3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
The "but" establishes a contrast to the walk described in 5:l-2. The contrast is these six all-too-common sins. They effectively cover physical, mental, and verbal sin. The syntax places all six under the umbrella "let it not be once named among you." It will be beneficial to establish the precise meaning of several of these sins in the context of Scripture.
First, notice the connection between fornication, uncleanness, and covetousness placed together before the semicolon. Fornication and uncleanness are placed on equal footing by the conjunction “and,” however covetousness is set parallel to them (but not “with” them per say) with the conjunction “or.” Fornication and uncleanness are the result of taking action, however covetousness is the heart motive. So in essence Paul is saying that neither sins of action or desire should be named even once among believers. The Lord is not just concerned with what we do: He is also concerned with what we want. To avoid acting on sinful desires is good, but to uproot the very desire for sin itself is the goal.
Now to address the sins placed after the semicolon. “Filthiness” (or “filth”) is used frequently throughout both testaments. In each case, it would seem to indicate the repulsive physical effects of sin on persons or objects. It is first used in II Chronicles 29:5, when Hezekiah orders to Levites to cleanse and repair the temple. Among other things, they are told to “carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.” Elsewhere, Scripture speaks of filthiness being washed or cleaned away (Proverbs 30:12 and Ezekiel 36:25), tables being full of vomit and filthiness (Isaiah 28:8), filthiness in skirts (Lamentations 1:9), and filthiness being laid apart (James 1:21), to name just a few. Notably, II Corinthians 7:1 and I Peter 3:21 tell us to cleanse and put away the filthiness of the flesh. This creates a much broader application than simply sanitary and hygienic concerns. White notes, “Figuratively, filth refers to sin…” (118).
There are repeated commands in the New Testament to avoid things associated with “foolish talking.” James 1:26 and 3:5-8 are the most commonly referred to passages on the evil inclinations of the tongue. However, here in Ephesians we are presented with the adjective “foolish,” and so we should examine how the Bible defines a fool. Foremost among the references in Scripture, Psalm 14:1 tells us that a fool says there is no God. Proverbs has much to say about fools, including that they despise wisdom and instruction (1:7), they go straightway into the destruction of sin (7:22), they are clamorous and simple (9:13), they bring heaviness to their fathers’ hearts (10:1), they will fall (10:8), they die for want of wisdom (10:21), their ways are right in their own eyes (12:15), they lay open their folly (13:16), they pluck down their own homes (14:1), their mouths are rods of pride (14:3), they are deceitful (14:8), they mock sin (14:9), they are soon angry (14:24), they despise fathers’ instructions (15:5), they have no delight in understanding (18:2), they are contentious (18:6), their mouths are their destruction (18:7), their ways are perverted (19:3), they are without honor (26:1), they are conceited (26:5), they return to folly like a dog to vomit (26:11), they trust in their own heart (28:26), and they utter all their mind (29:11). This is only a small fraction of the passages on foolishness in Scripture, and they describe with perfect clarity the very spectacle screaming for our attention every day on radio, television, movies screens, and social media. With rare – if any – exceptions, this handful of passages from two books of the Bible details the heart, mind, and behavior of celebrities, professional athletes, and internet sensations. The Bible calls them all exactly what they are: fools. We who claim to believe the words of God – who hold wisdom in our hands, and have the very one from whom wisdom comes dwelling in our hearts – should not be caught mimicking the foolishness of this world and its “role models” for even a moment.
“Jesting” is found only in Ephesians 5:4, but given that it is on the heels of “foolish talking” it is not difficult to discern what the Lord means here. Humor is a wonderful part of God’s design for the mind and the emotions, however crude jokes – which typically mock sin (Proverbs 14:9) or glory in it – are the domain of fools, and not to be part of the Christian’s life. This, along with the filthiness and foolish talking, are “not convenient.” While we often associate the word “convenient” with “easy” or “efficient” today, the true sense of the word pertains to “being agreeable, suitable, or proper” (White 273). Hence, in Romans 1:28, those given over to a reprobate mind do things which are not convenient; those things are a staggering list of sins in Romans 1:29-32, some of which are unfortunately all-too-common even among the saved.
The second contrast returns us again to how we should walk – in thankfulness. The implication is that these other sins lack thankfulness, which is supported by II Timothy 3:2. Notice too how often Paul "sandwiches" sin with righteousness on each side. This provides us with a wonderful devotional application: how else do we root out our sinful tendencies and habits? By surrounding them with clean living and letting the word of God choke them out.
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