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I. WHAT IS FORBIDDEN. "Fellowship." This may be produced in several ways.

1. By personally committing the sins described, or by joining with others in bringing them about.

2. By teaching wrong-doing, either by plain word or by just inference.

3. By constraining, commanding, or tempting; by threat, request, persuasion, inducement, compulsion, bribery, or influence.

4. By provoking, through exciting anger, emulation, or discouragement.

5. By neglecting to rebuke, especially by parents and masters misusing their office, and allowing known evils in the family.

6. By counselling, and advising, or by guiding by example.

7. By consenting, agreeing, and cooperating.

8. By conniving at sin: tolerating, concealing, and making light of it.

9. By commending, countenancing, defending, and excusing the wrong already done; and contending against those who would expose, denounce, and punish it.

II. WHAT IS COMMANDED. "Reprove."

1. Rebuke.

2. Convict.

3. Convert.

III. WHY IT IS COMMANDED TO ME? It is especially my duty to be clear of other men's sins.

1. As an imitator of God and a dear child (ver. 1).

2. As one who is an inheritor of the kingdom of God (vers. 5, 6).

3. As one who has come out of darkness into marvellous light in the Lord (ver 8).

4. As one who bears fruit, even the fruit of the Spirit, which is in all goodness, righteousness and truth (ver. 9).

5. As one who would not be associated with that which is either shameful or foolish (vers. 12, 15).If our fellowship is with God, we must quit the ways of darkness.

IV. WHAT MAY COME OF OBEDIENCE TO THE COMMAND. Even if we could see no good result, yet our duty would be plain enough; but much benefit may result.

1. We shall be clear of complicity with deeds of darkness.

2. We shall be honoured in the consciences of the ungodly.

3. We may thus win them to repentance and eternal life.

4. We shall glorify God by our separated walk and by the godly perseverance with which we adhere to it.

5. We may thus establish others in holy nonconformity to the world.Let us use the text as a warning to worldly professors. Let us take it as a directory in our conversation with the ungodly.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

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

WEB: Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even reprove them.