Gaming With Discernment: Ephesians 5:8

As part of our Gaming With Discernment series, our aim is to help equip you, the Christian gamer, better grasp the meaning and application of potentially difficult Scriptures that may or may not conflict with facets of video gaming. This time, we’re covering Ephesians 5:8:

⁸ For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Is this a verse that forbids Christians from playing video games with ‘dark’ themes and content?

Well, as with all good Bible study, we shouldn’t read verses in a vacuum. It’s crucial to establish context: Writer’s intent, audience, relationship to other Scriptures.

It’s also important that we, the Faith Gamer team, advise new Christians especially to seek guidance from their pastor and fellow church members on potentially difficult Scriptures. We do our best to ensure total accuracy in our articles, but it’s a good habit to discuss Scriptures amongst your immediate church family first. If there is disharmony between our findings and the council of your pastor, side with your pastor.

With that said, here’s Ephesians 5 in full:

Ephesians 5 (KJV)

¹ Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

² And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

³ But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

⁴ Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

⁵ For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

⁶ Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

⁷ Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

⁸ For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

⁹ (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

¹⁰ Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

¹¹ And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

¹² For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

¹³ But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

¹⁴ Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

¹⁵ See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

¹⁶ Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

¹⁷ Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

¹⁸ And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

¹⁹ Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

²⁰ Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

²¹ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

²² Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

²⁴ Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

²⁸ So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

²⁹ For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

³⁰ For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

³¹ For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

³² This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

³³ Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Theologians on Ephesians 5:8

John Calvin interprets Ephesians 5:8 as a stark contrast between the believer’s former state in darkness and their new identity in the Lord. He emphasises that being ‘children of light’ is not merely a label but a transformation of nature, where the Holy Spirit illuminates the mind to perceive spiritual truth. For Calvin, the fruit of light consists of goodness, righteousness, and truth, which naturally flow from this renewed heart. He argues that those who remain in darkness lack the Spirit and cannot produce such fruit, regardless of their outward profession. This view aligns closely with the idea that ethical behaviour is the inevitable result of regeneration, not the cause of it.

John Gill focuses heavily on the metaphorical meaning of ‘light’ and ‘darkness’ in this passage, identifying darkness with ignorance, sin, and the dominion of Satan. He explains that believers were once in this state by nature but are now made light through the effectual calling of God. Gill notes that the phrase ‘walk as children of light’ implies a consistent conduct that matches one’s new status. He suggests that the fruits of light are the graces of the Spirit and good works done in faith. His commentary shares Calvin’s emphasis on the transformative power of grace, asserting that true conversion inevitably leads to a life marked by holiness and truth.

Matthew Henry provides a practical exposition, urging readers to consider the vast difference between their past lives and their current calling. He describes the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ as the natural produce of a soul enlightened by grace, which includes every good word and work. Henry stresses that walking in light requires constant vigilance against the works of darkness, which are shameful to even speak of. He encourages believers to let their light shine so that others may see their good works and glorify God. Like the other reformers, he views the change in behaviour as evidence of the change in nature, warning that a lack of fruit indicates a lack of genuine faith.

Charles Spurgeon offers a sermon-based perspective on Ephesians 5:8, often focusing on the urgency of the command to walk in light. He portrays the Christian life as a journey out of the shadow of death into the glorious liberty of the gospel. Spurgeon warns that claiming to be children of light while living in darkness is a dangerous hypocrisy. He illustrates that the ‘fruit’ mentioned is not something manufactured by human effort but grows spontaneously from a heart united with Christ. His application mirrors the theological consistency found in Calvin and Gill, reinforcing that true light produces visible righteousness, and any claim to faith without such fruit is empty.

Takeaway for Christian Gamers

Applying the principle of walking as children of light to video games requires believers to examine whether their engagement produces the fruit of goodness, righteousness, and truth. If a game’s narrative or mechanics rely on gratuitous violence, sexual immorality, or the glorification of darkness, it contradicts the transformed nature described by Calvin and Gill. A Christian need not adopt a legalistic ban on all entertainment but must discern if the content fosters a spirit of holiness or dulls the conscience. Matthew Henry’s call to vigilance suggests that players should ask if their gaming habits lead to shame or if they can openly display their choices without fear. The key is not the medium itself but the spiritual atmosphere it cultivates; if the experience draws one away from the light, it is a sign that the heart is not fully aligned with its new identity.

Spurgeon’s warning against hypocrisy reminds modern gamers that claiming to follow Christ while indulging in content that celebrates evil creates a dangerous disconnect. Honouring God in this context means refusing to participate in virtual worlds that mock the very virtues the Spirit seeks to grow within the believer. This is not about creating new rules but about allowing the existing command to walk in light to filter every choice. If a game requires the player to embrace darkness to progress, the child of light should step away. The goal is a consistent life where entertainment supports, rather than undermines, the pursuit of righteousness, ensuring that the fruit of the Spirit remains evident in both thought and action.