Ephesians 5.11b-The Command to Expose the Unfruitful Activities of Those Who Belong to the Darkness
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday March 28, 2026
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 5:11b-The Command to Expose the Unfruitful Activities of Those Who Belong to the Darkness
Lesson # 339
Ephesians 5:11 Correspondingly, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of not participating in the unfruitful activities produced by those who belong to the darkness. In fact, on the contrary, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of exposing them. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 5:11 is composed of the following:
(1) prohibition: mē synkoinōneite tois ergois tois akarpois tou skotous (μὴ συγκοινωνεῖτε τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς ἀκάρποις τοῦ σκότους), “each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of not participating in the unfruitful activities produced by those who belong to the darkness” (Lecturer’s translation)
(2) elliptical command: elenchete (ἐλέγχετε), “each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of exposing them” (Lecturer’s translation)
Now, as we noted, the command, which follows this prohibition in Ephesians 5:11, is elliptical.
This command not only presents a contrast between the recipients of this letter participating in the unfruitful actions or activities produced by those members of the human race who belong to Satan’s cosmic world system and instead exposing these sinful activities but also presenting an emphatic alternative to participating in these sinful activities of the unbeliever.
Namely that of exposing the unfruitful actions or activities produced by those members of the human race who belong to the darkness of Satan’s cosmic world system as an “alternative” to participating in these activities with them.
Paul employs the verb elegchō (ἐλέγχω), which pertains to make something known or brought to light, or to disclose the faults and crimes of others through one’s godly actions.
Again, the referent of the second person plural form of this verb is the recipients of this letter, who we noted many times in our study of Ephesians were members of the Gentile Christian community living throughout the Roman province of Asia.
The word is not only referring to them as a corporate unit but also as individuals because the second person plural form of this verb is also used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.
Therefore, this verb speaks of church age believers “exposing” the unfruitful actions of unregenerate humanity who are enslaved to the darkness of Satan’s cosmic world system by continuing to make it a habit of living their lives as enlightened children of God.
Paul employs the word in this same fashion in Ephesians 5:13.
Ephesians 5:12 For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention. 13 But all things being exposed by the light are made evident. (NET)
The Lord Jesus Christ does as well in John 3:20.
John 3:20 For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. (NET)
This command in Ephesians 5:11 is elliptical because the apostle Paul employs the figure of ellipsis at this point because he deliberately omits the dative third person neuter plural form of the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός), “them,” though it is clearly implied by the context.
The referent of course is the activities of members of the human race who are enslaved to the darkness of Satan’s cosmic world system, which do not fulfill the purpose for which God created them in His image.
The word functions as a dative direct object, which indicates that the activities of members of unregenerate humanity receive the action of being exposed by the actions of believers who are living their lives as enlightened children of God.
Paul put this word in the dative case rather than the accusative case because he wants to emphasize the personal relationship between the activities of the members of the Christian community who are living their lives as enlightened children of God and the activities of those members of the human race who are enslaved to the darkness of Satan’s cosmic world system and which actions do not fulfill the purpose for which God created them in His image.
The present imperative conjugation of the verb the verb elegchō (ἐλέγχω) is a customary present imperative, which not only expresses the idea of the recipients of this letter “making it their habit of” exposing the unfruitful activities produced by those members of the human race who belong to Satan’s cosmic world system but also that of “continuing” to do so.
This interpretation is indicated by the fact that Paul affirms in the contents of Ephesians 4:17-24 that they were already exposing the ungodly actions of the members of the unregenerate community by living their lives as enlightened children of God.
The church age believer exposes the unfruitful activities of those who belong to the darkness of Satan’s cosmic system by making it their habit of living their lives like enlightened children of God, which Paul commands the recipients of this letter to do in Ephesians 5:8.
This is accomplished by exercising faith in the Spirit inspired Scriptures and in particular exercising faith in the Spirit inspired mystery doctrines of the church, which are presented by Paul in Ephesians.
This post-justification enables the believer to obey Paul’s Spirit inspired prohibitions and commands, which appear in this letter.
This obedience to the Spirit inspired Scriptures and in particular Paul’s Spirit inspired apostolic teaching in Ephesians is the fruit, which is produced by the Spirit mentioned by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23.
It is also synonymous with the fruit, which is produced by those who are characterized by spiritual light, which is referred to in Ephesians 5:9.
This fruit is that of the believer’s lifestyle being characterized by the fullest expression of the practice of goodness resulting in the practice of a righteousness, resulting in the practice of truth.
In other words, it is a reference to regenerate church age believers possessing the character and nature of Jesus Christ.
Consequently, the obedient believer is demonstrating what is characterized as pleasing for the glory of our Lord as taught in Ephesians 5:10.
