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Sermon preached on Ephesians 5:15-18 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 06/21/2026 in Petaluma, CA.
Sermon Manuscript
Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Today, we come to the theme of wisdom. This is a wonderful complement to our recent Proverbs study, as it situates wisdom in the context of what we’ve been studying in Ephesians. As we continue in the imperative section of this letter, we consider today how we are to put off the folly of this world, and put on the wisdom from above, as those enlightened by Christ.
Today’s passage has three verses, and we’ll work through them in order for our three points for today. First, we’ll look at verse 15 and consider wise versus unwise walking. Second, we’ll look at verse 16 and consider how we are to redeem the time. Third, we’ll look at verse 17 and consider the call to understand the will of the Lord.
Let’s begin then with verse 15. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise.” The command here is to look carefully, but notice the word “then”. It’s the word “therefore” in the Greek. This connects today’s passage with last week which talked about how we have become transformed from darkness to light. Before, we could not see spiritually because of that darkness. But now, having been enlightened by Christ we can see, spiritually. Therefore, verse 15, look carefully at how you walk. As Christians, now that we can see, we should watch where we are going. Imagine a blind person who had to stumble around all his life. If he is suddenly healed, would he want to then walk around with his eyes closed, like he was still blind? No, that would be foolish. He should now watch where he is going, because now he can! So too, for us. Since we have now been given spiritual eyesight, let us carefully watch how we are walking.
So then, Paul again here returns to the idea of walking. This verse is the last of seven references in Ephesians to describe how either we used to walk or should now walk. Chapter 2 talked about our walk before and after we were born again. In Ephesians 2:2, it described how we used to walk in sin, before we were born again. Then, in Ephesians 2:10, it described how God made us born again as part of his plan for us to walk in good works. So then, starting in chapter 4, the walking references describe how we should now walk as born-again Christians. In Ephesians 4:1, we are called to walk in a manner worthy of our calling as Christians. In Ephesians 4:17, it said we are to no longer walk like the Gentiles do, the way used to walk before becoming a Christian. In Ephesians 5:2, it said we are to walk in love as Christ loved us. In Ephesians 5:8, it said we are to walk as children of light, since we’ve become light in Christ. Lastly, today’s verse calls us to walk as wise, not as the unwise. I thought this was a fitting time to rehearse all these walk references because it really emphasizes how being a born-again Christian does radically call us to live in a different way because of our new life in Jesus.
So then, Paul’s call to walk here compares walking as wise versus unwise. Let’s compare them. This comparison between the wise and the unwise, calls to mind how Proverbs compares the wise person and the fool. Our recent Sunday School series can help us think about the difference between walking as a wise person versus walking as a fool.
So then, what kind of walking do unwise people do? Remember the starting point in Proverbs for the fool. Proverbs 14:1, the fool says in their heart that there is no God. Such a life lived without respect for God means that you live for yourself with no objective standard but whatever seems right in your own eyes. As we saw in Proverbs, that means the fool lives without discipline and without self-control. Often this means they let their emotions and passions control them. Such folly cares more about temporary gratification than eternal matters. The unwise will not care about morality and ethics if it stands in their way of their pursuits. While such wicked folly might for a moment seem to prosper, it doesn’t ultimately succeed and will result in their downfall. The ultimate end is death. Such is the way of walking for the unwise.
In contrast, we remember that the starting point for the wise is the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:17). Out of such reverence for God, the wise person looks to live in righteous obedience to God’s moral laws. Such a wise person is teachable, welcoming discipline and loving correction. Such a wise person closely watches over their heart and governs their spirit. While sometimes the wise for a moment may suffer in this life, their way is proverbially a successful one. The ultimate end is life. Such is the way of walking for the wise.
In comparing those two ways of walking, let us remember that by nature we walked as the unwise. It is only because of God graciously saving us that he gave us a heart that yearns for such wisdom. Jesus intends to grow us in such wisdom for living. He calls us then to respond in faith by seeking to walk as the wise people he is making us to be. So then, let me draw you again to the specific command he is giving to us born-again Christians in verse 15. Look carefully at how you walk. Yes, you’ve been born again. But are you walking like it? Does your walk look more like the fool that you used to be? Or is it beginning to show the wisdom of God at work in your life. Jesus calls you to closely watch over how you live. This is not a one-time thing, but a call for continual vigilance.
