CHAPTER FOUR:
Ephesians 4:1
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
*I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,*
MY COMMENTS: Paul was a prisoner in Rome when he wrote this Epistle. He has shared with us earlier in this Epistle that he was in prison because he was preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles. The Jews in Jerusalem wanted to kill him because of his preaching to the Gentiles; but he was rescued by Roman soldiers. He appealed to Caesar, because Paul was also a Roman citizen. He was taken to Rome, put in prison, and that’s where he was when he wrote this letter [Acts 21-22].
*beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,*
MY COMMENTS: In regards to “vocation,” – This Greek word, klesis, is used in the N.T. 11 times. 10 times it’s rendered “calling” in the KJV; only here is it rendered “vocation.” Below is a rendering of this verse that reflects that.
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called [ASV].
“‘Worthy.’ Not that we ever could deserve what God has done, but that we should walk in a manner befitting what he has done for us. We do not become Christians by living the Christian life; rather, we are exhorted to live the Christian life because we are Christians that our lives may measure up to our position in Christ” [Wycliffe].
“When we really understand how much God did for us, we will naturally want to serve and obey Him out of gratitude. Understanding who we are is the foundation of this worthy walk. ‘Luther counsels men to answer all temptations of Satan with this only, Christianus sum, I am a Christian.’ (Trapp)” [Guzik].
I beg you to live the way God’s people should live, because he chose you to be his [ERV].
I urge you, live a life that measures up to the standard God set when he called you [TEV].
I encourage you to live the kind of life which proves that God has called you [GW].
MY COMMENTS: God gave us a precious gift when we received His Son into our lives and became Christians. In the truest sense there is absolutely no way we can walk worthy of the free gift He has given to us. We can never, by our conduct, deserve the gift God has given us. Then what does Paul mean when he tells us to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called”? Here are some ideas on this issue: We are to “live the way God’s people should live” [ERV], we are to “live a life that measures up to the standard God set when he called you” [TEV], or we should “live the kind of life which proves that God has called” us [GW]. Paul will lay out for us in the coming chapters what it means to walk out the Christian life.
(Verse One of Chapter Four in my own words.)
I, who am in prison because God called me to preach to you Gentiles, exhort you to live your lives in a way that reflects your Christian commitment to God.
Ephesians 4:2
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
*With all lowliness and meekness,*
“With all lowliness and gentleness: A worthy walk before God will be marked by lowliness and gentleness, not a pushy desire to defend our own rights and advance our own agenda.
Before Christianity, the word lowliness always had a bad association to it. In the minds of many, it still does, but it is a glorious Christian virtue (Php_2:1-10). It means that we can be happy and content when we are not in control or steering things our way. [Guzik].
“Lowliness” – {G5012} “the having a humble opinion of one’s self; modesty, humility, lowliness of mind;”
“Meekness” – {G4236} “gentleness, mildness, meekness;” [Both Thayer Definitions].
MY COMMENTS: Please notice this passage below:
Matthew 11:28-30) (KJV) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek {G5011} and lowly {G4234} in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
MY COMMENTS: Oddly enough the “lowliness” {G5012} Paul is telling us to possess is simply another tense of the word for “meek” {G5011} that Jesus described Himself as; and the “meekness” {G4236} that Paul is telling us we should possess is just another tense for the “lowly” {G4234} that Jesus describe Himself as! So even though the translators rendered those two words oppositely in the two passages the end result is that Paul starts off this discussion of how we, as believers, can “walk worthy” of the Lord [vs. 1] by listing the same two attributes that Jesus described Himself as possessing! That makes sense because Jesus taught us in the Matthew passage above that if we learn that He is “meek and lowly,” and emanate those qualities in our own lives we will “find rest” for our “souls”!
*with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;*
Longsuffering, bearing with one another: We need this so that the inevitable wrongs that occur between people in God’s family will not work against God’s purpose of bringing all things together in Jesus – illustrated through His current work in the church.
Chrysostom defined longsuffering as the spirit that has the power to take revenge, but never does. It is characteristic of a forgiving, generous heart” [Guzik].
“Longsuffering” – “patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance; forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrongs;”
“Forbearing” – “to hold up; to sustain, to bear, to endure” [Both Thayer Definitions].
MY COMMENTS: Paul then goes on to tell us that two more of the ingredients necessary for us to incorporate into our lives if we desire to “walk worthy” of the Lord are “longsuffering” and “forbearance.” He’s telling us to develop patient endurance to enable us to represent the Lord well; and then add “forbearance,” the willingness to hold up our brother or sister who is weak in the faith.
(Verse Two of Chapter Four in my own words.)
Do that with a spirit of lowliness and meekness, with enduring patience, and by forbearing one another {giving grace to one another}, and do this as in act of love!
Ephesians 4:3
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
*Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.*
“unity” – “1) unity; 2) unanimity, agreement; A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G1520” [Thayer].
MY COMMENTS: In sharing my thoughts on vs. 3 dealing with keeping “unity” in the church I want to point out two things. As you can see in Thayer’s definition of “unity” above it comes from another Greek word with the Strong’s #1520. The meaning of the Greek word #1520 is “one.” In the next 3 verses, vs. 4-6, the word “one” will be used seven times; in five of those times the Greek word #1520 is the word Paul used. Those five times were when he wrote “one body,” “one Spirit,” “one Lord,” “one baptism,” and “one God and Father of all.” The other two times in those 3 verses he mentions “one” he is referring to “one hope,” and “one faith.” In those two instances Paul used a Greek word with the Strong’s #3391. That Greek word also means “one.” My point being that five times he used the word “one,” he used the Greek word #1520. Again the Greek word he used for the word “unity” in vs. 3, according to Thayer’s Greek dictionary, derives from the word #1520. This is a long attempt to show you that inherit in the word “unity” is the idea of oneness.
“Endeavoring” – “1) to hasten, make haste; 2) to exert one’s self, endeavour, give diligence” [Thayer].
MY COMMENTS: What unity is being talked about in this verse? This is that unity that was created by the Holy Spirit when He took Jews and Gentiles, people who had been at odds for years, and merged those among those two groups, who had been born again, together into one body, creating the Church of God. God had placed believing Jew and non-Jew together into His body, creating a unified Church! Now Paul writes to us and tells us to “endeavor,” “to hasten,” to “give diligence”
“endeavoring” – “1) to hasten, make haste; 2) to exert one’s self, endeavour, give diligence” [Thayer].
“to keep” – “ 1) to attend to carefully, take care of; 1a) to guard; 1b) metaphorically to keep, one in the state in which he is” [Thayer].
MY COMMENTS: The Greek word for “unity” has to it the idea of us co-existing in the state of “oneness,” in other words, being “one in Christ.” This unity has been created by the Holy Spirit. We are told to “make haste” to “guard” this unity! Vs. 2 tells us that this “unity” Paul speaks about in vs. 3 will require us to have the attitude of Christ Who said about Himself, “I am meek and lowly.” What currently holds the Church together? It’s the “bond of peace.” God put us together as one; now we are to walk out this Christian experience in peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ”!
(Verse Three of Chapter Four in my own words.)
Make haste to watch over this unity that the Holy Spirit created among you believers, both Jews and Gentiles. The cement that will continue to hold you together is peace.
Ephesians 4:4
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
MY COMMENTS: Paul will now show us the principle upon which we should base our desire to keep this unity that the Holy Spirit began the Church with.
*There is one body, and one Spirit,*
“The body is the invisible Church, the mystical body of Christ: the Spirit, the Holy Spirit” [Vincent].
Ephesians 1:19-23) (KJV) And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21) Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22) And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23) Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Ephesians 2:15-16) (KJV) Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16) And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
MY COMMENTS: Paul has already shown us in this Epistle, as seen in the above passages, that God has settled the differences that separated Jew from Gentile when he “abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments.” He did that so “that he might reconcile both,” Jew and Gentile, “unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.” Now Christ is the “head over all things to the church,” and that Church, “which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all,” needs unity among its members if it is to function properly!
