Let us now lift our eyes to the wonderful thoughts of Ephesians 5 in connection with this flawless beauty we have been considering. Even earthly lovers can appreciate something of flawlessness in beauty, as we have seen from Song of Songs. That beauty, we must confess, on this side of the grave, is never flawless. Men must confess that their appreciation for female beauty is seldom completely pure. Women must confess that their appreciation for masculine charm is seldom completely pure.

A true beauty that really is flawless and an appreciation of it that is completely pure still does exist. Because this beauty is completely perfect, it’s arresting power is inescapable and the enjoyment of it completely satisfying forever. In this fallen world, we have never encountered such a quality of beauty.

Paul begins Ephesians 5 with an acknowledgement that the perversion of God’s beautiful things exists and instructs believers not to be consumed with them, staggering from lust to lust, blind to God. Sexual immorality is one of the things he mentions among many more (including impurity). In verse 8 he shows believers that they have been put into an elevated position of privilege by God, and we should arm ourselves with that attitude. We are children of the light, not children of darkness. He contrasts the way in which people live in the darkness—doing all kinds of detestable things that are even shameful to mention, because they can’t see anything beyond the immediate pleasure—and the way people live in the light—setting their eyes on truly pure and lovely things, a fruit of which is goodness, which includes the idea of beauty. This is the first experience of true beauty as opposed to what you used to think beauty was when you were living in the darkness.

Paul continues with another contrast. He compares the state of a person who only sees temporal beauty to the state of a person who is sleeping. He is out of touch with reality (v14). In fact, this sleep is so stupefying that he compares it to being dead. If all you can see are the temporal beauties around you, you are thinking in that way. Your appreciation for true beauty is like the appreciation of a corpse.

He compares this state to the state of a person who is awake and alert and who is under the thrilling blessing and favour of God. He is acutely aware of the reality of God and the genuinely satisfying joy of being pure and in His presence.

Paul encourages us to be wise. Knowing these two ways of life, to choose the most obvious and desirable reality and to pursue it in the best possible way. You are no longer stumbling around among the tombstones in the dark, you are alive in Christ!