"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;"
Introduction
This short, forceful verse from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians names three kinds of moral failure—sexual immorality, moral impurity, and covetousness—and commands that they not even be mentioned among Christians, because such behavior is inconsistent with the identity and calling of God’s holy people. It presses the point that the Christian life is not merely a private matter but a corporate witness shaped by holiness.
Historical-Cultural Context and Authorship
The letter to the Ephesians is traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul and commonly dated to his first Roman imprisonment (around AD 60–62). It is addressed to the Christian community associated with Ephesus and may have circulated to other churches in Asia Minor. Ephesians participates in the early Christian practice of giving ethical instruction for how new communities should live in a pagan environment and uses the language of the household codes (oikos) and community ethics familiar in Greco‑Roman letters.
The key Greek words in this verse sharpen its force: ἡ πορνεία (porneia, “sexual immorality” or illicit sexual behavior), καὶ πᾶσα ἀκαθαρσία (kai pasa akatharsia, “and all uncleanness,” a broad term for moral impurity), ἢ πλεονεξία (ē pleonexia, “or covetousness,” often signifying greed or grasping desire), μὴ ὀνομαζέσθω ἐν ὑμῖν (mē onomazesthō en hymin, “may it not be named among you” or “do not even name it among you”), and καθὼς ἀρμόζει ἁγίοις (kathōs armonizei hagiois, “as befits/accords to the holy ones”). In Jewish and early Christian moral teaching, sexual purity and freedom from greed were central marks of a community set apart by God; in the wider Greco‑Roman world there was a mix of tolerance for certain sexual practices and strong philosophical critiques of vice, so Paul’s instruction situates the church as countercultural.
Explanation and Meaning of the Text
Grammatically and rhetorically, this verse forms a stern negative: Paul says not merely “do not do these things,” but “do not even let them be named among you.” That intensifies the prohibition to include speech, joking, tolerance, and any public association that would normalize or trivialize these sins. Porneia in Pauline usage often functions as a category covering prostitution, adultery, incest, and other sexual practices outside God’s intention for covenantal relationships; akatharsia adds the sense of a corrupt moral condition; pleonexia draws attention to acquisitive desire that makes possessions or sexual gratification an idol. Taken together, the three terms map out both external behaviors and inward dispositions that corrupt the Christian household.
The clause “as becometh saints” appeals to identity. In Ephesians the church is repeatedly called to live according to the new reality given in Christ (see the neighboring teachings about putting off the old self and putting on the new). Holiness here is not a remote ideal but the fitting expression of what God has done for his people. The prohibition is pastoral and communal: it protects the congregation’s witness, the wellbeing of its members (especially the vulnerable), and the integrity of the gospel. It also presumes means of transformation—teaching, mutual accountability, repentance, and the renewing work of the Spirit—so the command is corrective but rooted in the same grace that forms the saints.
Devotional
Christ calls his people to a distinct life because he has made them holy. When Paul urges that porneia, uncleanness, and covetousness not even be named among you, he invites you into a community where words and actions testify to God’s cleansing power. Remember that this call rests on grace: the holiness God requires is the fruit of being united to Christ, not the purchase of your own moral effort. Let that assurance shape both your sorrow over sin and your hope in change.
Practically, guard the life of your heart and the speech of your lips. Avoid places, images, conversations, and jokes that normalize impurity or idolize gain; instead cultivate gratitude, truthful speech, and loving accountability with fellow believers. Pray for the Spirit’s power to transform desires, confess frankly when you fail, and encourage one another toward the kind of holiness that honors God and blesses the world.