Ephesians 5:6

Ephesians 5:6

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God on the children of disobedience.

a. NLT: Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.

b. NIV: Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.

c. YLT: Let no one deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the sons of the disobedience,

d. Amplified Bible Classic: Let no one delude and deceive you with empty excuses and groundless arguments [for these sins], for through these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of rebellion and disobedience.

e. Worrell Translation: Let no one deceive you with empty words; for because of these things, comes the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.

f. Wuest Translation: Let no one keep on deceiving you by means of empty words, for because of these things there comes the wrath of God upon the sons of the disobedience.

1. “Let no man deceive you with vain words…”

a. [Let] deceive [Strong: 538 apatao ap-at-ah'-o of uncertain derivation; to cheat, i.e. delude:--deceive.] [Thayer: to cheat, beguile, deceive.]

b. no man [Strong: 3367 medeis may-dice', including the irregular feminine medemia may-dem-ee'-ah, and the neuter meden may-den' from 3361 and 1520; not even one (man, woman, thing):--any (man, thing), no (man), none, not (at all, any man, a whit), nothing, + without delay.]

c. you [Strong: 5209 humas hoo-mas' accusative case of 5210; you (as the objective of a verb or preposition):--ye, you (+ -ward), your (+ own).]

d. vain [Strong: 2756 kenos ken-os' apparently a primary word; empty (literally or figuratively):--empty, (in) vain.] [Thayer: empty, vain, devoid of truth, of places, vessels, etc. which contain nothing, of men, empty handed, without a gift, metaph. destitute of spiritual wealth, of one who boasts of his faith as a transcendent possession, yet is without the fruits of faith, metaph. of endeavours, labours, acts, which result in nothing, vain, fruitless, without effect, vain of no purpose.]

e. words [Strong: 3056 logos log'-os from 3004; something said (including the thought); by implication, a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension, a computation; specially, (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (i.e. Christ):--account, cause, communication, X concerning, doctrine, fame, X have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say(-ing), shew, X speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.]

1). The “vain words” the Apostle Paul is warning against is any argument that would defend this kind of behavior in the born again believer. According to Paul’s God breathed warning, all the arguments defending all forms of fornication, including homosexuality, covetousness, corrupt unclean language are nothing but “vain words” we are not to be deceived by, including all the deception of sexual orientation. Concerning the phrase vain words, there is an interesting verse in Jonah 2:8 that I believe can be applied here. “They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy”. By clinging to the lying vanity of sexual orientation many are forsaking the mercy in Jesus Christ that could not only forgive them but also set them free.

2. “…for because of these things cometh the wrath of God on the children of disobedience.”

a. for [Strong: 1063 gar gar a primary particle; properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles):--and, as, because (that), but, even, for, indeed, no doubt, seeing, then, therefore, verily, what, why, yet.]

b. because of [Strong: 1223 dia dee-ah' a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through (in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional):--after, always, among, at, to avoid, because of (that), briefly, by, for (cause) ... fore, from, in, by occasion of, of, by reason of, for sake, that, thereby, therefore, X though, through(-out), to, wherefore, with (-in). In composition it retains the same general importance.]

c. these things [Strong: 5023 tauta tow'-tah nominative or accusative case neuter plural of 3778; these things:--+ afterward, follow, + hereafter, X him, the same, so, such, that, then, these, they, this, those, thus.]

d. cometh [Strong: 2064 erchomai er'-khom-ahee middle voice of a primary verb (used only in the present and imperfect tenses, the others being supplied by a kindred (middle voice) eleuthomai el-yoo'-thom-ahee, or (active) eltho el'-tho, which do not otherwise occur) to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively):--accompany, appear, bring, come, enter, fall out, go, grow, X light, X next, pass, resort, be set.]

e. the [Strong: 3588 * ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, the definite etc.]

f. wrath [Strong: 3709 orge or-gay' from 3713; properly, desire (as a reaching forth or excitement of the mind), i.e. (by analogy), violent passion (ire, or (justifiable) abhorrence); by implication punishment:--anger, indignation, vengeance, wrath.]

g. of God [Strong: 2316 theos theh'-os of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with 3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very:--X exceeding, God, god(-ly, -ward).]

h. upon [Strong: 1909 epi ep-ee' a primary preposition; properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution (with the genitive case), i.e. over, upon, etc.; of rest (with the dative case) at, on, etc.; of direction (with the accusative case) towards, upon, etc.:--about (the times), above, after, against, among, as long as (touching), at, beside, X have charge of, (be-, (where-))fore, in (a place, as much as, the time of, -to), (because) of, (up-)on (behalf of), over, (by, for) the space of, through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), with. In compounds it retains essentially the same import, at, upon, etc. (literally or figuratively).]

i. the [Strong: 3588 * ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, the definite etc.]

j. children [Strong: 5207 huios hwee-os' apparently a primary word; a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship:--child, foal, son.]

k. of disobedience [Strong: 543 apeitheia ap-i'-thi-ah from 545; disbelief (obstinate and rebellious):--disobedience, unbelief.]

1). The Scriptures are clear that such disobedience brings the wrath of God. One form of the wrath of God is revealed in Romans 1:18-32 where an individual or a culture descends level by level in corruption as they yield to theses sins. The other form of the wrath of God will be revealed when Christ Jesus comes back to establish his kingdom.