“For God, Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

                       -2 Corinthians 4:6

In Ephesians 5:8, Paul vividly described our spiritual condition prior to salvation when he referred to us as having been darkness. He didn’t say we walked in darkness, or even that we were deceived by the darkness; no, he said plainly and simply that we were darkness. That’s pretty blunt but, in reality, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. In Ephesians 2:1, we were “dead in trespasses and sins”; in verse two, we were “the children of disobedience"; in 1 John 3:10, we were the “children of the devil” (see also Romans 3:10); and in Romans 5:10, we were God’s enemies. The message is plain and the emphasis clear: we were in bad shape.

Yet despite the miserable self-portrait we find of ourselves in these verses, Paul quickly reminded us that the story didn’t end there for God’s people. He continued, “…but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8) Again, I think it’s important to notice that we aren’t described as just being in the light; we actually are light (Matthew 5:14)! How did this incredible transformation occur? The answer is simple: God shined in our hearts. This means He penetrated and dispelled the darkness that was once present. It means that, rather than roaming through the darkness of sin, we can now enjoy what Jesus called “the light of life” (John 8:12) and help bring that light into all the world (Matthew 28:19-20). Perhaps most importantly, it means we have opened the doors of our heart to Christ (Revelation 3:20), and that our God is now for us rather than against us (Romans 8:31). The concept is amazing; the reality of it is even greater!

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

                      -Ephesians 4:1-3

We could never deserve the gift of salvation. As we are reminded in Romans 11:35, there is nothing we could possibly do that would make God a debtor to us, and any act of obedience or sacrifice to Him is nothing more than our reasonable service (Romans 12:1). Yet in Scriptures like the ones we’ve just read, we are urged to walk worthy of our vocation (i.e. calling). We’re the children of light (I Thessalonians 5:5), and we’re being told to start acting like it.