Walk Circumspectly Ephesians 5:15

As Paul the apostle continued to give instructions to the church members of Ephesus, he challenged them to “awake” and “arise from the dead”, and he promised them that “Christ” would “give” them “light”. In chapter five and verse fifteen of his letter, Paul continued his exhortation as he told the Ephesians to “walk circumspectly” where we read:

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

The verse begins, “See then that you walk circumspectly,...” Paul began with the words, “See then” which means “discern, of the bodily eye, to be possessed of sight and have the power of seeing” “that you walk” or “make your way, progress and use of opportunities” “circumspectly” which means “exactly, accurately, perfectly and diligently”. The Ephesian church members were to carefully and “diligently” make their way and progress through life.

The verse continues, “...not as fools, but as wise,” Paul added, “not as fools” which means “unwise and foolish”, “but” which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written takes precedence over what was previously stated, “moreover, nevertheless and nonetheless” “as wise” which means “skilled, expert, cultivated and learned”. The Ephesians were not to be “foolish” in their activities, but they were to conduct themselves with “wisdom” and “skill”.

When we consider these words of Paul, we are challenged to live as Paul exhorted the Ephesians to live. We must pay attention to our attitudes, actions, words and activities as Christians, and we should never allow “foolish” living to be part of our lives. The world is watching, and if we do not “walk circumspectly” we may not only fall into many snares, but our testimony will also be affected as well. May the Lord Jesus help us to live “circumspectly” as He desires for us to live, and as we do, may the world know those Christians live in “wisdom”.

Next time Paul tells the Ephesians to “redeem the time”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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