Scripture Post #542: *WORKS OF DARKNESS*

Ephesians 5:11: "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

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This Scripture was from Apostle Paul to the Saints of Ephesus (Eph. 1:1).

We must reprove *WORKS OF DARKNESS*. Reprove? That's sort of like judging, isn't it? Absolutely. To reprove means to correct. And the Bible states for us to judge. JESUS is very much so misunderstanded by what HE said in the following Scripture Passage:

Matt. 7:1: "Judge not, that ye be not judged."

V. 2: "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

V. 3: "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"

V. 4: "Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?"

V. 5: "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye."

We must get the sin out of our own lives first, before we can help others with their sins by correcting them. That's what this Passage means. 

JESUS ate with sinners (Mark 2:15-17). And eating with sinners is certainly fellowship. Eph. 5:11 states: "…Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." So was JESUS in violation of Eph. 5:11? Absolutely not. JESUS ate with sinners, not with sin. People are not their sin. Eph. 5:11 states to have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness. People aren't their works. Meaning: who you are isn't what you do. We are human-beings, no human-doing. Let's read JESUS' answer as to why HE ate with sinners. 

Mark 2:15: "And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him."

V. 16: "And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?"

V. 17: "When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

JESUS ate with sinners simply to convert them. Not to leave them where they were. Evangelism consists of some form of fellowship with sinners. But JESUS wasn't apart of their works of darkness. There've been situations in my life where I told certain people, "I can't hang out with you if you're going to be cursing." And they wanted to hang with me so they stopped cursing. So I was fellowshipping with them and not their sin (works of darkness). 

In converting people it is important that no sin or worldliness is involved. When JESUS converted people, HE didn't use evil to win people who did evil. The chosen come to the FATHER, if they are in fact, the chosen. GOD knows who the chosen are. HE's the one who chose them. The chosen will hear the truth of the marvelous gospel and be converted, without worldly gimmickry. 

Eph. 1:4: "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:"

V. 5: "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"

Originally Published: Sat. 3/8/14