Third Sunday in Lent, 2003
The Feast of the Annunciation
Ephesians 5:1-15

How did Paul get from one place to another when he traveled? The Bible tells us that sometimes he traveled by sea. The book of Acts chronicles the dangers and hardships he faced on his voyages. One Bible passage hints that the apostle and his colleagues may have ridden on an ass or mule when they made their journey from Philippi to Thessalonica. If the apostle was following the strict Jewish custom, they seldom used horses. Nevertheless, it seems likely that Paul traveled about by foot on most occasions. He was poor, and traveling by ship or on mule was expensive. The Romans had improved the highways in the empire, but travelers had to deal with many obstacles: hotel accommodations were abysmal, traversing mountain ranges could be exhausting, wading across swollen rivers could be treacherous, and travelers ran the risk of ambush by brigands. The long distances St. Paul covered demanded courage and endurance.

It was Antioch in Syria that was the first city in the ancient world to put up street lighting. That happened in the fourth century. But Antioch appears to have been the exception. For the rest of the world, the night was a time to be afraid. As twilight advanced the city's narrow streets were plunged into impenetrable darkness. Most people shut themselves in their homes and barricaded their doors. However, not everybody disliked the night. Those who practiced immoral behavior took advantage of the cover of darkness. Darkness was their friend; it concealed their orgies and drunkenness, sexual indulgence and debauchery. These were the common vices of big city nightlife.

Ephesians 5:8 uses two metaphors to describe the Christian faith. St. Paul writes, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." "Light" is one metaphor; "walking" is the other: "Walk as children of light." Look at how prominent the darkness/light figure is in our epistle passage from Ephesians 5:8-14.

Because Christ is the light of the world, the Church, the body of Christ, is also the light of the world.

What about the "walk" metaphor? It is ubiquitous in the writings of St. Paul. In this fifth chapter of Ephesians he uses it three times: "walk in love," "walk as children of light," "walk circumspectly" (vv. 2, 8, 15). These two metaphors of walking and light are well worth our examination. They clarify the doctrine of salvation.

Let's consider the darkness/light metaphor first. When God saves us by His grace, we are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. Justification is instantaneous and complete. Notice how St. Paul characterizes the unbeliever: "you were once darkness." In other words, non-Christians are not only in darkness, they are darkness. They do not know God. They are ignorant of God and His laws. You and I have seen this type. They live in pleasure and in sin, plunging into it, and basking in it. They are governed by unsatisfied desires and driven by inordinate affections. The real trouble with them is that they do not know the answer to these questions, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36) They do not realize that God has created them in His image and given them a soul that lives forever. They are completely blind to it, and live on the animal level.

In the same way, they are unaware of the true meaning of life. What is life? What are we meant for? What is the whole object of our being in this world? What is the end to which all this is leading? On such themes they are completely in the dark. Their notion of life is "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" (1 Cor. 15:32) Of course, the Church has always condemned Gnosticism. The created world is not intrinsically evil. Christianity smiles on earthly pleasures in moderation. God created us physical beings and He loves the physicality of the world; that is why He sent His Son to redeem it. He delights in creation and He desires for us to delight in it: savoring fresh sushi, smelling honeysuckle, exulting in Mozart, and pondering Rembrandt. But that moderate use of creature comforts is totally different from being governed by unsatisfied desires. The woman devoted to rank materialism is an empty shell. The man who lives for unattached sex is a miserable and selfish idolater. A man or woman of darkness is enslaved to the "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16). This is spiritual darkness. You and I must be saved from darkness into light, and God does precisely that when He justifies us.

The metaphors of darkness/light and walking are apt for illustrating the difference between justification and sanctification. These doctrines are two sides of the coin of salvation. What is the difference between the two? Justification is a once for all completed act of God. Romans Romans 5:1 says, "having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Titus 3:5 likewise declares, "having been justified by His grace, we should become heirs of eternal life." Do you notice the past perfect tense: "having been justified"? The Bible tells us that justification is a finished work. By God's grace and initiative it transpires quickly, like switching on an electric current. You turn on the light and suddenly in the midst of darkness there is a blaze of light. The soul once headed for Hell is now oriented toward Heaven. The work of justification in your life is clinched and finished, not because of what you have done, but because of what Christ has already accomplished on your behalf. Jesus nailed your sins to the Cross. In return He gave you His perfect righteousness. That is right. His righteousness becomes your righteousness because God has graciously declared it so if you have faith in the Lord. Therefore you have peace. The doctrine of justification is the grounds for Christ-like relaxation.

What is the exact moment that you passed from darkness to light? Many people are troubled because they cannot put a finger on the day and hour God saved them. That is ok. Justification is something God does by His grace. He knows the moment. The time and place of justification is unimportant. What matters is that you are now light and not darkness.