Let’s turn now to our second point to consider verse 16. It says, “Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Now the literal wording here for “making the best use” is literally “redeeming”. Paul urges us to redeem the time. The idea of redemption is a colorful term to use here. To redeem something is to buy back or otherwise restore what was lost. Our time in these evil days will be lost unless we redeem it, so to speak. Basically, this is saying that if we will make the most of our time, to take advantage of the time and opportunity God gives us, then that is like we have purchased time for ourselves. There is a parallel use of this in Colossians 4:5. There it says, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” There, you see how when given opportunity to be a witness and an example towards unbelievers, you should redeem the time by taking advantage of the opportunity. You should make sure you are the salt and light that God calls you to be before the watching world. So then, redeeming the time, is to use the time in a productive way, versus missing opportunities that God gives.
Now, here in verse 16, this is further explained by saying that the days are evil. That really further explains the call to redeem the time. The language of both “time” and “days” are time markers. So, when he says redeem the time, and then mentions that the current time is an evil time, that really gives important context for what he’s talking about. So then, we live in evil days. As we just said in the previous verse, the world is full of those who have not been born again, and so they are spiritually fools, unwise to the way of Christ. How do such people live? They live in evil ways. They do not live looking to serve and obey God. They do not live looking to glorify God. They do not look to do what is good according to God. And so a life lived according to your own standard ultimately is a life of evil. True, most non-Christians would not want to characterize their life that way. Indeed, we probably wouldn’t look at many everyday non-Christians and think of them as evil in the axe-murderer sense. But when we evaluate good versus evil in the way God evaluates it, then we can recognize that non-believers cannot do anything ultimately good, if they aren’t doing it in service to God. Even the most good actions of unbelievers are still marred with evil because of that. Instead, we realize that among the unbelieving world, there are various degrees of evil. Indeed, some forms of evil are very evil. And some forms of evil are sadly so prevalent. The world is full of false religion, false worship, irreverence toward God, and not setting aside time for worship. The world is full of dishonoring of earthly authorities, and abuse by authorities. The world is full of murder and physical violence and various evil forms of hatred. The world is full of sexual immorality, theft, lies, and greed. These are the unfruitful works of unwise fools. Indeed, these days are evil. Jesus describes this generation in various negative ways, including evil, adulterous, faithless, twisted, and sinful. But Jesus says we should redeem the time while we live in such evil days.
What then does it look like to redeem the time in light of the evil days? Clearly, in context, it is that we are to live differently than the evil world. We are not to walk as the unwise who produce their evil, unfruitful works. We are to walk as the wise, in whom the Holy Spirit is producing the fruit of light which is good, right, and true. When we live differently in this foolish world with its evil ways, we are light to the world. That is what we studied last time, that we shine Christ’s light on the darkness of this age. God can use that as part of how he is at work to redeem people out of this evil age. This means that while we can productively redeem our time for good, the unbelieving world is foolishly squandering their time. Yet, the nuance here is to understand how God can use us redemptively in this world as his witnesses, that those who used to be darkness in these evil days might become light. Yet, even if no one else becomes a believer by our life, still, we ought to buy back the time for good in whatever way we can live accordingly.
Let us now turn to our third point and consider verse 17. It says, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” This verse is a complement to verse 15. It brackets our passage with the theme of wisdom. But in verse 15, the emphasis was on how we walk. Now, in verse 17, the emphasis is on identity. It’s not just saying don’t walk as a fool, it says don’t be a fool. Now, we already in our first point talked a little bit about what a fool is versus a wise person. But now in verse 15, we see this contrasted with the idea of understanding what the will of the Lord is. Don’t miss that word “understanding”. That’s another word used a lot in Proverbs when thinking about wisdom. The contrast in Proverbs is that the fool doesn’t want understanding. Proverbs 1:7 says, “Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” In contrast, Provers 3:5 tells us, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” A fool despises instruction and leans on his own understanding. A wise person loves instruction and trusts in the LORD to be able to understand God’s wisdom and ways. So, verse 17 tells us to not be a fool. That implies we should be wise. Indeed, if Christ has saved you, he has already worked in your heart so that you have rejected the folly of unbelief. Now, he intends to continue to train your heart in his wisdom.
So then, verse 17 explains that if we will be wise, it will mean seeking understanding, especially about the will of the Lord. Proverbs certainly agrees that that such understanding is something you should be seeking out. Proverbs 2:5 says we should seek to understand the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 2:9 says we should seek to understand righteousness, justice, equity, and every good path. These proverbs affirm that wisdom seeks first God and his righteousness. To put other things first, is folly.
Now, while there is a lot here in verse 17 that complements verse 15, this idea about the will of the Lord is a unique emphasis here in verse 17. We’re called to understand the will of Christ for our life. This is an important thing to stop and think about because it is often a misunderstood thought. When people hear that, they might be often inclined to think a little more mysteriously than we should. This is not talking about what is known as God’s secret will. God’s secret will for your life is what actually happens, what God foreordained as the eternal plan for how your life would unfold. The only way we know for sure God’s secret will for your life is after the fact. It’s like reading the daily newspaper, it reports on events after they occurr. We can understand God’s secret will in retrospect, and we can think very personally and specifically of how God’s secret will for your life unfolded. But God’s secret will is different than his revealed will. His revealed will are his laws, commandments, and precepts whereby he teaches all mankind how he would have us to live our lives. His revealed will explains our duty toward God and is the instruction we need to understand how to conduct our lives according to his will.
Take the example of marriage. How do we understand the will of Christ for you in terms of marriage? When people misunderstand a verse like this, they might think they need to pray that somehow God would give them some miraculous sign to tell them whom to marry. But you see, that is to try to pry into the secret will of God. But God says in Deuteronomy 29:29, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” You see, understanding the will of Christ for you in terms of marriage is about understanding what he has revealed about marriage and our duties around it. When we do that, we see the goodness of marriage, and that we should seek to marry a fellow Christian, and we even learn that the person’s inner beauty should be more important than their fleeting outer beauty. We also learn that some people are called to singleness and that such can also honor the Lord. So, we learn and come to understand God’s will for marriage. We then should go and walk in a way consistent with his will on this matter. As we do, we walk in wisdom. If we ignore God’s will on this, then we are fools and will bear unfruitful works of darkness.
So then, we can take this example of marriage, and apply it to all God’s revealed will. He would have us to study the Scriptures and learn how to live for him in light of his will. A verse like Micah 6:8 is a great example of such a passage. It says, “And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Likewise, the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 are another good place to study God’s will for your life. Jesus’ teaching on the two greatest commandments, about loving God and neighbor are also helpful. All these and more can train us to understand Christ’s will for your life.
Now that being said, Ephesians has contributed to our understanding of God’s will in a very specific way. And at the risk of sounding like I am contradicting myself, Ephesians has spoken of how God has revealed something mysterious about his will to us. In chapter 1, verse 9, we were told that God revealed the mystery of his will to us to save us in Christ. Chapter 3 went on to further explain God has now revealed that this mystery includes saving people from all the nations into one united church of Jesus Christ. So, this too is part of the will of God that we have come to understand. And that too fits with what we just studied earlier in this chapter, that God wants us to expose the darkness still in this world with the light of Christ. As we participate in that, we are helping to fulfill God’s glorious will with regarding to his plan of redemption.
Trinity Presbyterian Church, I pray that today’s three verses have encouraged you in the wisdom Christ intends for your life. Jesus is sanctifying you by his grace, and not just to make you an obedient child of God, but to make you a wise one, too. This too is his will for you, to be wise unto life.
In conclusion, I would like to make a final application from the middle verse where it mentioned how the days are evil. That is a pregnant statement, because it directs our hearts to the days to come which will not be evil. Indeed, there is coming an age where righteousness and wisdom will reign, when Christ returns. That wisdom and righteousness which belongs to the future, we already have begun to possess by the power of the Spirit. So then, in us Christians, the powers of the age to come already are breaking into this present evil age. We should not be surprised that the redeemed of the Lord are to live as such, even redeeming the time to begin to live as those who belong to the coming days of righteousness in these present evil days. Be renewed in this hope, even as you redeem the time in these days. Praise be to Christ, our wisdom, our righteousness, and our light.
Amen.
Copyright © 2025 Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
All Rights Reserved.
