Useful Bible Studies > Ephesians Commentary > chapter 5
Christians should always desire to live in the manner that pleases God (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:9). God’s word, the Bible, teaches them how God wants them to live (Psalm 1).
So, it pleases God when we turn from our evil deeds (Acts 3:19), to put our trust in Christ. It pleases God when we obey his commands with glad and willing attitudes. We should love God and, by our actions, we should express his love and kindness to other people (Mark 12:28-31). We should trust God with all our heart and we should not depend on ourselves (Proverbs 3:5-6). We should allow God to direct our lives by his Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18). We should allow God to teach us from the Bible (Romans 15:4), and to change our attitudes and behaviour. We should always do what is right and good (Romans 12:21). When we think and speak and act in this way, our lives please God.
A Christian’s desire to please God causes him to be noble, kind, honourable, truthful and generous. You might think that everyone would approve of someone with such good attitudes. However, a light shows everything that people try to hide in the darkness. In the same way, the good behaviour of Christians can show to other people that their own deeds are evil. Therefore, wicked people hate Christians for the same reason that they hate God himself (see 1 John 1:5-7). However, Christians do not, in return, hate wicked people - instead, Christians must love even their enemies (Matthew 5:43-48).
Next part: When should Christians warn people about their wrong acts? (Ephesians 5:11-13)
Please use the links at the top of the page to find our other articles in this series. You can download all our articles if you go to the download page for our free 1000+ page course book.
© 2019, Keith Simons.