Albert Barnes Commentary Ephesians 5:2

"and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smell." — Ephesians 5:2 (ASV)

And walk in love. That is, let your lives be characterized by love; let that be shown in all your conduct and speech (see commentary on John 13:34).

As Christ also has loved us. We are to show the same love for one another which he has shown for us. He showed his love by giving himself to die for us, and we should show similar love to one another (1 John 3:16).

And has given himself for us. This is evidently added by the apostle to show what he meant by saying that Christ loved us, and what we ought to do to show our love for each other. The strength of his love was so great that he was willing to give himself up to death on our account; our love for our brethren should be such that we would be willing to do the same thing for them (1 John 3:16).

An offering. The word here used—prosforan—means, properly, that which is offered to God—in any way, or whatever it may be. It is, however, in the Scriptures, commonly used to denote an offering without blood—a thank-offering—and thus is distinguished from a sacrifice, or a bloody offering. The word occurs only in Acts 21:26; Acts 24:17; Romans 15:16; Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 10:5, 8, 10, 14, 18.

It means here that he regarded himself as an offering to God.

And a sacrifice, yusian. Christ is here expressly called a Sacrifice—the usual word in the Scriptures to denote a proper sacrifice. A sacrifice was an offering made to God by killing an animal and burning it on an altar, designed to make atonement for sin. It always implied the killing of the animal as an acknowledgment of the sinner that he deserved to die. It was the giving up of life, which was supposed to reside in the blood (see commentary on Romans 3:25), and hence it was necessary that blood should be shed. Christ was such a sacrifice; and his love was shown in his being willing that his blood should be shed to save people.

For a sweet-smelling savour. (See commentary on 2 Corinthians 2:15, where the word 'savour' is explained.) The meaning here is that the offering which Christ made of himself to God was like the grateful and pleasant smell of incense; that is, it was acceptable to him. It was an exhibition of benevolence with which he was pleased, and it gave him the opportunity of showing his own benevolence in the salvation of people.

The meaning of this in connection here is that the offering which Christ made was one of love. So, Paul says, love one another. Christ sacrificed himself by love, and that sacrifice was acceptable to God. So show love to one another. Sacrifice everything that opposes it, and it will be acceptable to God. He will approve all that is designed to promote love, as he approved the sacrifice that was made, under the influence of love, by his Son.