Lesson 8 – Ephesians Chapter 4:1-8
As we closed out chapter 3, we learned how important it is that Jesus would be at home in our hearts, and that if He’s not at home with us, it might be an indication of some kind of unconfessed sin.
We also talked about being rooted and grounded, which speaks of how we’re doing in our walk with Christ. We should ask ourselves, is Christ the central focus in our life?
We then discussed God’s power and His love for us. We will never truly know the depth of God’s power and love, but we do know that His love and power is never ending.
As far as doctrines in chapter 3 go, one is that with God, there is no partiality, especially when it comes to the Jews and Gentiles being co-heirs within the body of Christ.
A key verse is Ephesians 3:10, “God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”
One thing of major importance is the glory of God. When believers receive God’s free gift of salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, it brings glory to God. The culmination of this will be when evil is exterminated and God’s children are with Him.
Another doctrine is that every believer has full access to the throne room of God, there is no separation and no middle-man, only our High Priest Jesus Christ, who sits at the Father’s right hand. The last doctrine I see is about God’s power. There is no limit to His power, and each and every believer who receives Christ into their heart, at that moment in time, they also receive God’s power in them through His Holy Spirit.
Now we will move into the second half of the book of Ephesians. The first half dealt with what God has done for His people, and now in the second half, we will examine how we should live in unity within the body of Christ and serve the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
Eph. 4:1
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,”
Paul uses the word therefore to reflect on all the doctrines and beliefs he has presented in chapters 1 to 3. In other words, before telling us how we are to walk with Christ, he reminds us of the truths that we stand on as believers. This makes perfect sense, because the truths we know and understand are indeed our firm foundation. You cannot have a house or a church without a good foundation.
Beseech you to walk worthy… here’s an action phrase that Paul is using, walk worthy. The (NLT) says “to lead a life worthy of your calling” which is similar to what the (NIV) says. Then the (NASB) says, “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling.”
Notice that none of the translations say to “run” or “stand still” as Christians. To walk means: to make one’s way, to progress; to make good use of opportunities. If we run all the time, we’re going to burn-out quickly.
A guy I worked with years ago used to say, “You can run all you want, but you’re just going to die tired.” And if we just “stand still” as Christians, we will wither and die, kind of like the Dead Sea… it’s just stagnant.
On the other hand, if we walk continually, and take advantage of godly opportunities, we will most certainly make progress in our Christian walk. To walk in a manner worthy… God wants our heart, strength, and our time. In response to God’s grace and love for us, we must be willing to obey Him.
I Thess. 2:12
“So that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”
All the work God has done on the inside of you to this point can now be done on the outside for His glory… now is the time. We’re not to stand still. Paul is continuing to be a good steward over what God has given him, and he’s not going to rest until he sees his flock begin to gel. What he’s hoping to see is a growth in their daily conduct. Practically speaking for the believer, this refers to a day-by-day living for God, meaning, we should never stop in our walk with Christ.
Walk worthy of the calling… what is the calling?
Each believer has been called by God into His kingdom as it said in I Thess. 2:12. What a privilege this is for us.
John 6:44
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Eph. 1:4
“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,”
Being drawn and being chosen by God are all part of God’s calling for each believer. There are numerous Scriptures that refer to God’s powerful call for believers.
Phil. 3:14
“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
II Thess. 1:11
“So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.” (NLT)
John MacArthur, “Without God’s calling, without His choosing us, our choosing Him would be futile. In fact, if God did not call men to Himself no man would want to come to Him, because the natural man… every natural man… is at enmity with God.”
Rom. 8:7
“Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,”
It wasn’t God’s intention to make salvation available to mankind and see who might stumble into it; no, God has called His children to Himself. So, don’t ever take your calling for granted. A believer’s life should match the excellency of Christ’s calling.
Eph. 4:2-3
“With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
From verse 1, we are to be walking in a manner worthy of our calling, meaning we are conducting ourselves as Christ would. And in verses 2 and 3, Paul is giving us some details as to what our walk should really look like.
With all lowliness and gentleness…
Lowliness: which means having a humble opinion of one’s self. Most translations use the word humility instead of lowliness.
Col. 3:12
“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;”
It’s interesting to note that Ephesians and Colossians are called the “twin epistles” because they are so much alike. About one half of the verses in Ephesians are also found in Colossians in very similar language.
