Ephesians 5:8 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

For ye were sometimes That is, once; darkness In a state of total blindness and ignorance, without any light of instruction without, or divine grace within, and therefore had some excuse for living such unrighteous and profane lives: but now ye are light in the Lord Enlightened by the divine word and Spirit, and brought to the saving knowledge of God and Christ, and of divine things in general; and consequently such vicious practices as you formerly pursued would be utterly inexcusable in you now. You are now under an indispensable obligation to walk as children of light That is, in a manner suitable to your present knowledge. For, &c. As if he had said, Such walking is the proper, natural result of your illumination and spiritual condition; the fruit of the Spirit is in Consists in; all goodness, righteousness, and truth That is, the Spirit works these graces in those persons in whom he dwells, graces quite opposite to the sins spoken of Ephesians 4:25, &c. By goodness we are to understand an inclination and endeavour to perform all good offices to our fellow-creatures, especially to the children of God: by righteousness, justice, and fair dealing toward all men: and by truth, freedom from hypocrisy, dissimulation, guile, and deceit. Some MSS., together with the Syriac and Vulgate versions, read here, But the fruit of the light, &c., which Estius, Grotius, Mill, and Bengelius, think the true reading, because there is no mention made of the Spirit, either in what goes before, or in what follows. The common reading they suppose hath been taken from Galatians 5:22. Proving Δοκιμαζοντες, making trial of, proving by experience, or approving; what is acceptable Ευαρεστον, well-pleasing; to the Lord And how happy they are who in all things are governed by his will.