Ephesians 5 Devotional
by Trevor Blackwell
In AD 60, Paul wrote a letter to the people of Ephesus, which we now call Ephesians. Unlike many of his other letters, Paul was not addressing any wrongdoing of the Ephesians. Instead, he aimed to broaden their understanding of God’s purpose for the Church. Throughout the letter, Paul emphasized God’s purpose and our role in fulfilling it, with chapters 3, 4, and 5 focusing on our realization, fulfillment, and responsibility in God’s plan, respectively.
In this context, I would like to focus on Ephesians 5, where Paul provides a practical view of Christian living in the time of the Ephesians, which still applies today. Paul encourages Christians to follow God’s example and “walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us” (verse 2). He reminds us that as children of God, we are held to a standard and called to be “light in the Lord” (verse 8) and to shine His light on the world to expose its evil.
But what does it mean to be a light? In the context of Ephesians 5, being a light is about our new role as Christians. Verse 8 explains that we were once lost and in darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. Verses 13-14 further elaborate on this new role, stating that “everything exposed by the light becomes visible - and everything that is illuminated becomes a light”
As such, we are called to expose sin and make a clear distinction between right and wrong. John 3:20 demonstrates that as sinners, we hate the light, saying “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear their deeds will be exposed.” As born-again Christians, we have to come into the light to be truly changed, as in John 3:21: “whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God”. Only then can our sin be dealt with and changed by Christ.
However, this verse also carries a second calling: “everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” This portion of the passage urges us to make disciples, as we were once in darkness and light shone on us, illuminating us. Now that we are the light, we must in turn illuminate others, encourage others, and make disciples of God.
To understand this passage better, we must see it in the greater context of Ephesians and God’s plan for His Church. While Matthew 5 compares the light of believers to a city on a hill, Ephesians 5 emphasizes our responsibility to expose sin, make disciples, and live a life that points others to Christ.
Read Matthew 5:14-16, John 3:19-21, and Ephesians 5:1-20, then answer the following reflection questions:
How is the “light” in Matthew 5:14-16 differ from the “light” in Ephesians 5:1-20?
Who in our lives can we share the gospel with? How?
In what other ways can we shine light on others?