For anyone who remembers the days when just one Spider-Man movie seemed impossible, it is an astonishing how comic book superheroes now dominate popular entertainment. There is a precise schedule of superhero movies to be released over the next six years. Even with such a variety of movies there is a common light and darkness theme. The good guys shed light on and defeat the bad guys dark activities.
(http://comicsalliance.com/your-supermovie-timeline-updated-with-marvel-studios-phase-three-releases-infographic/?trackback=tsmclip)
In Scripture the figurative use of light has two aspects, the intellectual and the moral. Intellectually it represents truth, whereas morally it represents holiness. To live in light therefore means to live in truth and in holiness. The figure of darkness has the same two aspects. Intellectually it represents ignorance and falsehood, whereas morally it connotes evil. The intellectual aspect of both figures pertains to what a person knows and believes, and the moral aspect pertains to way one thinks and acts
Ephesians 5:8-14 continues the emphasis on believers’ being “imitators of God, as beloved children” (5:1). The first way we are to imitate God is in His love, which Paul shows both in its true and in its counterfeit forms, with Christ Himself being our divine pattern (vv. 2–7). In verses 8–14 the focus is on our imitating God in relation to light. For a believer to imitate God, therefore, they obviously must share in and reflect God’s light. Paul moves from the ‘indicative’ of what they are in the Lord to the ‘imperative’ of how they should live (O’Brien, P. T. (1999). The letter to the Ephesians (p. 367). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
In verses 8–14 Paul mentions five practical features we should recognize in order to faithfully walk in God’s light. He gives the 1) Contrast(Ephesians 5:8) , 2) Characteristics (Ephesians 5:9–10), 3) Command(Ephesians 5:11a) 4) Commission(Ephesians 5:11b–13) and 5) Call (Ephesians 5: 14) of Christians as God’s own children of light.
1) The Contrast (Ephesians 5:8)
Ephesians 5:8 [8]for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (ESV)
Paul here contrasts what every believer’s life was like before salvation with what God intends it to be like after salvation. In doing so he simply states what should be obvious: A person who has been saved from sin should be through with sin and should live as a redeemed and purified child of God. To illustrate that point the apostle uses the common biblical figures of darkness and light.
His contrast begins looking back at one time. This verb expressed at one time/were reveals two important realities. First, the past tense indicates a condition that no longer exists, and that truth is reinforced by the modifier were/formerly. Earlier in the letter, Paul says that we “were dead in [our] trespasses and sins,” that we “formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,” and that “we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (Eph. 2:1–3). For Christians, both intellectual and moral darkness are a thing of the past (cf 4:17–20). The IMPERFECT ACTIVE verb in the first phrase describes their previous life as continuously sinning (cf. Gen. 6:5, 11–12: 8:21; Ps. 14:3; 58:3; Jer. 12:9) (Utley, R. J. (1997). Paul Bound, the Gospel Unbound: Letters from Prison (Colossians, Ephesians and Philemon, then later, Philippians) (Vol. Volume 8, p. 126). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.).
Second, the verb is not modified by a pronoun, such as in or of. It says we were … darkness. Before we came to Christ our total existence—our being as well as our behavior—was characterized by darkness. Their was no other aspect to our spiritual life than that of darkness. We were children of darkness and “sons of disobedience” (Eph. 5:6). We were not simply victims of Satan’s system but were contributors to it. Our very nature was characterized by sin. This darkness was the work of Satan (John 8:44; cf vv. 38, 41). It is the domain of Satan (cf Rom. 6:17–18, 22; 7:22; Ps. 119). This spiritual darkness brings God's penalty (Eph. 2:3, 5:6), and it leads to the ultimate destiny of eternal darkness (Matt. 8:12; cf 1 Sam. 2:9; 2 Pet. 2:17).
