Ephesians 5:6-7 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not become partners with them;
A further issue of concern to Paul is the negative influence of unbelievers upon the Ephesians. He gives a strong warning about being tricked and deceived by people who are not named specifically but are implied in the phrase, sons of disobedience. These are people who deliberately reject the way of holiness and righteousness (4:24) and live by the ways of this world. Paul has already pointed out that this is how everyone lives before experiencing the grace of God in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-3). These people are not innocent or ignorant of their sins but are deliberately walking in defiance of God. This is how unbelievers live. They may not be involved in the “big” blatant sins, but their hearts are dark and their minds lost in confusion and rebellion against the light God shines in their lives.
Because of their rejection of God’s ways, they are bound to receive the wrath of God. God’s wrath (orgē) is the righteous aspect of God’s love and holiness. God’s wrath is the experience of sin in the presence of God’s holiness. In this lifetime, God’s wrath is experienced as love in the form of warning and discipline. At the time of judgment, God’s wrath will be experienced as condemnation because of God’s holiness. Paul uses the present tense comes, implying that the disobedient people will experience God’s wrath in this life, now. The present tense could have a future aspect to it, adding the sense of certainty.
The problem for the Ephesians and anyone who reads this letter is that these disobedient people deceive believers into falling back into their old ways. Deceive (hapatatō) means to intentionally mislead someone to do a wrong action or to think in a wrong way. The deceit comes through empty words. This suggests that these people are involved in doing some of the vices Paul has just listed in the previous verses. He is strongly warning the Ephesians to stay away from these practices because the outcome is not good. They do not want to experience also the wrath of God. They should not share in these practices but avoid them. This will require that they take the narrow and difficult road of self denial.
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