Eph 5:8-9
As the reason why the readers must break off all fellowship with those who walk according to the flesh, Paul here sets forth the contrast between their present condition and their former one.
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.”
The contrast between light and darkness, which prevails in nature, is often transferred in Holy Scripture to the realm of the spirit. What the sun is for the bodily eye, that God and His truth are for the human mind. Just as the eye is not merely illuminated by the sun but itself becomes sun-like, so the human spirit, when it receives within itself the divine truth that has been revealed in Christ, is not merely enlightened but itself becomes light. On the other hand, apart from God and Christ it is not merely in darkness but is itself darkness.
Therefore it says here ἦτε σκότος (ēte skotos — “you were darkness”) and φῶς (phōs — “light”), and not ἐν σκότει (en skotei — “in darkness”) or ἐν φωτί (en phōti — “in light”).
But if they are light, then they must also walk as children of light, enlightening everything around them:
“Walk as children of light.”
In the parenthetical clause that follows in verse 9, the Apostle then gives the reason why they should strive to walk as children of light, by pointing to the fruit which the light of divine truth and grace produces in a person.
“For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth.”
These three spiritual fruits of light stand in opposition to the vices mentioned above. Thus ἀγαθωσύνη (agathōsynē — goodness) stands opposed to κακία (kakia — malice) (cf. Eph 4:31); δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosynē — righteousness) to the unjust appropriation of another’s goods (cf. Eph 4:28); and finally ἀλήθεια (alētheia — truth) to ψεῦδος (pseudos — falsehood) (cf. Eph 4:25).
Against decisive witnesses, the textus receptus reads πνεύματος (pneumatos — “of the Spirit”) instead of φωτός (phōtos — “of the light”); this reading is a gloss taken from **Epistle to the Galatians 5:25.
Eph 5:10
The participle δοκιμάζοντες (dokimazontes — “testing” or “examining”) is connected directly with περιπατεῖτε (peripateite — “walk”) in verse 8 and expresses the manner of the required conduct: “examining what is pleasing to the Lord.”
In the light one distinguishes objects clearly, whereas in darkness everything merges together. Since they are children of light and are themselves light, they both should and can test and determine what is pleasing to God. They possess the objective rule for this in the Gospel and the subjective rule in their own conscience enlightened by the Spirit of God (cf. **Epistle to the Romans 12:2).
Eph 5:11-12
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”
μᾶλλον δὲ καί (mallon de kai — “rather even,” “indeed rather”).
Just as in physical nature, so also in spiritual life only light possesses true generative power. Only the divine light of grace and truth can produce in man works that bear within themselves the nature of eternal light and follow the one who performs them into eternity.
Darkness, however—whether physical or spiritual—is unfruitful. The works it produces, even if outwardly they appear brilliant, are fruitless. They are barren blossoms; they possess no true inner value and no permanence.
Therefore, as children of light they must not only avoid participation in these unfruitful works of darkness but must rather expose them through their light.
The verb ἐλέγχειν (elenchein) means both “to bring to light, reveal, expose” and “to rebuke or reprove.” Both meanings flow together here, because the life of the godly, on the one hand, exposes the conduct of the ungodly through contrast, and on the other hand is for them a continual rebuke—a living sermon of judgment.
In verse 12 the Apostle first justifies the first part of the statement, μὴ συγκοινωνεῖτε (mē synkoinōneite — “do not participate”):
“For the things done by them in secret are shameful even to speak of.”
τὰ κρυφῇ (ta kryphē — “things done in secret”)—so Lachmann writes it; Tischendorf has κρυφή.
Here γινόμενα (ginomena — “things being done”) is equivalent to ἔργοις ἀκάρποις τοῦ σκότους (ergois akarpois tou skotous — “the unfruitful works of darkness”) in the previous verse, and the Apostle understands by this the vices mentioned in verse 3, which among Christians should not even be named.
The meaning therefore is: these works of darkness—what the children of unbelief perform in their spiritual darkness, as it were in secret—are so shameful that a Christian should not even mention them, much less take part in them.
Eph 5:13
Paul now explains the μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐλέγχετε (mallon de kai elenchete — “rather even expose them”) of verse 11.
This sentence has been translated and interpreted in various ways. Entirely incorrect is the translation of Allioli and Kistemaker: “But everything that must be reproved.” Neither ἐλεγχόμενα (elenchomena) nor the Vulgate quae arguuntur can mean “what must be reproved.”