Please turn to John 3 (p.888)
If this is the sure result of darkness why do people not wish deliverance? When God’s supreme reality is offered in Jesus Christ, people turn away because the reality of His righteousness and goodness also reveals the reality of their own sin and wickedness. Jesus said:
John 3:19-21 [19]And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. [20]For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. [21]But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." (ESV)
•The evil of human beings is reflected in their fleeing from the light; at the same time, anything good is the product of God’s work (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2025). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
The second verb in verse 8 (are) also tells us two important things. The present tense indicates our new spiritual condition, in contrast to what we were before trusting Christ. Now [we] are light in the Lord. Christ “delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13), and He has “called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). The change is not merely in their circumstances, but in themselves. ... Christ has made all the difference—the difference between their being the darkness of sin and their being the light of life. (Uprichard, H. (2004). A Study Commentary on Ephesians (p. 282). Darlington, England; Auburn, MA: Evangelical Press.)
Like were, the verb are is not modified. Jesus said: “You are the light of the world,” (Matt. 5:14). Because we now share Christ’s own nature, we share in His light. Just as He is the “light of the world” (John 8:12), His people are also “the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). Because we are in the Lord, we who were once children of darkness are now children of light, and it is as such children that we should walk.
Illustration: A man returning from a journey brought his wife a matchbox that would glow in the dark.After giving it to her she turned out the light, but the matchbox could not be seen. Both thought they had been cheated. Then the wife noticed some French words on the box and asked a friend to translate them. The inscription said: ‘If you want me to shine in the night, keep me in the light!’ We need to spend quality time alone with Jesus—the Light—in prayer, ‘exposing our lives like photographic plates to his presence so that his image, his character, is burnt into ours’. If we do this, we will be like Moses when he descended from the summit of Sinai after being alone with God—his face shone with the light of God! (Gordon, S. (2003). The Genius of Grace: The Message of Ephesians (p. 306). Belfast, Northern Ireland; Greenville, SC: Ambassador Publications.)
2) The Characteristics (Ephesians 5:9–10)
Ephesians 5:9-10 [9](for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), [10]and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (ESV)
In what appears to be a parenthetical statement, the manifest characteristics of the children of light are given in what Paul here calls the fruit of light. The three supreme characteristics, or fruit, of our walk as children of light are all that is goods and right and true. These are the tests of true faith, of a true saving relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. The all reflects the perfection of the divine standard.
The first characteristic is all that is good (cf “all malice” in 4:31). Paul uses agathôsunç, which refers to moral excellence, to being good in both nature and effectiveness. Like agapç love, agathôsunç all that is good finds its fullest and highest expression in that which is willingly and sacrificially done for others. “Always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men,” Paul told the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 5:15). In his next letter to that church the apostle prays “that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power” (2 Thess. 1:11). All that is good that is a fruit of light is also a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).
The second result, or fruit, of our walk as children of light is all that is right and has to do first of all with our relationship to God. “To the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness” (Rom. 4:5; cf Eph. 4:24; Phil. 3:9). All that is right also has to do with how we live. Those who are made righteous are commanded to live righteously, to present themselves “to God as those alive from the dead, and [their] members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Rom. 6:13). Because Christ has given us His own righteous nature, we are to “pursue righteousness” (1 Tim. 6:11). Because we know that Christ is righteous, John says, we also “know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1 John 2:29).
The third fruit of light is truth. Truth has to do with honesty, reliability, trustworthiness, and integrity—in contrast to the hypocritical, deceptive, and false ways of the old life of darkness.
We see therefore that all that is good pertains primarily to our relationship with others, all that is right primarily to our relationship to God, and truth primarily to personal integrity. In those three things and in those three ways the fruit of light if found/consists.
A Christian can fall into sin, and when one does the fruitfulness of their life suffers. Righteous fruit cannot flourish in sin. But the complete absence of what is good and right and true proves the complete absence of salvation (cf 2:10). The Christian life, just as every other kind of life, is only healthy when it is growing.
