Walk as Children of Light
November 5, 2019
Commentary
The Christian is not merely enlightened; he is the light of the world (v. 8). He is to walk in the light and by so doing expose the sin and darkness around him just by living as a Christian should. Have you ever experienced walking into a room where a group of people were telling dirty jokes and all at once things became very quiet and the joke telling stopped? Just your presence as a Christian brought conviction, as it should. To “walk as children of light” means that we are not to try to hide anything from the eyes of God.
It is easy to hide things from those around us because they cannot see our hearts and minds, but “all things are naked and opened into the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13). We should live above reproach morally so that we will reflect God’s goodness to others (v. 8). Make your light shine (v. 9). Be good and honest and truthful, as you try to please the Lord (v. 10). Paul instructs us to expose the “unfruitful works of darkness” which would include any activity that results in sin or our silence may be interpreted as approval (v. 11). God needs people who will take a stand for what is right. We must lovingly speak out for what is true and right. Paul is appealing to the Ephesians to wake up and realize the dangerous condition into which some of them had been slipping.
I travel a lot and every time I get on an airplane I have to put my luggage and myself through an inspection of X-ray equipment. I have never been afraid to go through one of these check points because I know I have nothing to hide. In fact I am glad to do so because this inspection helps to find guns and bombs and it is actually for my protection. This is the way we need to live before an all seeing God. It is disgusting even to talk about what is done in the dark (v. 12). The consequences of sin are made clear and tested by the light (v. 13). Light shows up everything (v. 14).
Application
Can I think of anything in my life that I wish God could not see? It could even be an attitude about lost souls and my responsibility to reach them.
Ephesians 5:8– 14 (NET)
8 for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live like children of light— 9 for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth— 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention. 13 But all things being exposed by the light are made visible. 14 For everything made visible is light, and for this reason it says: “Awake, O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!”
Illustration: Consequences to Being in The Dark
Making decisions in the dark can lead to some regrettable consequences. Back in the days before electricity, a tightfisted old farmer was taking his hired man to task for carrying a lighted lantern when he went to call on his best girl. “Why,” he exclaimed, “when I went a-courting’ I never carried one of them things. I always went in the dark.” “Yes,” the hired man said wryly,” and look what you got!" (Source unknown)