Lessons #195 and 196
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Live as children of light (Ephesians 5:8-14)
…. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
The message we are considering is that believers are to live as children of light. Many times, we do not grasp a message just by hearing it once so it is necessary to repeat a given message or instruction several times before it sticks or before we get it. This seems to be what the Holy Spirit directed the apostle to do in the passage we are considering so that he first stated the message positively but repeated it negatively. So, we can say that the Holy Spirit directed the apostle to present the message of this passage in terms of a coin with inscriptions on both sides that say essentially the same thing from different perspectives. On one side of the coin, the message is given positively in the instruction to live as children of light in verse 8. The apostle then explained this positive instruction in verse 9 by indicating that to live as children of light is tantamount to being controlled by the Holy Spirit as evident in the virtues of goodness, righteousness, and truthfulness. He continued in verse 10 to say more about living as children of light with respect to pleasing God. Thus, he tells us that living as children of light goes hand in hand with discovering or discerning what pleases the Lord; that learning what pleases God is how a believer lives as a child of light; and that living as child of light, that is, being controlled by the Spirit leads to proving the things that please God or has as its purpose that of proving what pleases God. Therefore, having considered inscription of the first side of “message coin” that is given positively, the apostle flipped to the second side of the message coin to consider its inscription.
The inscription of second side of the message coin contains a repeat of the message but this time it is given negatively. To live as children of light is presented negatively as avoiding lifestyle that characterize unbelievers. Hence, the first inscription of the second side of the coin message contains the words of the first part of Ephesians 5:11, Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness.
It may appear that this command of verse 11 has nothing to do with the command Live as children of light of verse 8. This is especially the case, because most of our English versions did not translate a Greek conjunction (kai) that begins the verse. This is probably because the translators considered it as introducing something new and so saw no need to translate it. The Greek conjunction that began verse 11 is subject to different interpretations. It could be considered here as indicating result so that it can be translated “and so” implying that its use goes back to verse 10. In effect, it would mean that as a result of learning what pleases God then the command issued here should be obeyed. Another possible interpretation is to take the Greek conjunction as introducing an explanation, leading to the translation “that is.” The implication will be that the command given in verse 11 is another explanation of the command Live as children of light of verse 8. Still another interpretation is to take the conjunction as introducing another command that is of the same rank as that given in verse 8 so that verse 11 will begin with the word “and,” that is, we have a coordinating conjunction. Which of these interpretations was in the mind of the apostle when he wrote verse 11? It seems to me that it is the third interpretation that takes the Greek conjunction as introducing another command in verse 11 that is of the same rank as the first command. This is because although the first interpretation that is concerned with result is possible but because the verse 10 involves not only what results in pleasing God but the manner of pleasing Him, the apostle would not likely focus on result alone at the expense of the other implications of verse 10. The second interpretation of indicator of explanation is possible but the apostle had already provided an explanation of what it means to live as children of light in verse 9 and so it is unlikely that he would be doing so again in verse 11. Therefore, the other option is to take the command of verse 11 as that which is coordinate (i.e. of equal rank and function) with the command issued in verse 8. This being the case, then we are correct in asserting that the second side of the “message coin” is concerned with repeating the command given in verse 8 but only this time the message is presented negatively.
Be that as it may, the form of the command given in Ephesians 5:11 is general enough so that on one hand, it covers the case where a believer may have been involved in the action forbidden in the command so that the apostle’s command is for the believer so involved should cease from the action forbidden. On the other hand, it is such that if a believer is not involved in the action mentioned then the instruction is that such a believer should ensure that he or she does not violate the instruction given. The command as given in the Greek requires that the believer should form the habit or train self to obey repeatedly the instruction in our passage.
The instruction, as we have already noted, is given in the first part of Ephesians 5:11, Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness. The expression Have nothing to do with is more literally And do not be connected with. This is because the Greek word (sygkoinōneō) used concerns being associated with someone in some activity and so means “to be connected, to associate with, to participate with.” To be connected with someone in a given activity may simply be that of taking a sympathetic interest in someone. Thus, the Apostle Paul used our word to indicate that the Philippians were sympathetic towards his troubles as indicated in their gifts to him in Philippians 4:14:
Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.
