Ephesians 5:14-17 says, “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” 

This portion begins with a call to all those who are not saved.  “Awake.”  “Arise from the dead.”  The Lord Jesus, Himself, said in John 5:24-25  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”  One is able to arise from the dead by putting his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. 

When one puts his/her faith in the Lord Jesus, they are given ‘light’ or ‘understanding’, as we read in Ephesians 1:18, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” 

As believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are instructed to walk circumspectly.  We are to walk, or live, carefully…being aware of our circumstances and how we might honor the Lord in all our ways.  This is similar to what we have in Colossians 4:5, “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”  It helps us to understand how to walk ‘circumspectly’ when we realize the same Greek word is translated “diligently” in Matthew 2:8 and “perfectly” in 1 Thessalonians 5:2.  How we walk, or how we live, is so important to the believer.  We should behave differently than fools, or those who have no spiritual wisdom, and constantly fall into sin and error.  Rather, we are to behave like those who are wise; those that are taught of God and are empowered with wisdom from above.

Believers should ‘redeem the time, because the days are evil.’  Who can deny that we live in ungodly and evil times?  It is evident in our societies, in the media, in politics, etc.  Everywhere we look, we can see evil at work.  Therefore, we must properly use the time the Lord has given us.  We really do not have a moment to waste!  ALL our time should be spent wisely, in dependence upon the Lord, and for Him our blessed savior. 

“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”  With all that we have before us in the previous verses, we are now instructed to not live as the world lives.  The Greek word for ‘unwise’ is translated ‘foolish’ in Romans 2:20.  My fellow believer, we have been given wisdom from the Lord, we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices. (2 Corinthians 2:11).  By the indwelling Spirit of God, we have the ability to walk in the wisdom the Lord has given us.  We can understand the will of the Lord by studying His Word in dependence on His Spirit to teach us.  This seems to indicate more than just knowing God’s will, but having an understanding of the Lord and His path for us, so that we truly may “walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”  (443.2)