Ephesians 5.9a-The Fruit Produced By the Light
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday March 7, 2026
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 5:9a-The Fruit Produced By the Light
Lesson # 330
Ephesians 5:6 Continue to make it your habit to never let absolutely anyone cause any one of you to be deceived by means of words devoid of truth because these things are the reason why the one and only God’s wrath is and will be exercised for His own glory against those members of the human race characterized by disobedience. 7 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit for your own benefit must continue to not make it your habit of conducting your lives as fellow partakers with them. 8 For each and every one of you as a corporate unity formerly were characterized by spiritual darkness. However, each and every one of you as a corporate unit now at the present time are characterized by spiritual light. Like enlightened children, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of living your lives. 9 For the fruit, which is unique to the light and produced by the light, exists in the state of being characterized by the fullest expression of the practice of goodness, which is divine in quality and character, resulting in the practice of a righteousness, which is divine in quality and character, resulting in the practice of truth, which is divine in quality and character. (Lecturer’s translation)
The statement in Ephesians 5:9 explains what Paul means by the command he issues the recipients of this letter at the end of Ephesians 5:8.
The latter asserts that the recipients of this letter were formerly prior to justification characterized by spiritual darkness but now as regenerate people they are characterized by spiritual light and it also contains a command, which required that they continue to make it your habit of living their lives as enlightened children.
Now, in Ephesians 5:9, Paul asserts that the fruit, which is unique to the light and produced by the light, is characterized by the fullest expression of the practice of goodness as well as the practice of a righteousness and in addition, the practice of truth.
All are divine in quality and character as a result of obeying Paul’s Spirit commands and prohibitions.
Therefore, this indicates that when Paul commands the recipients of this letter to continue to make it their habit of living their lives as enlightened children of God, he means that obedience to this command will produce in their lives the fullest expression of goodness, righteousness and truth, which are all divine in quality and character.
All of which manifest the holy character of God.
In other words, Paul telling the recipients of this letter that obedience to his command in Ephesians 5:8 to continue to make it their habit of living their lives as enlightened children of God will result in the Holy Spirit reproducing Christ-like virtues in their lives.
Thus, obedience to this command would manifest the character and nature of Jesus Christ, and thus their new nature of Christ indwelling in them.
Many expositors interpret Ephesians 5:9 as parenthetical and some translations the verse is placed in parentheses or dashes to signify this.
However, in Ephesians 5:10-11, Paul does not explain the command in Ephesians 5:8 to walk as children of light, which we would expect if Ephesians 5:9 was parenthetical.
Thus, I interpret Ephesians 5:9 as presenting the explanation for the command at the end of Ephesians 5:8, which required the recipients of this letter to continue making it their habit of living their lives as enlightened children of God.
Ephesians 5:9 is another instance in Paul’s epistles where he uses mixed metaphors.
In fact, he employs them as we noted in Ephesians 3:21 and 4:12.
We also see mixed metaphors in Paul’s writings in 2 Corinthians 2:14, Galatians 4:19 and 1 Thessalonians 2:7.
As was the case in Ephesians 5:8, Paul uses the noun phōs (φῶς) in Ephesians 5:9 in a metaphorical or figurative sense to describe a human being who has been spiritually enlightened.
This is the result of the Father declaring them justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
Simultaneously, the Spirit regenerated them, which resulted in them receiving the nature of Christ.
Also, simultaneously, the Spirit placed them in union with Christ and identified them with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand.
The noun karpos (καρπός) is used figuratively of that which the light “produces,” which is the fullest expression of the practice of goodness, righteousness and truth, which are produced obedience to the Spirit inspired commands and prohibitions of Scripture.
Thus, the word speaks of the product of regenerate church age believers who are enlightened children of God obeying the Spirit inspired commands and prohibitions of Scripture and in this context, Paul’s Spirit inspired apostolic teaching.
The noun phōs (φῶς) functions as a genitive of production, which indicates that regenerate church age believers who have been spiritually enlightened by the Holy Spirit are “to produced” fruit or actions, which are characterized by goodness, righteousness and truth, which are divine in quality and character.
They are “produced” by the Holy Spirit when the believer obeys the Holy Spirit’s teaching in the Word of God, which He has inspired.
The third person singular present active indicative conjugation of the verb eimi (εἰμί) is deliberately omitted by Paul but is clearly implied because he is using the figure of ellipsis.
In context, the verb means “to possess certain characteristics,” which in context, is the fullest expression of goodness, righteousness and truth, which are produced by the Spirit through the believer who obeys His commands and prohibitions.
The articular construction of this word is also monadic, which indicates that this fruit is “unique” to those sinners who have been spiritually enlightened as a result of the Father declaring them justified through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, which result in the Spirit regenerating them.
Simultaneously, the Spirit placed them in union with Jesus Christ and identified them with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand.
