I would like to take the opportunity this evening to examine an objection to the Focused Education projects I spoke about earlier [1] brought up by one of my cousins.  Though I do not consider this to be a valid concern, given the full context of the scripture she cited, I think this might be a common concern, and one of the bariers of stigma that prevents people from supporting focused education efforts on issues considered to be “shameful” (like sexual abuse, homosexuality, alcoholism, and related strugles), and hinders people from being honest.

Ephseians 5:8-14:  An Objection In Context

The objection made by my cousin (and presumably many others as well) comes from a certain understanding of Ephesians 5:12.  In the Living Bible (Life Application Bible), Ephesians 5:12 reads as follows:  “It would be shameful even to mension here those pleasures of darkness that the ungodly do.”  To the unwary reader (like my cousin), to even speak or write of such issues as child abuse, struggles against homosexuality, or alcoholism) is shameful.  But we must ask ourselves, is this what Paul is saying here?  We should note, after all, that Paul himself stated (as I mentioned in my earlier blog on focused education) that the brethren of Corinth had struggled with such sins as blackmail, homosexuality, alcoholism, theft, and fornication (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)–all sins that Chrisitans in God’s church today struggle with, and Paul was not ashamed to say that these brethren struggled with those sins.  Likewise, Paul was not afraid to admit his own struggle with the addiction to sin that all of us face, in some fashion, as Christians (Romans 7:14-25).  Nor was Paul ashamed to admit his own specific sins, which included consenting to murder and acts of terrible persection towards Christians (something most of us would consider ‘shameful,’ as in Acts 26:9-11).

Paul, in other words, was not ashamed at all to admit his own sins, nor to point out the struggles of his brethren against loathsome sins.  Was Paul contradicting his own command to the Ephesian brethren in Ephesians 5:12?  Hardly.  Let us examine (in the New King James) the verse in its proper context, Ephesians 5:8-14: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousnes, and truth) finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.  But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.  Therefore He says:  “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Exposing Secret Sins

What is this passage saying in context about shameful sins?  For one, to expose such sins is not wrong, but is the call for repentance that we as Christians, in the light, are to do with those who live in darkness.  Let me provide a personal example.  As a younger person, I was once driven to write a series of plays writing about the sorts of shameful activities that were done by church kids in church events (though, I should note, I did not participate in such activities myself).  As it happened, I accidentally (not by my plan) chose a name for a character that was the name of a person engaged in such activities.  Needless to say, that caused a huge problem.  The person in question was not ashamed, but I was attacked, as if I should be ashamed for exposing sin.

Let us note, though, that for Paul it was not the struggle against sin that was shameful (for all of us struggle against sin of some kind), but rather engaging in of all kinds of sinful activities in secret (the sorts of parties that are common for young people).  This is an important distinction to make, but one that requires looking at the context rather than picking out a verse in isolation (this is a handy rule to remember when examining difficult scriptures, because context gives a lot of information).  The fact that we once walked in darkness gives us a point of contact with others whose paths of darkness have been similar to our own.  The fact that we have converted from sin into righteousness means that we point the way from unrighteousness to godlines.  Therefore exposing sin, or speaking of one’s own struggles, is not shameful, because the focus is not on the sin itself but on the work of Christ within us to restore us to wholeness and innocence.

Those who are living in sin (with the revels and parties and other sinful activities that go along with them–including promiscuous sexuality and the abuse of alcohol and drugs) are not concerned with the samefulness of their deeds, and they ought to be ashamed of their conduct–for it is shameful to talk about the things that these people do.  Let us say that someone engaged in these activities repents of their sin and becomes a genuine believer.  What are they to do?  They are now the experts (unfortunately) on a particular type of sin, and the chance in their behavior serves as evangelism to their former associates, whom, as Peter says in 1 Peter 4:3-6:  “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles-when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.  In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.  They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.  For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”

Conclusion

What conclusion are we to draw from this.  For one, the contrast between our sinful ways and our obedience to God is itself a major evangelistic tool in showing the effect of righteousness and obedience to the sinful life.  For another, struggling with a sin gives one expertise in how the sin works and effects one’s life as a whole.  We ought not to be ashamed of the lives we have lived–because they have been redeemed by God, bought back from Satan, by the price of the blood of the sacrifice of our elder brother and Lord Jesus Christ.  We ought, though, to be careful to live according to our beliefs, lest we show ourselves to be hypocrites.  Let us therefore not be ashamed to either expose sin or to speak about our own struggles with it, because it is not these activites which Paul condemns, once he is properly understood.  Let us, however, avoid living disgraceful lives of revelries and sin so that we avoid bringing ourselves and our faith into disrepute.  For the shame is in committing sin, not in exposing it or confessing it.  The stigma ought to be in living in sin, not in struggling with it.  If that is not so with us, then we need to examine our own prioritites and conduct, lest we be found wanting with God.

[1] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/and-so-were-some-of-you-1-corinthians-6-9-11-focused-education-and-the-proclamation-of-the-gospel/