As far as the walk of the believer is concerned as verse 10 says, the primary focus is to be a concerned to try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. As we are obedient to what we know, our knowledge of the Lord and of His will increases and deepens. As we are faithful to the light, we are given more of this light. The verb rendered ‘discern’ (Dokimazô) can mean to ‘put to the test, examine’, or it can refer to the result of the examination and so signify to ‘accept as proved, approved’. In this context it has the former sense of examining and evaluating issues in order to determine the right course of action, here described as ‘pleasing the Lord’ (cf. Col. 1:10) (O’Brien, P. T. (1999). The letter to the Ephesians (p. 369). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
Please turn to 2 Peter 1 (p.1018)
Assurance of salvation cannot be reliably determined by what has happened in the past, no matter how dramatic or meaningful at the time. It can only be based with certainty on the evidence of present fruit being produced by a spiritual life. As Christians discern/learn and grow in what is good, right and truth, they will give verification or evidence that they are who they claim to be, children of God and of light. The child of God will bear resemblance to the heavenly Father, who is his “light and … salvation” (Ps. 27:1).
2 Peter 1:5-11 [5]For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, [6]and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, [7]and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. [8]For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9]For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. [10]Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. [11]For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (ESV)
•Without that fruit there is no evidence of the life of God. (cf. Matt. 7:15–16). Every person bears fruit of some kind. Those who are darkness bear bad fruit, and those who are light bear good fruit. The person, therefore, who does not bear some fruit of righteousness in their lives has no claim on Christ. There is no such thing as a fruitless Christian. Where there is life, there is evidence of life, just as where there is death, there will be evidence of death. The child of light produces the fruit of light and is called to increase in that production (Col. 1:10).
Illustration: Pilots flying at night enjoy a beautiful experience. They float along above the world, passing over towns and cities with their various arrays of light. To maintain night vision, it is usually quite dark in the cockpit. On some nights, this darkness is increased by the lack of moonlight. But even on those crystal-clear nights, a special challenge exists for the pilot, as it is sometimes difficult to determine the horizon—where the sky meets the ground. House lights at a distance, especially in a rural area, can appear as stars. There are other lights of importance. Towers have bright flashing strobes or blinking red lights that say, “Stay clear.” Other planes have lights that say, “Here I am.” But out of all these different lights—many blinking, many quite bright—there is one that catches the pilot’s eye. It shines white, green, white, then green. This is the beacon located at the airport to which the pilot is flying. Out of all the others, this light beckons home. It calls the pilot out of his or her darkened environment, into the lights of a well-lit runway. This is how our light needs to shine in the world, as an attractive beacon revealing the location of home, a special light that shines a message obvious to those who see it—that, by following it, they too can come in out of the darkness (Holmes, M. A. (1997). Ephesians: a Bible commentary in the Wesleyan tradition (p. 156). Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House.).
3) The Command(Ephesians 5:11a)
Ephesians 5:11a [11]Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, (but instead expose them). (ESV)
To Take no part/participate in (Sunkoinôneô ) may also be translated “to become a partaker together with others?” Does this mean now that the Ephesians should withdraw themselves from the men of the world; that they should become hermits and move as far as possible away from wicked men? Not at all! Though they are not of the world, yet they are in the world and have a mission to fulfill(Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Ephesians (Vol. 7, p. 233). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
Please turn to 1 Corinthians 5 (p.954)
The child of light should not become involved in evil even by association. We cannot witness to the world if we do not go out into the world; and we cannot go far into the world before coming in contact with all sorts of wickedness. But we are never to identify with that wickedness or give it opportunity to take hold in our own life. To compromise God’s standards is to weaken our witness as well as our character. No act of unrighteousness is permissible. We are not even to have contact at all with a fellow believer who is openly sinning:
1 Corinthians 5:9-13 [9]I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- [10]not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. [11]But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler--not even to eat with such a one. [12]For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? [13]God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you." (ESV) (ESV) (cf 2 Thess. 3:6, 14).
