Exposing the Dark

(Stock photo)

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

 The author, Paul the apostle, uses the contrast of light and darkness to help illustrate his point that Christians (light) are not to have fellowship with non-Christians (dark).

What does this mean exactly? Elsewhere, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth:

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people – not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world

Here, Paul recognizes that we cannot disassociate ourselves from the world completely. The only way to do that is to leave this world and go to Jesus, which is not up to us.

So, are we to associate or disassociate? Are we to have fellowship or not with the world?

I do not want to make a mountain out of a molehill, so let me cut right to the point: The Christian is not to have fellowship with the world, but we do associate with the world. There is a difference.

In the Greek, “take no part” is better understood to mean “have no fellowship” with the darkness. Such fellowship between light and dark is unfitting for the saints. Believers are to have fellowship with God and with each other, but “to have fellowship with the works of darkness… is to delight in them and to participate in them” (Charles Hodge, Commentary on Epistle to the Ephesians). (What Paul means in 1 Corinthians by associating is not in contrast to this idea. Christians are to keep themselves pure from the world, while instead interacting with the lost in order to win them to Christ.) Clearly, the Christian is not to take delight in darkness. We are, rather, to expose the darkness for what it is.

What does it mean to expose the deeds of darkness?

One text comes immediately to mind. In Matthew 14, the story of John the Baptist’s martyrdom is told. Fiery John offended King Herod and his woman. The woman Herod had was actually his brother Philip’s wife, and John pointed this sin out to them. They were offended and locked him up. When Herodias (the woman) had the opportunity to kill him, she did with full dramatic effect: she asked for his head on a platter. This is what John received for his exposing the world’s darkness.

This is, of course, an obvious reality that could happen to any of us. The darkness hates the light, the apostle John tells us in John 1, and does not want to be exposed. But the light is compelled to do this very thing: illuminate the dark. We must, therefore, be prepared to suffer whatever consequences may arise so that the light may always shine!

Exposing darkness requires light to do so. The light of the world is Jesus, and he came not to condemn, but to redeem. What I mean is that exposing the dark is not finger pointing; it is winsomely sharing the truth, seeking to convince others to come to the light and have their darkness dissipate. It is still calling sin what it is, but it is doing so with the prayer that the light may shine into dark hearts and transform them! This was what John the Baptist hoped for. On the negative side, John the Baptist was beheaded; on the positive side, think what the story would have been if Herod and Herodias had repented and been changed by the gospel of light!

We don’t know the future, but we (as light) are compelled to keep shining! No matter what the cost, keep shining the light of Christ, taking delight in Christ, and winsomely convincing others to come to Christ.