In our current verse Paul tells us that there is only “one body,” which means there is only one true Church! By the way, that one true Church doesn’t have a sign in the front yard of its building; because it’s not some local church; and it’s not some modern day denomination; but this one true Church is made up of every Christian around the world, from every local church and every modern day truly Christian denomination.
He also tells us that there is only “one Spirit,” that Spirit being the Holy Spirit of God, the third person of the Godhead! This is that Spirit who originally brought the true Church into the Spirit of unity! Now, in Paul’s current argument concerning the importance of maintaining that unity He points to the fact that there is only BODY and there is only one SPIRIT!
*even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;*
“Every member of the church is called to one destiny—to be with Christ, to be like Him, and to share His glory endlessly. The one hope includes all that awaits the saints at the Return of the Lord Jesus and thereafter” [BBC].
“This is one of the results of the Spirit’s work; when the Spirit called you he inspired you all with one hope, and this one hope was involved in the very essence of your calling (comp. Tit_2:13, ‘[Looking for the blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ’). To all believers the Spirit imparted this one blessed hope” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: The Baptist believer doesn’t have a different hope than the Presbyterian believer has. The Evangelical believer doesn’t have a different hope than the Assembly of God believer. You get the idea; there’s only one blessed hope; and it’s for every true Christian!!
(Verse Four of Chapter Four in my own words.)
Here’s a good reason why you should do this, there is only one body, there is only one Spirit, and there is only one hope that every one of you who has been called is hoping for.
Ephesians 4:5
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
*One Lord,*
“Jesus Christ, unique and beyond comparison: as Teacher, all hang on his words; as Master, all own his supreme authority; to his example all refer as the standard; his likeness all covet as the highest excellence” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: The Apostle is still presenting arguments as to why we need to work hard at keeping unity in the Church. Why shouldn’t we live in unity and harmony? There is only “one Lord”! The God that saved you is the same God that saved every believer! The Lord you are to serve is the same Lord your fellow believers are to serve! The Lord Who taught you how to live is the same Lord Who taught all believers how to live!
*one faith,*
“One faith; not objective in the sense of creed, but as denoting the one instrument of receiving salvation (Eph_2:8), the one belief in the one Savior by which we are justified, adopted, and in other ways blessed” [Pulpit].
“One act of trust in Christ, the same for all (Jew or Gentile), one way of being saved” [Robertson].
“This is the Christian faith, the body of doctrine ‘once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jud_1:3), and preserved for us in the NT” [BBC].
“conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it” [Thayer].
MY COMMENTS: Just as surely as there is only one body, one Spirit, one hope of your calling, and one Lord, there is also just one faith that all of us Christians share.
Romans 1:16-18) (KJV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
MY COMMENTS: Just what is that faith? We must all believe that we have sinned and deserve the “wrath of God” [vs. 18]! We the must all believe the Gospel message that tells us that Jesus died to pay for our sins so that God could justly forgive us sinners [vs. 16]! We must all believe that this Gospel message will tell us how to live our lives knowing that we have a righteous standing before God {a right relationship with a Holy God} [vs. 17]! That’s the faith that saves [Eph. 2:8-9]! That’s the “one faith” our current verse is talking about!
*one baptism,*
”The external sign of faith, but of no significance without the Lord and the faith. Baptism is emphasized instead of the Eucharist, because the latter assumes and recognizes unity as an established fact; while faith and baptism precede that fact, and are essential to it. Baptism, moreover, is not administered to the Church as a body, but to individuals, and therefore emphasizes the exhortation to each member to be in vital union with the whole body” [Vincent].
“Some think that because Paul says there is one baptism that the idea of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a subsequent experience is invalid. But Paul only spoke here of the baptism by water which is the visible token of God’s common work in every believer, and thus a basis of unity. There aren’t separate baptisms for Jew and Gentile [Guzik].
The concept of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is spoken of clearly in Mat_3:11, Act_1:5; Act_11:16. This may be considered an initial (and sometimes dramatic) experience one has with the fullness of the Holy Spirit, a filling that God wants to continue through a person’s Christian life” [Guzik].
MY COMMENTS: The New Testament speaks about water baptism {where a preacher immerses the believer into water} [Acts 2:38; Acts 8:12; Acts 8:38, etc.], the baptism of salvation {where the Holy Spirit immerses the believer into the body of Christ} [every time a sinner comes to Jesus for salvation], and the baptism of the Holy Ghost {where Jesus immerses the believer into the Holy Ghost} [Mt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; Jn. 1:33; Acts 1:5].
Some will argue that Jesus baptizing you into the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit baptizing you into Jesus is the same baptism; but that’s like saying that the preacher baptizing you into water is the same thing as water baptizing you into the preacher!
Bottom line, this verse is talking about the preacher baptizing you into water as a sign of your coming to Jesus to be saved. In Bible times there were no baptismal tanks in local churches; the believer was baptized in a body of water our in the open where non-believers could see it being done! It was a testimony to those unbelievers, I, for one, am now a follower of Jesus! There was only one way to do that; there is only “one baptism”!
(Verse Five of Chapter Four in my own words.)
There’s just one Lord, there’s just one faith, and there’s just one baptism,
Ephesians 4:6
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
*One God and Father of all,*
“One God. Every child of God recognizes one God and Father of all the redeemed, who is:
Above all—He is the supreme Sovereign of the universe.
Through all—He acts through all, using everything to accomplish His purposes.
In you all—He dwells in all believers, and is present in all places at one and the same time” [BBC].
“One God. The deepest ground of unity is found the existence of one God, who has revealed Himself in the redemption of His people’
And Father of all. This is not equivalent to Creator, but refers to the special paternal relation sustained to all believers by the Father” [Popular NT].
MY COMMENTS: When we consider this verse, as to its correct meaning, we must remember the context in which it is said. Paul is writing about unity in the Church, and what Christians can do to maintain that unity. There is a sense in which God is the “Father of all” mankind, that sense being that He created us all. However, Paul doesn’t have that in mind here. He’s writing to Christians who have experienced a different kind of God being “Father of all” reality. When they were born the first time they each had an earthly father who was a donor to the pregnancy that resulted in their individual births. For the most part they all had different fathers. But now these individuals Paul is writing to have been born again, born a second time, born from above, born anew, however you want to describe being born into the family of God.
“Be born again – See on Luk_1:3. Literally, from the top (Mat_27:51). Expositors are divided on the rendering of ἄνωθεν, some translating, from above, and others, again or anew. The word is used in the following senses in the New Testament, where it occurs thirteen times:
- From the top: Mat_27:51; Mar_15:38; Joh_19:23.
- From above: Joh_3:31; Joh_19:11; Jam_1:17; Jam_3:15, Jam_3:17.
- From the beginning: Luk_1:3; Act_26:5.
- Again: Gal_4:9, but accompanied by πάλιν, again” [Vincent].
MY COMMENTS: My point is that Paul is writing to individuals who have accepted Christ into their lives. He’s pointing out to those individuals that now that they are Christians they are a part of the family of God; and it’s in that sense that he writes that God is “Father of all.”
LOOKING AT IT ANOTHER WAY: Jesus said this to a certain crowd, “Ye are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do” [Jn. 8:44]. So, in the spiritual sense you are either born into God’s family, and God is your Father; or you remain outside of God’s family and the devil is your father.
*who is above all,*
“Above all—He is the supreme Sovereign of the universe” [BBC].
“Who is over all; the supreme and only Potentate, exercising undivided jurisdiction, ‘doing according to his will in the armies of heaven.’” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: Simply put, God has no equal! The devil isn’t the bad god; he’s just a fallen God-created angel. Satan’s equal in “good vs. evil” would be Michael, the Arch Angel, not God. God spoke Lucifer {Satan’s name} into existence! His war against God cannot be won! God’s word brought him into existence; and God’s word will be the devil’s end, when he is cast forever into the Lake of Fire.
