Ephesians; 1:5 – The adopted sons are sons of light consisting of goodness, righteousness, and truth, part 2.

Wednesday April 24, 2019

 

We are currently looking into the parable of the wheat and the tares. Jesus told us that the wheat, who are the sons of the kingdom, and the tares, who are unbelievers, will grow together until the end.

 

MAT 13:24 He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

 

MAT 13:25 "But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away.

 

The enemy sows deceptively. Iniquity and deceit are hidden. Fallen man has hidden rooms, but the sons of light have nothing to hide.

 

1TH 5:1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.

 

1TH 5:2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord [the beginning of the Tribulation] will come just like a thief in the night.

 

1TH 5:3 While they [those in the darkness] are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

 

1TH 5:4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief;

 

The perpetrators of evil are always afraid of being exposed. They scheme in order to keep their true motives hidden.

 

2CO 2:11 in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

 

We, the sons of light, are not ignorant of Satan’s schemes, but what does that imply? The world is ignorant of them. If Satan’s ways are so good, why do they need to be hidden?

 

Ideologies are concocted in order to dress evil in a veil of light. Much is hidden and much is never admitted openly.

 

2CO 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

 

2CO 11:14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

 

2CO 11:15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.

 

Seeking to hide their true desire reveals that their conscience understands that something is wrong. But rather than having the light of God reveal that wrong, they hate the light and continue to pursue darkness.

 

Many times in the scripture God repeats that their end will be judgment.

 

No one ever had to create an ideology to protect goodness, righteousness, or truth. They stand on their own.

 

This is why the sons of light have nothing to hide. They stand upon that which openly and brazenly survives all the tests of time. Truth, righteousness, and goodness have openly heralded themselves since the beginning of time, and although many attempts have been made to silence them, nothing can. The person who stands upon them fears nothing and is open and confident in the face of everything.

 

Hence, Jesus said:

 

MAT 5:10 "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

Only the sons of the kingdom are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. They are the ones who possess it and obey it. They are slaves of righteousness. He is not saying that you should go look for persecution so that you can become a son of the kingdom.

 

MAT 5:11 "Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me.

 

MAT 5:12 "Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

The son of light has already faced the truth in the Person of Christ and so he no longer fears it.

 

1TH 5:4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief;

 

1TH 5:5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;

 

1TH 5:6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.

 

1TH 5:7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night.

 

1TH 5:8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

 

Faith, love, and hope are depicted as visible armor, revealed to the world and protecting our souls.

 

1TH 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

 

1TH 5:10 who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.

 

1TH 5:11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

 

We return to Eph 5 where light is revealed as goodness, righteousness, and truth.

 

EPH 5:7 Therefore do not be partakers with them [unbelievers];

 

EPH 5:8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light

 

EPH 5:9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),

 

Goodness - a fruit of the Spirit. It is a heart overcome by the love of God that burns out all vanity, selfishness, evil temper and desire.

 

Righteousness - the root and therefore the test of all goodness that is not spurious, superficial, or sentimental.

 

We noted in Rom 5 and 6 that righteousness reigns in our lives because of the gift of Jesus Christ. Jesus freed us from sin and made us slaves of righteousness.

 

Goodness without righteousness is nothing but sentimental or ritualistic work.

 

Goodness based on the righteousness of God is the divine showing Himself through a man who has come to love righteousness and sanctify his soul in it.

 

Righteousness without goodness is a latent or dormant power or potential energy.

 

Truth - the inward reality and depth of goodness and righteousness. It is the harmony of the inward and outward man.

 

Truth is more than telling the truth. The world expects that in all people. This is the light of all of God’s truth shining through them. What they know and believe is from God’s revelation and that truth also corresponds with their behavior, speech, and action.

 

The truth is alive and powerful. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The truth also makes one free. The truth instructs in righteousness and also corrects and reproves. If we say that we have the truth but don’t speak, think, act, and conduct ourselves in the truth, then we have not believed the truth.