Let no one deceive you with empty words, because because of these things the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience.
5:6 — “Let no one deceive you with empty, empty words, specious and deceitful arguments. “And I say this so that no one deceives you with persuasive words” (Col 2:4). Do not allow anyone to deceive you with arguments that sound good and plausible but are not actually based on truth. In the first century there were plenty of religious teachers who promised people salvation as well as the satisfaction of their carnal appetites. We see a lot of evidence of this. Look at the following texts: 2Ti 3:5; 2Ti 3:7; 2Ti 3:13 (and its context); Tit 1:16; 2Pe 2:19 (the whole chapter, and the Jude letter); Rev 2:6; Rev 2:15, “the Nicolaitans”; 2:14 “the doctrine of Balaam”; 2:20, “that woman Jezebel”; and in several letters, mainly those of John, the denunciation of the errors and the deceit of the Gnostics is seen. All of these false teachers had one thing in common: they offered license to the church in the name of freedom in Christ. Today the religious world is full of the same. There are religious leaders who offer all forms of “freedom” (licentiousness) to their parishioners, just join their denomination or movement and pay (the most popular fee is the tithe). What “freedom” the priests, the “witnesses”, the Mormons, and other sects offer!
Source: Commentary on the New Testament by Partain
no one deceive you. Jer 29:8, Jer 29:9, Jer 29:31; Eze 13:10-16; Mic 3:5; Matt 24:4, Matt 24:24; Mar 13:5, Tue 13:22; Gal 6:7, Gal 6:8; Col 2:4, Col 2:8, Col 2:18; 2Thess 2:3, 2Thess 2:10-12; 1 John 4:1.
with empty words 2Ki 18:20; Jer 23:14-16.
for these things comes the wrath of God. Num 32:13, Num 32:14; Josh 22:17, Josh 22:18; Ps 78:31; Romans 1:18; Col 3:6.
on children of disobedience. Eph 2:2, Eph 2:3; Hebrews 3:19; 1Pe 2:8.
Source: The Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
See note on Eph 2:2 for the phrase children of disobedience.
The God’s anger points to those who practice the vices mentioned in v. Eph 5:5.
Source: New Illustrated Caribbean Bible Commentary
NO ONE DECEIVE YOU. Paul knew that some teachers would tell the Ephesians that they need not fear God’s wrath against his immorality. That is why he admonishes them that no one deceives them. It seems that one can be deceived into believing that some immoral and impure people have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ (see FALSE TEACHERS ARTICLE, P. 1374. ).
Source: Full Life Study Bible
deceive you No Christian will be completely free from sin in the present life, but it is a very dangerous deception for Christians to offer assurance of salvation to a person who professes to be a believer and whose life is characterized by persistent sin without showing shame for that sin or hunger for it. for the pure and holy things of God. Such are headed for divine wrath (Eph 2:2) and believers are not to associate in their wickedness (v. Eph 5:7).
Source: MacArthur Study Bible
5:6 — “Let no one deceive you with vain, empty words, specious and deceitful arguments. “And I say this so that no one deceives you with persuasive words” (Col 2:4). Do not allow anyone to deceive you with arguments that sound good and plausible but are not actually based on truth.
In the first century there were plenty of religious teachers who promised people salvation as well as the satisfaction of their carnal appetites. We see a lot of evidence of this. Note in the following texts: 2Ti 3:5; 2Ti 3:7; 2Ti 3:13 (and its context); Tit 1:16; 2Pe 2:19 (whole chapter, and Jude’s letter); Rev 2:6; Rev 2:15, “the Nicolaitans”; 2:14 “the doctrine of Balaam”; 2:20, “that woman Jezebel”; and in several letters, mainly those of John, the denunciation of the errors and the deceit of the Gnostics is seen. All of these false teachers had one thing in common: they offered license to the church in the name of freedom in Christ.
Today the religious world is full of the same. There are religious leaders who offer all forms of “freedom” (licentiousness) to their parishioners, just join their denomination or movement and pay (the most popular fee is the tithe). What “freedom” the priests, the “witnesses”, the Mormons, and other sects offer!
Source: Reeves-Partain Notes
Far from taking a permissive attitude in the face of imperial propaganda and the climate of immorality prevailing in those days, Paul warns his readers to be careful not to fall prey to such false messages (cf. Eph 4:22), which are nothing more than empty words (see Col 2:8, Col 4:1-18), that far from edifying and giving grace (Eph 4:29) destroy and harm the person. In the specific case of our passage, it refers to people who make Christians believe that the vices that have just been denounced are permissible and even desirable among Christians. Such deceivers can be both inside and outside the church.
If we consider cards like Col 1:1-29 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Jude and 2 Peter, we can realize that certain incipient forms of Gnosticism were already present. These made a strong distinction between the body and the spirit, and considered that since the material body was part of evil matter, what was done through it had no effect on the soul or spirit. That gave rise to an unbridled life given over to sensuality and physical pleasures.
Despite being hollow and meaningless words, such teachers turn their lies and deceptions into supposed truths. Any argument that leads us to consider these sins in a different way or to reduce our scale of values to adjust it to that of the prevailing ideologies is to fall into deception.
To make his warning more serious, Paul adds a serious reason: For these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (the same expression is found on Col 3:6). In this expression, two concepts already expressed and explained above in Eph 2:2 Y Eph 2:3 : children of disobedience and children of wrath. Both concepts are very rich in Pauline theology and point to the fact that the wrath of God is already manifested in the present in the immoral behavior of people. In other words, God manifests his rejection and wrath against sin by giving people over to the power of their own immoral passions and desires (Romans 1:18-32). Therefore, one of the consequences is that Christians have to avoid being part of his lifestyle and not adopt his poor scale of values.
Source: Commentary for Exegesis and Translation
Romans 1:18; Col 2:4; Col 2:8.
Source: Hispano-American Interdenominational Translation
GRADES
(1) Or, “because of these things.”
CROSS-REFERENCES
or 271 Col 2:4; Col 2:8
p 272 Eph 2:2