Rev. 20:10) (KJV) And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.
*and through all, and in you all.*
He works through all of us and in all of us [ERV].
and in us all and living through us all [NLT].
Through all—He acts through all, using everything to accomplish His purposes.
In you all—He dwells in all believers, and is present in all places at one and the same time” [BBC].
“And through all; pervading the whole universe, sustaining and ruling it, not dwelling apart from his works, but pervading them; not, however, in any pantheistical sense, but as a personal God, whose essence is separate from his works. And in all. A closer and more abiding influence; he dwells in them, and walks in them, molding their inner being, and filling them with his own light and love” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: Again, because of the context of why he is writing this, I’m convinced that Paul is telling us that the one God we, as believers, all have in common is working through and among us, and thank God He is living in, and working in all of us believers!!
(Verse Six of Chapter Four in my own words.)
And there’s just one God Who is the Father of us all; Who is above absolutely everything else; and He is working out all of His plans for us; and He is in every one of us believers!
Ephesians 4:7
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
*But unto every one of us is given grace*
“The doctrine of the unity of the Body of Christ has a twin truth, namely, the diversity of its members. Each member has a particular role assigned. No two members are alike, and no two have exactly the same function. The part to be played by each one is assigned according to the measure of Christ’s gift, that is, He does it as He sees fit. If Christ’s gift here means the Holy Spirit (Joh_14:16-17; Act_2:38-39), then the thought is that the Holy Spirit is the One who assigns some gift to every saint, and who also gives the ability to exercise that gift” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: God graces everyone of His children with specific “grace,” grace that gifts that child of God to do what God requires of him or her. Verse 11 will give us an example of some of the giftings God gives his children. We’ll get to that a little later.
*according to the measure of the gift of Christ.*
“The one grace of God, manifesting itself in the different gifts” [Vincent].
“That is, there are special offices, and special gifts, that Christ deals to each” [PNT].
MY COMMENTS: Everyone of us believers, rather Jew of Gentile, have received grace from God to exercise a “gift” He has given us! I will comment much more fully when I get to verse 11.
(Verse Seven of Chapter Four in my own words.)
Here’s what that one God is doing; He has given grace to everyone of us in accordance with the gifts He has given us, sufficient grace for each gift.
Ephesians 4:8
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
MY COMMENTS: Paul here quotes from Psalm 68:18. David wrote that verse and intended it for one event; Paul takes that quote and applies it to another event. The Holy Spirit inspired both of them to write what they wrote!!
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended on high he led captivity captive, and received gifts for men. The speaker is God, the author of Scripture, and the place is the sixty-eighth psalm. That psalm is a psalm of triumph, where the placing of the ark on Zion is celebrated as if it had been a great victory. As this quotation shows, the psalm in its deepest sense is Messianic, celebrating the victory of Christ. The substance rather than the words of the passage are given, for the second person (“thou hast ascended,” etc.) is changed into the third; and whereas in the psalm it is said, “gave gifts to men,” as modified by the apostle it is said, “received gifts for men.” As in a literal triumph, the chiefs of the enemy’s army are led captive, so the powers of darkness were led captive by Christ (captivity, αἰχμαλωσία, denotes prisoners); and as on occasion of a triumph the spoils of the enemy are made over to the conqueror, who again gives them away among the soldiers and people, so gifts were given to Christ after his triumph to be given by him to his Church. We must not force the analogy too far: the point is simply this—as a conqueror at a triumph gets gifts to distribute, so Christ, on his resurrection and ascension, got the Holy Spirit to bestow on his Church (comp. Eph_1:22) [Pulpit].
“I shall not dispute about this; it is enough for me that the apostle, under the inspiration of God, applied the verse in this way; and whatever David might intend, and of whatever event he might have written, we see plainly that the sense in which the apostle uses it was the sense of the Spirit of God; for the Spirit in the Old and New Testaments is the same” [Clarke].
*Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high,*
Psalm 68:18) (KJV) 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.
“As David remembered how his soldiers had stormed the heights of Jerusalem, he looked beyond flesh and blood to see God ascending the high mount, taking captives in His train and winning spoils of victory for those who were former rebels so that He could dwell among these people as their Lord and Savior” [BBC].
*he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.*
“Paul applies verse 18 to the Ascension of Christ (Eph_4:8-10). When Christ ascended from earth to heaven, He led captivity captive, that is, He triumphed gloriously over His foes and gave gifts to men. The gifts He received among men as reward for His finished work on the cross (Psa_68:18), He turned around and gave these same gifts to men for the establishment and expansion of His church (Eph_4:8)” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: I have a different take on what Paul is writing about in Ephesians 4:8-10. Here it is:
Matthew 27:50-53) (KJV) Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51) And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52) And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53) And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Colossians 2:15) (KJV) And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Revelation 1:18 (KJV) I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Hebrews 9:11-12) (KJV) But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12) Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
MY COMMENTS: Jesus descended into the pits of Hell while His body was dead for 3 days, ripped “the keys of hell and of death” from the hands of Satan, stepped into paradise and preached the Gospel to the righteous dead who readily received it. Immediately after His resurrection He raised to life the Old Testament saints, many of whom were seen [Mt. 27:51-53]. Then, after talking to Mary in the garden, He ascended into Heaven with those resurrected saints, stopping momentarily to strip every signet of authority from Satan and his legions, and led them through the streets of Heaven as conquered foes. He then stepped into the true Temple in Heaven and offered His blood upon the altar as a sacrifice for our sins.
HERE’S MY POINT: I don’t believe the Old Testament saints were in Heaven yet because their sins had not been paid for. We find them in Abraham’s bosom [Lk. 16: 19-31]. When Jesus was being crucified and had just given up the ghost there was a violent earthquake that rent the veil in the Temple and opened the graves; and many bodies of the saints arose and came out of the graves, but it didn’t happen until after Jesus arose. Because they had been faithful followers of God in the Old Testament era they were given a wonderful place of abode in Paradise; but their hearts yearned to be in Heaven. I believe Jesus had to preach the Gospel to them; and they had to receive Him as their Savior before their sins could be washed away and they could go to Heaven! After all, no man can come to the Father but by Him [Jn. 14:6].
(Verse Eight of Chapter Four in my own words.)
David said, “When he ascended up to the Highest Place He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Allow me to apply that same thought to Jesus.
Ephesians 4:9
(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
When it says, “he went up,” it means that Christ had been deep in the earth [CEV].
[But He ascended?] Now what can this, He ascended, mean but that He had previously descended from [the heights of] heaven into [the depths], the lower parts of the earth [AMP]?
*(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?*
“Christ, as Lord of all, took possession first of the earth the unseen world beneath it (some conjecture that the region of the lost is in the central parts of our globe)” [JFB].
“The lower parts of the earth The under world. The reference is to Christ’s descent into Hades. Some give the words a comparative force, deeper than the earth” [Vincent].
MY COMMENTS: Most commentators, who are much more versed in Scriptures than I am, see the descending of Christ as coming down to earth and the ascending of Christ as returning to Heaven. Others, though, recognize that “the lower parts of the earth” seem to imply something more than just descending to earth. Some of those believe that it implies that Jesus had to descent into Hades, by which they mean the grave. Others believe that by those lower parts is meant that Jesus descended into the womb of a woman. All three of those points are true; Jesus did descend to the planet of earth; Jesus did descend into the grave; Jesus did descend into Mary’s womb. However, none of those choices explain how the Old Testament saints were converted so that they could resurrect, and be seen by many, after Jesus arose. Make no mistakes about it, the Old Testament saints did not die as Christians {forgiven sinners}. Their sins had not yet been forgiven by virtue of the death of Jesus Christ at Calvary having paid the penalty of those sins, and their putting your faith and trust in Him! Comparatively speaking they were saints; literally speaking they were dead sinners. If they were to rise from the dead without Jesus preaching to them, and their receiving Him as their Savior they would be lost! I know that most of you have never read, or heard these thoughts; but explain to me another way that they can get to Heaven if Jesus didn’t preach the Gospel to them!