The connection with someone in a given activity may refer to actually taking part in that activity as it is used in the call for God’s people to leave the city of Babylon so they would not participate in the sins of that city or experience any of her plagues, as stated in Revelation 18:4:
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
Based on these meanings of the Greek word used, the instruction of the apostle is that believers should neither participate nor sympathize with what is described in the NIV as the fruitless deeds of darkness.
What does the apostle mean in the phrase the fruitless deeds of darkness? To answer this question, we need first to consider two key words used in the phrase. The first key word we need to consider is the word “fruitless”. It is translated from a Greek adjective (akarpos) that literally pertains to not bearing fruit and so means “unfruitful, fruitless” as it is used in comparing false teachers to autumn trees that produce no fruit in Jude 12:
These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead.
However, the adjective is used figuratively to pertain to being useless in the sense of being unproductive and so means “useless, unproductive.” It is in this sense that the word is used in the Parable of the Sower where our Lord indicated that worries and deceitfulness of wealth keep the word of God someone hears from being productive in the person’s life in Matthew 13:22:
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
The verbal phrase making it unfruitful means that the word of God does not produce good results in a person or that it does not affect the deeds of that individual. In our passage of Ephesians 5:11, the sense of the word is that of useless or unproductive, that is, the word is used figuratively and not literally in our passage.
A second key word is “darkness.” The word “darkness” (Greek skotos) literally refers to absence of light as it is used to describe one of the events connected with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Luke 23:44:
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour,
However, the predominant use of the word “darkness” in the Scripture is in figurative senses.
Darkness is used figuratively for the terrifying majesty of God as when He appeared to Israel at Mount Sinai, as described in Hebrews 12:18–21:
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
Darkness can symbolize loss of walking in God’s truth, as in 1 John 2:11:
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
Darkness can symbolize sin, as in 1 John 1:5:
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
There are several ways of understanding darkness in this passage of 1 John 1:5 such as “unrighteousness” or “falsehood” but regardless of how it is understood the underlying concept is that of sin so that it can be understood that absolutely there is no sin in God. Darkness can symbolize the rule of Satan, as can be inferred from Colossians 1:13:
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
Darkness can symbolize the spiritual state or deadness of unbelievers. This is because the gospel message the Apostle Paul was commissioned to preach was to bring the result of removing people from their spiritual state of being dead to that of being alive, as implied in Acts 26:18:
to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Darkness symbolizes folly or foolishness, as implied in Ecclesiastes 2:13:
I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.
The comparison of the first clause to the second implies light refers to wisdom while darkness refers to folly. Darkness is used not only to symbolize sin but also its effects. So, darkness symbolizes ignorance in Psalm 82:5:
“They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Darkness here could refer to ignorance of truth or unrighteousness. Darkness can refer to nothingness as Job spoke of darkness as equivalent to nothingness in referring to the day of his birth in Job 3:4–6:
4That day—may it turn to darkness; may God above not care about it; may no light shine upon it. 5May darkness and deep shadow claim it once more; may a cloud settle over it; may blackness overwhelm its light. 6 That night—may thick darkness seize it; may it not be included among the days of the year nor be entered in any of the months.
Darkness can also be used figuratively for God’s judgment and so it is used for His judgment on those who seek to take advantage of others in Job 5:14:
Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night.
It is in the sense of judgment that darkness is used in Ezekiel 32:8:
All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you; I will bring darkness over your land, declares the Sovereign Lord.
We have considered the literal meaning of “darkness” and several figurative usages of the word “darkness” so the problem is to determine which of these usages that is appropriate in our context. For certain, darkness is used in a figurative sense since absence of light in a literal sense does not seem to make much sense in our context. Furthermore, we have noted that the word “fruitless” as used in the NIV is to be understood figuratively in the sense of useless or unproductive. So the word “darkness” is used in a figurative sense in our passage but that still leaves us with the issue of determining which of the figurative usages is applicable. It is the symbol of sin that we believe is the most appropriate in our passage since such understanding makes better sense with the phrase the fruitless deeds of darkness. Furthermore, such interpretation includes the interpretation that takes darkness here as equivalent to ignorance since the result of ignorance in spiritual life is to sin.
