For the things that are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of.

“He had said, "ye are light." Now the light reproves by exposing the things which take place in the darkness. So that if ye, says he, are virtuous, and conspicuous, the wicked will be unable to lie hidden. For just as when a candle is set, all are brought to light, and the thief cannot enter; so if your light shine, the wicked being discovered shall be caught. So then it is our duty to expose them. How then does our Lord say, "Judge not, that ye be not judged"? (Matt. vii. 1, 3.) Paul did not say "judge," he said "reprove," that is, correct. And the words, "Judge not, that ye be not judged," He spoke with reference to very small errors. Indeed, He added, "Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" But what Paul is saying is of this sort. As a wound, so long as it is imbedded and concealed outwardly, and runs beneath the surface, receives no attention, so also sin, as long as it is concealed, being as it were in darkness, is daringly committed in full security; but as soon as "it is made manifest," becomes "light"; not indeed the sin itself, (for how could that be?) but the sinner. For when he has been brought out to light, when he has been admonished, when he has repented, when he has obtained pardon, hast thou not cleared away all his darkness? Hast thou not then healed his wound? Hast thou not called his unfruitfulness into fruit? Either this is his meaning, or else what I said above, that your life "being manifest, is light." For no one hides an irreproachable life; whereas things which are hidden, are hidden by darkness covering them.”

“Above, the Apostle set forth admonitions; here he assigns the reasons for them. Now he set forth two admonitions: the first, that they should not share in the works of darkness; the second, that they should reprove sinners. According to this, therefore, he does two things. First he sets forth the reason for the first admonition; second, the reason for the second, at the place "For all things that are reproved," etc. He says, therefore: I said well, "do not share"; nay rather, you ought also to rebuke and reprove such persons. Why? Because "the things that are done by them in secret, it is shameful to speak of." Now this concerns carnal vices, in which there is great shamefulness, because there is very little of the goods of reason in them, since acts of this kind are common to us and to brute animals. There follows "All things that are reproved," etc. Here the Apostle sets forth the reason for the second admonition, and he does two things. For first he sets forth the reason; second he assigns a confirmation, at the place "Wherefore he says," etc. As to the first, then, he wishes to prove that it is fitting for them to reprove those who transgress, and he proves this thus: whatever is shown to be evil is reproved, for every reproof is a certain manifestation; but every manifestation comes about through light, and you are light; therefore it is fitting for you to reprove and to manifest them. Now he sets forth the major premise of this argument at the place "But all things that are reproved," etc. And he sets forth the minor premise at the place "everything that," etc. As if to say: it is fitting for them to reprove for this reason, because, as is said in 1 Corinthians 2:15: "the spiritual man judges all things, and he himself is judged by no one." Hence the Gloss explains it thus: "all things" — namely, the sins that are reproved by the light, that is, by good and holy men, who are the children of light — "are made manifest," namely, through confession. Proverbs 28:13: "But he who shall have confessed and forsaken them shall obtain mercy." And "everything" — namely, the evil — "that is manifested" through confession "is light," that is, it is turned into light. Then he confirms this by an authority, saying "Wherefore he says: Rise," etc. The Gloss explains it thus: on account of the fact that it is light, he says — namely, the Holy Spirit — "O you who sleep, rise," etc. But this is not Paul's custom. And therefore it must be said that the Apostle introduces the figure set down in Isaiah 60:1: "Arise, be enlightened, Jerusalem," etc., saying "Wherefore" — namely, Scripture — "says: Rise" from the negligence of good work, "you," namely, "who sleep." Proverbs 6:9: "How long, sluggard, will you sleep?" Psalm 40:9: "Shall not he who sleeps go on to rise again?" And "rise from the dead," that is, from dead works, or works that put to death. Hebrews 9:14: "he will cleanse our conscience from dead works," etc. Isaiah 26:19: "Your dead shall live, my slain shall rise again." "Rise, therefore, and Christ will enlighten you." Psalm 26:1: "The Lord is my light," etc. The same, 12:4: "Enlighten my eyes, lest I ever sleep in death." But can we, by ourselves, rise from sin, since he says: "Rise, and Christ will enlighten you"? I respond: it must be said that for the justification of the ungodly two things are required, namely, free will cooperating toward rising, and grace itself. And indeed free will has this very cooperation from prevenient grace, and afterward has to work meritoriously from subsequent grace. Hence it is said in the last chapter of Lamentations: "Convert us, O God, and we shall be converted."”