PLEASE NOTE: “Eph_4:8. When Christ’s body was laid in the grave, His spirit descended into Hades (the abode of departed spirits), and proclaimed the victory of the cross. At His ascension to the Father after three days He delivered from Hades the spirits of the justified and took them to Paradise above, leaving the unsaved spirits in Hades. The spirit of the Christian at death now goes to be with Him above. Php_1:23; 2Co_5:9” [Summarized Bible].
Acts 2:29-30) (KJV) Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30) Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31) He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
MY COMMENTS: You can believe Hell, in the above passage, refers to the grave, I don’t! I believe that Jesus went down to Abraham’s bosom, which was in eye shot of Hell, and preached to all the faithful dead who died prior to the death of Jesus. Also, Peter writes that Jesus was “put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit [1 Pet. 3:18], and then that He “went and preached unto the spirits in prison [1 Pet. 3:19].” If he could preach to the sinners from Noah’s time [1 Pet. 3:20], who would have been in Hell, why not the Old Testament saints in Abraham’s bosom?
(Verse Nine of Chapter Four in my own words.)
(Now, because He ascended, what does that mean but that He first descended into the depths of the earth?
Ephesians 4:10
He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
*He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)*
“It would be wrong to use a translation of heavens which would refer to the dwelling of God himself, for this would place Christ even above God rather than seated at the right side of God” [BBC].
Ephesians 1:19-23) (KJV) And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21) Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22) And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23) Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
MY COMMENTS: Allow me to remind you of some comments I made on vs. 8 of this chapter, “Jesus descended into the pits of Hell while His body was dead for 3 days, ripped “the keys of hell and of death” from the hands of Satan, stepped into paradise and preached the Gospel to the righteous dead who readily received it. Immediately after His resurrection He raised to life the Old Testament saints, many of whom were seen [Mt. 27:51-53]. Then, after talking to Mary in the garden, He ascended into Heaven with those resurrected saints, stopping momentarily to strip every signet of authority from Satan and his legions, and led them through the streets of Heaven as conquered foes.”
Colossians 2:14-15) (KJV) 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;
15) And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
MY COMMENTS: As Jesus was ascending back, through the heavens {outer space}, to Heaven, He humiliated the “principalities and powers,” including the chief commanding officer of those “principalities and powers,” the devil himself. As I mentioned in the above comments, He stopped “to strip every signet of authority from Satan and his legions, and led them through the streets of heaven as conquered foes.” Now that the devil has been defeated he cannot touch you [1 John 5:18]. Let me say it again, you belong to God, if you’re a Christian, and the devil cannot touch you. However, as you study the Book of Acts you’ll discover that the devil can stir up his crowd of unbelievers, and some of them will “touch” you. The devil never personally laid a hand on Paul; but his crowd, which includes all of the unsaved on this planet, physically abused Paul often, threw him in prison, and ultimately killed him. It can, at times, be extremely dangerous to be a follower of Christ. But, follow Him we shall.
FINAL COMMENTS ON THIS VERSE: The victory of Christ over the devil was a stepping stone to Him becoming the One Who “fills all things”! And as we saw in the Ephesian passage above from Chapter 1:19-23, Jesus is “the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. We see in that passage that this One Who fills everything has deposited that “everything into His Church! The sum total of the Church of Jesus Christ is the “fullness of Him that fills all in all”! My God, help us followers of Your Son digest, and understand that TRUTH!!!
(Verse Ten of Chapter Four in my own words.)
He that descended is the very same One Who ascended far higher that the heights of the universe so that He could fill absolutely everything.)
Ephesians 4:11
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
*And he gave some, apostles;*
“The word ‘Apostle,’ in its strict sense, applies only to the Twelve and Paul. But the term was sometimes loosely applied to others, especially Barnabas. It should be taken here in the strict sense, since the other terms would include all to whom this title might be loosely applied. It is generally agreed that only those are Apostles, who (1.) were commissioned by Christ Himself; (2.) were witnesses of His resurrection, because they had seen the Risen Lord; (3.) that they had a special inspiration (comp. chaps. Eph_2:20; Eph_3:5); (4.) that their authority was supreme; (3.) that they were furnished with ample credentials. It would appear from this that they can have no successors in the distinctive features of their office. Rightly, then, they are regarded as extraordinary Church officers. If any claim that the Apostolate has been reestablished, the claim must be made good by abundant proofs of unique inspiration and of supernatural vision of the Lord Himself on the part of the persons for whom the claim is made [Popular N.T.].
MY COMMENTS: As a whole I tend to agree with the above comment. What set this group of apostles apart is “that they can have no successors in the distinctive features of their office.” They had the authority to determine exactly what doctrines would be taught in the New Testament Church! What they wrote was yea, and amen, the Word of God!
2 Peter 1:16-21) (KJV) For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17) For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18) And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19) We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21) For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
MY COMMENTS: I am convinced that there are those among us today who might fit the description in the above note, “But the term was sometimes loosely applied to others, especially Barnabas.” However, none of those modern day “apostles” can give us new Scriptures.
*and some, prophets;*
“Prophets were spokesmen or mouthpieces of God. They received direct revelations from the Lord and passed them on to the church. What they spoke by the Holy Spirit was the word of God. In the primary sense we no longer have apostles and prophets. Their ministry ended when the foundation of the church was laid, and when the NT canon was completed” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: I agree that there are no longer any prophets in the Church who can prophesy a new revelation of Scripture to us. I am convinced that when we read of prophets in the Church at Corinth prophesying they were prophesying new revelation of New Testament doctrine to the body of Christ because the Apostles had only written a few Epistles that not every church was privy to [1 Cor. 14:31-32]. There were in Corinth several of these prophets and while one prophesied the others judged to make certain that the one prophesying was delivering the true Word of God.
*and some, evangelists;*
“1) a bringer of good tidings, an evangelist; 2) the name given to the NT heralds of salvation through Christ who are not apostles” [Thayer].
“And some, evangelists. The nature of this office is known only from the meaning of the term and the work of those who bore the designation (Act_21:8; 2Ti_4:5) –persons not attached to a particular congregation, but who went about preaching the glad tidings, and otherwise building up the Church, but without the full powers of apostles” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: I believe that evangelists are ministers who travel around and preach the Gospel to various churches. Preaching the Gospel isn’t meant to only gain new converts; but it’s also meant to teach current believers the Good News about the grace of God, and how to live your Christian life within the parameters of that grace. Paul instructed Timothy to do the work of an evangelist [2 Tim. 4:5]. Some commentators think missionaries fit under this designation; while that might be possible I personally see missionaries more aligned with modern day apostles, after the order of Barnabas. They go to unchurched areas and preach the Gospel and then establish churches. Missionaries, in my mind, might be the closest thing we have to modern day apostles. However, they go and teach what the closed canon of Scripture tells us; they do not introduce new “truth”!
“Dr. H. A. Ironside, longtime pastor of Chicago’s Moody Church, used to say, ‘If it’s new, it’s not true; and if it’s true, it’s not new’” [Warren W. Wiersbe].
*and some, pastors and teachers;*
“Pastors and teachers (or, pastor-teachers; the ancient Greek clearly describes one office with two descriptive titles), who shepherd the flock of God primarily (though not exclusively) through teaching the Word of God. “Teaching is an essential part of the pastoral ministry; it is appropriate, therefore, that the two terms, pastors and teachers, should be joined together to denote one order of ministry” (Bruce) [Guzik].
