Ephesians 5:3 – Dark Triad

Eph 5:3  But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Now that Paul has given us something to work towards – being imitators of Christ – he now instructs the church on what to avoid. He uses three words which cover a great deal of area: fornication, uncleanness, and covetousness.

Fornication comes from the Greek word from which we get our word ‘pornography’. It can cover all illicit sexual activity, ranging from adultery, sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, etc. It’s the noun for ‘commiting fornication’ which comes from the word used for ‘harlot/prostitute’. Whilst it can be used in a specific sense for something as prostitution, it is also used in a wider metaphysical sense such as here in Ephesians and the rest of the New Testament. The general idea seems to be selling/trading one’s body for gain. We see this exhibited literally in the form of prostitution, and also in the metaphysically where one ‘sells’ their body for something in return – be it company, pleasure, etc.

Listed as one of the rules for the Gentile church to abide by – abstain from fornication. It was rapidly attacked by early heresies in the church including the Nicolaitans and people functioning ‘in the spirit of Jezebel’ where fornication was allowed/encouraged.

Fornication is followed next in Ephesians 5:3 by uncleanness. In yet another even broader term, Paul gives the church something to avoid. The literal meaning is ‘impure’, that is to say, the opposite of pure. Uncleanness is a category that is never fully revealed what is ‘unclean’ exactly. This seems to be for one, because uncleanness can be subjective – an action appropriate in one place and time becomes inappropriate in another place and time. What was pure now becomes impure. What was right is now wrong. In this sense, the category becomes immense, for it means that it is not necessarily the action itself that is right or wrong, but the action in relation to the place, time, and people.

In 1 Thessalonian 4:7 we are given an important contrast when Paul declares, ‘God has not called us unto uncleanness but unto holiness.’ The word used for uncleanness is the same here as in Ephesians, but it’s what it’s contrasted to that is of particular interest to us: holiness. Thus can we further understand and define those things that are unclean that we should avoid – they are the things that take us away from a life of holiness. Things that stop us from being able to be present before God.

The open-ended nature of the category of uncleanness adds all the more weight when Paul later in chapter 5 instructs the reader to ‘walk circumspectly’ (walk diligently), for to determine whether something is clean or unclean is sometimes not always obvious. It requires one to be watching for anything that might be gradually bringing impurities into one’s life that will interfere and eventually stop communication with God, for without holiness, no man can see God.

A final note on the uncleanness that Paul mentions: all. All forms of uncleanness. All the different types. In this perhaps one can read as a positive message: take on perfection. Our goal is to get rid of all the imperfections so that we may be pure. This we may do through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

The final category that Paul mentions is covetousness. It’s root word means literally, ‘more’ (from Strong’s). In perhaps the most simple sense, to be covetous, one is trying to get MORE from the other than they get from him. It’s an unequal trade. It’s a win/lose situation, where one person is ripping the other off. That is the action. It starts in the mind and manifests in multiple behaviors all centering around gain at the expense of others. Just as the other two, covetousness covers much ground, from the mindset and attitude of the individual to their work ethic and practices.

What’s particularly interesting with covetousness is in verse 5, Paul goes out of his way to expand on the seriousness of covetousness, writing, ‘nor covetous man, who is an idolater . . .’ In this verse is revealed the core issue with covetousness – idolatry.

These three things and the host of behaviors/attitudes that they include are to be avoided completely by those who are saints. It is not the behavior of holy ones. This implies that if one has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, thus putting on His righteousness, being made holy in Him, thus a holy one because of the Holy One, yet continues in behavior that does not fit a holy one, the day will come when such a one will be no longer holy, for as man does, so is he.

This harks back to the opening of the chapter – children who rebel will eventually be no longer children – especially if they are adopted children. If we understand children to be that which comes from the parent, meaning, the child is a reflection or better yet, imitation of the parent, then it stands to reason that if the child is not a reflection of the parent but someone else, they eventually will find themselves with different parents. Such an example we see with many of the religious elite of Jesus’ day, where He tells them that their father is the devil – because that’s whose image they were imitating.

So to for the saint to remain a saint, they must live out the actions of the saint – and in this case, refrain from those actions that define the profane.