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The teaching of Ephesians 4-6 refutes the popular philosophy of “cultural liberalism.”

“Cultural liberalism” is the idea that the grace of Christ liberates the believer to relax and enjoy the worldly pop culture: rock and roll, R-rated movies, sensual video games, pro sports and all of its sin and filth, pop fashion, tattooing, drinking, perhaps even marijuana.

Scott Thomas, director of the Acts 29 evangelical church planting network, says, “We won’t attack the culture in the name of Christianity.” Evangelicals mockingly call the separatist stance the “Christian ghetto” or “fortress mentality.” Mark Driscoll claims to be “theologically conservative and culturally liberal” (“Pastor Provocateur,” Christianity Today, Sept. 21, 2007). He criticizes “hardcore fundamentalism that throws rocks at culture” (Ibid.). He defines himself as “relevant,” “contextual,” and “cool” (“Conference examines the emerging church,” Baptist Press, Sept. 25, 2007). This philosophy permeates evangelical Christianity. It is the philosophy of Wheaton College and Moody Bible Institute and Biola and Crue (Campus Crusade for Christ) and Christianity Today and Zondervan and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, etc. Books that promote this philosophy include The Grace Awakening by Chuck Swindoll, Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller, The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll, They Like Jesus But Not the Church by Dan Kimball, and The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus.

 - A video clip at McManus’ Mosaic web site is a dance sequence set to funky music “where these cool dancers come out on stage and they are beset by these ominous people in suits. In the end the cool people overcome the suit people, who lose their suits and become like the cool people. Message: Don’t be a suit--be cool.” (Brian Snider’s description after watching the video on November 26, 2007.) The meaning of this video, of course, is that professing Christians should “loosen up” and not be so uptight and restrictive about how they dress and how they live.

 - This is a brazen attack against the biblical position of separation from the world.

 - It is a great enticement to young believers.

 - It is a great danger to the biblical Christian life and true spiritual victory.


Consider some major lessons from Ephesians 5:10-17:

A circumspect Christian life requires a testing mindset (“Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, Eph. 5:9-10).

 - “Proving” (Eph. 5:10) is dokimázo, “to try, discern, distinguish, approve” (Complete Word Study Bible). It is also translated “discern” (Lu. 12:56), “examine” (1 Co. 11:28), and “try” (1 Jo. 4:1). (1) This is the testing mindset that is an essential part of the Christian life and ministry. Compare Ac. 17:11; Ro. 12:2; 2 Co. 10:5; Php. 1:10; 1 Th. 5:21; Heb. 5:14. This is the path of spiritual safety. It is the path of God’s will. (2) The testing mindset requires a strong knowledge of Scripture. This is the subject of Hebrews 5:12-14. There must be skill in the use of Scripture. There must be the ability to take the strong meat and not just milk. There must be the exercise of the spiritual senses “to discern both good and evil.” (3) Everything in the Christian life is to be tested as to whether it is “acceptable unto the Lord” (Eph. 5:10). This is the only thing that matters in the Christian life. It does not matter if something is acceptable in the eyes of men. It must be acceptable to the Lord. The essential question is, “Does this thing please the Lord, my Master?” (4) Everything is to be tested by whether it is light or darkness (Eph. 5:8). If it is of darkness, it is to be rejected, avoided, and reproved. (5) Everything is to be tested by the fruit of the Spirit (“For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,” Eph. 5:9). The standard for defining goodness, righteousness, and truth is Holy Scripture. Everything must be tested by Scripture. If something is contrary to God’s Word, it is not good, not righteous, and not truth, no matter what man thinks about it. If it is contrary to God’s Word, it is the doctrine of devils and not of the Spirit of God. The better God’s people know the Word of God, the better they can discern goodness, righteousness, and truth.

 - “Proving” is present tense, indicating continuous, persistent action. The proving is to be the believer’s way of life. The biblical worldview teaches me that I live in a fallen world filled with spiritual, moral, and doctrinal danger, and I must be ever vigilant to protect myself and others, ever testing.

A circumspect Christian life requires having “no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph. 5:11).

 - Again we see that this is a very strict path. “No fellowship with” is the highest standard of separation. It is contrary to the philosophy that prevails among professing Christians today, which is “lighten up, don’t be so strict, don’t be so demanding, don’t be judgmental.”

 - “Fellowship” is sugkoinonéo, to participate with, to take part in, to partner with, to share together. It is translated “communicate with” (Php. 4:14) and “be partakers of” (Re. 18:4). “The word refers to a joint-participation between two or more individuals in a common interest and a common activity” (Kenneth Wuest).

 - “Works of darkness” refer to every deed that is contrary to God’s moral law. The works of darkness are the works of sin, evil, unrighteousness, unholiness, impurity. They are called “darkness” because they are of the darkness of this fallen world and the darkness of the devil.

A circumspect Christian life requires that we “reprove” the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11-14).

 - “Reprove” is elégcho, “to convince of error, refute, confute.” It is translated “tell him his fault” (Mt. 18:15), “convince of sin” (Joh. 8:46), and “rebuke” (1 Ti. 5:20; Tit. 1:13; Re. 3:19). It is “to reprove or rebuke so as to bring out conviction or confession of guilt” (Wuest). It is to “convict by turning the light on the darkness” (Robertson’s Word Pictures).

