Text: Ephesians 5:5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Paul, while discussion about the children of light in this chapter, very well establishes the distinction between Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan, differently put, kingdom of light and kingdom of darkness.
And the partaker of the kingdom of God is non another than the child of God, in this chapter, however, it is children of light. While we talk about the kingdom of God and its inhabiting community, we also need to understand its counter part, which is the kingdom of darkness.
Paul starts this chapter with a humble request to all its readers to follow God by walking in love and holiness. (Verse 1-3)
As it's quite apparent today, it was also the same in the days of Paul that all who come to church or profess themselves to be believers, when closely examined with the God-given parameters in scriptures, were/are not committed or born again Christians.
Let's have a look at these kingdoms in their contrariety.
1. THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS
Before we look at the kingdom of God we must first understand what is kingdom of darkness. Without having the knowledge of the kingdom darkness, no one can be more passionate and persistent to move towards kingdom of God.
Therefore, keeping this in mind, Paul here clearly sidelines such community of people who would not inherit the kingdom of God. And the list of the acts of such people are as follows:
-Fornicator
-Unholy
-Covetous
-Idolater
According verse 6 we come to know that there were false teachers who were misleading believers by teaching them false doctrines. One among such false teachings was to incorporating sinful worldly patterns while being a partaker of the body of Christ. So make sure you don't fall in this group by any means.
2. THE KINGDOM OF LIGHT
Paul used a beautiful contrasting metaphor to relate with the believers in Christ; children of light, who were once children of darkness. And again the list of the acts of children of light, as earlier we saw in previous point, is as follows;
-Goodness
-Righteousness
-Truthfulness
These words don't need exposition they are as simple as they appear. We are very familiar with those terms and not very difficult to imply them in our day today life.
Remember what Paul says in verse 9 These are the fruit of light, grown inside of them who choose to walk in the light.
After having known the reality of two kingdoms, which postmodern man denies, let's decide where we gonna end up as death knocks at the door of physical life, which is of course temporal leading towards eternal life either in kingdom of hell or kingdom of heaven.
You may have had confusion until now to find out out how to get into either of these, but thank God for Paul who artistically, in his letter to Ephesians, highlights acts that would lead to either of these two kingdoms.
In verse 15, Scripture says let's not walk as fools but walk as wise. Since the days are evil, think carefully where you are headed. Please take time to read through the whole chapter, if possible whole book.
God bless you as you choose to walk towards the kingdom of heaven !!!!
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