Sanctification differs from justification. Justification is instantaneous like turning on a light. Sanctification is gradual; it is a life-long walk with Jesus. Here, the walk metaphor is helpful. Sanctification is a process that is never completed in this life (1 John 1:6-10; 3:2, 3). It is a walk. "We walk as children of light." Sanctification is a life-long pilgrimage. Justification, on the other hand, is a legal act by which the righteous judge acquits the sinner and accepts him as righteous (Rom. 4:1-13; 8:32-34). Sanctification, however, is an ethical process by which the Holy Spirit makes the saint righteous, conforming him to Christ (Phil. 3:21; Col. 3:10; Rom 6:1-14; 8:1-16). Justification is imputed righteousness, which is like putting on a coat. Sanctification is imparted righteousness, the process of being made holy on the inside, increasingly conformed to the likeness of Christ. Justification is short; sanctification is long.

In terms of your salvation, both the light of justification and the walk of sanctification are absolutely necessary. "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." What happens when you hold one without the other? Some strands of the Church fold justification into sanctification. For them justification is the same thing as sanctification in the sense that it is never attained in this life. Can you think of the consequence of such a view? Nobody ever attains assurance of salvation, at least, not in this life. How does one relax in God's grace in such a system? It is difficult.

On the other hand, and in the opposite extreme, certain strands of the Church overdue justification and practically ignore sanctification. I'm thinking of the revivalistic tradition. In their zeal to offer complete and immediate assurance of salvation they tend to emphasize justification to the exclusion of sanctification. They seem to assume that a powerful conversion experience automatically gives one angel status. Sanctification comes off as an option one can take or leave. That is false. Justification is only the start. It takes years to become a mature disciple of Christ. Sanctification is a life-long walk with Jesus. It took the Lord three years of constant instruction and correction to bring His disciples up to speed. Again, both doctrines are necessary. Sanctification is the consequence of justification and nobody is truly justified if he is not growing in sanctification.

Let's move on. The apostle Paul in the next verses exhorts us to "expose" or "reprove" the works of darkness. Ephesians 5:11 states, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light."

On a personal level it is often necessary for us to confess or expose our sins. Especially during the season of Lent we should get them out on the table and deal with them. Trying to bottle up and hide a guilty conscience can be pure anguish. Over twenty years ago I was a new Christian in the sense that I had just recently returned to the Lord after eight years of rejecting Christianity. The lusts of the flesh were still uncontrolled impulses. I had some pretty bad habits. "The Spirit indeed was willing to follow Jesus, but the flesh was weak" (Mt. 24:41). One morning under the cover of darkness, I let myself get in an overly tempting situation; and I fell. I had enough sense to get out of there and not return, but the guilt weighed down on me. I confessed it to the Lord over and again but it wouldn't go away. Panic attacks came over me in waves. Finally, out of desperation, I went to my pastor and confessed what I had done. Afterwards we prayed. What a relief! God's forgiveness in Christ permeated my heart. Perhaps you are in a similar position of guilt today. The Bible tells you to have "no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."

Now the Anglican position on private confession is this: all may, nobody must, some should. Here is another suggestion: if you are a woman with unconfessed sins of a sexual nature, it is probably better to confess that, if you must, to another mature, Christian woman.

How about the sins of non-believers? That's frequently a problem where we work and where we live. The verse says, "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." Doesn't that mean we should openly denounce every sin we encounter? Not necessarily. Sometimes negative denunciation can backfire. Jesus tells us to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matt. 10:16).

While we lived in East Texas a local church down the road decided to wage a campaign against the homosexuals. On weekends several of them stood at busy street corners with posters. On their placards were written in big bold letters, "God hates fags!" and "Queers are going to Hell!" Even though I felt that the Gay agenda was a major cultural problem, I remember feeling embarrassed. Their reproving of sin was being done so heavy-handedly and crudely that the homosexual community was actually gaining sympathy. The goal in openly shaming sin is to bring the sinners to repentance. How do we more effectively reprove the unfruitful works of darkness? By being light, by being a follower of Christ, in our conduct, in our speech, and in our exposition of the Gospel.

Have you noticed that non-Christians sometimes deliberately try to annoy Christians? They will do things to shock you; they will do everything they can to make you denounce them. Resist the temptation! Do not let them succeed! Never be merely negative and denunciatory. But expose by showing something of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The best strategy is to radiate upon them the light of the Lord. Be humble and winsome. Do an honest day's work. Be the best worker at your job. Attend church faithfully and tithe to the work of the Church. Strive for sanctification in your family and in your neighborhood. Walk in the light and you will be the light of the world; in your light they will see what they are doing as never before, and if God's Spirit convicts them, they will long to become holy, as you are holy, but above all as Christ is holy. Do not be partakers with them, have no fellowship with what they are doing, rather expose them as light in the Lord.

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