Regardless of how we understand the phrase, one thing is for certain, which is, that it is concerned with that which does not lead to spiritual benefit since the adjective “fruitless” means useless or unproductive. Productivity in the spiritual life in one sense is to be measured in terms of advancement in a person’s knowledge of Jesus Christ not only in having information about Him but reflecting the virtues He displayed while on this planet. This we can understand because the Apostle Peter indicated there are virtues that will keep believers from being unproductive in their knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ in 2 Peter 1:8:
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The phrase these qualities refers to virtues the apostle described in 2 Peter 1:5–7:
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
The implication of the virtues the apostle listed in these three verses of 1 Peter 1:5-7 is that anything that does not lead to spiritual advancement of the believer should be understood as being useless or unproductive spiritually.
Be that as it may, the understanding that darkness refers to sin means that the phrase the fruitless deeds of darkness refers to useless deeds that are either characterized by sin or deeds that are produced by sin. In effect, the instruction is for believers to make it their habit not to participate or sympathize with any deed that is tainted with sin or that can be traced to sin. However, we should emphasize that the command Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness is not concerned with avoiding unbelievers but with their sinful activities. We are not to avoid unbelievers since if we do, we will have no opportunity to give them the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is because some Corinthians misunderstood that when believers are instructed not to fellowship with others that “others” refer to fellow believers that the Apostle Paul corrected them in the explanation of 1 Corinthians 5:9–10:
9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.
Thus, we are instructed not to avoid unbelievers but to ensure that we do not participate with anything that is associated with the sinful nature or participate in the sinful activities of unbelievers. This implies that the instruction of the Holy Spirit through the apostle Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness recalls the sinful activities of our sinful nature that we should avoid, as listed in Galatians 5:19–21:
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
By the way the word “acts” in Galatians 5:19 is translated from the same Greek word (ergon) translated “deeds” in Ephesians 5:11 so that it is not that strange that we linked the sinful nature to the deeds that are characterized by sin. It is not only that we should not participate in sinful conducts, we should not participate in activities that may appear harmless but have the connotation of buying God’s favor. Unbelievers participate in acts that they believe will put them in good standing with God as that is the kind of act the Holy Spirit mentioned through the human author of Hebrews in Hebrews 6:1:
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
A key verbal phrase in this passage in connection with the point we are making is acts that lead to death. This phrase is to be understood from two perspectives. On the one hand, if unbelievers are in view then the phrase refers to those activities that the individual undertakes with the purpose of pleasing God or of being in the right relationship with God. On the other hand, if believers are in view then the phrase refers to those activities that believer does when not under the control of the Spirit. We are not to participate in any activity that is carried out without being under the control of the Holy Spirit even if there is nothing immoral about it. In effect, we should ensure that whatever we do is done under the control of the Spirit. The deeds or activities believers should participate should be governed by the filling of the Spirit so that in a sense it can be said that we operated in humility, as James indicated in James 3:13:
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
Anyway, the point is that the useless deeds of darkness that we should not participate are primarily those activities that are sinful or that come out of our sinful nature. There are things unbelievers do that are clearly characterized by sin we should not participate in them. These kinds of activities are also mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Romans 13:12–13:
12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
The apostle used a similar phrase in this passage as in Ephesians 5:11 in the phrase the deeds of darkness which can refer to the evil things people do in darkness or the things that people normally do in the darkness of night often because of their sinfulness. Believers should avoid any activity that would negate their claim of worshipping the true God. Those who do not live in accordance with truth are those who deny God, as the apostle states in Titus 1:16:
They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
The point is that the command of Ephesians 5:11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness means believers should make it their habit not to participate in any sinful activity since such an activity is useless in the spiritual life in that it does not glorify God nor is such an activity what God will reward in the future. We should, of course, recognize that the instruction given to us not to participate or associate with activities that are sinful is a negative way of stating what the apostle had already stated positively. He had explained to us that the command to live as children of light means to live a life controlled by the Holy Spirit as evident in the manifesting those virtues associated with the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, the opposite way to state the same truth is to say that we avoid being controlled by the sinful nature as evident in not being involved in the activities that are sinful or those that lead to sin.