The believer who understands that they are saved by grace alone and not by any works-oriented religion, will most likely handle themselves with humility, gentleness or meekness. And with this comes the realization that God doesn’t bless His saints because of their dedication, devotion, purity, or even their prayer life to Him, but because of His lovingkindness, mercy and grace toward them.
With longsuffering, bearing with one another in love…
Longsuffering: this means “exceeding patience,” not just patience but exceeding patience. This must be something we need, because it keeps coming up in God’s Word.
II Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
To fully understand patience, we only need to look at ourselves and see how exceedingly patient God has been with us. This is no different when compared to forgiveness. God has forgiven us of so much that we must therefore forgive others. And the fact that God has been so patient with us, we should be just as patient with others. To do anything less becomes hypocritical.
Psalm 86:15
“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”
The word longsuffering in the Bible is made up of two Greek words meaning “long” and “temper”; it literally means, “long-tempered.” To be longsuffering, then, is to have self-restraint when you are provoked to anger. A longsuffering person won’t immediately retaliate or inflict punishment when angered, but rather, we can say, that he has a “long fuse” or acts patiently.
It takes godly love to be able to do this … bearing with one another in love.
Bearing… this is close to the expression “putting up with.” Paul’s use of this term has a positive implication. It describes being patient with the shortcomings of others. There’s always going to be that one person who knows how to “push your buttons,” and this is where Christ-like love comes in.
It’s funny, we often ask God to be patient with our own failings, and yet we don’t exercise the same type of patience with others. Again, that’s being hypocritical. Don’t do that.
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace…
Endeavoring: tells us that we should make every effort to achieve this, to work hard at maintaining the unity of the Spirit.
The unity of the Spirit. Remember, we are one in Christ, both Jews and Gentiles.
John 17:20
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
The good news is, we don’t have to make this unity happen, God has already done that. We are to keep the unity, recognize it as real, and act upon it without having a rigid spirit about us. This comes back to us having patience for one another.
The bond of peace… what bonds us together? That would be the Spirit of Christ, Jesus is always the bonding agent. After all, it’s His Spirit in us that gives us His peace.
Phil. 2:1-5
“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from His love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
If each one of us had the mind of Christ, there wouldn’t be any problems in this world.
Eph. 4:4-6
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
This is the “oneness” Jesus was praying for in John 17. Unity is a state of oneness and harmony. All believers in Christ are united in Christ. We are in a relationship that unites us with Him and with every other believer.
There is one body… this is every person who has trusted or will trust in Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter what race, position, or gender (and there are only two genders, male and female) you are.
One Spirit… the Holy Spirit of God, He enters and seals every believer. He is the divine engagement ring we could say, who guarantees that every believer will be at the wedding of the Lamb and the feast of the Lamb.
One hope… our only hope is in Jesus Christ, that He will come for us or resurrect our dead bodies. Our calling to salvation is ultimately a calling to “Christlike eternal perfection” in glory… it’s coming!
One faith…
Col. 2:6-7
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
Warren Wiersbe, “There is one settled body of truth deposited by Christ in His church, and this is “the faith.” Jude calls it “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). The early Christians recognized a body of basic doctrine that they taught, guarded, and committed to others (II Tim. 2:2). Christians may differ in some matters of interpretation and church practice; but all true Christians agree on “the faith”… and to depart from “the faith” is to bring about disunity within the body of Christ.”
One baptism…
I Cor. 12:12-13
“For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”
Once a person receives Jesus into their heart as Lord and Savior, he or she receives the Holy Spirit… they are baptized with the Holy Spirit. After this, the believer is to go through water baptism as a public declaration of their faith in Jesus.
Matt. 10:32-33
“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”
A public baptism clearly identifies a person as a Christian. The baptisms found in the Bible suggest a water immersion, and not an infant sprinkling. Baptism doesn’t save a person, but it is an act of obedience to God’s Word. You don’t have to do it more than once, although some people re-do their baptism after discovering that they never truly understood their baptism or they were next to the Jordan River and just had to do it where Jesus did. Remember, the thief on the cross was never baptized and Jesus promised him paradise that day.
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all…
I Cor. 8:6
“Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”
We know that there is one God in three persons, and I don’t mean they are human beings or that they are like mankind in any way. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each have a personhood or personality.
Matt. 28:19
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”
John 15:26
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
Both of these verses speak of the Holy Trinity.
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all…
Paul uses the word “all,” and in most situations all means all. But, in this case “all” is referring to just believers and not to all of mankind. God is the Father of all who believe.
