11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."
15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dig Deeper
When I was in high school I had a very good friend who was a genius. Really, genius isn’t the right word for it; perhaps evil genius is more appropriate. He was the most creative thinker I had ever known and he was always a blast to be around. He would spend an unbelievable amount of time thinking of ways to play practical jokes and pranks on people, many of which I was the object of despite the fact that he was my best friend. When it came to his school work, he would come up with these incredible schemes and plots to get out of doing work, or cut corners, or to downright cheat. What always amazed me is that if he had spent half of the time doing his work and studying as he spent coming up with ways to get out of doing work, He would have probably been the top student in the class. If he was going to spend all of his time doing something, why not, I always wondered, spend it doing the right thing?
In a way, this is what Paul is writing about in this passage. Young Christians have had a life-changing experience when they died to themselves and entered into the life of the Messiah. Paul, with the love and concern of a father, wants them to realize the benefits of that life and the inheritance they have available to them. He realizes that they are going to expend energy in just living life and going about their day. As they do that there will be temptations to go about things in the wrong way, whether it be mundane everyday activities or trying to be a part of intense spiritual experiences. What Paul wants for them is to make sure that they do it the right way. If they’re going to spend time and energy doing these things, why not do them the right way, according to the life of Christ and the Spirit that they have guiding them along?
Paul begins this section in verse 11 by calling for a very definite expenditure of energy from Christians. He exhorts them to have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness. In other words, don’t participate in the activities of those who live in the realm of darkness and thus, are darkness. The Christian life goes beyond simply not participating in sin, though, so he exhorts them to expose those deeds. The true Christian life doesn’t merely avoid evil, it actively takes a role in exposing it. The word translated "exposed" here carries the connotation of correcting and convincing to change. Thus, rather than just exerting energy doing evil, they should be using their time and ability to accomplish good, convincing those in darkness to come into the light. In so doing, not only do they not commit evil themselves, but they do a world of good by exposing evil and bringing about its restriction, reduction, or complete removal in one area or another.
The things that those who have become darkness do are so shameful, Paul stresses, that it should not even be mentioned what they do in secret, as most evil is done. When true light comes into the room, however, everything becomes visible. If a light is turned on in a dark room, everything in that room is revealed by the light.
Light makes everything visible, says Paul. He then quotes from an unknown source, "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." The point of the lyric seems to be that once we are awakened from our sleep and our state of darkness, and the light of Christ has shined on us, that light will actually penetrate and transform us to become light (Paul has already stated in verse 8 that we our light in the Lord). The origin of this statement is ultimately unknown, although it does seem to possibly borrow language from Isaiah 26:19, and 60:1-2. It appears though, by the way that Paul has casually included it in his point, without citing it’s origin that it was a well-known line within the early Christian community. The most convincing theory is that this is a line from an early Christian hymn. Even more specific, speculates New Testament scholar Arthur Pantzia, is that this may have been part of the song that was sung as a new Christian came up out of the waters of baptism. This theory is not that wild as it is well know that the early church created and used many songs in their corporate worship (Eph. 5:19-20; Col. 3:16 — see Phil. 2:6-10, and 1 Tim. 3:16 for possible examples of early Christian hymns).
They should be careful, though, how they live, as Christian teaching and knowledge are inseparable from Christian living and ethics. Rather than wasting energy living in an unwise fashion they should live out the wisdom of the life of Christ that they have in them (1 Cor. 1;30). What is translated as "making the most of every opportunity" literally says "to buy up," which is language from the marketplace. Paul’s point is that as Christians, we should take every chance we have to do good and spread light rather than wasting opportunities and walking past them. When you have light, to not shine it in a dark room is even worse than simply the fact that a room is dark. In other words, missed opportunities are worse than no opportunity at all. Rather than going about, wasting the freedom that Christ has afforded us by doing evil, we should make the most of every opportunity. The Lord’s will is for people to live the life of Christ out in the real world. In so doing, we not only keep from doing evil, but we also accomplish the good of God’s will being done in earth as it is in heaven.
Another example of the choice between wasting opportunity and using is wisely comes in the desire for an ecstatic experience. There were many religious cults in Paul’s day, such as those that worshipped Dionysus, in which adherents would become intoxicated and then engage in wild frenzied, and ecstatic behavior which they viewed as a deeply religious experience. Christians have a better and more authentic way of experiencing true spiritual connection. It is to be filled with the Spirit. This brings up an obvious question, however. If all Christians receive the Spirit at baptism (Acts 2:38) then how can there be an appeal to be filled with the Spirit? Does this imply that humans can control the movement of the Spirit? We get a good idea of what Paul means by simply looking at a few other biblical texts. The Bible speaks of people being filled with grief (Jn. 16:6), joy (Acts 13:52), knowledge (Rom. 15:14), or even Satan (Acts 5:3). We realize, then, that being filled with something refers to the emotion or knowledge that dominates their very being and describes their true self. It is what they have given themselves over to. Being filled with the Spirit, is not some mystical extra work or experience of the Spirit to which Paul is calling mature believers. He speaks of the desire for every Christian to simply live a life that is dominated by the desires of the Spirit. It is a life that lives in tune with the controlling influence of God’s Holy Spirit. If they want an ecstatic or fulfilling spiritual experience, then, don’t waste time getting lit up with alcohol, live a life that is dominated by light, walking according to the Spirit and they will have all the spiritual fulfillment they could ever want.
Paul has already probably quoted from a Christian hymn, so now he uses that as an example of being filled by the Spirit. A mind dominated by the Spirit will be enhanced by constantly having a song of praise on our hearts. Paul says that in singing, Christians not only speak to one another but also give thanks to God the Father. This is something that many Christians lose sight of, in that we can tend to see singing as mostly about our own state of worship and focus on the type of songs that we like or don’t like. Paul reminds us that Christian singing has two primary purposes: to instruct and encourage one another and also to praise God. It is about others and God, not our own personal likes and dislikes. In singing, and in anything else we do, praise should be given to God, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That doesn’t mean to just mention Jesus’ name whenever we praise God. "Name" in the ancient world included the idea of referring to that person’s character and all that they have accomplished. Thus, we can only truly praise God when we our living out the life of Jesus Christ consistently.
Devotional Thought
Could your life be described as being filled with the Spirit? Do you have a life that is dominated by the desires of the Spirit or do you live in constant conflict with the Spirit by exalting your own desires? What area in your life has been the most difficult for you to get in step with the Spirit? Why do think that is?
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