Ephesians 5:8-10 8For you were once of the darkness but are now of the light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
The believers in and around Ephesus must make a crucial decision of how they will live. Paul uses the metaphor walk (peripateite) for how one lives, one’s lifestyle, and the decision one makes about behavior. The Ephesians once were in the same darkness of ignorance as the deceivers and children of disobedience of verse 7. Something tremendous and miraculous happened to them when they put their faith in Jesus Christ. The darkness is a sad and lonely place to be. People stumble and fall in the darkness and often hurt themselves or other people. Sin always has consequences. The old life under the slavery of sin may look enticing, particularly because it appeals to our deceived flesh, but it is still slavery and eventually leads to death and condemnation (Romans 6:23). It is a sad place to be. Paul warns the readers that the darkness is not a good place to be. Don’t let the enticement of it pull them back into it.
Rather, they have experienced a change now in the Lord. Walking in the light of Christ brings life and liberty. This change from the old life of darkness to the new life of light happens only in the Lord. This is both an instrumental sense–it is only by means of what Jesus did on the cross for us (atonement), and a relational sense–when we place our lives into the control of Jesus will we find victory over sin and temptation (sanctification). This is a call and reminder to continue to grow into the likeness of Jesus Christ. The new life does not happen by accident or all at once. It is a crisis of decision (faith) that must be continually made through growth and daily living (obedience).
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