Others combine τὰ δὲ πάντα ἐλεγχόμενα (ta de panta elenchomena) as the subject and translate: “But everything that is exposed.” But then it would have to read πάντα δὲ τὰ ἐλεγχόμενα.
It is best to take τὰ δὲ πάντα (ta de panta — “but all things”) as the subject, ἐλεγχόμενα (elenchomena — “being exposed”) as the participle connected with it, and ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς φανεροῦται (hypo tou phōtos phaneroutai — “is made manifest by the light”) as the predicate.
The verb φανεροῦσθαι (phanerousthai), from φαίνω (phainō — “to shine”), is understood in its original sense: “to be made visible,” “to be made apparent.”
Thus we translate:
“But everything, when it is exposed, is made visible by the light.”
This yields a beautiful meaning: when those pagan vices are exposed through your opposite conduct—a pious and pure way of life—and are recognized as worthless and detestable, then they again become accessible to the light; they are illuminated again by the light and themselves become luminous.
For spiritual light, like physical light, possesses a generative power: it can transform darkness and its formations, making them themselves bright and luminous.
The Apostle clarifies and grounds this last thought in the following general statement:
“For everything that is made manifest is light.”
That is, it has ceased to possess the nature of darkness and has assumed the nature of light.
Just as in the physical world an object becomes visible only by receiving light into itself and thus becoming luminous, so it is in the spiritual world. The sinful life of the pagan world became fully apparent and recognized as such through the contrast provided by the pure conduct of the first Christians.
As soon as a person recognizes evil as evil, he becomes again accessible to the light of divine grace.
Erasmus, Estius, and others incorrectly take φανερούμενον (phaneroumenon) as a middle voice with active meaning and φῶς (phōs) as the subject. But this interpretation is opposed by the preceding passive φανεροῦται, by the word order, and by usage, since φανεροῦμαι is always passive.
The train of thought from verse 10 therefore is this:
You must not participate in the dark works of the pagans, for they are so shameful that they should not even be mentioned. Rather, by your pious conduct and example you should expose the abomination of those vices before the world.
If in this way unbelievers become conscious of their vices and are awakened from their sleep of sin, then the first step toward their conversion has been accomplished. They become accessible to the light of grace and truth that appeared in Christ, and, enlightened by this light, they take it ever more into themselves and thus themselves become light.
For in the spiritual world it is as in the physical: everything that is made manifest and illuminated by light assumes the nature of light and itself becomes light.
Eph 5:14
That this rebuke (ἐλέγχειν — elenchein) is necessary and salutary the Apostle confirms with a citation.
Therefore—because it is so necessary and beneficial that through your pious conduct you bring the vices of the pagans to light and rebuke them—it says:
“Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon you.”
Paul introduces these words with the usual formula διὸ λέγει (dio legei — “therefore it says”), which he ordinarily uses when quoting Scripture. Yet no passage in the Old Testament agrees exactly with these words.
Some therefore thought that the Apostle borrowed the statement from an apocryphal writing and, through a lapse of memory, introduced it with the usual formula as if it were Scripture. This was also the opinion of Jerome, and Codex G expressly names the Book of Enoch as the source.
Others consider it a line from a church hymn then in use. Others suppose that Paul introduces Christ speaking prophetically within him. Still others think the words contain an actual saying of Christ not recorded by the Evangelists.
All these proposals, however, are unnecessary.
Rather, the Apostle here combines Book of Isaiah 60:1 and Book of Isaiah 26:19, quoting them freely and with some modifications in order to fit them into the context of his discourse.
In the first passage it says: “Arise, be enlightened, Jerusalem, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”
In the second we read: “Your dead shall live again; my slain shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust.”
These words, which the prophet addressed to sinful Jerusalem, the Apostle applies here to every sinner. Sleep and death are, as often in Scripture, images of spiritual darkness and spiritual death into which sin plunges a person.
From this sleep the sinner must awaken; from this death he must arise, so that Christ—the true light of the world, the Sun of righteousness—may enlighten him.
And the faithful are to contribute to this awakening and rising of the sinner through their holy way of life: they must let their light shine so that it may also become light in others.
(The nominative ὁ καθεύδων (ho katheudōn — “the one sleeping”) stands instead of a vocative; and ἀνάστα (anasta) instead of ἀνάστηθι. Concerning ἐπιφαύσει (epiphausei — “will shine upon”) from φαύσκω, see Winer.)
CONTINUE
Comments
Post a Comment