Eph. 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
Paul again identifies himself as a prisoner of the LORD. I think this has more than one implication.
- He is in prison because of his ministry in obedience to the LORD.
- He recognizes that his imprisonment is part of God’s will for him at this time.
“Therefore” – Based on the what I’ve told you about the mighty God you serve and the power available to you in Christ through the Holy Spirit (as explained in the previous chapters)….
Paul is pleading with this body of believers to live in a manner appropriate to “your acceptance of God’s invitation of salvation and the work God has set you apart to do.” (my translation)
Eph. 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Eph. 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Paul not only urges the believers to give evidence of their profession, he instructs them regarding their attitude as they serve. They should serve with…
- Lowliness – This is a reference to humility. It’s a reminder that every part of the body is important to the effectiveness of the testimony and ministry of the church. No one should have a sense of self-importance or consider his/her contribution to be more valuable than another.
- Meekness – This word makes reference to humility in combination with gentleness. Gentleness adds the aspect of being friendly and showing consideration for those with whom you are serving.
- Longsuffering – This speaks of being patient and not easily provoked. As with each of these attributes, it is a matter of a choice and determination. They are not natural tendencies for most of us.
- Forbearing one another in love – This is reference to enduring one another because you have chosen to love one another. None of us is perfect. We all require forbearance from others from time to time because of the clash of different personalities. We need to recognize each other’s differences and strive to set them aside when serving in ministry.
- Endeavoring to promote unity of Spirit and peace in the body – This is an acknowledgement that it requires earnest effort to maintain unity through the Holy Spirit by maintaining calm and order while serving with common purpose—obedience to the LORD.
Eph. 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph. 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph. 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Paul is driving home the point that the body of believers is one in the Spirit. Though it has many parts, we become one in Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit in each believer—another one of those impossible to understand truths about God. We each accepted God’s invitation of salvation by faith being confident of our future in His presence.
This is another one of those sections of scripture that identifies us as “intolerant” concerning our faith. There is only one Supreme Being, one God—not many. There is only one faith, one body of truth. There is only one true baptism for the believer—one in which he is indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Again, there is only one God, one Father or Creator, and He is positioned unique from all of creation—above “all,” through “all,” and in “you all,” a specific reference to the body of believers. He is the supreme in authority (above all), the Creator (through all, the causal agent) in reference to all creation. Only the believer, however, is privileged to have God’s presence “in” us through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:9-11 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
Eph. 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Reminder - The context is walking worthy in ministry.
Christ has graciously gifted every believer with a specific measure of grace to be effective in ministry in the body of Christ according to the determination of the Holy Spirit. This was at the heart of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians as detailed in chapters 12-14.
1Corinthians 12:7 & 11 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal…. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”
We need never doubt that we will have the grace and ability necessary to serve God according to His will.
2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work….”
Eph. 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph. 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph. 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Paul makes a reference to Psalm 68 with verse 8.
Psalm 68:17-19 “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.”
This is a hard section that drove me to searching through translations, word studies and commentaries for help. Some made comparison to a victor in battle sharing the spoils of victory. This made sense to me. When Jesus ascended to heaven after the resurrection, He had conquered death and sin. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul described it as follows:
Colossians 2:14-15 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
Jesus identified the Holy Spirit as our Gift from Him and the source of our gifts of grace.
Luke 11:13 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
And, in fact, He stated that the Comforter, or Holy Spirit, could not be given until He returned to heaven in victory.
John 16:7 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”
“he led captivity captive” – I have always understood this to mean that he took those who were held captive, so to speak, in Abraham’s Bosom or Paradise, until the time that Jesus rose victorious from the grave to heaven with Him at that time. This makes sense to me with the reference to descending into “the lower parts of the earth,” which I again equate to Paradise, as the place where those who had died in faith were held and where He too stayed for those three days and nights after His burial. The Greek for “captivity” indicates prisoner of war. Spiritual warfare has been continual since Satan became the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air, when man chose to sin. (2Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2) In essence, people of faith were held captive in Paradise until Jesus redeemed creation at the cross. As the victor, Jesus recaptured His people and took them home when He ascended to the Father.
It was the man Jesus that descended into the place of departed spirits, and it was the man Jesus that was resurrected from the grave through the Father and again assumed all the attributes of His deity.
1Corinthians 15:20-22 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
1Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead….”
Even after reading some differing views, this still makes the best sense to me—but I am open to the Spirit’s instruction.