 - This is the aggressive part of biblical separation. To reprove the works of darkness is to shine light upon those works so that men and women can know that they are sinners before God and that God is a holy judge. “‘Rather’ means that the obligation of administering reproof is not to be reluctantly added to that of avoiding fellowship but to be added with zest. That is what the light is for: not just to shine for itself but ‘rather’ also to blaze out into the darkness and to expose what that darkness covers up” (Robert Lenski).

 - Reproving the unfruitful works of darkness is a necessary part of the gospel ministry, as we see in Romans 1-3. Paul spent more than two chapters reproving sin, showing man’s guilt before God, revealing God’s judgment. Only then did he preach the grace of Christ (Ro. 3:21-24). This is the right way to preach the gospel. Man must know that he is a lost, undone sinner before he will flee to Christ for salvation. To reprove the works of darkness is to use the law for its rightful purpose which is to be a schoolmaster to lead men to Christ (Gal. 3:24).

 - Reproving the unfruitful works of darkness is a necessary part of preaching and teaching God’s Word (“reprove, rebuke,” 2 Ti. 4:2). The Word of God is profitable “for reproof, for correction” (2 Ti. 3:17). The right kind of preaching is an essential part of maintaining spiritual revival in a church.

A circumspect Christian life requires living circumspectly (“See then that ye walk circumspectly,” Eph. 5:15).

 - “See” is blépo, which is translated “take heed” (1 Co. 8:9; 10:12), “beware” (Php. 3:2; Col. 2:8), and “look to” (2 Jo. 1:8). It “expresses an intent, earnest contemplation” (Vine). It means to pay attention to something, to see that you do it, to take heed to it.

 - “Circumspectly” is akribós, “exactly, accurately, carefully” (Vine). It is also translated “diligently” (Mt. 2:8; Ac. 18:25) and “perfect” (Lu. 1:3). To walk circumspectly is to be careful to please the Lord in every way and to avoid sin and error. It is to pay close attention to living according to God’s will as expressed in Scripture. It is to measure everything by God’s Word.

- To walk circumspectly is to act “not as fools, but as wise.” To walk circumspectly is to refuse to act foolishly. Before salvation, the individual can only act as a fool by God’s measure, because his understanding is darkened and his heart is blind (Eph. 4:18). But the believer has been made alive, has the new man, and has been enlightened by God’s Spirit. He can therefore walk as wise, but this doesn’t come automatically. To walk as wise is a choice that he or she must make. I recall as a new believer at age 23, when I began reading the book of Proverbs, I saw that though saved I had many of the characteristics of the fool, and I earnestly wanted to be wise rather than foolish. I had known the Bible since childhood, but I had never cared about being wise until I was saved.

- To walk circumspectly requires “redeeming the time” (Eph. 5:16). (1) “Redeem” is to buy, to purchase. Time is valuable. To redeem time is to use it wisely in God’s will. When a day is gone, it is gone forever. It has been said, “Time is money.” Every day, and every hour of the day, is a wonderful opportunity that God gives to His redeemed, and it must be used wisely. “This is the day which the LORD hath made...” (Ps. 118:24). (2) Time can be redeemed because of salvation. Because I have been reconciled to God and have been made accepted in the beloved, I can serve God and please Him and do His will. God gives men a choice about how to spend time on this earth. (3) To redeem the time is to do those things found in the context of this exhortation (Eph. 5:10-19). It is to use one’s time to serve Christ and do God’s will. It is to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, to walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, to understand the will of the Lord, to be not drunk with wine, to be filled with the Spirit, to speak to yourselves in spiritual songs. (4) Redeeming the time requires seeing each season of life as a unique opportunity to do God’s will. God divided man’s earthly life into seasons. There is childhood, youth, adulthood, old age. Each season is addressed in Scripture. The child is to learn discipline, to be educated in God’s Word, to be prepared for salvation and God’s service (e.g., De. 6:4-7; Pr. 22:6, 15; 29:15 Eph. 6:1-4). God’s Word addresses youth (e.g., Ec. 12:1; Tit. 2:4-6) and the elderly (e.g., Tit. 2:2-3). To redeem the time is to give my full attention to doing God’s will in the season of life in which I find myself. (5) Redeeming the time is to do what is acceptable to the Lord (Eph. 5:10). To redeem the time is to use my time to the best advantage to accomplish God’s will. It is to make a plan for my daily life so that I do God’s will and I don’t spend my days in vanity and worldliness. If God has plainly stated something in Scripture, I must do it and by doing it I am redeeming the time. For example, He has said not to forsake the assembly (Heb. 10:25). Therefore, I redeem the time by making the assembly a priority. God has said that I am to be a skillful student of Scripture (Heb. 5:12-13). Therefore, I must make Bible reading and study and meditation a priority in my daily schedule. God has said that the father is to be the spiritual head of the family and the mother is to be the keeper of the home, so the father and mother must make this a priority in their daily schedules.