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For gar you may be sure of oida this houtos, that hoti no ou fornicator pornos or ē impure akathartos or ē covetous person pleonektēs ( such a one hos is eimi an idolater eidōlolatrēs) has echō any inheritance klēronomia in en the ho kingdom basileia of ho Christ Christos and kai of God theos. Let apataō no one mēdeis deceive apataō you hymeis with empty kenos words logos, for gar because of dia these things houtos the ho wrath orgē of ho God theos comes erchomai upon epi the ho sons hyios of ho disobedience apeitheia. Therefore oun do not become ginomai partners symmetochos with them autos; for gar once pote you were eimi darkness skotos, but de now nyn you are light phōs in en the Lord kyrios. Live peripateō as hōs children teknon of light phōs ( for gar the ho fruit karpos of ho light phōs consists in en all pas goodness agathōsynē, · kai righteousness dikaiosynē, and kai truth alētheia), 10 always trying to discern dokimazō what tis is eimi pleasing euarestos to the ho Lord kyrios. 11 And kai do not take part synkoinōneō in the ho fruitless akarpos deeds ergon · ho of ho darkness skotos but de instead mallon · kai expose elenchō them, 12 for gar it is eimi shameful aischros even kai to speak legō of what ho is done ginomai by hypo them autos in secret kryphē. 13 · ho But de everything pas that is exposed elenchō becomes illuminated phaneroō by hypo the ho light phōs, 14 for gar everything pas that ho becomes illuminated phaneroō is eimi light phōs. Therefore dio it says legō, “ Wake egeirō up , · ho sleeper katheudō, and kai rise anistēmi from ek the ho dead nekros, and kai Christ Christos will shine epiphauskō on you sy.” · ho

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For be sure of this: no immoral, impure, or greedy person—for that one is [in effect] an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God [for such a person places a higher value on something other than God].

Let no one deceive you with empty arguments [that encourage you to sin], for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience [those who habitually sin].(A) So do not participate or even associate with them [in the rebelliousness of sin]. For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [live as those who are native-born to the Light] (for the fruit [the effect, the result] of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn [by experience] what is pleasing to the Lord [and letting your lifestyles be examples of what is most acceptable to Him—your behavior expressing gratitude to God for your salvation]. 11 Do not participate in the worthless and unproductive deeds of darkness, but instead expose them [by exemplifying personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character]; 12 for it is disgraceful even to mention the things that such people practice in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light [of God’s precepts], for [a]it is light that makes everything visible. 14 For this reason He says,

“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine [as dawn] upon you and give you light.”(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 5:13 Paul, who was privileged to study under the brilliant Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), is probably speaking from the viewpoint of ancient Greek science. Even the philosopher Plato maintained that vision essentially is the process of light forming an image of an object it touches and conveying that image to the eyes. So Paul may mean that what is actually seen is an image composed of light (like the photographic process), and since light is always reliable and its physical properties are constant, nothing exposed to light escapes being revealed. Spiritually speaking, to the extent that a believer functions as Light (v 8), he will expose the sins of unbelievers simply by his presence, just as it is the nature of light to expose whatever it touches.