“Because pastors and teachers are linked in this verse, some conclude only one gift is intended, that it should read “pastor-teachers.” But this is not necessarily so. A man may be a teacher without having the heart of a shepherd. And a pastor may be able to use the word without having the distinctive gift of teaching. If pastors and teachers are the same persons here in verse 11, then, by the same rule of grammar, so are apostles and prophets in Eph_2:20” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: So, are there five different “gifts” to the Church; or are there only four? I believe there are five! However, it is nothing to argue over. When you think about the gift of teaching all four of the other ministries ought to be proficient in it!! The Apostle Paul was one of the greatest teachers ever; maybe the greatest this side of Jesus. When the prophets prophesied in Corinth they were, for the most part, prophesying doctrine, which is teaching. Evangelists traveling around the country and the world should have something to say; and that something should be doctrinally sound! Every pastor should possess some degree of gifting to teach the Scriptures. But beyond that, if “teacher” is a fifth gift to the Church why couldn’t it be someone gifted to teach Sunday School? How important is that?
MY COMMENTS: Verse 11 is the subject that verse 7 alluded to. God has given various gifts to the Church. Ministerial gifts are one kind out of three mentioned in the New Testament. Here are the other two:
MINISTERIAL GIFTS:
Eph. 4:7-11) (KJV) But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8), and gave gifts unto men.
9) (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10) He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
SPIRITUAL GIFTS:
1 Cor. 12:4-11) (KJV) Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5) And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6) And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7) But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8) For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9) To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10) To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11) But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
OPERATIONAL GIFTS:
Rom. 12:3-8) (KJV) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
4) For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
5) So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
6) Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7) Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8) Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
MY COMMENTS: I’m convinced that 1 Cor. 12 shows us that each One of the Godhead has gifts for the Church [1 Cor. 12:4-6].
- The Holy Spirit gives us the gifts mentioned in vs. 4, which are the Spiritual Gifts [1 Cor. 12:4-11].
- Jesus gives us the gifts mentioned in vs. 5, which are the Ministerial Gifts [Eph. 4:7-11].
- God, the Father gives us the gifts mentioned in vs. 6, which are the Operational Gifts [Rom. 12:3-8].
MY COMMENTS: I’m convinced every believer has been given at least one “gift.” If you’re not called to be one of the Ministry Gifts; and you don’t have one of the Spiritual Gifts; I promise you everyone of us has one, or more, of the Operational/Motivational Gifts.
(Verse Eleven of Chapter Four in my own words.)
And the Lord gave some the necessary gifts to be apostles; and He gave some the necessary gifts to be prophets; and He gave some the necessary gifts to be evangelists; and He gave some the necessary gifts to be pastors; and teachers,
Ephesians 4:12
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Christ gave these gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger [ERV].
Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ [ERV].
*For the perfecting of the saints,*
“perfecting” – “In classical Greek of refitting a ship or setting a bone” [Vincent].
“complete furnishing, equipping” [Thayer].
“saints” – “most holy thing” [Thayer].
Here’s my interpretation of Thayer’s definition of “saints” – “The sanctified ones.”
MY COMMENTS: The “saints” are all of us Christians who have been sanctified by God. Sanctification is simply God taking someone out of the world’s pile of stuff and putting them in His pile of stuff! Thayer’s definition above of the word, “saints” is a “most holy thing.” How many Christians do you personally know that you would describe as “most holy”? I don’t know any if I use the definition that most Christians believe “holy” means. We aren’t “holy” because we live better than anyone else; we are “holy” because a Holy God has written His name on us; in other words, we are “holy” because we belong to a Holy God!! The job of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers is to equip those “holy” children of God for the purpose of enabling them to do the work of ministry.
*for the work of the ministry,*
“Every Christian is commissioned, for every Christian is a missionary. It has been said that the Gospel is not merely something to come to church to hear but something to go from the church to tell—and we are all appointed to tell it. It has also been said, ‘Christianity began as a company of lay witnesses; it has become a professional pulpitism, financed by lay spectators!’ Nowadays we hire a church staff to do ‘full-time Christian work,’ and we sit in church on Sunday to watch them do it. Every Christian is meant to be in full-time Christian service … There is indeed a special ministry of pastors, teachers and evangelists—but for what? … For the perfecting of the saints for their ministry” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: The four or five gifts, whichever is your opinion [vs. 11 notes], God gave the Church were so those various ministries could, through the teaching of the Word, prepare God’s people to do the work of the ministry out among the church population, and the population of our society.
*for the edifying of the body of Christ:*
“Notice the combination of perfecting and building. Building defines the nature of the work of ministry, and perfecting comes through a process [Vincent].
“A special aspect of the ‘work of service’ just mentioned. Each true believer is, by the spiritually enabled ministry, to be ‘equipped’ to act as a ‘builder up’ of the Lord’s Body” [Cambridge].
MY COMMENTS: What are some of the “gifts” the body of believers have that would enable them to “edify,” or “build up” the body of Christ? In our commentary on vs. 11 I mentioned three categories of “gifts” the Godhead has given to us. The first category I mentioned was Ministerial Gifts which referred to “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.” The second category I mentioned was Spiritual Gifts which referred to “the word of wisdom,” the word of knowledge,” “faith,” “gifts of healing,” “miracles,” “prophecy,” “discerning of spirits,” “tongues,” and the “interpretation of tongues.”
The third category I mentioned was operational gifts which include “prophecy,” “ministry,” “teaching,” “exhorting,” “giving,” “ruling,” and “showing mercy.” This is the category I want to stress here. I believe this category of gifts operates differently than the others. Think of this, Jesus gave Ministerial Gifts to help His Church; the Holy Spirit gave Spiritual Gifts to operate in the Church gathering; but the Father gave Operational Gifts to every member of the body so they could benefit one another.
The gift of “prophecy” is a Spiritual Gift; the office of the Prophet is a Ministerial Gift; but the Operational Gift of “prophecy” is an operational function, a motivational function {some teachers call this category Motivational Gifts}. These gifts from the Father are what He created inside of us as He formed us in the womb [Isaiah 44:2, 44:24, 49:5, Jer. 1:5].
I am convinced this category of gifts could be called “The Why You Do What You Do Gifts.” I believe these gifts were wired into your systems in the womb by the Heavenly Father; They are the “what make you tick” gifts. I’m going to give you my opinion concerning these Operational Gifts:
Prophecy – This is the Operational Gift that causes its recipient to tend to see everything as a “black and white” issue. This individual doesn’t believe so much in gray areas. This individual wants to know exactly what the Word says and wants everyone to do exactly what he thinks the Word means.
Ministry {Service) – This Operational Gift is operating in that individual who is always getting someone another cup of coffee, or arriving at church early enough to shovel the sidewalks, or always asking, “Can I get you something?”
Teaching – This is the Operational Gift that was hotwired in individuals in the womb that causes this individual to always be about teaching others in whatever area they need teaching. Depending on the personal abilities of this individual they will teach you how to operate your computer, how to figure out what you have to pay for an outfit that originally costs $39.99 if there is a 30% discount on it, how to do your taxes, how to play a certain instrument, etc.
Exhorting – This individual is always encouraging others, wanting people to cheer up, this individual doesn’t want to see anybody left out of whatever is going on.
Giving – This individual is a generous individual who will give generously to the Church; but this individual will also be the first individual to help others who are going through difficult times; and it doesn’t just involve money. These individuals will give of their time, of their abilities to do certain things, or whatever the need might call for. However, it doesn’t mean that this individual is gullible.
Ruling – These individuals has a skill set that allows them to manage situations and projects. At work they make good managers; at church they make good board members. They have an innate ability to organize, manage, and reach the goals that are desired.
Showing Mercy – These individuals have the capacity to forgive and to turn the other cheek. They love people and believe everyone deserves a second chance.
MY COMMENTS: God, the Father “wired” every person who was ever born with one, two or three of these gifts. These are the gifts that allow every believer to contribute positive ministry to the body of believers. How much are all of those things I just mentioned necessary to a body of believers? You are gifted! Every one of you is gifted! Utilize those gifts God fitted you with in the womb for the good of the church body!!
(Verse Twelve of Chapter Four in my own words.)
The function of those ministerial gifts is to equip God’s chosen people to do the work of ministering to one another, and to others outside of the Church, so that the collective Body of Christ might be spiritually built up!
Ephesians 4:13
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace [vs. 3].
