but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
We are Light because God is light
We used to be children of darkness, “but now [we] are light in the Lord.” The word means the light of day, and it was often used metaphorically for happiness, victory, and glory, and can mean life itself, but primarily it refers to the character and revelation of God. In saying that we are light, he is saying that just as the moon reflects the light of the sun, we now reflect the character of God.
God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all says 1 John 1:5. The message is that God is completely, and absolutely holy, with no taint of iniquity, and no hint of injustice. God is clothed with light Psalm 104:2–3 Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty,2 Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, Hab 3:3b-4 His splendor covers the heavens, And the earth is full of His praise. 4 His radiance is like the sunlight; He has rays flashing from His hand, And the hiding of His might is there. So bright light emanates from Him, and it serves to hide just how powerful He is. Walking in His light forever is the eternal destiny of all God’s people as it says in Isa 60:19–20 No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor will the moon give you light for brightness; But you will have the Lord as an everlasting light, And your God as your glory. 20 Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have the Lord as an everlasting light, and in the New Jerusalem on the New Heaven and Earth in Rev 21:23-25 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;
If we follow God on the path of righteousness, then we will walk in the light. Proverbs 4:18-19 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. 19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble. The fact that God is light sets up a natural contrast with darkness. If light is a metaphor for righteousness and goodness, then darkness signifies evil and sin. First John 1:6 says that “if we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.” Phil 2:15 14 Do all things without complaining or arguments; 15 so that you will [k]prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you [l]appear as [m]lights in the world, If we do not have the light, we do not know God. Those who know God, who walk with Him, are of the light and walk in the light. They are made partakers of God’s divine nature, “having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Pet 1:4).
God is light, and so is His Son. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). To “walk” is to make progress. Therefore, we can infer from this verse that Christians are meant to grow in holiness and to mature in faith as they follow Jesus. 2 Peter 3:18 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Walk as Children of Light
Since God is light, and it is His plan that believers shine forth His light, becoming more like Christ every day. “You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” (1 Thess 5:5). God is the Creator of physical light as well as the Giver of spiritual light by which we can see the truth. Light exposes that which is hidden in darkness; it shows things as they really are. To walk in the light means to know God, understand the truth, and live in righteousness. Light and darkness cannot coexist. However, with darkness there is no qualifier as there is with light. People in darkness are on their own or are there by their own doing, but not so with light. The believer is light in the Lord. The source of light is God and Christ. We have the choice, but one way leads to eternal life, and one way leads to destruction John 3:19-21 19 And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. In taking the light of the gospel to the world, we must by necessity reveal things about people, and ourselves that we would rather leave hidden. Light is uncomfortable to those accustomed to the darkBut God is in the business of uncovering darkness and bringing it to light Job 12:22 He reveals mysteries from the darkness, And brings the deep darkness into light. John 3:21-21 But the one who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed as having been performed in God.” As Believers in Christ, we must confess any darkness within ourselves – our sins and transgressions – 1 John 1:9-10 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
Christians cannot sit idly by and watch others continue in the darkness of sin, knowing that those in darkness are destined for eternal separation from God. The Light of the World desires to banish the darkness and bestow His wisdom everywhere Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.; Jesus, the sinless Son of God, is the “true light” As adopted sons of God, we are to reflect His light into a world darkened by sin. Our goal in witnessing to the unsaved is “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18). God can guide us through the darkness of this world as a faithful shepherd and guide. Psalm 139:12 Even darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. The Lord appointed Paul as a light to the Gentiles: “To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins” (Acts 26:18). Later, Paul wrote, “The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living” (Romans 13:12, NLT). He urged Christians to stay alert: “For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others” (1 Thessalonians 5:5–6, NLT).
5:9 for the fruit of light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth
Paul explains what it means to walk as a child of light. Classically, the word karpos καρπός literally meant fruit of the field, but also it can simply mean fruit, product, or result of an action, whether good or bad, the product of an action Paul now lists the fruit so that believers can measure their lives to see if their actions or works are a result of the light.
consists in all goodness-good thing(s), benefit, welfare, goodness.” It is used of leaders who have done “good things” for the nation (Judg 8:35; 2 Chr 24:16) or the Lord’s “goodness” (Neh 9:25, 35; 13:31), of a person preferring evil over good (Ps 52:3 [MT 52:5; LXX 51:5]), and of a sinner who can destroy much “good” (Eccl 9:18).
righteousness—.”righteousness,” has in mind the right standing of the believer who has trusted God’s work on the cross in the person of Jesus Christ. The righteousness of God has been imputed to the believer (Rom 3:21–22; 4:3, 5). Another connotation of the word is the attribute of righteousness. This, of course, characterizes God (Rom 3:25–26). The fruit of light consists not only in goodness with generosity but also righteous actions or works.
Truth— it is reality or what is actual as opposed to that which is false. More concretely for this context, it has the idea of right action or living as opposed to false living. It is a quality that comes from God and from which springs the actions of truthfulness. These last two qualities are identified with the new person (4:24). Light characteristically will expose that which is opposite of these characteristics. It will not tolerate evil or falsity. Sinners, those in darkness, are characterized by the opposite of the fruit of light: evil, wickedness, and falsehood. The fruit of light consists in nothing but that which is good.