•One purpose here, as in 2 Thessalonians, is redemptive with respect to the person committing the sin (1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Thess. 3:14–15). But another purpose is to avoid giving the appearance of approving sinful conduct, lest reproach be brought on the church and the gospel. Excommunicating is to occur when flagrant, unrepented-of sin is in its midst. (Deut. 13:5; 17:7, 12; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21–22, 24; 24:7). (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2197). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
Paul’s command is direct and simple: Christians who are to produce the righteous fruit of light are to have nothing at all to do with the unfruitful works/deeds of darkness. These unspecified works/deeds of darkness are typified by the specific sins he has already mentioned in chapters 4 and 5—lusts of deceit, falsehood, stealing, unwholesome speech, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice, immorality, impurity, greed, filthiness, silly talk, coarse jesting, covetousness, and idolatry. Those and every other kind and degree of sin are to be avoided by the believer, because they bring no benefit to people or glory to God. The deeds of darkness are not only displeasing to the Lord (v. 10); they are also unfruitful. The vices of the pagan world cannot accomplish anything good; they are sterile, futile, and worthless (Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians (Eph 5:11). Joplin, MO: College Press.).
Illustration: Darkness took over the city of New York for a brief but frightening time in 1977. It was the second of two electrical power failures to afflict the metropolitan area. The first was the subject of many good-natured jokes and no one worried much. But the second left all observers anxious about the city and about humanity. For what seemed an unbearably long time, the city sweltered in darkness that summer night when lightning set off a chain reaction of power failures that left New Yorkers in utter darkness. The blackness was not merely physical; it was also moral. Out of the gutters of human depravity crawled every conceivable sin against men and property. While policemen stood by helpless, rampaging mobs looted stores, burned buildings, and ravaged people. So-called “normal, law-abiding citizens” joined hardened criminals in indulging every sinful desire. There were some, journalists duly reported, who blazed like fires of goodness against the blackness. Their honesty, their kindness, their genuine decency offered hope that human civilization may still have some reason to exist. New York in the dark helps us understand Jesus as never before: “My disciples must be the light of the world.”
4) The Commission(Ephesians 5:11b–13)
Ephesians 5:11b-13 [11](Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness), but instead expose them. [12]For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. [13]But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, (ESV)
The Christian’s responsibility goes further than not participating in the sinful ways of the world; a believer is to instead expose them. To ignore evil is to encourage it; to keep quiet about it is to help promote it. The verb here translated expose (from elegchô) can also carry the idea of reproof, correction, punishment, or discipline. We are to confront sin with intolerance.
•Sometimes such exposure and reproof will be direct and at other times indirect, but it should always be immediate in the face of anything that is sinful. When we are living in obedience to God, that fact in itself will be a testimony against wrong. When those around us see us helping rather than exploiting, hear us talking with purity instead of profanity, and observe us speaking truthfully rather than deceitfully, our example will itself be a rebuke of selfishness, unwholesome talk, and falsehood. Simply refusing to participate in a dishonest business or social practice will sometimes be such a strong rebuke that it costs us our job or a friendship. Dishonesty is terribly uncomfortable in the presence of honesty, even when there is no verbal or other direct opposition.
Often, of course, open rebuke is necessary. Silent testimony will only go so far. Failure to speak out against and to practically oppose evil things is a failure to obey God. Believers are to expose them in whatever legitimate, biblical ways are necessary. Love that does not openly expose and oppose sin is not biblical love. Love not only “does not act unbecomingly” itself but it “does not rejoice in unrighteousness” ever it might be found (1 Cor. 13:5–6)
Please turn to Matthew 18 (p.823)
Paul goes on to say in verse 12 that it is shameful/disgraceful even to speak of these that they do in secret. Some things are so vile that they should be discussed in as little detail as possible, because even describing them is morally and spiritually dangerous. Sometimes sin can be publicized by a reaction against it. What has been done in the dark is best kept dark. Paul goes so far as to say that the shamefulness of these ugly vices may rub off on Christians if they are continually talking about them, even if it is to disapprove of them (Wood, A. S. (1981). Ephesians. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon (Vol. 11, p. 70). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Our Lord described the responsibility of every Christian when He said,
Matthew 18:15-17 [15]"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. [16]But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. [17]If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (ESV) (cf 1 Tim. 5:1, 20; 2 Tim. 4:2; Titus 1:13; 2:15).