*Till we all come in the unity of the faith,*
“Verse 13 answers the question, “How long will this growth process continue?” The answer is till we all come to a state of unity, maturity, and conformity.
Unity. When the Lord takes His church home to heaven, we will all arrive at the unity of the faith. “Now we see in a mirror dimly” with regard to many matters. We have differences of opinion on a host of subjects. Then we will all be fully agreed” [BBC].
Jude 1:3) (KJV) Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
MY COMMENTS: If we look at the above note from BBC this coming to the point of absolute “unity of the faith” won’t happen until we go to Heaven as the whole of the Church; in other words, until the Trump sounds and we go home! In the above passage from Jude Paul could be referring to the “faith which was once delivered unto the saints;” in other words, the Church embracing the faith that has now been “revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit” [Eph. 3:5]. Paul began this current discussion in vs. 3 when he wrote that we should endeavor “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace;” and now we learn that that endeavor isn’t over until “we all come in the unity of the faith.”
MORE COMMENTS: No matter how we look at this “unity of the faith,” I tend to agree with BBC that we will never come to total agreement of exactly what this Gospel message is, in every minute detail, because, as he points out, “for now we see through a glass, darkly” [1 Cor. 13:12]. However, that simply means that we should continue, until the day we go home to be with Jesus, to endeavor “to keep the unity of the Spirit.”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? It means that we can’t get upset every time another believer doesn’t agree with something we believe. Even the great Apostle Paul once wrote to Timothy, “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things” [2 Tim. 2:7]. Even Paul didn’t simply insist that Timothy agree with everything he said; but he did want him to “consider” what he said. I don’t preach a sermon expecting you to agree with absolutely every single point I make; but I do hope that you will consider it! That’s my goal when I preach, to get the folk to consider what I say. If you believe it simply because I said it, then it’s my revelation, not yours. It won’t benefit you in the trial. But, if you consider it, search it out, pray about it, and come to the conclusion that the point I made is true; now it’s your revelation. God revealed it to you! Now it will benefit you in the time of trial! When I listen to someone else preaching, unless that individual is simply way off track, I want to consider what he or she says. The Good News is that we will eventually agree on absolutely every single detail of Biblical doctrine; and what a day that will be!
*and of the knowledge of the Son of God,*
“And we will reach the unity of … the knowledge of the Son of God. Here we have individual views of the Lord, of what He is like, of the implications of His teachings. Then we will see Him as He is, and know as we are known” [BBC].
Phil. 3:12-14) (KJV) Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
MORE COMMENTS: Our challenge is to keep pressing in, to keep prayerfully seeking to know Him better through consistent study of His Word. What higher calling of God could there be than to our coming to more fully know His Son!
*unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:*
until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ [NLT].
MORE COMMENTS: The more we know Jesus the more we will become full-grown believers, and the more we will become like Him! Hanging out in the Church, not the local building we attend, but in the Church of the living God, the fellowship of other believers, being encouraged by them, and encouraging them, the more we will become like Him!
1 John 3:2) (KJV) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
MY COMMENTS: However, we will not become fully like Him until we “see Him as He is”! When I die, and I lay my eyes upon Him, in the fullness of His glory, I will be like Him!! The only other way that can happen is if I am fortunate enough to hang around unto He returns for His Church. Either way, when I see Him as He is, in the fullness of Who He is, and I see the fullness of His glory then I will be like Him! No wonder He prayed in full view of His disciples in the Upper Room, concerning those disciples, “that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou loved me before the foundation of the world” [Jn. 17:24]. He prayed that prayer because He was anxious for us to see Him as He is so that we could become like Him!
(Verse Thirteen of Chapter Four in my own words.)
And that function will continue until we, as a body arrive to the point of unity of the faith, and to the point of unity of the knowledge of the Son of God, collectively reaching the point of being a full-grown man, unto the very measure of the stature of becoming fully like Christ!
Ephesians 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;
*That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,*
“The second participle is “carried around“; the picture is that of a small boat in a storm, unable to hold a steady course. This figure of rough waves and strong winds is applied to wrong teachings which carry immature Christians away from the truth of the gospel” [BBC].
“The different teachings of philosophers or of religious quacks are represented as winds, blowing the unstable soul in every direction” [Vincent].
MY COMMENTS: We must have sound Bible teaching if we’re going to grow up spiritually into adult men and women in Christ. We must have sound Bible teaching if we’re going to make it through the storms of this life! When I said in my comments on vs. 13, “When I listen to someone else preaching, unless that individual is simply way off track, I want to consider what he or she says,” I want you to understand we should not consider what false teachers are teaching! That teacher ought not be teaching “legalism” or “license,” the two major false doctrines of the New Testament era; and possibly the two major false doctrines of our era. Don’t get me wrong, there are cultic doctrines worse than those two; but I trust that you can discern the utter nonsense of those doctrines. Legalism and Liberty are errors that, when presented craftily, could be made to sound like sound doctrine; they are not! Most every Epistle Paul wrote was aimed at warning his readers about the error of “legalism.” “Legalism” discredits the cross! John wrote his First Epistle to debunk the error of License. “License,” the doctrine some refer to as “Gnosticism,” is extremely dangerous because they teach that God has saved our spirits, but not our bodies; which in and of itself is true [Rom. 8:23], but where they go from there is heresy. They go on to teach that therefore it doesn’t matter what your body does; because the redeemed spirit might learn from it. To counter that error John wrote such things as, “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him” [1 Jn. 2:29]; and “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him [1 Jn. 3:5-6] (NIV).
*by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;*
“In the sleight of men. ‘In’ denotes’ the evil atmosphere, as it were, in which the varying currents of doctrine exist and exert their force’ (Ellicott). The word ‘sleight’ is significantly taken from dice-playing. ‘Men,’ with their variety of teaching and trickery, are substituted for Christ the true guide” [Popular N.T.].
MY COMMENTS: Some false teachers who knock on your door are very sincere; but they are sincerely wrong. Other bearers of false doctrine are not sincere; they are merely after your money! I recommend that you do your research and be part of an Evangelical Church.
(Verse Fourteen of Chapter Four in my own words.)
As the process continues we reach a point of Spiritual growth where we are no longer children; those who can be tossed about by the purveyors of false doctrine who craftily trick us through the sleight of words, deceiving us with those false doctrines.
Ephesians 4:15
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Instead, as we lovingly speak the truth, we will grow up completely in our relationship to Christ, who is the head [GW].
*But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things,*
“But speaking the truth in love is hardly translatable in English; it implies being true as well as speaking the truth and following the truth. Truth is the element in which we are to live, move, and have our being; fidelity to truth is the backbone of the Christian ministry. But truth must be inseparably married to love; good tidings spoken harshly are no good tidings” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: To reach that point of Christian maturity we must be true {genuine}, we must speak truth, and we must pursue truth; and that “being,” “speaking,” and “pursuing” must all be done in love! If we do these things we will grow up into Christ in all things! In other words, we will become more like Jesus in our private lives, in our interactions with others, and in our devotional time as we apply this principle to our lives.
*which is the head, even Christ:*
“Christ is the aim and object of their growth, and the sphere of growth is in all things. In every area of their lives they become more like Him. As the Head has His way in the church, His Body will give an ever more accurate representation of Him to the world” [BBC]!
Acts 11:26) (KJV) And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
They did not assume the name themselves. It occurs in only three passages in the New Testament: here; Act_26:28; and 1Pe_4:16; and only in the last-named passage is used by a Christian of a Christian [Vincent].
Acts 24:5) (KJV) For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:
“This was the name usually given to Christians by way of contempt. They were so called because Jesus was of Nazareth” [Barnes].
“Doubtless it was a term of reproach at that time, but since then it has been welcomed by all who love the Savior” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: The first century Church didn’t name its members as “Christians;” the unsaved called them Christians. In some cities they were referred to as “the sect of the Nazarenes.” But we followers of Christ today revel in the word “Christians.” We proudly identify with Jesus; He is the Head of the Church, the One we gladly follow, the One we want to “grow up into in all things”! We want to continue to grow up into more and more of the likeness of the One we follow, Jesus!
