Walking Through Ephesians
“Walking Through Ephesians - Day 10”
Categories: Walking Through EphesiansEphesians 5:1-21
In the first part of Ephesians 5, Paul addresses God’s plan for our lifestyles. God did not simply send Jesus to save us from our past sins, but to save us for a present way of life. That way of life, that lifestyle, becomes abundantly clear. Because three times the apostle Paul uses the word “walk.”
As we walk, we need to be aware of the presence of light and darkness (Eph. 5:8). The concept of “light” in the Scripture has two aspects, a mental and a moral. Since light reveals things as they are, light describes that which is true, genuine, transparent, and sincere. To live like light then, means to have a mind guided by the truth and a lifestyle rooted in holiness. Conversely, to live in darkness is to live in the ignorance of the mind, deceived about the truth (4:18) and the sinfulness of the body (4:19).
Second, we need to be aware of the product of light and darkness. Darkness is unfruitful (Eph. 5:11). Nothing good comes from walking in darkness. As the light of Christ begins to shine upon us, Paul says these fruits will become increasingly more evident in our lives. He writes, “the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.” We are to bear the fruit of goodness. Goodness describes a moral excellence that finds its full expression in the person of God. “The Lord is good,” writes the Psalmists (Psalm 100:5). Therefore, all that God does is good. All that God says is good. All that God wills is good. When we are doing what God does, doing what God says, doing what God wills, we are bearing the fruit of goodness.
Third, we need to be aware of the practice of light and darkness. Light is not just something we are, but something we do—we “walk as children of light”. It’s a lifestyle. So, Paul says, “If you are a child of light you are going to do a couple of things that people in darkness will never do.” First, we will learn what pleases the Lord. Then we will learn what displeases the Lord. Light seeks to please the Lord (Eph. 5;10). But light also exposes what displeases the Lord (Eph. 5;11). Unmask the lie, the deception of sin. In fact, uncover sin so well that you don’t even take pleasure in talking about it.
If we have a lifestyle based upon the love of God, we will be imitators of the Father’s love. And if we have a lifestyle based upon the wrath of God, we will be those who carefully avoid that which merits His judgment. And if we are those who are aware of the light of God, we will be those who seek to live transparently in the light of His truth. And that leads to the fact that God’s plan for our lifestyle is that we will be wise to the will of God (Eph. 5:15-21).