“He that descended is the same also that ascended” – Paul is emphasizing that it was the same Jesus Christ who had performed miracles and taught His disciples for three years, was crucified and buried, the resurrected Savior, that ascended to heaven in victory. Jesus in fact talked about His burial and resurrection.
Matthew 12:38–40 “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
“that he might fill all things” – I think this is a reference to the eternal Kingdom of God in which His being will permeate everything and He will have no enemies.
Eph. 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
“he gave” – referring back to the gift of grace mentioned in verse 7
Christ did not leave the church without leadership. Through the Holy Spirit He gifted some to be:
- Apostles = ambassadors of the gospel, messengers, emissaries—13 of whom were specifically chosen by Christ
- Prophets = speakers specifically inspired by God to share His word
- Evangelists = traveling preachers who share the gospel message
- Pastors = Those chosen to shepherd groups of believers
- Teachers = Those skilled to teach and impart understanding of God’s word
According to Wuest in his Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, the grammar for the words “pastors and teachers” is a reference to one individual.
In reference to 2:20—“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets….”—it would seem that the apostles and prophets are responsible for laying the foundation, and the evangelists and pastor/teachers are responsible for building upon that foundation.
Eph. 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph. 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
In these verses Paul gives the purpose for these special giftings.
- For the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry – This speaks of complete preparation or being fully equipped to labor or work diligently in service to the LORD.
- For the edifying of the body of Christ – This makes reference to growing the body of believers in spiritual maturity and strength.
When I first read through this section, I assumed there were three points, but as I looked up the words and put it all together, it made better sense to understand their purpose as two-fold.
These purposes go hand-in-hand with the purpose given for other gifts administered through the Spirit.
1Corinthians 14:12 “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.”
All gifts from the Spirit are to be used to edify the body of believers. When the body of believers is well trained, well prepared, healthy, strong and eager to serve, it will follow naturally that the gospel will be shared, people will be saved, and society will be served to the glory of God.
How long will these special positions of gifting be needed? “Till we all come in the unity of the faith…unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” In other words, until this mortal puts on immortality and this corruptible becomes incorruptible.
Courson: “Contrary to what many think, the church does not exist primarily to evangelize. It exists to build the saints so that they, in turn, will do the work of the ministry.”
Eph. 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph. 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
God never intended us to stay spiritually immature. He has raised up mature men and women in the faith and positioned them in ministry to provide the spiritual foundation and instruction necessary for the spiritual growth of all believers. However, Paul warns us to be alert and aware to the deceitfulness of the enemy through clever and cunning false teachers. God’s anointed and appointed servants will speak the truth in love as they seek to encourage and edify the believer according to the truth of God’s word.
I think this is a very important truth that needs to be recognized and diligently pursued by every child of God. We need to spend time in the scripture daily with a focus and intent to become familiar with the truth presented there. When the seed of truth from God’s word is planted in our being, the Holy Spirit can then nurture the growth of that seed and provide the instruction needed to protect us from those who would pervert its truth. The key is in the attitude of our heart. If we spend time in the Word seeking to know more about God, our hearts are more likely to be ready to “hear” with spiritual ears. If we place ourselves at the mercy of those who present themselves as teachers of the word and don’t take the time to seek the word ourselves to see if their teaching measures up, we will more often than not be led astray from its truth. Paul commended the Bereans for their careful discernment of the truth.
Acts 17:10-11 “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
I think it is also important to note that we are to speak the truth in love—not in condescension or with a “holier than thou” attitude. We are to hate sin, but love the sinner.
Courson: “Truth without love is like the light of a fire without warmth. Love without truth is like the heat of a fire without light. Truth without love makes people cold in the light. Love without truth makes people stumble in the dark.”
Eph. 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
“whom” = Christ
It is only “in Christ” that those in the body of believers find unity and purpose as an integrated whole. I liked the wording from the CJB: “Under His control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love.”
The Greek for compacted is a reference to unity. The key to a healthy body (church) is submission to the authority of the head—Jesus Christ. In His wisdom He has assigned each believer a special purpose and gifting through which He is to minister to others in the body. Through that edification, the body (church) will be made healthy and strong so as to most effectively minister the gospel and love of Jesus to others.
It’s very important to note that our ministry to others in the body is to be done “in love.” We are to choose to love each other in spite of our differences and annoying ways. We are to deny self for the good of the whole. We are to love others in the body just as Christ loves us—unconditionally and sacrificially.
John 15:12-13 “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
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