(Verse Fifteen of Chapter Four in my own words.)
But as we become truthful in our hearts, and speak truth, and pursue truth, doing it all in the sphere of love, we will grow up in every way in our relationship with Jesus, Who is the Head, Who is the Christ!
Ephesians 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.
*From whom the whole body fitly joined together*
“all the parts being in their proper position, and in mutual relation” [JFB].
“In the Church there are babes in Christ, also young men and old men; some are clear in intellect, some strong in faith, some warm in love, some excel in passive virtues, some in active; but in a well-ordered Church these should be getting jointed together, and learning to work with and for one another, no one despising gifts which he has not but another has;” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: It is from Christ, the Head spoken of in vs. 15, that the “whole body,” that Body being the Church, joins together in unity. He has placed every part, that “part” being a believer, exactly where He wants them. I’m not suggesting that every believer is currently in the local church they belong in; I’m saying that every believer has been properly placed in the exact place in the larger Church, the Body of Christ, where he or she belongs.
*and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,*
“The joints are the points of union where the supply passes to the different members, furnishing the body with the materials of its growth” [JFB].
Colossians 2:19) (KJV) And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
Hebrews 3:12-13) (KJV) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
13) But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 10:24-26) (KJV) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25) Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
26) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
MY COMMENTS: Commentators want to be certain that we understand that the “supply” that passes through the whole body isn’t supplied by the “joints,” but rather simply passes through the “joints” from one member to another; but the “supply” flows from the Head, Himself! I say to that, “Amen and amen!” But if you think of how a “joint” is where one bone connects to another, and we apply that analogy to the Body of Christ, then the “joint” is where one member of the Body of Christ is connected to another member of the Body of Christ; and it’s through that connection of member with member that that “supply” of God which flows from the Head of the body flows throughout the Church. I included the passages from Hebrews above because I wanted to point out the importance of member encouraging member to the Body of Christ. Now, if I, a member of the Body of Christ, am exhorting/encouraging you, another member of the Body of Christ, it is only spiritually beneficial to you in direct proportion to how much my exhortation is based solidly on the Word of God, or that which the Head of the body has “supplied” the Church with. But, if you only hear your pastor share the word with you once a week you are going to need other avenues of the “supply” that the Head of the Church has supplied for you to get to you. I argue that those other avenues are your fellowship with other believers!!
*according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.*
So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love [TEV].
“In this context works is to be understood in a much broader sense than to engage in physical work, and it may be best to translate the introductory clause as ‘so when each part does what it should do’ or “functions as it should’” [UBS].
MY COMMENTS: In a perfect scenario every believer {every part} will work effectually in that area in which God has placed them so that the entire Body of Christ will make “increase of” itself “unto the edifying of itself in love.” Unfortunately, no one member in the Body of Christ, let alone every member, is operating perfectly. This area of Scripture then is exhorting us to do a better job of working effectually in our part of the Body so that the Body of Christ, the Church, does a better job of representing Christ to the world!!!
When we speak to, and receive the truth from one another, in love, we grow in Christ, Who is the head of the Church, His body. In His church we are all placed in our “proper position and mutual relation” [JFB], firmly constructed together. At each point where one member is joined to another member Spiritual supply is flowing to each of them. This happens as God effectively works through each of us as we minister to one another. The result of this marvelous work of God is that His body, the church, automatically experiences growth of every beneficial type. ALL OF THIS BEGINS WITH YOU AND I SPEAKING, AND RECEIVING THE TRUTH IN LOVE TO ONE ANOTHER.
(Verse Sixteen of Chapter Four in my own words.)
It is from Christ that the entire body has been fitted and joined together to coalesce around that which every joint {or ligament} supplies; and in accordance with how every part effectually does its part, the entire body grows and becomes stronger in love.
Ephesians 4:17
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
As a follower of the Lord, I order you to stop living like stupid, godless people [CEV].
With the Lord’s authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused [NLT].
Let me say this, then, speaking for the Lord: Live no longer as the unsaved do, for they are blinded and confused [TLB].
*This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,*
“There is a constant tendency for Christians to display to the world that we really aren’t so different after all. This is usually a misguided effort to gain the world’s ‘respect’ or approval. This must be resisted at all costs” [Guzik].
“Testifying in the Lord, that is, by authority of the Lord and by divine inspiration, he urges the Christians to put off every trace of their past life, as if it were a muddy coat, and to put on the virtues and excellencies of the Lord Jesus Christ” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: There is a sense in which we all want to “fit in.” But remember, you and I have been trusted with, by the Lord God Himself, the only message on this planet that can get someone from here all the way to Heaven; and that message is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this day and age of political correctness you can’t make that Gospel message “fit in” with what the PC crowd is trying to force upon everyone. You can stay quiet about the Gospel, fit in with the “in” crowd; but in doing so you will have deprived them of the one single message on this entire planet that could get them to Heaven! We can’t walk their walk; we can’t talk their talk! God, through the Apostle Paul, has told us in this verse, “Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused” [NLT].
(Verse Seventeen of Chapter Four in my own words.)
Listen to what I’m telling you; this is from the Lord. From this moment on do not walk as the other non-Jews walk; their thoughts are foolish, worthless thoughts.
Ephesians 4:18
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
*Having the understanding darkened,*
“The Gentiles Paul speaks of were either atheists or they believed in gods who were themselves immoral. Therefore in their denial of the true God, they denied any standard of morality that they must answer to” [Guzik].
MY COMMENTS: I don’t know when Guzik wrote this comment; but he has it absolutely correct for the year I’m writing this comment, 2020. America is full of atheists who worship nothing, and those who worship nature, or worship the cosmic whole, or worship the PC movement. The non-atheists of America will worship anything and everything that will align with what they want. Many even worship the “Christian God” in the sense that they find a church that will preach what they want to hear; and they will even call themselves Christians. They are blind to the truth because of the desires of their hearts!
*being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,*
“Two causes are given for their alienation, viz. ignorance, and hardness of heart, this last being the ultimate cause. Through worldly living, their hearts have become hard, callous, insensible to spiritual influences, perceiving no beauty in Divine things, no preciousness in Divine promises, no excellence in the Divine image; this makes them ignorant, careless, foolish; and such being their state of heart, they are alienated from the life of God, can’t bear vital religion, hate the very idea of spiritual and holy service” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: There are people in this country who go to a church that mixes PC in with their “Bible teaching.” That church doesn’t talk about sin {it might make some people feel bad and need to run to a safe space}; they talk about how God made them the way they are because that’s how God wants them to be. God created mankind in His image and wanted them to live a moral life in line with Biblical morality! When people reject the sound teaching of the Bible sin makes them the way they are, not God! Please listen! God created us in His image; please quit trying to create God in your image!
*because of the blindness of their heart:*
because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him [NLT].
MY COMMENTS: This is so sad; when man continuously rejects God their hearts become “hardened” against Him. God, the God of the Bible, not the “god” they invented, is Someone they have become blinded to.
Listen to the message of the Bible as it begins to wrap itself up:
Revelation 22:17) (ERV) The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Everyone who hears this should also say, “Come!” All who are thirsty may come; they can have the water of life as a free gift if they want it.
God is standing with His arms opened wide; and He’s saying to all who will listen, “Come!” His children around the world echo His invitation, and say, “Come!” Anyone, anywhere who is thirsty for the water of life may come! You can have the water of life as a free gift if you want it! That’s God’s invitation to you as the Bible is coming to its conclusion at the end of the Book of Revelation! God will step into your world of sin and confusion long enough to invite you to come and live in His world. Will you accept His invitation?
(Verse Eighteen of Chapter Four in my own words.)
Being devoid of understanding they are alienated from the True Life God offers because of their spiritual ignorance; because the eyes of their hearts have become blind.
