Pergamos was rebuked for its
compromise. Revelation 2:13 – 15 tells us about the faithful yet
compromising church. The church was rebuked for associating with
the Nicolaitans, a group of heretics. It was also likened to Balaam who
was hired by the king of Midianites to out a curse on Israel.
Application
This command applies to young men and women who are still single
and seeking their lifetime partners. Do not marry or get involved with
unbelievers. Do not even think about it. The man or woman may
really be nice or likeable but without the common bond of belief in
Christ it will be difficult. Questions like, how will we raise the kids?
There will be differences and these differences could prove disastrous.
This is not to say that when you marry another Christian then
everything is hunky dory. That is not the case because you still have to
work on your marriage and ask God to bless it. But with an
unbeliever, the relationship is wrong from the very start. It will just
add burden to the marriage. If you are in your heart a dedicated
follower of Christ, keep away from these relationship. It may not be
for the long-haul.

Conclusion –
Absolute Moral Standards
Our God is a god of absolutes. He has omnipotence-absolute power,
omniscience – absolute knowledge, omnipresence – absolutely
everywhere. He is also absolutely holy that He cannot tolerate sin in
His presence. Evil is never part of His nature. He expects the same
from His children. He expects it from you. We must not be sinful and
greedy. God’s goodness and generosity must be visible in our lives.
There is no other way. They ways of the condemned are not ours. We
are God’s children and inheritors of heaven. We must behave as such,
without a shadow of uncleanness and corruption. Our lives must be

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transparent without deceit and malice. A Christian has no hidden
agenda. Our only goal in life is live lives that are pleasing to Him.
There is no other way.
We must not conform to the standards of this world. Just like
Christians of Ephesus we are surrounded and bombarded by the wiles
of earthly pleasures. The world ‘s values is desensitising us God’s
view of sin. What is viewed by God as sinful is deemed by the world
as a choice. There are no morals involved because it forced to us as
acceptable lifestyle choices. Homosexuality, sex outside marriage, and
abortion are considered as choices and they should be acceptable and
in some quarters endorsed. But in God’s sight, they are sins. Be
guided with the discernment and knowledge of God’s Word. It is the
only way to know and appreciate God’s absolute morality

Uncompromising God
The God of absolutes is uncompromising. He cannot compromise His
Holiness but as a loving God he provided a means to approach His
Holiness, and that is through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ s
that we will be redeemed from our sins and be worthy in His Holy
presence.
Again He expects the same from us, uncompromising and unaffected
by the world. It is not an easy feat. In the book of Genesis, Joseph was
uncompromising with Potiphar’s wife and he was imprisoned. Yet the
imprisonment proved to be a blessing.
Daniel and his friends were uncompromising. They were cast into the
furnace, but God delivered them.
Paul himself did not compromise. He could have taken the easy way
out by not appealing to the emperor and taking advantage of his being
a Pharisee. Yet he was martyred and gladly died for it.
In the early days of Christianity thousands died for their faith. During
the Inquisition, millions died without renouncing their faith.
Yet it may not come to the point where your life is at risk for being a
follower of Christ. But the subtle ways of the world is seeking you to
compromise, not renounce, your Christian principles. The deceitful
ways of the devil entraps us to give up what the Lord holds dear, the
total control of our hearts and lives. We must not get into that trap but
always cede control to the uncompromising God.

Absolute morality from the uncompromising God.