How to Overcome Immorality
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for the Lord’s people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person - such a person is an idolater - has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” Ephesians 5:3-5
This is one of those passages in the Bible that I think has been highly influential in shaping how many people practice Christianity today, but in the wrong way. I used to look at this a very different way too. I used to read it and think, ok there should be no sexual immorality, no impurity, no greed, no obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking. SO, I should make every effort NOT to do those things. And it says right in verse 5 that those people don’t have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ. OK, well I’m sure I don’t want to be that guy, so I’ll work really hard to keep myself pure and moral.
The problem with this? NOBODY can do it. We can try, and at times we succeed better than at other times, but nobody is perfect and pure, and that’s what this is basically describing. To read it the way I used to sets me up for a life of guilt and disappointment, always feeling like I ought to be something I fail at trying to be. I know tons of people who get some of this right but not all of it, and they are like the guy at the circus who is trying to get 21 plates all spinning on those little sticks at the same time. You run around, out of breath, and the job is never done - and sometimes plates fall. And, you feel like everyone is watching and judging your performance.
And if you read this passage like that, it’s not really good news is it? But it’s supposed to be. And thankfully, there IS good news in there!
There are three words that are often overlooked, and I overlooked them for far too long as well. The three words are: but rather thanksgiving. This passage not only tells you what there shouldn’t be, but also what there should be. And the way it says it, is by using a specific word: Rather. Rather could also mean, “instead” or “alternately.” Basically, in place of all that other stuff, there should be thanksgiving in your life. You don’t just try to not do the bad stuff, you replace it with thanksgiving. Ask anyone whose quit a bad habit, it’s easier when you can replace it with something else - like chewing gum instead of smoking.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary has some thoughts on this as well. He says that the Christian should distance himself from the obscene things so that he may delight his mind and make himself cheerful, by a grateful remembrance of God’s goodness to him, and by praising Him on account of this. He says that it is necessary to spend time reflecting on the grace and goodness of God to us, in order to excite our thankfulness to him, and that is what delights our minds. He also says that if men spent more time doing this, they would not be so apt to utter ill and unbecoming words, because blessing and cursing cannot proceed out of the same mouth.
So then, spending time noticing and thinking of God’s goodness, and thanking Him for it, is the replacement habit we need to put in place if we want to stop our impurity, greed, and obscenity. You want to break your addiction to porn? Start noticing all the good things God is doing in your life and start thanking Him for it. You want to clean up that foul mouth? Begin using it to say good things to a good God. And this is not to say that the working of the Holy Spirit within a man is any less significant, because certainly God brings about transformation in us as well. But for our part, this is what to do. But we so often forget those three little words: but rather thanksgiving.
But there’s one more matter to settle in the last verse - no immoral person has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. That sends a shudder down most Christians’ spines because, as we already established, nobody’s perfect. We’re all immoral to varying degrees, no matter how “good” a Christian we are. And thanksgiving will do wonders in our lives yes, but it still won’t bring about perfect morality or purity. So what do we do with that phrase - anyone that’s immoral doesn’t get into the Kingdom?
In Matthew 10:7, Jesus was sending the disciples out to go among the towns, and he said this, “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’” He didn’t say it was going to arrive soon, he said it has come near. It has gotten way closer to you than it was before. It is near you, you are near it. Well, if it’s “near,” WHERE is it? WHAT is it even?
In Mark 4:30-32, Jesus said that it’s like a mustard seed, the smallest seed on earth, that when planted grows to be one of the biggest garden plants. In Mark 12:28-34, when a man showed his understanding of the greatest commandment, Jesus told him he was not far from the kingdom of God. In Romans 14:17, Paul describes the kingdom as a matter of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. And Jesus also said in Luke 17:20-21 that it’s not something you can point to, but rather it’s in our midst.
My understanding of the kingdom of God is that it’s living with God as your king. It’s under his rule and his way of doing things. It refers to heaven, but also to life here on earth. Not that all of life here on earth is God’s kingdom, only that as his sons and daughters, we can participate in it even while still in our physical bodies. We get to experience bits of heaven now when we choose to restore, love, show grace, forgive, etc. because those are the kind of things that happen in God’s kingdom. The guy who understood loving God and loving your neighbor in Mark 12? He was near to the kingdom. When we are living righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit? That’s kingdom stuff. We experience the kingdom of God in this life when we take part in God’s work of redemption and restoration – when we help replace the bad we come upon with good. It’s living grace.
SO, back to the original question of the text. It says that immoral and greedy people have no inheritance in God’s kingdom. Why is that? Because those folks are focused on their own kingdom. They are king, not God. In fact, when they proclaim themselves king, they essentially set up a rival kingdom next to God’s - and they aren’t a part of His when they’re only concerned with themselves. They’re in their own kingdom. They’re not embodying grace and restoration - they’re after greed and self and pride and power. Thus, they’ll receive nothing from God’s kingdom because the things they’re after aren’t found in His kingdom.
We should find this passage in Ephesians not to be like a set of handcuffs, trying to get us under control and force our behavior. We should find it liberating and life-giving because we see what we can do to replace those bad habits, and enter into the kingdom of God, which allows us to live the more abundant life Jesus promised us would be ours.
