Limitless Word
(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
Ephesians 5:9 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,
  • KJV (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
  • BSB for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.
  • NASB (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
  • NLT For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The light produces fruit consisting of all goodness, righteousness, and truth. A transformed life shows visible moral fruit.

Overview

Paul describes the practical effect of being light: it bears fruit in goodness, righteousness, and truth. These qualities reflect God's own character and the Spirit's work in the believer. Genuine spiritual life is evidenced not by mere profession but by such moral fruit.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 16

  • Gal 5:22–23But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,
  • 3 Jn 1:11Beloved, don’t imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil hasn’t seen God.
  • 1 Jn 3:9–10Whoever is born of God doesn’t commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can’t sin, because he is born of God.
  • Rom 15:14I myself am also persuaded about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish others.
  • Eph 6:14Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
  • 1 Tim 6:11But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
  • Phil 1:11being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
  • Ps 16:2–3My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.”
  • 1 Pet 2:24–25who his own self bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.
  • Heb 11:33who, through faith subdued kingdoms, worked out righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
  • Rom 2:4Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
  • Eph 4:15but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;
  • 1 Jn 2:29If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
  • Eph 4:25Therefore putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another.
  • John 1:47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
  • Heb 1:8But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your Kingdom.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Ephesians videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Ephesians 5:9YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on EphesiansMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Every spiritual blessing is 'in Christ,' the head over all things for the church, in whom Jew and Gentile are made one new man by his blood.

How Ephesians 5:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.