“Wherefore he saith,.... Either the man that is light in the Lord, who reproves the unfruitful works of darkness; or else the Holy Ghost by Paul, who here speaks after the manner of the prophets; or God, or the Spirit, or the Scripture; see Jam 4:6; but where is it said? some think the apostle refers to Isa 9:2; others to Isa 26:19; others to Isa 60:1; some are of opinion the words are cited out of an apocryphal book of Jeremy, or from some writing now lost; and some have thought them to be a saying of Christ, that was fresh in memory: it may not be improper to observe what Maimonides says (m), that "the blowing of the trumpet in the beginning of the year had an intimation in it, as if was said, "awake ye that sleep", from your sleep, and ye that slumber rouse up from your slumber, and search into your actions, and return by repentance, and remember your Creator;'' whether any reference may be had to this, may be considered: the words are spoken not to unregenerate men, for though they are asleep, and dead in sin, and need awaking out of sleep, and raising from the dead, yet they are never called upon to awake and arise of themselves; such a sense would countenance the doctrine of man's free will and power, against the quickening and efficacious grace of God; but to regenerate persons, professors of religion, to whom the epistle in general was written; and who are spoken to, and exhorted in the context: awake thou that sleepest: the children of God are sometimes asleep, and need awaking; of the nature, causes, and ill consequences of such sleeping, and of the methods by which they are sometimes awaked out of it; see Gill on Rom 13:11. And arise from the dead; living saints are sometimes among dead sinners, and it becomes them to arise from among them, and quit their company, which is oftentimes the occasion of their sleepiness: besides, the company of dead sinners is infectious and dangerous; it is a means of hardening in sin, and of grieving of the people of God, who observe it; and by abstaining from their company, a testimony is bore against sin, and conviction is struck into the minds of sinners themselves; to which add, that so to do is well pleasing to God, who promises to receive such who come out from among them, and separate themselves from them: and it follows here as an encouragement, and Christ shall give thee light; for such who are made light in the Lord, stand in need of more light; and by keeping close to the word, ways, ordinances, and people of Christ, they may expect more light from Christ: they need fresh light into pardoning grace and mercy, through the blood of Christ; they want more to direct them in the way they should go; and they are often without the light of God's countenance; and they may hope for light from Christ, since it is sown in him, and promised through him; and he is given to be a light unto them, and he is the giver of it himself. (m) Hilchot Heshuba, c. 3. sect 4.”

“For it is a shame even to speak - This no doubt refers to the Eleusinian and Bacchanalian mysteries, which were performed in the night and darkness, and were known to be so impure and abominable, especially the latter, that the Roman senate banished them both from Rome and Italy. How the discovery of these depths of Satan was made, and the whole proceedings in that case, may be seen in Livy, Hist. lib. xxxix. cap. 8-19, where the reader will see the force of what the apostle says here: It is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret; the abominations being of the most stupendous kind, and of the deepest dye.”

“The Greek order is, "For the things done in secret by them, it is a shame even to speak of." The "for" gives his reason for "not naming" (compare Eph 5:3) in detail the works of darkness, whereas he describes definitely (Eph 5:9) "the fruit of the light" [BENGEL]. "Speak of," I think, is used here as "speaking of without reproving," in contrast to "even reprove them." Thus the "for" expresses this, Reprove them, for to speak of them without reproving them, is a shame (Eph 5:3). Thus "works of darkness" answers to "things done in secret."”