5:8
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." If it is possible for darkness to turn to light, it is not in accordance with the belief of certain heretics that nature is destroyed and incapable of receiving salvation. Let us then ask those who invent these beliefs whether all the wicked are darkness or not. For some, because of their malice, were called darkness, but having converted to better ways, they are now called light in the Lord. Just as the righteous are the light of the world, so the wicked are consequently called darkness; and while the righteous, having become light, will see the light, the wicked, being darkness, are a people sitting in darkness and seeing nothing. We know the difference and distance between them by their fruits. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, but remains in darkness and is a son of the night and darkness. But whoever does the truth and comes to the light is light, and a son of light and day. The shining or dark, then, is known by the heart's light or darkness. Concerning this, you may ask whether those who are light but are not light in the Lord are considered righteous. "But now you are light in the Lord" is said of the righteous. It is fittingly written to the Ephesians, who had attained the highest level of knowledge, that they are light in the Lord. Neither darkness is turned into light nor light into darkness, but those who have earned the name of virtue or vice for themselves from what they are, if they have converted from one to the other, will be given today's either darkness or light, depending on the things they possess.
"Walk as children of light." If God is light, and darkness is not in Him, the children of God are the children of light. Likewise, if Christ is the true light, his children also, to whom he speaks, saying "little children, yet a little while I am with you" (John 13:33), are the children of true light. From which it is deduced that the same children are of God the Father who are the children of Christ Jesus.
5:9
"For the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true." Let us testify against Marcion (who separates a just God from a good one and thinks that the Creator is evil, believing that Christ, who came, had a son who is good and divine). The fruit of light is not only found in goodness, but also in justice and truth. So where there is goodness, there is also justice; where there is justice, there is consequently truth. Therefore, in Christ's good Father, as they themselves confess, there is truth and goodness. But where there is goodness and truth, there is justice with Him and not with anyone else, as now the Apostle teaches. Let Marcion also understand that Christ Himself is named goodness, truth, and justice. Goodness in that He gives grace to believers in Himself, not according to their works, but according to His mercy. Justice in that He rewards each person according to what they deserve. Furthermore, truth in that He alone knows the reasons for all creatures and things.
5:10
Proving what is pleasing to God. All things must be done with prudence, that we may be cautious and diligent, and do only those things which we know please God, in the manner of the most wise money-changer, who tests the stamped coin not only by sight, but by weight and sound. However, in this passage the context of the discourse seems to be confused and the whole statement to be lacking, therefore the sentence is to be translated according to order: Therefore, do not become partakers with them, proving what is pleasing to God. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light, producing the fruits of light in all that is good, and just, and true.
5:11
"And do not participate in fruitless works of darkness." And he gave the name 'fruit' to the Galatians, but he put it in the flesh, saying: "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication" (Galatians 5:19), and so forth. "But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy, peace" (Ibid., 22), and so on. But for the present, he called fruitless works of darkness. Those who do such works are associated with communion.
But it is more effective to argue. Among other instructions, the ability to argue with those who sin is the greatest freedom. But this can be done only by those who do not deserve to hear: 'Hypocrite, first remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye' (Luke 6:42). Therefore, even the prophets who are not polluted by the filth of sins, nor having a cauterized conscience, can accuse others of wrongdoing. From this, it should be noted that one can accuse others only if he himself is not accused.
5:12
For the things which are done secretly by them, it is shameful even to speak of them." It does not seem to me that the context of the discourse is clear, for that which is now said: "For the things which are done secretly by them," depends on what has been said before, and it can be understood to refer to whom it may concern most directly, unless perhaps the construction is more complex and is linked to the sons of distrust, so that it can be understood to mean, "For the things which are done secretly by the sons of distrust, such as fornication, uncleanness, and all covetousness, it is shameful even to speak of them.
5:13
But all things that are cleverly done are made manifest by the light; for everything that is made manifest is light. But undoubtedly all things that are done in secret are done by the sons of distrust; for these things are manifested by the clever light. And light shows what was previously in darkness and later became light in the Lord, so that, being reproved, they may be changed for the better and, being changed, may be made manifest in public, and may be made light, because everything that is made manifest is light.
