Walk In The Light

Ephesians 5:1-14

Growing up, many children heard words of admonition from their parents to not behave in any type of manner that would bring shame on the name of the family.  The family honor was at stake, and as you grew older, you might have been proud to defend that honor.  For born-again believers, members of God’s family, this should be even more the case.  In this passage of Scripture which Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus, he admonishes them to keep their behavior in line, just like our parents did.

Little children learn by imitation, particularly imitating their parents.  If we are truly children of God, we should be imitating Him, walking in His steps (vs 1-2).  In the next several verses Paul speaks about behavior that should never even be mentioned in connection with a Christian (vs. 3-7).  Satan is always trying to turn Christians away from becoming like Christ.  The world glories when they hear of a prominent Christian caught in some sort of sin, particularly if it is of a sexual nature.  This shouldn’t even be suspected in the life of a Christian.

How about our speech?  Language and talk that is obscene, degrading, dirty, or foolish shouldn’t be part of the vocabulary of a Christian (vs. 4).  That isn’t a part of holy living, which should be what we’re aiming for, and it definitely destroys our testimony.  Our speech should reflect God’s presence in our life.  For those who think that God just winks at sin, or says that it’s all okay since we’re just humans, verses 5 - 7 say the contrary.  God does not tolerate sin, and we, as His children, should not condone bad behavior or lifestyles.  People with continued evil behavior or whose life is patterned as such, will pollute the church and be a bad influence.  In the last several decades, preachers have stopped speaking out against sin.  It is rarely, if ever, mentioned from the pulpit anymore.  We’re all urged to not cast judgment on anyone, but there’s a difference between judging an individual and judging an action.  God definitely speaks against sin.  It does matter what we do!  It matters to God!

Verse 8 draws the dividing line between the children of darkness and the children of light.  Which one are we?  If we are children of light, we are to walk as such, living above reproach morally.  As children of light, God wants us to be His light in a dark world, as Jesus spoke of in Matthew 5:14-16.  Our behavior and actions should not be such that we have to hide what we’re doing from others.  Live in the Light of Jesus, and as we do, the knowledge of His will becomes clear (vs. 10).

Christians who are actively following the Lord should strive to live in righteousness and purity, and have nothing to do with the evil ways and works of Satan and the world.  The two are opposed to each other.  We, as believers, are responsible to expose darkness, especially when found in the church.  Unfruitful works of darkness (vs. 11), is any kind of activity that results in sin.  We should expose this behavior.  By not speaking out, by being silent, gives the impression of tacit acceptance of such behavior.  Take a stand and speak out.

If we are God’s children, our behavior should be patterned after Him.  Can others tell whether we belong to Christ by how we live?  Is His presence in our life evident?   If we are way off the mark, then we might wonder who our father really is.