•If a matter can be settled without getting others involved, that will keep rumors and misunderstandings from multiplying and will keep the conflict from spreading (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1859). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
•Besides attempting to achieve reconciliation, this process is to keep sinful actions as secret as possible to achieve repentance.
Some diseases, chemicals, and nuclear by–products are so extremely deadly that even the most highly trained and best–protected technicians and scientists who work with them are in constant danger. No sensible person would work around such things carelessly or haphazardly. In the same way, some things are so spiritually disgraceful and dangerous that they should be sealed off not only from direct contact but even from conversation. They should be exposed only to the extent necessary to be rid of them.
Our resource for exposing evil is Scripture, which is the light (Ps. 119:105, 130; Prov. 6:23; Heb. 4:13–13) and is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). As verse 13 explains, when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible when it is exposed by the light of God’s Word. Our commission as children of light is to hold everything up to the light of Scripture, to expose and seek to remedy whatever is evil.
Illustration: There is a light that at times should be shone, and that is the illumination that dispels the shadows and darkness which would hide evil’s activity. Certain buildings have security lights that—if ever there is a question about the activity taking place within an area—can be turned on and will shine with the intensity of daylight. Sometimes, the church needs to shine with an intensity that reveals the evil works and methods of the Enemy as he endeavors to hide in the solace of his dark world. However, this light should be shone not only to reveal the Enemy, but also to reveal our God. Too often we expose the evil workings of the world without revealing the alternatives of God’s kingdom. The result becomes nothing more than back-door advertising.This mistake is often made in dealing with our entertainment industry. A movie, song, book, or other medium is produced that the church finds particularly offensive. The church responds by expressing its disfavor and describing what it finds offensive. The producers take this protest and use it to their favor by eliciting interest through controversy. Suddenly what may have been a minor work has become a best-seller. The church has done nothing more than promote what it is against. As we reveal the wrong of this world, it must be done with an emphasis on the right so that it will shine with a greater beauty and attraction than what the world can offer. Otherwise, we defeat our own purpose. (Holmes, M. A. (1997). Ephesians: a Bible commentary in the Wesleyan tradition (p. 157). Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House.)
5) The Call (Ephesians 5:14)
Ephesians 5:14 [14]for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (ESV)
Paul here offers an invitation, a call for those who are not children of light to come to the light and be saved with his description how everything that becomes visible is light. Light is that which makes things manifest, that which shows them to be as they actually are. When sin is revealed, it loses its “hiddenness” and is seen for the ugliness it is.
The words in verse 14 are adapted from Isaiah 60:1, which reads:
Isaiah 60:1 [60:1]Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. (ESV). Paul shows the prophetic meaning of those texts by declaring that “the glory of the Lord [that] has risen” is none other than Jesus Christ, the Messiah for whom and in whom Isaiah and every other godly Jew had so longed hoped.
Many commentators believe verse 14 is taken from an Easter hymn sung by the early church and used as an invitation to unbelievers who might have been in the congregation. The words are a capsule summary of the gospel. Awake, O sleeper describes the sinner who is asleep in the darkness of sin and unaware of his lost condition and tragic destiny. Sleep is a common metaphor for death; thus the “sleeper” is to rise up from among the “dead.” Arise from the dead is a summons to repentance, an appeal to turn away from the dead ways of sin. (Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians (Eph 5:14). Joplin, MO: College Press.)
Christ will shine on you is the good news that God has provided a remedy for every sinful person who will come to Him through His blessed Son, the Savior. (cf. Isa. 55:6–7.) The verb translated “shine” (epiphainô) is applied to the rising of a heavenly body and to the dawn of the day (BAG,304). Christ, as the morning star, has already risen and sheds his light on all who are raised to newness of life in him (Wood, A. S. (1981). Ephesians. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon (Vol. 11, p. 71). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.).
Poem:Horatius Bonar wrote: "I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s light; Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise, And all thy day be bright.”I looked to Jesus, and I found In Him my star, my sun; And in that light of life I’ll walk, Till traveling days are done," (Format note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1986). Ephesians (pp. 205–215). Chicago: Moody Press.)