The apostle not only issued a negative command not to participate in the useless activities that are characterized by sin but he followed it with another command that states the responsibility those who are children of light should carry out. In other words, the Holy Spirit through the apostle says to us that it is not enough to avoid the sinful activities of this world as children of light. No! We must go a step further. It is to indicate we should go a step further with respect to sinful activities or the useless deeds that the apostle wrote the words given in the NIV of Ephesians 5:11 in the phrase but rather. This translation of the NIV in my judgment does not reveal that what follows it is emphatic in the Greek as the literal translation reveals. We are saying that the translation of the NIV does not convey that the apostle meant to emphasize that it is not enough to avoid sinful activities but that believers should go a step further with respect to sinful activities. The literal translation that we will give helps us to recognize the emphasis of the apostle. Literally, the Greek phrase reads rather but also. This is because the apostle used three words together in the Greek with varying meanings.
The first word “rather” in the literal translation is translated from a comparative Greek adverb (mallon) that can mean “more” or “rather.” The meaning “more” is concerned with a greater or higher degree of something. Thus, the apostle used it in that sense to encourage believers to live more and more a life that pleases the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 4:1:
Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.
This living in such a way to please the Lord involves display of love more and more to fellow believers, as the apostle also indicated in 1 Thessalonians 4:10:
And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
To love more and more is simply a way of stating that love should be demonstrated more and more since love is a facet of the fruit of the Spirit that cannot be improved upon. Instead, its demonstration can be shown more and more to others. Anyway, the second meaning of the Greek word translated “rather” in Ephesians 5:11 is indeed “rather” but that has two senses. It could mean rather in the sense of “for a better reason” or “all the more”. It is in this sense that the apostle used it to encourage slaves to render better service to their masters who are also believers in 1 Timothy 6:2:
Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.
Another sense of the word “rather” is as a marker of alternative to something in the sense of “instead of something.” It is this sense the apostle used the word upon instructing Roman believers not to pass judgment on each other based on such matters as food that one eats or does not eat in Romans 14:13:
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
In this passage, the alternative to passing judgment on one another is not to do anything that will cause someone else to sin by compromising his own principles or by doing what his conscience tells him is wrong. It is in this sense of alternative that the word “rather” is used in Ephesians 5:11.
The other two words but also in the literal translation are translated from two Greek conjunctions that in some context may have overlapping meaning as we will demonstrate. The word “but” is translated from a Greek conjunction (de) that may be used as a marker that connects segments of a narrative and so means “and, now”, as the apostle used it to connect sin to death and the law in 1 Corinthians 15:56:
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
The conjunction can also be used as a marker of contrast with the meaning “but,” “on the other hand”, as the apostle used it in 1 Corinthians 2:15:
The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:
The word “also” in our literal translation rather but also is from a Greek conjunction (kai) that can be used to connect clauses in which case it means “and.” This usage is similar to the previous conjunction translated “but” that can also be translated “and.” It can also be used as a marker of an additive relation which is not coordinate, to connect clauses and sentences and so means “also” as the apostle used it to indicate that he is not the only one that will receive the crown of righteousness in 2 Timothy 4:8:
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
So, it is interesting that the apostle used these two conjunctions together that literally reads but also. This is because when the two conjunctions are used together, it is usually for emphasis as, for example, when the apostle used both conjunctions in 2 Timothy 3:12:
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
The phrase in fact is more literally and indeed or and also. The implication of the use of the two conjunctions together in Ephesians 5:11 is that the apostle intended to emphasize the alternative to participating in useless or unproductive activities or deeds in an emphatic manner. Again, he is saying that it is not enough to avoid sinful activities that belong to sinful nature or that characterize unbelievers, believers should go a step further.
The emphatic alternative the apostle intended to convey is given in the command but rather expose them of Ephesians 5:11 of the NIV. The word “expose” is translated from a Greek word (elegchō) that has several meanings. It can mean to express strong disapproval of someone’s action hence means “to correct, to reprove, to show a person his or her fault.” It is in the sense of showing one his or her fault that the word is used in Matthew 18:15:
“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
The expression go and show him his fault, just between the two of you may literally be translated go correct him between you and him alone. Our Greek word is used in the sense of “to correct” in the responsibility of Timothy, which applies to all pastors or teachers of the word of God to their congregations, in 2 Timothy 4:2:
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
The word can mean “to refute” as it is used in Titus 1:9:
He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
The word is translated “refute” in the NIV but it is equally possible for the word to be translated “to correct” or even “to show the error” since the intent of sound doctrine is to correct erroneous teaching. Another meaning of the Greek word is to rebuke, as it is used in Titus 2:15:
These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
The word can mean “to convict, to convince” in the sense of bringing a person to the point of recognizing his or her wrongdoing. It is in this sense that the word is used by the Apostle Paul to indicate what could result in a worship situation when the gift of prophecy is used to expose an unbeliever’s sinful conduct in 1 Corinthians 14:24:
But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all,
The word can mean to bring something to light, that is, to expose. It is in this sense that the word is used in John 3:20:
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
We have considered the various usages of the Greek word translated “expose” in Ephesians 5:11 so the problem is to determine the actual intended meaning of the apostle when he used the Greek word we have considered. The meanings “to rebuke”, “to correct”, and “to convict” do not seem to be appropriate in Ephesians 5:11. This is because there is no specified person mentioned in the verse. To rebuke or correct or convict will require a subject as in the passage we have cited and specifically as it is in the case in 1 Timothy 5:20:
Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.
