Discernment and Reproof

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Ephesians 5:6-14

In December 1999, Barron’s magazine put Warren Buffett on its cover beneath a question: “What’s Wrong, Warren?”

At the turn of the century, “dot-com” stocks were soaring, the Nasdaq was racing upward, and Buffett, the most celebrated investor in America, was sitting largely on the sidelines. The companies, many without revenue or even a product to sell, and their stock prices seemed ridiculous, so he elected to pass. He watched as the world around him saw paper net worth skyrocket.

Buffett didn’t doubt the phenomenon; he was surely intelligent enough to know that the Internet would change the world. His view was more subtle: he doubted that the market was acting rationally and whether the extraordinary valuations could be justified. So, while others printed returns, Buffett did something exceedingly difficult.

He declined to participate. He was comfortable resting on what he knew to be true, even if it meant ridicule while others thumbed their noses at his abstention.

Just months later, the dot-com bubble burst. The Nasdaq eventually lost roughly three-quarters of its value, and many of the once high-flying companies that had made Buffett look antiquated disappeared altogether. It turns out “Flooz.com” was no Berkshire Hathaway, and all those supposed investment gains vanished. Buffett’s discernment was simple: he knew the difference between a fad and the truth.

That is the difficult territory of discernment. We have little need for wisdom to distinguish the obviously good from the obviously bad. Discernment is required in the gray area. As Charles Spurgeon noted, when evaluating “the difference between right and almost right.” Even more so when sophistry and "groupthink" play a role.

The back half of Ephesians is full of commands—40 of them, in fact—and those commands have implications for both our own maturation to holiness and how we interact with others. The Apostle Paul’s call for discernment is balanced with his instructions for Christians to “take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (verse 11)

One of the regrettable tendencies of our lives this side of heaven is that it is often easier to placate our difficult relationships than to truly engage in them. It can be easier to passively skate by these commands to the Ephesians in relation to others in our day-to-day existence. Yet Paul’s words, led by the Holy Spirit, don’t give us that same off-ramp. As A.W. Tozer has said, “We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum.”

But before we embark on a war path of righteousness, look closely at the text. In the ESV translation, verse 11 says to “expose” the “unfruitful works of darkness.” But literally translated, it doesn’t actually mean pointing out for all to see, or to shame the actor by way of gossip or lecturing. Calvin expounds that the Greek word for "expose" (elenchein), also translated “reprove,” literally means "to drag forth to the light what was formerly unknown" or "convince by evidence."ⁱ

Similarly, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones clarifies that scriptural reproof does not mean to reprimand, denounce, or condemn in a self-righteous or Pharisaical manner. Instead, he defines reproving as "to convict by means of giving enlightenment and understanding".ⁱⁱ

In other words, a Christian exposes darkness not by shouting at it, but by carrying light; a believer’s holy, joyful presence naturally exposes the worthlessness and futility of sin by contrast. Holiness ought to draw people in, not push them away.

Our reproof must always be checked by real humility in ourselves. If we do not carry the light with a trembling awareness of our own need for Christ’s redemptive work, our "light" becomes a blinding glare of pride. It can be so easy to mistake spiritual discernment for spiritual superiority, and they are not the same.

Christians should, fundamentally, look like Christ. Not perfectly—we aren’t there yet, and the Spirit’s sanctification is an ongoing process in which we have a role to play. But when we emulate His communicable attributes (such as love, kindness, holiness, and righteousness), we are infinitely more suited to reproof of others.

Importantly, we need to reckon with Paul’s warning to the Ephesians of the deception of “empty words” and the outcome those that use them can expect: “the wrath of God.” (verse 6) Paul’s caution is that we not sanitize sin through “empty words,” looking upon sin permissively or explaining away our disobedience. When churches or Christians theologically drift, the first thing to go is usually the wrath of God. Yet Scripture is replete with it. We should instead say, as Mark Davis proclaimed on our behalf from the pulpit recently, “I don’t want to be on the edge of sin! I want to be as far away from the edge of sin as I can.”

One of the things I think about often is the spread of early church Christianity. In a world that was openly hostile to their faith, even to the point of rampant martyrdom, the first Christians conquered the ancient world just by being Christian. It was their love for one another, their righteousness, and their very type of living that made such an impact on the pagan world. It was the Christian quality of life being demonstrated by men and women of growing, sanctifying, Christ-like character. A reverence for God’s law, and a fullness of His grace. That is something to which we are all called, and something which we all can do.  

Martyrdom is not the common experience of Christians in our community today, yet there are still plenty of antagonistic behaviors we will confront as we attempt to live in the world but not of it. We need discernment borne of spiritual maturity. I pray that we would be a body of disciples where Christ’s work is exalted: both His finished work on the cross, and the continuing work of the Spirit in our lives. In so doing, we might “drag forth into the light that what was formerly unknown.”

 

END NOTES:

ⁱ Calvin, J. (1854). Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians (W. Pringle, Trans.). Calvin Translation Society. (Original work published 1548). [Commentary on Ephesians 5:11].

ⁱⁱ Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. "Exposed by the Light." Martyn Lloyd-Jones Trust, Sermon #4151, 14 Dec. 1958, https://www.mljtrust.org/sermon/exposed-by-the-light/.