Table of Contents
Date: SUN 11:30am 11th January 2026
Preacher: Rev. David McLaughlin
Bible Reference: Ephesians 5:2
Podcast
Summary of the Sermon: Christ’s Atoning Work and the Walk of Love
The sermon begins with a reading from Ephesians chapter 5, verses 1 to 8, presented both audibly and visually for the congregation and online viewers. The passage urges believers to be followers—or imitators—of God as dear children, to walk in love as Christ loved us and gave Himself as an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. It warns against immorality, uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talking, and jesting, emphasising that such behaviours have no place among saints and will incur God’s wrath. Believers, once in darkness, are now light in the Lord and must walk as children of light.
The preacher selects Ephesians 5:2 as the key text: “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.” This follows on from the previous week’s sermon, with the theme centred on Christ’s atoning work and the walk of love. The Apostle Paul frequently portrays the Christian life as a “walk,” mentioning it seven times in Ephesians (chapters 2:10, 4:1, 4:17, 5:2, 5:8, 5:15)—a number symbolising perfection. The fifth reference, the command to walk in love, is firmly rooted in Christ’s atonement.
This walk implies a relationship with God, requiring one to question if they truly know and love Jesus as Lord and Saviour. It denotes direction, progress, consistency, and a destination—from earth to heaven. The Christian journey is not a brief sprint but a lifelong pilgrimage, commencing at conversion through the Holy Spirit, continuing on a specific path, and concluding at death or Christ’s return.
Paul does not leave “love” undefined; it is anchored in Christ’s sacrificial love. True biblical love is not shaped by culture, emotions, or preferences but demonstrated by Christ’s person and work on the cross. The preacher outlines three key aspects: a test to be experienced, a truth to be expounded, and a testimony to be experienced.
The Test to Be Experienced
The command to walk in love serves as a test of one’s Christian profession. As imitators of God, believers must live out love practically. The yardstick for authentic faith is love, as illustrated in 1 Corinthians 13, where Paul asserts that without charity (love), even great gifts, knowledge, faith, or sacrifices amount to nothing. Love suffers long, is kind, envies not, vaunts not itself, behaves seemly, seeks not its own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, rejoices in truth, bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things.
All Christian claims and activities must be measured by this love. As children of God—who is love—believers are to imitate Him. The highest manifestation of God’s love is Christ’s atoning work, as in John 3:16: God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Christ is the pattern; believers must walk in love as He loved us. John Calvin describes the cross as the true mirror of love, where Christ bore the curse for sinners. It is not merely motivation but the supreme definition and demonstration of love—its height, depth, breadth, and length.
There is a vital connection between doctrine and duty; shallow doctrine leads to distorted duty. Paul interweaves doctrine (e.g., election, predestination, adoption, union with Christ, regeneration) with practical living in Ephesians. Here, in the practical section, he inserts a profound statement on atonement, showing how doctrine shapes conduct.
The Bible avoids vague, sentimental notions of love, unlike much modern preaching that pits love against doctrine or reduces it to slogans like “all you need is love.” True love is confirmed by Christ’s atonement; creed impacts conduct, as echoed in Isaac Watts’ hymn: “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
The Truth to Be Expounded
Expounding the text, the preacher emphasises the reality and measure of Christ’s love: for “us”—sinful men and women. As Martin Lloyd-Jones notes, grasping Christ’s love requires understanding sin and one’s sinful nature. If humans were merely good and kind, Christ’s love would not reveal much; but Romans 5:6-10 portrays humanity as without strength, ungodly, sinners, and enemies—transgressors of God’s law, deserving wrath. Yet, while we were sinners, Christ died for us, commending God’s love.
Christ’s work was active and voluntary: He “hath given himself for us.” Not a passive victim, He laid down His life willingly (John 10:17-18; Philippians 2:5-8), humbling Himself to death on the cross. This was not forced but a deliberate act.
The terms “offering” and “sacrifice” draw from Old Testament imagery. An offering is a presented gift; Christ offered Himself willingly to God, unlike unwilling animals. A sacrifice implies substitution, bloodshed, and identification. Old Testament sacrifices were temporary, repetitive, and symbolic: a blemish-free animal bore sins via the priest’s hands, was slain, its blood sprinkled on the mercy seat, and its body burnt as a sweet savour.
Christ’s sacrifice was final, once-for-all, substitutionary, and vicarious (Hebrews 9:26). It appeased divine wrath, satisfied God (“for a sweet-smelling savour”), bringing joy and pleasure. The law demanded death for sin; Christ fulfilled it, pleasing God (Isaiah 53:10).
The preacher rejects erroneous views: Christ did not die merely as a pacifist, martyr, or to demonstrate love symbolically. Such ideas deny God’s holiness, justice, and wrath. If sin merits no wrath, no sacrifice is needed; but Paul states Christ’s death was an offering and sacrifice to God, satisfying justice, removing guilt, and upholding the law. The primary purpose was Godward—to satisfy divine righteousness—accomplishing eternal redemption.
The Testimony to Be Experienced
Finally, walking in love means living a life shaped by Christ’s cross: sovereign, sacrificial, supreme, and steadfast. It flows from a transformed heart by grace, not coercion or self-interest. Believers walk in love from gratitude and security in Christ’s finished work, not to earn favour.
Christian love is sacrificial, not self-serving, and remembers only Christ’s blood atones. It avoids offence of the cross, refuses false peace without God’s peace, and is not soft on sin. Shaped by Christ’s voluntary obedience, substitution, and satisfaction, it manifests the life of Christ within us.
As 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 states, believers are a sweet savour of Christ to God, triumphing in Him among the saved and perishing. Christ’s cross accomplishes divine redemption, not just affection. The walk in love is voluntary, self-denying, confident in the finished work, and seeks others’ highest good. Loving God and neighbour requires God’s grace, through Christ’s example and atonement.
