A commentary on the epistle to the Ephesians by Charles Hodge ...

294 EPHESIANS,
sins the apostle gives as the reason why they should be
reproved.
V. 13. Vile however as those sins are, they are capable of being corrected. They are not beyond cure.
Reprove them. Let in the light of divine truth upon
them, and they will be corrected or healed. For the
truth is divinely efficacious. It is the organon of God;
that through which he exerts his power in the sanctification and salvation of men. Such seems to be the
general meaning of this difficult verse.
It is connected with the preceding verse, and is designed to enforce the command, EXVXeTre, reprove.'Reprove the things done in secret by the wicked-for
though they are too bad to be even named, yet being
reproved, they are made manifest by the light, and
thereby corrected, for every thing made manifest, i. e.
revealed in its true nature by divine light, becomes
light; that is, is reformed.' This interpretation gives a
simple and consistent sense, assumes no unusual signification of the terms employed, nor any forced construction, and is suited to the context. It supposes1. That a 7racvThra EXeyXoFzeva refers to Ta Kpvfx? 7ylvSevva
of v. 12. The things done in secret are the all things,
which being reproved, are manifested. 2. The words
V7rO To or o6 are not to be connected with AeTXEoILeva,
as though the sense were,'being reproved by the
light;' but with OavepoVrTat, so that the sense is,'are
made manifest by the light.' This construction is reouired by the following clause. 3. bavepod/zeroi, is
passive, and not middle with an active sense. The