Those who were darkness but are now light are called to walk as children of light by testing and examining their conduct to learn and do what pleases the Lord, following God and walking in love as Christ gave Himself as an offering and sacrifice. This discerning is guided by the fruit of the Spirit in all goodness and righteousness and truth, with Christ supplying the spiritual life from which that fruit grows. Such a life has no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but brings them into the open and reproves them, refusing deception by vain words and refusing to partake in impurity, covetousness, filthy and foolish speech, and the secret things on which wrath comes upon the disobedient. Proving is individual work that each must do for themselves and no one can do for another, by looking to God who is Light and Counselor for light and counsel rather than relying chiefly on human wisdom. No one can prove what is acceptable while self remains undisciplined in ambition, envy, love for supremacy, evil-speaking, and selfish gratification, and in the home proving means bringing will, disposition, speech, and conduct into harmony with the will of God until a sanctifying influence pervades the household.
Walking as Children of Light
The call is addressed to those who were darkness but are now light in the Lord, and they are to walk as children of light by proving what is acceptable to the Lord. That walk is following God as dear children and walking in love as Christ gave Himself as an offering and sacrifice, even a sweet-smelling savor. Proving means testing, discerning, and examining conduct in order to learn and do what pleases the Lord. Such close examination concerns conduct itself and requires practicing the Word and not merely teaching it.
The fruit of the Spirit in all goodness and righteousness and truth both guides and shows this discernment. Cherishing goodness and righteousness and truth opens the gates of the city of God, while cherishing dark attributes shuts one out of heaven. Christ supplies the spiritual life from which this fruit grows. This life has no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reproves them. Reproving means bringing into the open and removing what belongs to darkness, letting light make manifest what is done in secret. It rejects deception by smooth and vain words, which dim and cloud spiritual eyesight and make those who disregard pure principles servants of the enemy. It refuses to partake in fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talking, jesting, and other things done in secret, upon which the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience.
In its setting the verse belongs with awaking from sleep and arising from the dead so that Christ gives light. It belongs with walking circumspectly not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil, and understanding the will of the Lord. It belongs with being filled with the Spirit with psalms and thanksgiving instead of being under wine, tobacco, and intoxicating liquor that puts a person under demonic control to deface and destroy the moral image of God. It belongs with submitting to one another in the fear of God, including wives submitting to husbands as the church to Christ and husbands loving wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself to sanctify and cleanse it holy and without blemish. Proving is individual work each person must do for themselves that no one else can do for another. It requires looking to God who is Light and Counselor and exceeding great reward for light and counsel, rather than relying chiefly on human wisdom or looking no higher than man.
Together with Ephesians 4 and Ephesians 6:10-18, the verse is instruction for holding firm the foundation of faith in the third angel's message, with not a pin or pillar moved from the building of the work of the last sixty years, when Satan makes every effort to tear it up. Ephesians 5:10-18 shows the character of the work before God's people, meaning consenting to be laborers together with God and working in Christ's lines. That work exercises mental powers with purpose to make those within one's influence wise and better, to uplift and strengthen the weak, and to make straight paths for the feet so the lame are not turned out of the way.
Proving Acceptable in Practice
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord cannot be done while self remains undisciplined, wrestling for recognition and manifesting ambition to be highest, envy, love for supremacy, evil-speaking, selfishness, and self-gratification. The close examination of one's own conduct to learn what pleases the Lord had been neglected while searching for faults in others, even for supposed faults in those who were nearer the kingdom of God than their accusers. Walking as children of light after being changed from darkness to light requires bringing self under God's discipline and bearing the fruit of the Spirit in all goodness and righteousness and truth.
The verse gives lessons for the guidance of every married man and every married woman, requiring searching the heart as with a lighted candle. Self-conceit disqualifies a man from serving as director or superintendent in an institution. In home life, proving means testing the home by the Word and bringing will, disposition, faculties, passions, conduct, speech, and deportment into harmony with the will of God and the attributes of Christ.