This passage is clear that those who are to be rebuked are those who have sinned publicly so there is no doubt as to the object of the rebuke or even correction but in our passage of Ephesians 5:11 there is no clear object mentioned although there are those who interpret the phrase fruitless deeds of darkness as a metonymy for those who have done the fruitless deeds of darkness. This notwithstanding, the implied object in our passage is the phrase the fruitless deeds. This being the case, then the most logical meaning of the Greek word in our passage is that of “to expose” as we find in the NIV. Of course, the pronoun them in the instruction but rather expose them is not in the Greek but it is implied so that the pronoun refers to the useless or unproductive deeds characterized by sin.
What does it mean to expose fruitless deeds of darkness? It primarily means to speak against deeds or activities that are clearly against the word of God, that is, to speak against any and every sin. I think that sometimes believers are selective in this matter. There are those who speak against homosexuality that is clearly a useless activity that is characterized by sin but then they do not speak up against other sexual sins such as fornication and adultery. Many Christians are focused on homosexuality but they rarely speak up against fornication and adultery as if they are not sinful conducts. You see the hypocritical conduct of not exposing the deeds of darkness in the selective approach of believers to sexual sin. Many speak up against abortion but they do not speak up about sexual sin that in the first place is most likely the cause of abortion. Many speak up against murder but do not speak up against hatred of any kind. Our instruction is that we should expose all kinds of sinfulness. We cannot be selective in the sins we expose or speak out against. We are to expose anything that is contrary to truth that people get involved. We are not to be involved in any form of cover up wherever we find it. We should be careful not only to expose sins but we should be careful that we do not endorse sin in any form or shape. We should not condemn any sinful conduct and then do that which supports such sin. It is this kind of requirement that is implied in the instruction of the Holy Spirit about those who are degenerate. The Holy Spirit described their deeds of darkness through the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:28–31:
28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
But the apostle did not stop here but he added that the unbelievers support those who do these things in Romans 1:32:
Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Therefore, we should expose the deeds of darkness but we should not stop there. We should endeavor not to do anything that will give the impression that we endorse any thing that is sinful.
We indicated that exposing deeds of darkness is primarily concerned with speaking up against anything sinful. However, in a practical manner, exposing of sinful conduct will require rebuking anyone that is close to us that gets involved in sinful conduct as per the instruction given in Leviticus 19:17:
“‘Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
The requirement of this passage should be clearly understood. We say this because we are not called to rebuke unbelievers individually because of their sins as we are called to speak up against sin in general. However, the matter of rebuking of someone who sins is limited to our fellow believers. This is implied by the phrase your neighbor of Leviticus 19:17. The neighbor in view here refers to a fellow Israelite who is a member of the covenant community. We mean that those to be rebuked are fellow believers. We are to rebuke our fellow believers when they sin as evident in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul in the passage we previously cited, that is, 1 Timothy 5:20:
Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.
As believers, we are not only to rebuke our fellow believers in a way to help restore them into fellowship with God but if it becomes evident to us that a believer is living contrary to truth we should then avoid such an individual, as described in 1 Corinthians 5:11:
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
We have indicated that to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness means primarily to speak up against sin but we should also recognize that another way to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness is to live a lifestyle that shows that such deeds are incompatible with the life of the Christian. In other words, through our lifestyles we can demonstrate that such deeds are unbecoming of believers. So, we should be careful to avoid sinful conducts but at the same time speak up against sin in a general sense without being selective.
[End of Lesson #195 and 196]