Ephesians

“Expose Them!”: Scripture’s Teaching on the Works of Darkness

Tom Ratkovich, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” Ephesians 5:11

What constitutes the “unfruitful works of darkness?”

Adultery, perhaps? How about greed, idolatry and deceit? Hate and mercilessness must be in there as well, right? Pride? Impenitence?

I think the Apostle Paul has all of these in mind when he instructs believers NOT to participate in the sinful actions associated with spiritual darkness.

Will God’s wrath be displayed only towards those who “participate” in such behaviors…or will it be extended to those who enable, encourage and excuse them as well?

Certainly, we are ALL deserving of His ire. We all sin, selfishly and repeatedly. As Christians, however, our faith mandates that we acknowledge our sin, repent of it, and aspire not to repeat it.

The fact that our country is led by a man who revels in spiritual darkness cannot be argued. I will not judge his soul – that is the purview of the Lord alone. Similarly, I cannot pass judgment on the salvation of those who unapologetically enable, encourage and excuse his spiritual darkness. Like POTUS – and like me – they, too, will face judgment.

But scripture (Galatians 6:1) does command me to proactively and lovingly steer the brethren from the unfruitful works of darkness. Know, brothers and sisters, enabling, encouraging and excusing sin is itself sinful.

Perhaps many believe that since it is not them who seeks vengeance on adversaries or enriches themselves through political office that they are guiltless. Or that the lies they excuse and perpetuate are minor transgressions justified in the pursuit of their misguided morality. Maybe because they did not sign the executive orders cutting medical care and food assistance to the most vulnerable, they still consider themselves righteous.

But the question they must ask themselves: Will Christ judge me so when I stand before Him on the Bema Seat?

Let’s be clear: Scripture does not tell us to enable, encourage and excuse sin. IT COMMANDS US TO EXPOSE IT!

Unfortunately, many gullible Christians have been misled by the Franklin Grahams, the Paula Whites and the Robert Jeffresses of the world who seek not to shepherd their flocks to salvation, but instead mislead them in pursuit of riches and power. These are the false prophets who excuse POTUS for depicting himself as Jesus Christ, who position the administration’s political platform as a mandatory tenet of Christian theology, and applaud POTUS’ campaign of retribution.

Nary a word of exposure.

“Expose them” does not mean ignore, excuse or redefine evil. Rather, it means speaking truth, identifying sin for the evil it is, and living in obedience to God.

Jesus, of course, spent time with sinners, but He did not participate in their sin. Instead, He called them to repentance while teaching that they must leave their sin behind.

The Bible instructs Christians to neither participate in sin nor ignore it. Instead, they are to live as people of the light, allowing both their conduct and, when appropriate, their words to reveal the difference between God’s ways and the “unfruitful works of darkness.”

The Sons of Disobedience

Tom Ratkovich, , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

“For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.” Ephesians 5:5-7 (NKJV)

In his epistles, the Apostle Paul thrice uses the figurative phrase “sons of disobedience.” He does so not to define people of biological descent, but to characterize those in rebellion against God – lives marked by defiance, unbelief and resistance to God’s will.

The sons of disobedience persist in sin without repentance. In these verses, Paul is specific that such sin includes sexual immorality, covetousness and idolatry; that is, a life conforming to worldly desires. He further asserts that such a life is influenced by spiritual forces opposed to God in which one walks “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…” (Ephesians 2:2)

Notably, the apostle declares that we were once all among the sons of disobedience, having been born into a fallen state as the descendants of Adam. Ephesians 2:3 continues:

“…among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

Good news, however, comes in verses 4-5:

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…”

By God’s loving grace, through faith which manifests in repentance and obedience, we are no longer sons of disobedience but become the adopted sons of the everlasting God.

In Romans 8:13-14, Paul contrasts the sons of disobedience with the sons of God:

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

That is, those who yield to the Holy Spirit rather than be led by the worldly desires of the flesh are the sons of God.

Such a distinction is particularly relevant in today’s volatile and divisive political climate. For example, does Donald Trump fit the biblical description of the sons of disobedience? How about those who empower, endorse and encourage him?

Such questions are actually relevant because of those seven words comprising Ephesians 5:7:

“Therefore do not be partakers with them.”

Whether or not Trump fits the description of a son of disobedience as described by Paul seems to require nothing more than objective observation. He is an adulterer. He covets power, money and exaltation – and he lies, sues and slanders in pursuit of them. He genuinely hates those who stand in opposition to him. Most grievously, he is unrepentant in all of it. These are indisputable, observable behaviors.

But because “sons of disobedience” describes a spiritual condition known only to God, I am incapable of making such a judgment. Christians are called to evaluate actions and fruit – not to declare knowledge of one’s spiritual identity.

Instead, I will simply defer to Paul’s warning not to be partners in their sin. I appeal to those who endorse behavior that is in direct conflict with God’s commands for repentance, forgiveness and love to consider whose sons they want to be. For they, too, will stand in judgment before the bema seat of the Lord.

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.” Isaiah 5:20

Related: Do Not Tolerate the Unrepentant

The Obedience of Faith

Tom Ratkovich, , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

“1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” Romans 1:1-6 (ESV)

In his transcendent letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul bookends the epistle in 1:5 and 16:26 with a short phrase, but one that carries profound implications for the faithful in Christ. In both his greeting and his doxology, Paul underscores “the obedience of faith” – the context of which is similar in both instances.

“25Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith — 27to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.” Romans 16:25-27

As he teaches throughout his letters, Paul does not mean that salvation is earned by obeying rules. Rather, he describes obedience that flows from a genuine faith in the Lord.

Faith comes first. Paul is unambiguous that believers find grace by trusting God – not by works of the law.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Authentic faith manifests in obedience to God’s word. The gift of such faith begets a changed life – one in which we respond to the Lord with trust, hope and submission – aligning that life with God’s will.

Paul is making the point that faith is not simply an intellectual acknowledgement of the gospel. True faith leads to a transformed life.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2

I confess to having been “conformed to this world.” I confess to a “faith” that, prior to becoming a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), was not authentic but corrupt. I confess to professing my Christianity verbally, failing to acknowledge that such profession came from my mouth, not my heart. I confess that I was a “Christian” when it was convenient to be one, but would rationalize my disobedience when it was not.

It is only by the grace of God that I am saved. I do not deserve such grace; none of us do. But God sent His only begotten Son to us so that His grace, His mercy, His love – is available to all who believe.

I believe. I now seek to do the will of God – that which “is good and acceptable and perfect.” This is the manifestation of authentic faith. Of course, I fail…repeatedly. But rather than rationalize my sin, I confess it and repent of it. The Lord knows that I – like both of you reading this post – am flawed. But the obedience of faith does not imply that we will be perfect. However, obedience does include repentance:

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30

In summary, “the obedience of faith” means a trusting response to the gospel that results in a life of obedience – obedience not to earn salvation, but obedience that naturally flows from genuine faith. Paul’s instruction calls for a faith-response that changes how we live in Christ.