The father proves what is acceptable by acting as priest and house-band through knowledge of God, putting away childish undisciplined ways, showing manly character with controlled passions, and directing home conduct by pure principles. Father and mother together prove what is acceptable by uniting in the love and fear of God to hold authority, praying and reflecting soberly, overcoming weaknesses of character, and using the voice only for sound pure edifying words without cheapness or sentimentalism. They glorify God in body and spirit as those bought with a price and belonging to God, keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment, teach under the control of the Holy Spirit with strength and grace, keep fermented wine from tempting children, and let a sanctifying influence pervade the home until all grow to the full stature of the measure of the fullness of Christ in perfection.
Testing by what pleases the Lord requires practicing the Word and not merely teaching it. Ministers, church members, and parents are to stand with Christ rather than with the world, with parents training children and bringing order to the home, and all turning from selfish indulgence in eating, drinking, and dressing. Wine, tobacco, and intoxicating liquor are to be refused because they put a person under demonic control to deface and destroy the moral image of God, and instead of cherishing dark attributes that shut out of heaven, believers are to cherish goodness and righteousness and truth that open the gates of the city of God, walking carefully not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, understanding the will of God, and being filled with the Spirit. Neglect of home duties and right habits dims the light that should shine through example.
Proving in this way prevents decided failures in missionary lines and produces men with well-balanced minds fit to be laborers together with God. It means exercising mental powers with purpose to make those within one's influence wise and better, to uplift and strengthen the weak, and to make straight paths for the feet so the lame are not turned out of the way, consenting to work in Christ's lines. For gospel workers it forbids being over-moderate and over-retiring and requires speaking in season and out of season and seeking the acquaintance of those not in the truth. Proving means holding to the pure principles to be maintained in God's work and placing full value upon the truth rather than upon the projects and devisings of man, since vain words dim and cloud spiritual eyesight and lead those who disregard those principles to become servants of the enemy.
In institutional work such as sanitariums, proving means bringing existing wrongs into the open rather than concealing them, criticizing, reproving, and purging away practices that belong to darkness. Proving is done by being perfect in one's own sphere as God is perfect in His sphere, following God as dear children and walking in love as Christ gave Himself as an offering and sacrifice. Those who walk as children of light test what pleases the Lord and live accordingly, with simple, straightforward, truthful speech and conduct.
Those who were darkness but are now light are called to walk as children of light by testing and examining their conduct to learn and do what pleases the Lord, following God and walking in love as Christ gave Himself as an offering and sacrifice. This discerning is guided by the fruit of the Spirit in all goodness and righteousness and truth, with Christ supplying the spiritual life from which that fruit grows. Such a life has no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but brings them into the open and reproves them, refusing deception by vain words and refusing to partake in impurity, covetousness, filthy and foolish speech, and the secret things on which wrath comes upon the disobedient. Proving is individual work that each must do for themselves and no one can do for another, by looking to God who is Light and Counselor for light and counsel rather than relying chiefly on human wisdom. No one can prove what is acceptable while self remains undisciplined in ambition, envy, love for supremacy, evil-speaking, and selfish gratification, and in the home proving means bringing will, disposition, speech, and conduct into harmony with the will of God until a sanctifying influence pervades the household.
Walking as Children of Light
The call is addressed to those who were darkness but are now light in the Lord, and they are to walk as children of light by proving what is acceptable to the Lord. That walk is following God as dear children and walking in love as Christ gave Himself as an offering and sacrifice, even a sweet-smelling savor. Proving means testing, discerning, and examining conduct in order to learn and do what pleases the Lord. Such close examination concerns conduct itself and requires practicing the Word and not merely teaching it.
The fruit of the Spirit in all goodness and righteousness and truth both guides and shows this discernment. Cherishing goodness and righteousness and truth opens the gates of the city of God, while cherishing dark attributes shuts one out of heaven. Christ supplies the spiritual life from which this fruit grows. This life has no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reproves them. Reproving means bringing into the open and removing what belongs to darkness, letting light make manifest what is done in secret. It rejects deception by smooth and vain words, which dim and cloud spiritual eyesight and make those who disregard pure principles servants of the enemy. It refuses to partake in fornication, uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talking, jesting, and other things done in secret, upon which the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience.