Gal. 3:26
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
John 1:12
“But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.” (NLT)
God is over every Christian (who is above all) God lives through all believers and manifests Himself in them.
One commentary encapsulates all the things we’ve been talking about; “The one body of believers is vitalized by one Spirit, so all believers have one hope. That body is united to its one Lord (Christ) by each member’s one act of faith, and its identity with Him is depicted by one baptism. One God, the Father, is supreme over all, operative through all, and resides in all. All seven components are united in the Trinity.”
Eph. 4:7
“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”
We are one body of believers with diverse giftings among us. It’s this diversity that actually unites the church together. Just imagine if every believer had the same gift, there wouldn’t be any need to come together as one.
Each believer is unique unto themselves, and everyone has some spiritual gift to contribute to the church. This is what God calls and enables us to do for His kingdom and His glory. This is in response to what He has done for us through the finished work of His Son.
Rom. 12:3-8
“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”
Whatever gifts God may have given to you, the important thing to do is handle it with all humility.
Eph. 2:10
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
There used to be a saying; “I know I’m somebody cause God don’t make no junk.” Some people think that just because they don’t have the gift they think they should have, that they’re worthless. This just isn’t true. Every gift from God is important. We are created by God, and He loves us. By acknowledging the spiritual gifts from God, we are glorifying Him. Each gift has the ability to help draw others into a relationship with the Lord. God’s people are like a body with many parts, yet those parts work together in different ways.
James 1:17
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
The greatest gift given to us is grace. Grace is God giving of Himself to all who would receive Him. The grace we enjoy not only saves our souls, but it also enables us.
Phil. 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
As God disburses gifts to His children, He will enable them according to their spiritual abilities which He also gives. In other words, whatever gift God has given you, He doesn’t expect you to do more than what He has enabled you to do. The trick is, to figure out what gift God has given you, then act on it to the best of your abilities.
You might be saying to yourself, “I’m not sure what my gift is.”
There is no magic formula or particular test that can tell us exactly what our spiritual gifts are. The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts as He determines.
I Cor. 12:11
“It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” (NLT)
The important thing to remember is, God calls us to obediently serve Him in all things, meaning that this includes every aspect of our lives.
When it comes to identifying our gifts we should always pray about it and ask the Holy Spirit to help, after all, He is the One who gives the gifts. Sometimes God will use a spouse or a friend to point out our gifts. When you get a sense of what it might be, try to move in that direction. Natural abilities aren’t necessarily a spiritual gift, but they could be. If you can’t sing or play an instrument you’re probably not a worship leader. If on the other hand, all of a sudden you can play the guitar, then go for it. You can find a free spiritual gifts test at gifts.churchgrowth.org to help you.
Eph. 4:8
“Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
Paul is quoting Psalm 68:18 to picture the ascended Messiah. Psalm 68 is a victory hymn from David to celebrate God’s conquest of the Jebusite city and the triumphant ascent of God up to Mt. Zion (II Sam. 6-7).
After a king won such a victory he would bring home the spoils and enemy prisoners to parade before his people. An Israelite king would take his entourage through the holy city of Jerusalem and up to Mt. Zion. Another feature of the victory parade, however, would be the display of the king’s own soldiers who had been freed after being held prisoner by the enemy.
With Jesus’ death and resurrection at the cross, He defeated sin, death, and satan all at once. Victory was His!
Col. 2:15
“Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
By Jesus’ great victory, the NLT says He led a crowd of captives… This is a picture of every person who was a slave to sin, but are then returned to God. The unredeemed are truly prisoners of satan, that is until they are saved by grace through faith.
Acts 18: 9-10
“Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”
In this Scripture God wanted Paul to stay in Corinth and preach a little longer because there were still captives there that belonged to God, but weren’t saved from the imprisonment of the king of darkness.
John 10:16
“I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.” (NLT)
God knows His children and He goes after them to find them.
Eph. 1:4-5
“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,”
It’s nice to know that the Holy Spirit never stops working, He’s always searching for His chosen ones. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He sent the Spirit who also came with His gifts to the church.
We’ll end with this;
• Don’t ever take your calling for granted, you were bought with a very high price. A believer’s life should match the excellency of Christ’s calling.
• We’re to walk the talk with humility, gentleness and exceeding patience.
• There’s one body, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism.
• Everyone has a gift from the Holy Spirit.
• We are captives set free through Christ’s victory.