6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
The wrath of God comes on children of disobedience because of the sins listed in verse five, and anyone who tells you differently is deceiving you (deliberately or otherwise). What would they say? The opposite of God's wrath: that God is all-permissive, all-loving, and ignores sin. It is a popular deception today, and it is vanity because it allows man to overlook his sin problem and have a positive self-image with high self-esteem as he worships a soft god. Just because we are saved from wrath by the blood (Romans 5:9) is no excuse for taking these things lightly, however (Romans 6:15). The phrase “children of disobedience” appears only in Ephesians (here and 2:2) and Colossians 3:6. It must refer only to unsaved people because the saved – regardless of how rich or poor their walk with the Lord may be at any moment – are not appointed to wrath (I Thessalonians 5:9 and Romans 5:9).
Verse seven provides further confirmation that the children of disobedience are not the saved: the saved Ephesians (“ye”) are not “them.” Believers are instructed not to be “partakers” (or sharers) with those on whom the wrath of God will come. This would imply that it is entirely possible for a saved man or woman to become involved in all manner of sinful behavior. As mentioned before, this cannot be used to teach that a saved man or woman can lose his salvation or receive God’s wrath in any way (Romans 5:9, I Thessalonians 1:10, I Thessalonians 5:9). Lot is an excellent illustration of this. Despite his choice to pitch his tent toward Sodom, his ruined testimony with the people of Sodom, and the revolting situation that later came about with his daughters, we are told in II Peter 2:7 that Lot was just, and that his righteous soul was vexed.
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