February 25, 2022 – Friday
Ephesians 5:8-10 NIV
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)
10 and find out what pleases the Lord.
Comment.
What is this darkness we once were? Verses 5-6 provide the answer, For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. (NET) I chose the NET version as it has the sons of disobedience rather than the NIV’s those who are disobedient. The NET provided a footnote such that “The expression sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.”” In other words, this does not describe individuals who fall and get back up, but those who embrace their sin life.
Notice Paul does not say we were once in the darkness, but that we once acted or behaved in such a way that we were darkness, indistinguishable from the darkness of the world that Satan encourages. But now (!) as followers of Christ we are light, light in the Lord. And as light we are to Live (or Walk in some bible versions) as children of light. While we were once darkness in and of ourselves, as light we do not have our own light as our light comes directly from Jesus so that we are light in the Lord. Without Jesus we have no light, no salvation.
We may not know how to live or walk as children of the light other than verse 5 tells us what we are no longer to do, but Paul makes sure we know what we are to do as children of the light. He tells us the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth and further we are to find out what pleases the Lord. Paul does not want us to sit on our duff as children of the light, but to find out, seek out, discover what in our own individual lives pleases the Lord. Paul adds to our verses for today in the very next verse (11), Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. About exposing them, Guzik writes, we do not do this for the purpose of merely talking about them (which is shameful), but for the purpose of educating ourselves enough to avoid them; Christians must guard against a prurient interest in the works of darkness, even in times of testimony or research; Paul was careful to say that we should avoid the unfruitful works of darkness, not the people who are in darkness.
A final note: your bible may have fruit of the spirit instead of fruit of the light, but the older manuscripts have fruit of the light and Ellicott’s Commentary makes a strong argument for fruit of the light as well. He writes, Light has its fruits; darkness is “unfruitful.” The metaphor is striking, but literally correct, inasmuch as light is the necessary condition of that vegetative life which grows and yields fruit, while darkness is the destruction, if not of life, at any rate of fruit-bearing perfection.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Help me always walk and live in the light while avoiding the darkness as I seek Your will for my life. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek