Nonconformist Transformation: An Exegetical Study of Ephesians 5:7–14

Ephesians 5:7–14 is an enigmatic pericope fraught with interpretive challenges that have generated much scholarly debate. The appeal in verse 11, “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them,” is contested in terms of what is to be exposed, and how it is to be exposed. The text is usually interpreted in one of two ways. Some scholars interpret the text as Paul instructing Christians to expose sinful behavior of other Christians. Others hold that the behavior of non-Christians are to be exposed. While the interpretation requires some nuance, this study argues in favor of the second interpretation. The significance of the article is to demonstrate the missional value of non-verbal gospel communication—Paul urges Christians to live missional lives, though not through proclamation, but rather through a nonconformist lifestyle that rejects secular norms. The research demonstrates this by employing an exegetical, literary study of verses 7–14. This methodology includes 1) a lexical study of ἐλέγχω (expose), 2) a discourse analysis of verses 3–14, 3) an investigation of the concepts, sons of disobedience (v. 6), and children of the light (v. 7), and also the imagery of light and darkness (v. 8), and (4) an exposition of the pericope (vv. 11–14).