5:14
"Therefore it says: Rise, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (or, "Christ will arise for you"). For the works of darkness are made manifest in the clear light, and what was once darkness is now transformed into light. And so it is said to those who are sleeping and dead, because they have done the works of darkness: "Rise, you who sleep, and arise from the dead." Someone may ask, who is the one saying, "Rise, you who sleep, and arise from the dead?" Or, whose testimony did the Apostle use? Indeed, the one who is satisfied with a simple response will say that the Apostle brought these words to light from the writings of the prophets and those things that are called apocrypha (as is clear in other places where he did the same), not because he approved of the apocrypha, but because he used the verses of Aratus, Epimenides, and Menander to prove what he wanted to in that moment. Nevertheless, the writings of Aratus, Epimenides, and Menander are not all holy just because something true that they said is acknowledged. On the other hand, the Apostle figuratively portrays as the personification of the Holy Spirit, and mentions these words in order to exhort to repentance. For my part, based on my own limited resources, and searching through all the ancient editions of scripture and even the Hebrew volumes themselves, I have never found this writing. Unless we say this: just as the prophets of old used to speak in front of the people saying, "Thus says the Lord," and "For the Lord has spoken," in similar fashion the Apostle, filled with the Holy Spirit, suddenly burst forth with the words that Christ was speaking within him, saying, "Thus says the Lord." Also, it is to be discussed how the same phrase can be said to one who is almost alive, "Awake who sleep," and to one who is dead, "Rise from the dead." Therefore, since the spirit of man, which we always remember as having been written on the good side, and the soul whose infirmities and deaths of sin we read about, what is now said, "Wake up, you who sleep," refers to the spirit; and what follows, "Rise from the dead," refers to the soul. "For the soul that sins, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). However, we never read of the spirit dying. Therefore, true light will rise for him who has awakened from sleep and has been raised from the dead. I recall hearing someone discussing this passage in church, who presented to the people a spectacle never seen before, that it might please them. He said that this was a testimony: "Adam is said to be buried in the place of Calvary, where the Lord was crucified. Calvary is so called, because the head of the first man was buried there. Therefore, at the time when the Lord was crucified, a tomb was hanging over him, and this prophecy was fulfilled saying: 'Awake, Adam, who sleep and rise from the dead.'" And it is not "Christ will appear to you," but "Christ will touch you," because, of course, by the touch of His blood and hanging body, he would be revived and rise again. And then that type was also to be fulfilled in truth, when Elisha raised the dead man who was already dead (2 Kings 13). Whether these things are true or not, I leave it to the reader's judgment. Surely, then, these interpretations pleased the people and were received with applause and jubilation. One thing I know, I am speaking, that this interpretation of this passage does not fit with the context and meaning of the place.
5:15
Therefore take care how you walk carefully: not as fools, but as wise. It is rightly said to the Ephesians, that those who had exercised senses to discern between good and evil, and testing everything, they retain what they have made up their minds as good, walk carefully. But whoever sees how they walk, and how carefully they take each step, lest they trip their own feet on a stone, and says, "Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105), they are certainly wise. For I do not think that anyone, even if they want to walk carefully, cannot fulfill this commandment, since it has been commanded to the wise, not to the foolish. From this, we understand that moral precepts (which many assume to be obvious, from what is said in Psalm 18:9: "The commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes") need prudence and careful exposition. Because that clear precept illuminates the eyes of those who have forsaken folly and become devoted to the study of wisdom.
5:16
"Redeem the time, for the days are evil." He who is wise, and therefore walks cautiously, redeems time. Time is redeemed, because the days are evil. When we spend time on good works, we buy it back, and make our own what had been sold by the malice of men. However, no one seeking the necessities of life, and the riches and anxieties, which the Gospels call thorns (Mark 4 and Luke 8), can think and purchase time for himself. But those who redeem time, which is in evil days, change it in a certain manner: we turn bad days into good, and we make them not of the present time, but of the future. This place may also be explained otherwise: "O Ephesians, to whom the sun of justice Christ has risen, awake from the sleep of this age, walk cautiously and prudently: and, having cast off foolishness, hold onto wisdom, by which you may not be changed with the variety of times, but may make diversity of times one time for yourselves. And because there are many persecutions (indeed, at the beginning of faith the churches were almost daily vexed), hold onto one course, and know that it should be kept, so that you are not changed like foolish people, like the moon; but what you have begun, hold onto firmly, lest when you see the persecutor judge, you also are changed with the judge's will. Again, if another of your doctrine's supporters should come, confess yourselves Christians; but keep what you are at all times. Let us provide an example from the scriptures, so that what we say may become more evident. Joseph had one aim, to please God. This remained unchanged throughout all differences of time: neither his brothers' envy, nor his state of servitude, nor the attractions of youth, nor the promises of his mistress, nor the squalor of his prison, nor afterwards the arrogance of the Egyptian power caused him to waver in his purpose. But he remained always one and, as we have said, adapting himself to changing times he turned bad days into good. This same attitude should apply to Job, who, suffering through various trials, was not changed by wealth, loss, bereavement, injury, reproach of friends, loneliness, nor afterwards by the restoration of all his goods. For he had redeemed his time and made bad days good.
5:17
Therefore do not become foolish, but understand what the will of God is. Because the time is evil, and, as we have said before, must be redeemed, wisdom must be desired before all so that we can understand what the will of God is. For we cannot walk cautiously unless we first understand the will of God. Therefore, in every action, we must first consider what God wants, and having made a judgment, we must do what is proven to please Him.
5:18
"And do not be drunk with wine, in which there is excess, but be filled with the Spirit." As we cannot serve two masters, God and mammon (Matt. 6): similarly, we cannot be filled with the Spirit and with wine. For he who is filled with the Spirit has prudence, gentleness, modesty, and chastity; while he who is filled with wine has foolishness, rage, impudence, and lust. Indeed, I believe that one word sums up all this: luxury. If some understood this, they would never accuse me of rashness and heresy for saying that wine must be avoided by young men who wish to remain virgins, and that oil must not be poured on the fire to inflame the natural passions of the flesh. However, the wine in which there is excess might well be taken as the wine spoken of in the song of Moses: "Their wine is the poison of dragons and the cruel venom of asps" (Deut. 32:33): this is the wine that all those who are intoxicated by the thoughts of this world drink, and they become insane, and vomit, and fall headlong. And according to the story of the Lapiths and Centaurs, they bring destruction upon each other. The opposite of this wine is the wine that the Lord promises to drink with us in his kingdom (Mark 14). We have frequently noted that the word 'spirit,' without any addition, is used in a positive sense; this seems to be worth noting even now.
5:19