Ephesians 5:12

“for the things which are done by them in secret it is. shame even to speak of”

“For”: A further reason why such things need to be exposed. “The things which are done by them”: That is, the deeds of darkness. “In secret”: Sin needs to be exposed because too many sins have become surrounded by. glamorous mystic.

“The best cure for sins is to get things out into the open. Sin that looks attractive in the darkness often looks foolish in the light of day” (Boles p. 303). “The secrecy of the works in question is the reason why they require to be openly reproved” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 358). Many sins lose their glamour when they are exposed to the light of God's word. What once might have looked like "love" is now seen as "lust" and extreme selfishness. What might have passed for "manliness" is now seen to be "cowardice", and what was once called "adult", is now seen to be very "immature". “The best way to rid the world of any evil is to drag it into the light” (Barclay p. 165). “It is. shame even to speak of”: Such sins are disgraceful and they are an embarrassment to the human race (Ephesians 5:3; Romans 6:21). Yet, Paul has just commanded us that we need to expose them for what they are (Ephesians 5:11).

Thus when we speak against sin, we cannot glorify it, make light of it or simply excuse it. We must speak of it as. disgraceful act, one that degrades mankind and offends God. “Paul exposed this shamefulness at length in Romans 1:18. Was he thereby guilty of doing. shameful thing? Since when it is. shameful thing for. Christian to reprove dirty works? The idea that Paul here says is that it makes us blush to mention these things” (Lenski p. 609). To expose sin we do not have to go into all the "details" concerning how such. sin is practiced. “Why do men hide such things? They thereby admit that such works are. disgrace to themselves. Alas, men are not ashamed before God who sees in secret (Matthew 6:4); but they are ashamed before men when their deeds are exposed to the sight of men” (Lenski p. 609). Hence this last phrase in the verse is actually teaching, “It might be an unpleasant task, but you still must speak out”. Exposing evil is not an activity that one would relish, but rather it should always be. necessarily but unpleasant task.