Ephesians 5.14c-Quotation from Isaiah 60 is an Inference from the Contents of Ephesians 5.6-13
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday May 28, 2026
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 5:14c-Quotation from Isaiah 60 is an Inference from the Contents of Ephesians 5:6-13
Lesson # 347
Ephesians 5:12 For these unfruitful activities being practiced by them secretly are a shameful disgrace to even mention. 13 However, because each and every one of these things are being habitually exposed by those who are characterized by spiritual light, they are being habitually revealed (as sin to those characterized by spiritual darkness and disobedience) by those who are characterized by spiritual light. 14 For anyone who for their own benefit makes it their habit of revealing (to those characterized by spiritual darkness that their unfruitful activities practiced secretly are sin against a holy God) is characterized by spiritual light. Therefore, it says, “Those who sleep, awake forever! Correspondingly, rise from the dead ones! Consequently, the one and only Christ will as a certainty shine upon you.” (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 5:14 is composed of the following:
(1) Causal clause: pan gar to phaneroumenon phōs estin (πᾶν γὰρ τὸ φανερούμενον φῶς ἐστιν), “For anyone who for their own benefit makes it their habit of revealing (to those characterized by spiritual darkness that their unfruitful activities practiced secretly are sin against a holy God) is characterized by spiritual light.” (Lecturer’s translation)
(2) Marker of an Inferential Quotation: dio legei (διὸ λέγει), “Therefore, it says” (Lecturer’s translation)
(3) Command: egeire, ho katheudōn (ἔγειρε, ὁ καθεύδων), “Those who sleep, awake forever!” (Lecturer’s translation)
(4) Command: kai anasta ek tōn nekrōn (καὶ ἀνάστα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν), “Correspondingly, rise from the dead ones!” (Lecturer’s translation)
(5) Result clause: kai ⸂epiphausei soi ho Christos (καὶ ἐπιφαύσει σοι ὁ Χριστός), “Consequently, the one and only Christ will as a certainty shine upon you.” (Lecturer’s translation)
This quotation in Ephesians 5:14, which summarizes Isaiah 60, is an inference from the contents of Ephesians 5:6-13, which is indicated by the conjunction dio (διό), which we noted functions as a strong inferential conjunction.
Therefore, by way of review, in Ephesians 5:6, the apostle Paul issues the recipients of this letter a prohibition.
It required that they continue to make it their habit to never let absolutely anyone cause any one of them 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.
Ephesians 5:7 presents an inference from this prohibition and asserts that the recipients of this epistle for their own benefit must continue to not make it their habit of conducting their lives as fellow partakers with the members of the non-Christian community.
Ephesians 5:8 presents the reason for this prohibition by asserting that the recipients of this epistle were formerly characterized by spiritual darkness.
However, they are now at the present time characterized by spiritual light.
Paul then issues a command, which required that they must continue to make it your habit of living your lives like the enlightened children of God, which they are.
Ephesians 5:9 presents the reason for this command and 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, 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.
Ephesians 5:10 presents the result of the assertion in Ephesians 5:9 and states that the recipients of this letter are demonstrating what is characterized as pleasing for the glory of our Lord.
The statement in Ephesians 5:11 asserts that the recipients of this epistle must continue to make it their habit of not participating in the unfruitful activities produced by those who belong to the darkness.
In fact, on the contrary, they must continue to make it their habit of exposing them. The contents of Ephesians 5:12 correspond with the statement in Ephesians 5:10.
Ephesians 5:12 presents an explanation for this command and asserts that these unfruitful activities being practiced by the non-Christian secretly are a shameful disgrace to even mention in detail by believers.
Ephesians 5:13 presents a contrast with this assertion and states that because the activities practiced by the non-Christian secretly are being habitually exposed by those who are characterized by spiritual light, these sinful activities are being habitually revealed as sin to those characterized by spiritual darkness and disobedience.
In Ephesians 5:14, the conjunction dio (διό) introduces a summarized quotation of Isaiah 60.
It contains two commands, which are both addressed to the unregenerate sinner, who is described as a “sleeper,” which is a figurative reference to an unregenerate sinner who is spiritually dead.
The first command requires that they awake forever from their sleep, which is a reference to being regenerated by the Holy Spirit as a result of exercising faith in Jesus Christ as one’s Savior at the moment of justification.
The second required that they rise from the dead ones.
This resurrection is also the direct result of exercising faith in Jesus Christ, which results in the Father declaring them justified.
Simultaneously, they are identified with Jesus Christ in His resurrection through the baptism of the Spirit and also given eternal life through regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
The hymn ends with the assertion that Christ will shine on them, which is a reference to becoming an enlightened child of God.
This again is the result of being declared justified by the Father through faith in His one and only Son, which results in the Holy Spirit identifying them with Jesus Christ in His resurrection through the baptism of the Spirit and also giving them eternal life through regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
To “infer” is to derive a conclusion from facts or premises and implies arriving at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence.
Therefore, the contents of this summarized quotation of Isaiah 60 is deriving a conclusion from the contents of Ephesians 5:6-13 and implies that this conclusion is arrived at by reasoning from the contents of Ephesians 5:6-13.
