Adjusting the Contrast

Mike Hosey, An Elder

Contrast is a word that means to be strikingly different.  For instance, if you were to stand Shaquille O'Neal next to Mike Hosey, you might notice a contrast in personal elevation.  On the other hand, if you were to enjoy a spoonful of sugar, and then try to enjoy a lick of lemon, you would notice a strong contrast between sweet and bitter. There is an enormous contrast between the comfort level of a Walmart parking lot in Gainesville, Florida on a mid-August day, and one in Anchorage Alaska on the same day.  The bible very frequently illustrates truth by using contrast. One of the biggest illustrations it uses is the contrast between light and dark.  Consider the prophet Isaiah.  The prophet calls for Israel to rise and shine. He proclaims that when they do, the glory of God will show on them, and it will contrast with the darkness of the peoples of the world. This contrast will draw those nations to God’s people (Isaiah 60:1-3)!

In Ephesians 5:1-16, Paul makes a similar claim. In fact, in verse 14 he likely is referencing the above passage from the prophet Isaiah.  He describes to the Ephesians the behaviors of people who are not saved, and reminds them that they are no longer like those people because they have been called out of that kind of darkness (Ephesians 5:7). Paul warns the Ephesian church not to partner with those people. Instead he charges them to expose them. To expose means to convict, confute, or to point out a flaw. His use of the word leaves room for Christians to point out with their mouths or other direct methods the darkness of the unsaved. However, his primary and larger method on how to expose them is found in his second use of the word (Ephesians 5:13).   His greater implication in the whole passage is that when we live a life that originates from an awareness of our salvation, then the contrast between those of us who are saved, and those of us who are not will be so great that the darkness of the unsaved will be exposed by how we live.  

Now notice in Ephesians 5:14-16 that he calls for the church at Ephesus to wake up! Arise from the dead, he tells them.  He is telling them to quit walking around in a slumber, to get some life in them, so that Jesus can shine on them, and they can be contrasted by life and light with the rest of the world. Instead of looking and living dead or asleep, they can demonstrate life, and the nations can be drawn to them, and darkness can be exposed and forced to flee.

Then he follows up with something even more important. He tells them to make the best use of their time, because the days are evil. Consider Paul’s command here, and think about the last time you slept in when you had a whole day’s worth of things to do, then contrast that with days that you arose from your sleep early and attended to your tasks!