“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” (Ephesians 5:2-4).
Few Bible words have suffered greater abuse in recent years than the word “love”. Anemic permissiveness which ignores sinful behavior and treats a “loved” one as a permanent exception to all authority is a gross and perverted understanding of this beautiful, Bible word.
As clearly stated above, a loving person does not live with out-of-control desires. All sexual misconduct (i.e., fornication), all unclean desires, and all ungodly desires are unloving. Love for God and for your neighbor are absent in your life if your physical and spiritual desires are unholy. Anyone who says otherwise is striving to deceive you with empty words (v. 6).
As clearly stated above, a loving person does not have an out-of-control tongue. A filthy mouth, moronic speech, and obscene or suggestive talk are unloving. Love for God and love for your neighbor are absent from your life if your lips are unholy. Anyone with an unbridled tongue deceives himself if he thinks of his religion as anything but useless (James 1:26), and anyone who says otherwise is striving to deceive you with empty words (v. 6).
Walk in love, because “no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Ephesians 5:5).
