What Does Ephesians 5:2 Mean?
Ephesians 5:2 calls us to walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. This verse builds on the call to imitate God as His beloved children, showing that real love is self-giving, not self-serving. It sets the tone for how believers should live in contrast to the selfishness and immorality described in the following verses.
Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Key Facts
Book
Author
Paul
Genre
Epistle
Date
c. 60-62 AD
Key People
Key Themes
Key Takeaways
- Love means giving ourselves for others like Christ did.
- Walking in love reflects God's character in daily life.
- True worship includes selfless acts that honor God and others.
Context and Meaning of Ephesians 5:2
This verse follows Paul’s call to imitate God as His beloved children and leads into a series of practical instructions for holy living.
Paul is writing to believers in Ephesus, a city full of pagan temples, sexual immorality, and idolatry, where following Jesus meant standing against the culture. In this context, he urges them to live differently, not out of rule-following, but because they belong to God and reflect His character. Walking in love means more than being kind - it means selflessly giving ourselves for others, following Christ's example of complete self-giving for us, not to impress God but as a pleasing sacrifice to Him. This kind of love stands in sharp contrast to the selfishness and sexual sin Paul warns against right after this verse.
Christ’s sacrifice was more than an example - it made a way for us to be close to God, and now we’re called to live in that same spirit of love and surrender.
Walking in Love: The Meaning of 'Peripateite' and Christ's Sacrifice
Building on the call to imitate God, Paul uses the everyday idea of 'walking' to describe how believers should live out their faith in consistent, practical love.
The Greek word 'peripateite' means 'to walk' or 'to live your daily life,' and in the New Testament, it often refers to your overall lifestyle or behavior. In this context, it concerns how we treat others moment by moment, rather than religious rituals. This kind of walk is shaped by Christ's sacrifice - called a 'fragrant offering and sacrifice to God' - a phrase drawn from Old Testament worship language, where pleasing sacrifices were made to honor God (Leviticus 1:9), but now fulfilled in Jesus' ultimate act of love.
To 'walk in love' means to live every day with the same self-giving purpose that led Christ to the cross.
Paul is showing that following Jesus is more than moral improvement - it is a total reorientation of life, replacing selfish desires with love that gives rather than takes. This stands in direct contrast to the 'unfruitful works of darkness' he warns about next, like sexual immorality and greed, which are all rooted in self-centeredness. By calling Christ's death a 'fragrant offering,' Paul helps us see that love isn't weak - it's powerful, holy, and deeply pleasing to God, setting the standard for how we are to live in relationship with others.
Living Out Christlike Love in Everyday Life
This call to walk in love is for more than special moments - it is meant to shape our daily choices and relationships.
For the Ephesians, living this way was radical: in a culture that valued power, pleasure, and personal freedom, loving others with Christ's self-giving love stood out as something different and divine. It still does today - because real love, the kind that sacrifices, reflects God's own heart and fulfills the good news that we, changed by grace, can now live for others, mirroring Christ's life for us.
Love that gives itself away is not natural - but it’s what we’re called to as followers of Jesus.
This truth leads directly into Paul’s next point: how this sacrificial love takes specific shape in marriage, where mutual respect and self-giving honor mirror the relationship between Christ and the church.
Living as Fragrant Offerings: Love in Action Today
This idea of love as a 'fragrant offering' is more than just about Jesus' death - it is a pattern for how we live today, echoing Paul's call in Romans 12:1 to 'present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.'
John also makes it personal: 'By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers' (1 John 3:16), showing that real, costly love is not optional but central to the Christian life. These verses together help us see that worship is more than singing or prayer - it is serving others, forgiving quickly, giving quietly, and choosing kindness even when it costs us.
When we lay down our lives in everyday acts of love, we become living sacrifices that point others to Christ.
This kind of love transforms not only individuals but entire communities, turning churches into places where sacrifice is normal, grace is abundant, and the presence of God is unmistakably sweet.
Application
How This Changes Everything: Real Life Impact
I remember a time when I thought love was mostly about being nice - saying kind words, avoiding conflict, and helping when it was convenient. But Ephesians 5:2 hit me hard: 'Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.' That kind of love isn't convenient - it’s costly. It meant changing how I treated my spouse when I was tired, forgiving a friend who hurt me even when I didn’t feel like it, and saying no to selfish habits that were slowly poisoning my relationships. At first, I felt guilty - so much of my 'love' had been about what I could get, not give. But then came hope: because of what Jesus did, I don’t have to love perfectly on my own strength. His sacrifice empowers mine. Now, I see that every small act of self-giving love - listening patiently, serving quietly, letting go of pride - is worship that pleases God and reflects His heart.
Personal Reflection
- Where in my life am I loving for what I can get, rather than giving like Christ gave?
- What specific relationship needs more sacrificial love this week - time, forgiveness, or service?
- How can I see my daily choices as 'fragrant offerings' to God, rather than mere duties?
A Challenge For You
This week, choose one practical way to lay down something for someone else - not because you have to, but because Christ first loved you. It could be giving up your time to help a neighbor, letting go of a grudge, or serving someone without telling anyone. Do it quietly, as an offering to God.
A Prayer of Response
Lord, thank you for loving me so completely that you gave yourself up for me. Help me to walk in that same love - not only in feelings, but in real actions that put others first. Show me where I’ve been selfish, and give me the courage to lay down my pride, time, or comfort. May my life be a pleasing offering to you, mirroring Christ's example. Amen.
Related Scriptures & Concepts
Immediate Context
Ephesians 5:1
Calls believers to imitate God as beloved children, setting the foundation for walking in love.
Ephesians 5:3
Contrasts walking in love with sexual immorality and greed, showing what love is not.
Connections Across Scripture
John 15:13
Jesus says the greatest love is to lay down your life, directly fulfilled in His sacrifice.
Philippians 2:5-8
Describes Christ's humility and self-giving, mirroring the love Paul calls believers to walk in.
1 Peter 2:21
Calls believers to follow Christ's example of suffering and sacrifice in love for others.