Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Christ's sacrifice is described as both an "offering" and a "sacrifice," highlighting that it was a complete surrender of his life to God's purpose, and a specific bloody sacrifice for our sins, making us acceptable to God. This incredible gift should then inspire us to live lives characterized by a love that is willing to give itself up for others.
Paul urges believers to imitate God by walking in love, drawing a direct comparison to Christ's sacrificial love for humanity. This sacrifice, presented to God, is described using imagery of a "fragrant offering and sacrifice," highlighting its perfect acceptability and the deep love it represents.
Understand the original words
peripateite · Greek Verb
To live, conduct oneself, or behave in a specific manner; in Scripture, it often refers to the entirety of a person’s moral and spiritual life path.
prosphoran · Greek Noun
A sacrificial gift or presentation offered to God; in this context, it emphasizes the sacrificial nature of Christ’s death as an act of obedience and atonement.
thysian · Greek Noun
The act of offering something valuable (or a life) to God; historically involved the shedding of blood to provide atonement for sin, which Christ fulfilled perfectly.
This passage directly echoes the call to love one another as Christ loved us, emphasizing that laying down one's life is the ultimate expression of that love.
1 John 3:16This verse explicitly connects Christ's willingness to lay down his life for us with our responsibility to lay down our lives for our brothers, mirroring the sacrificial love mentioned in Ephesians.
Philippians 2:5-8This passage describes Christ's humility and self-emptying, culminating in his death on the cross, which serves as the profound example for believers to have the same mindset.
Hebrews 10:10-14This section discusses Christ's one-time, perfect sacrifice for sins, which fulfills the Old Testament sacrificial system and demonstrates God's will and Christ's finished work.
Genesis 8:20-21This Old Testament passage introduces the concept of a 'sweet-smelling aroma' offered to the Lord after the flood, providing the background imagery for how Christ's sacrifice was pleasing to God.
barnesEphesians 5:2: "And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour."
And walk in love - That is, let your lives be characterized by love; let that be evinced in all your deportment and conversation; see notes on John 13:34 . As Christ also hath loved us - We are to evince the same love for one another which he has done for us. He showed his love by giving himself to die for us, and we should evince similar…
clarkeEphesians 5:2: "And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour."
And walk in love - Let every act of life be dictated by love to God and man. As Christ - hath loved us - Laying down your lives for your brethren if necessary; counting nothing too difficult to be done in order to promote their eternal salvation. Hath given himself for us - Christ hath died in our stead, and become thereby a sacrifice for…
Christ's sacrifice is described as both an "offering" and a "sacrifice," highlighting that it was a complete surrender of his life to God's purpose, and a specific bloody sacrifice for our sins, making us acceptable to God. This incredible gift should then inspire us to live lives characterized by a love that is willing to give itself up for others.
Paul urges believers to imitate God by walking in love, drawing a direct comparison to Christ's sacrificial love for humanity. This sacrifice, presented to God, is described using imagery of a "fragrant offering and sacrifice," highlighting its perfect acceptability and the deep love it represents.
Paul urges believers to imitate God by walking in love, drawing a direct comparison to Christ's sacrificial love for humanity. This sacrifice, presented to God, is described using imagery of a "fragrant offering and sacrifice," highlighting its perfect acceptability and the deep love it represents.
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"And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." — Christ's sacrifice is described as both an "offering" and a "sacrifice," highlighting that it was a complete surrender of his life to God's purpose, and a specific bloody sacrifice for our sins,…