In its setting the verse belongs with awaking from sleep and arising from the dead so that Christ gives light. It belongs with walking circumspectly not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil, and understanding the will of the Lord. It belongs with being filled with the Spirit with psalms and thanksgiving instead of being under wine, tobacco, and intoxicating liquor that puts a person under demonic control to deface and destroy the moral image of God. It belongs with submitting to one another in the fear of God, including wives submitting to husbands as the church to Christ and husbands loving wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself to sanctify and cleanse it holy and without blemish. Proving is individual work each person must do for themselves that no one else can do for another. It requires looking to God who is Light and Counselor and exceeding great reward for light and counsel, rather than relying chiefly on human wisdom or looking no higher than man.
Together with Ephesians 4 and Ephesians 6:10-18, the verse is instruction for holding firm the foundation of faith in the third angel's message, with not a pin or pillar moved from the building of the work of the last sixty years, when Satan makes every effort to tear it up. Ephesians 5:10-18 shows the character of the work before God's people, meaning consenting to be laborers together with God and working in Christ's lines. That work exercises mental powers with purpose to make those within one's influence wise and better, to uplift and strengthen the weak, and to make straight paths for the feet so the lame are not turned out of the way.
Proving Acceptable in Practice
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord cannot be done while self remains undisciplined, wrestling for recognition and manifesting ambition to be highest, envy, love for supremacy, evil-speaking, selfishness, and self-gratification. The close examination of one's own conduct to learn what pleases the Lord had been neglected while searching for faults in others, even for supposed faults in those who were nearer the kingdom of God than their accusers. Walking as children of light after being changed from darkness to light requires bringing self under God's discipline and bearing the fruit of the Spirit in all goodness and righteousness and truth.
The verse gives lessons for the guidance of every married man and every married woman, requiring searching the heart as with a lighted candle. Self-conceit disqualifies a man from serving as director or superintendent in an institution. In home life, proving means testing the home by the Word and bringing will, disposition, faculties, passions, conduct, speech, and deportment into harmony with the will of God and the attributes of Christ.
The father proves what is acceptable by acting as priest and house-band through knowledge of God, putting away childish undisciplined ways, showing manly character with controlled passions, and directing home conduct by pure principles. Father and mother together prove what is acceptable by uniting in the love and fear of God to hold authority, praying and reflecting soberly, overcoming weaknesses of character, and using the voice only for sound pure edifying words without cheapness or sentimentalism. They glorify God in body and spirit as those bought with a price and belonging to God, keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment, teach under the control of the Holy Spirit with strength and grace, keep fermented wine from tempting children, and let a sanctifying influence pervade the home until all grow to the full stature of the measure of the fullness of Christ in perfection.
Testing by what pleases the Lord requires practicing the Word and not merely teaching it. Ministers, church members, and parents are to stand with Christ rather than with the world, with parents training children and bringing order to the home, and all turning from selfish indulgence in eating, drinking, and dressing. Wine, tobacco, and intoxicating liquor are to be refused because they put a person under demonic control to deface and destroy the moral image of God, and instead of cherishing dark attributes that shut out of heaven, believers are to cherish goodness and righteousness and truth that open the gates of the city of God, walking carefully not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, understanding the will of God, and being filled with the Spirit. Neglect of home duties and right habits dims the light that should shine through example.
Proving in this way prevents decided failures in missionary lines and produces men with well-balanced minds fit to be laborers together with God. It means exercising mental powers with purpose to make those within one's influence wise and better, to uplift and strengthen the weak, and to make straight paths for the feet so the lame are not turned out of the way, consenting to work in Christ's lines. For gospel workers it forbids being over-moderate and over-retiring and requires speaking in season and out of season and seeking the acquaintance of those not in the truth. Proving means holding to the pure principles to be maintained in God's work and placing full value upon the truth rather than upon the projects and devisings of man, since vain words dim and cloud spiritual eyesight and lead those who disregard those principles to become servants of the enemy.
In institutional work such as sanitariums, proving means bringing existing wrongs into the open rather than concealing them, criticizing, reproving, and purging away practices that belong to darkness. Proving is done by being perfect in one's own sphere as God is perfect in His sphere, following God as dear children and walking in love as Christ gave Himself as an offering and sacrifice. Those who walk as children of light test what pleases the Lord and live accordingly, with simple, straightforward, truthful speech and conduct.