Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleWalk as Children of Light
Bible TextEphesians 5:8-11
Date08-Jun-2018
Article Type Article
Word Format doc
 

WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT

 

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” (Eph 5: 8-11)

 

When Christ gives us light he teaches us we were darkness—not that we were only in darkness, though we were, but we were the darkness. But by the free grace of God, now we are light in Christ our Lord, not that we are only in the light, though we are, but we are light in the Lord.  Oh, what a price Christ had to pay in order to make us light in him! Therefore, we are constrained by the love of our Redeemer to obey his command to walk as his children—children of Light. 

     The fruit of the Light (says the oldest manuscripts) produced in his people is unlike the unfruitful works of darkness produced by our old man of sin. His fruit produces our walk in all goodness as we labor in our occupations that we might have to give to the needy rather than stealing and being covetous (Eph 4:28). The Light causes us to walk in all righteousness by being kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving brethren as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us, making us followers of God as dear children, walking in love as Christ loved us instead of being full of bitterness and malice (Eph 4: 31-5: 3). The Spirit makes us walk in all truth as we speak that which is edifying, ministering the gospel of grace to our hearers rather than lies (Eph 4:25, 29).  

     Christ teaches us to test what is acceptable unto him by bringing everything to his word.  Whatsoever is acceptable unto our Lord we are to walk in but whatsoever the Lord’s word says are unfruitful works of darkness, we are to avoid. That includes the workers themselves “for it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.”  But not only are we to have no fellowship with them, we are even to reprove them.