Ephesians 5:6

“Let no man deceive you with empty words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience”

“Let”: One has the choice to prevent this from happening, which infers that one does not have to end up deceived. Therefore, the Bible is understandable and God's instructions are so clear that one can avoid believing false doctrine (Hebrews 5:14). “No man”: No matter what their "qualifications" are. God's word takes precedence over the opinions of learned and educated men. “Deceive you”: “Do not let anyone fool you on this point” (Phi). “There are always those who find excuses for sin. They are saying today that strict morality is puritanical. and is the mere relic of outgrown standards of life” (Erdman p. 109). Such people will always exist (2 Peter 2:1-3; 18 ff) in the church. Even in the first century some professed Christians tried to pervert "grace" into nothing more than. license for the Christian to sin (Romans 6:1; Judges 1:4). “With empty words”: “Empty promises” (Knox). “Groundless arguments” (Wms). “Shallow arguments” (NEB). “H owever plausible his argument” (Phi).

God is telling us that He does not care how "plausible" their arguments sound, all arguments that try to justify these things are completely void of truth. In the First Century the Church was faced with people who argued grace allows us to live anyway we want. What you do in your body, has no effect on your soul (Gnosticism). All Jews will be saved, no matter what they believe or how they live. Some claimed that such things were simply matters of moral indifference, and since society condones them, they are okay. Some 2000 years later we have no lack of "empty words" in our own generation: “Nature requires these vices, that they are innocent pleasures, at worst pardonable weaknesses” (Lenski p. 602). “God is too kind to condemn-- and that everybody will get to heaven in the end, irrespective of their behaviour” (Stott p. 197).

“For”: Even some professed Christians may be fooled by some of these empty arguments, but they are still wrong. “Of these things”: Yes, these very things just mentioned. “Cometh the wrath of God”: Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:10.

Jesus is coming again and He will punish the disobedient (2 Thessalonians 1:7). Those who continue to engage in these sins will face God's wrath, in fact such wrath presently rests upon their heads (John 3:36). “God's wrath comes (present tense), and is on. collision course with those who insist on their wicked lifestyle” (Boles p. 300). Carefully note: The physical consequences of fornication do not satisfy or remove the wrath of God. Some people naively think, “Since that person made this life such. "living hell" for themselves, they have suffered enough for their sins and God does not need to punish them”. The physical consequences for sin can never make up for the eternal consequences. Yes, God will eternally punish the unrepentant individual who died of AIDS, or the alcoholic, drug addict, or prostitute.

“Upon the sons of disobedience”: “Sons of obstinacy” (Rhm), or people characterized by disobedience. “Those who defy God deserve to face His wrath” (Boles p. 300). “The active and practical side of the state of the unbeliever” (Alford p. 1240). This simply means that if one is defiant to God's will, then one will end up lost, no matter what one actually professed to be (Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:21). The world has all sorts of euphemisms for disobedient people, like “individualists”, but none of these trendy names brings one any closer to God or any fear then from His wrath.