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There is nothing vague about what Paul has in mind when he directs his readers to “walk as children of the light” (Eph. 5:8). For one thing, anyone familiar with the Old Testament would instantly recognize the imagery of the Israelites’ being led through the wilderness by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. This great column was nothing less than the presence of Yahweh, who had “come down” to accompany and guide His covenant people. The light was God Himself, personally opening up the way in front of them as they made their way to the promised land.
For New Testament believers, it is no different. They, too, have the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit, the same God who has now condescended to accompany, guide, and nourish His new covenant people as they walk an often difficult path. So when Paul directs his fellow believers to “walk as children of the light,” he is specifically thinking of the reality, presence, and power of God in us and among us.
For Old Testament Israelites, to live each day in the near presence of God also meant a lifestyle that conformed to His law. As they listened to and submitted to Yahweh, their personal and corporate conduct was to be different from that of the pagan nations that surrounded them, and therefore, their lifestyle was a witness. Their consecration to the living God was a visible sign of His reality. For New Testament believers, it is no different. The regenerate life means a new way of living: a new Godward life and new lifestyle.
Paul’s description of the unbelieving world as “the sons of disobedience” (v. 6) provides an important context for what it means to walk in the light. If darkness means disobedience, then “walk[ing] as children of the light” clearly means obeying God. The light that guided the Israelites was the God who gave Moses His law, so walking in the light as children of obedience meant being guided and directed by God’s commands. Which, in the New Testament, raises the question, Obedience to what?
For too many Christians, obedience to law is regarded as merely an Old Testament concept. But for the Apostle Paul, the law, while futile as a way of salvation, when understood as the guide by which God’s regenerate people are to live, takes on a whole new meaning. For Christians, God’s law, instead of being discarded, comes to life as the clear guide by which redeemed people should live.
Anyone in any doubt as to the abiding place of the Ten Commandments in a New Testament context needs to read the letter to the Romans. For one thing, Paul expresses his admiration for the law in the most positive terms. He calls it “holy and righteous and good” (Rom. 7:12). In another verse, he asks a crucial question: “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law” (3:31). In yet another verse, Romans 6:17, Paul puts it as clearly as this: “You . . . have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed” (emphasis added).
Obedience “from the heart” is therefore the key to living in the light of God’s directives. God our Father has not only loved us but has placed a new love in our hearts toward Him and His will. Therefore, the outcome is an end to our hostility toward His law because, through the gospel, He has removed our resistance to it. We now read it differently, not as rebels, but as children, though with an imperfect yet genuine “heart obedience” to the Great Commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27).
In the light of the gospel, “heart obedience” to the Great Commandment means that we are consecrated exclusively to the only living and true God, the God who loved us and gave Himself for us. As His new creation, we have become an adoring people, for whom worship is not a chore but a deeply rooted pleasure.
The other commandments are similarly welcomed by God’s regenerate people. We want to avoid anything that might become an idol in our hearts. In our times, the sheer number of potential distractions from singular devotion to God is breathtaking. Walking in the light means a disciplined navigating through many voices that will too easily occupy our affections and draw us away from Jesus. As transformed people, we approach God reverentially and make good and healthy use of the day that has been recognized as the Lord’s, treasuring the privilege and pleasure of worshiping with others and enjoying the good things that He has provided. Heart obedience means a life of faithfulness to our spouses and control of our sexual impulses. It means respect for one another, the sanctity of life, and personal safety. It means the securing of property, the guarding of our integrity, and thankful contentment with what God has given us.
It’s tempting to imagine that there’s a particular method to respond to the unique challenges of the twenty-first century. Understanding the times is helpful, but our first responsibility is to continually listen to God’s voice and respond with obedience from the heart. Whether navigating the murky waters of first-century Rome or the complexities of the twenty-first-century West, the light in which Christians are commanded to live doesn’t change. The Bible is God’s manifesto for every age, and living by it will not only ensure our safe passage but send a powerful message to the surrounding culture. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).