Ephesians 5:8
“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:”
King James Version (KJV)
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This verse falls within Ephesians 5:3-14, where Paul contrasts the deeds of darkness with the life of light. It grounds the call to pure living in the believer's transformed identity in Christ.
What Does Ephesians 5:8 Mean?
Paul draws a sharp before-and-after picture using the imagery of darkness and light. "Ye were sometimes darkness" -- and notice he does not say they were merely in darkness, but that they were darkness itself, so deeply shaped by it that it defined them. "But now are ye light in the Lord" -- again, not merely in the light, but light itself, transformed at the core. The change is total, and it is located "in the Lord." The new identity is not self-generated; it comes from union with Christ, who is the source of all light. This is one of the great reversals of the Christian life, as dramatic as the move from death to life.
From this new identity flows a calling: "walk as children of light." Paul's logic is consistent throughout the letter -- become what you already are. Because believers have been made light, they are to live like it, letting their conduct match their nature. Children of light walk in ways that are open, honest, good, and true, the opposite of the hidden deeds of darkness. For the reader, this verse offers both encouragement and challenge. The encouragement is that your identity has genuinely changed; you are no longer defined by your old darkness. The challenge is to live consistently with that new self, walking in the light each day so that what you are on the inside shows in how you live.
In the Original Language
The Greek "skotos" (darkness) and "phos" (light) are used as identities, not just circumstances. "Peripateo" (walk) again means the conduct of daily life.
Cross References
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
- John 8:12
“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:5
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;”
- 1 Peter 2:9
Application
Remember that your identity has truly changed -- you are light in the Lord. Let your daily conduct match it, living openly and honestly as a child of light.