No Fellowship with Darkness Works Ephesians 5:11

Paul the apostle desired for the Ephesian church members to be “proving what is acceptable to the Lord” because the were “sometimes darkness, but now are light in the Lord”. They were to “walk as children of light”, and in chapter five and verse eleven of his letter Paul told the Ephesians to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” where we read:

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

The verse begins, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,...” Paul began with the words, “And have no fellowship” which in Greek is “sygkoinōneō mē sygkoinōneō” and means “to become partakers together” “with the unfruitful” or “without fruit, barren and not yielding what it ought to yield” “works” which refers to “business, employment and that which any one is occupied, deeds, things done or accomplished by hand, art, industry of mind” “of darkness” which literally means “blindness” and metaphorically means “ignorance respecting divine things and human duties, and the accompanying ungodliness and immorality, together with their consequent misery in hell”. The Ephesians were not to be “partakers” with any of the ideas or “deeds” of “immorality”.

The verse goes on to say, “...but rather reprove them.” Paul added, “but” which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written takes precedence over what was previously stated, “moreover, nevertheless and nonetheless” “reprove them” or “to a greater degree, much, by far and sooner convict, refute, confute, find fault with and correct” the wickedness. Rather than just tolerate or ignore “works of darkness”, the Ephesian church members were to “correct and refute” them.

When we meditate upon these words of Paul, we understand his exhortation not to “partake” of “wickedness” or “unfruitful works of darkness”. In addition, we are to “reprove” these “works” when we see them. Many times we simply ignore them or passively accept “dark works”, but Paul's exhortation it to “correct and refute” them. If we are to be like Jesus, we should not only keep ourselves from “wicked” and “ungodly” activities, we should be His “children” of “light” and make “darkness” flee away.

Next time Paul shares how it is “a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.