“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
Ephesians 5.11
The culture suggests these sentiments, in our modern age, are stuffy and old fashioned. Even the Christian community often winks at the idea of spiritual warfare. Implicit is the idea, that in our age, we can now safely navigate the cultural norms without imbibing values contrary to the Biblical tenets of our faith. The Ephesians undoubtably felt the same.
The apostle Paul doubles down: His advise then, is just as apropo in our day.
“For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.”
Ephesians 5.12
The age old question remains. Will “we” listen? From the garden of Eden to the present, the answer to this question is proof that human nature has not changed over the intervening years. Solomon confirms this idea in Ecclesiastes 1.9 “There is nothing new under the sun…” Modern or not, we still don’t like being told what not to do.
If we find ourselves feeling God is distant, or struggling in our faith, it might be time for some self reflection and a decision to take God’s word to heart.
Two-thousand years later, it’s still “a shame” to make light of the things Paul was referring to: Even though there’s no longer a pretense of being done in secret.