Ephesians 4:19
Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Since they no longer have any sense of shame, they have become promiscuous. They practice every kind of sexual perversion with a constant desire for more [GW].
They don’t care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed [NLT].
Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more [NIV].
*Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.*
“Lasciviousness” – “Licentiousness” [Thayer].
“Licentiousness is sin that flaunts itself, throwing off all restraint and having no sense of shame or fear; uncleanness is a broad word, mostly with reference to sexual impropriety” [Guzik].
MY COMMENTS: Having their “understanding darkened, because of the blindness of their heart” [vs. 18], had led them to the point of “being past feeling,” in other words, they had “lost their feeling of shame” [ERV]. No longer having a conscience that restricts certain activities they now “have given themselves over unto lasciviousness.” They have now become the crowd that Paul described in the first chapter of Romans, “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” [Rom 1:32]. Beginning in vs. 17 Paul is telling non-Jewish Christians to refrain from living lives like the unsaved non-Jewish people live. In vs. 18 and our current verse, vs. 19, he has begun explaining the kind of lives those Gentile individual without Christ were actually living. It is remarkably similar to the lives of many non-Christian individuals living in America today; and also many individuals who claim they are Christians. How can someone live contrary to the teaching of the New Testament and claim to be a follower of Christ? They simply find a church where the pastor, who will have to give an account to God, will tell them what they want to hear.
(Verse Nineteen of Chapter Four in my own words.)
Because they have seared their consciences they have given themselves over to doing whatever feels good to them; such as lascivious acts and other acts of uncleanness; and they can’t wait to do more and more of those acts.
Ephesians 4:20
But ye have not so learned Christ;
*But ye have not so learned Christ;*
“The phrase learn Christ occurs nowhere else. Christ does not stand for the doctrine of Christ; but Christ is the subject of His own message” [Vincent].
“Mark the singular expression with which this text begins. ‘Ye have not so learned Christ.’ Now, we generally talk about learning a subject, a language, a science, or an art; but we do not talk about learning people. But Paul says we are Christ’s disciples, not only in the sense that we learn of Him as Teacher-which follows in the next clause-but that we learn Him as the theme of our study” [MacLaren].
Matthew 11:29) (KJV) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
MY COMMENTS: Translators differ on how “learn of me” should be translated; most render it “learn from me,” some, like the KJV, render it “learn of me. I am not a student of New Testament Greek so I’ll leave that debate to the experts. Now, if I’m the one saying it, then learn of me is very different than learn from me. However, when Jesus says it they really mean the same thing. Jesus obviously came to save us [Jn. 3:17], but He also came to introduce us to God [Mt. 11:27]. In introducing us to His Father He was also introducing us to Himself, for they are One. So, when He was teaching us the ways of God, He was teaching us about Himself. We need to learn “from” Him, but we also need to learn “of” Him.
Concerning vs. 20 of Ephesians 4, Paul tells his non-Jewish readers that they haven’t learned as Christians that they should continue to live the way they lived prior to coming to Jesus. They were taught to live life differently than they used to. In the coming verses he will remind them of that.
(Verse Twenty of Chapter Four in my own words.)
But that’s not what you learned about and from Christ!
Ephesians 4:21
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
You certainly heard about him, and as his followers you were taught the truth that is in Jesus [TEV].
*If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him,*
“The Ephesians learned Christ, not only learning about Jesus, but also learning Him. This means a living, abiding knowledge of Jesus will keep us from the kind of sinful conduct Paul speaks of. Just knowing about Jesus isn’t enough to keep us pure [Guzik].
MY COMMENTS: Vs. 20 says, “But ye have not so learned Christ;” and this verse adds to that, “If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.” With that in mind it appears the meaning of this verse isn’t “If so be that ye have heard him” [KJV]; but rather, “You have certainly heard about Him” [TEV]. Then Paul goes on to write, “and were taught the truth that is in Jesus” [TEV]. Remember he is following up on his statement in vs. 20, “But ye have not so learned Christ.” He is simply exhorting these Gentile Christians that they mustn’t live the way they lived prior to their coming to Jesus.
*as the truth is in Jesus:*
MY COMMENTS: Paul tells his non-Jewish Christian readers that TRUTH is to be found in Jesus; it’s to be found in the Christian religion! I would like to encourage the Christians who might be reading my comments in 2020 America, “Truth is found in Jesus; it’s found in the teaching of the New Testament!” It’s not found in Political Correctness! We must no live like those living out the teachings of PC!!
(Verse Twenty One of Chapter Four in my own words.)
You have surely heard about Christ and have been taught all about Him; you were taught that He is the Truth {John 14:6}.
Ephesians 4:22
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
You were taught to change the way you were living. The person you used to be will ruin you through desires that deceive you [GW].
*That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;*
“conversation” – “manner of life, conduct, behaviour, deportment” [Thayer].
“The old man means all that a person was before his conversion, all that he was as a child of Adam” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: Here’s what all Christians ought to do; they ought to metaphorically change clothes! We need to take off the “old man,” and discard him. In vs. 24 we’ll learn that we then ought to “put on” the new man. Speaking more plainly, we need to discard our old, pre-Christian conduct and put on a new, better conduct that aligns itself with our Christian beliefs. We might not have known in those pre-Christian days that our conduct was, in the eyes of God, “corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.” We just thought it was what everyone was doing. However, now that we are Christians, and have been taught some about the Christian faith, we understand that the way we used to live our lives was offensive to a Holy God!
(Verse Twenty Two of Chapter Four in my own words.)
Lay aside the way that you used to live your life before you knew Jesus. The things you did back then were corrupt because they were born from evil desires.
Ephesians 4:23
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
*And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;*
“This points to a complete about-face in their thinking, a change from mental impurity to holiness. The Spirit of God influences the thought processes to reason from God’s standpoint, not from that of unsaved men” [BBC].
2 Corinthians 4:16) (KJV) For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
Colossians 3:10) (KJV) And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Romans 12:1-2) (KJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
MY COMMENTS: Here are three other passages that I wanted to utilize to drive home the point of vs. 23.
@2 Corinthians 4:16) In our Ephesians study we are told to “put off” the old man, which represents our old way of living. In this Corinthian passage it’s talking about are outward man, which represents the body we live in. But both areas are talking about renewal. In the Corinthian passage it’s telling us that this renewal ought to be happening every day.
@Colossians 3:10) In the Colossian passage we are being told that this renewal takes place as a result of our applying our minds to learning what the Scriptures teach us about out new life in Christ; and the renewal’s purpose is to continue our journey of becoming more like “the image of him that created us.”
@Romans 12:1-2) In the Romans passage we are to present our “bodies” {same as above, the bodies we live in} as a “living sacrifice” to God. We do this by laying aside our old way of living and by allowing the Spirit of God to transform us by the renewing of our minds; that is, we are to participate with the Holy Spirit in this spiritual renewal by filling our minds with the truth of God’s Word.
MORE COMMENTS: Our minds are a reflection of our hearts; what we are thinking about is what is important to us. The more we study the Scriptures, the more we meditate on those Scriptures we studied, the more we talk to God {in set aside times of prayer, while walking, while driving, while eating, etc.} the more our minds will become fixed on God! Then we will walk in a reality where our minds are constantly being renewed!
(Verse Twenty Three of Chapter Four in my own words.)
And then become spiritually renewed as you allow the Holy Spirit to change the way you think.
Ephesians 4:24
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
*And that ye put on the new man,*
MY COMMENTS: Vs. 22 tells us to “put off” the old man; vs. 24 tells us to “put on” the new man. We are to discard the old nature the way we would discard filthy clothes so stained as to be beyond cleaning. Then we are to clothe ourselves with a new nature that God gives us when we become Christians.
“The new man is what a believer is in Christ. It is the new creation, in which old things have passed away and all things have become new (2Co_5:17). This new kind of man is according to God, that is, created in His likeness. And it manifests itself in true righteousness and holiness. Righteousness means right conduct toward others. Holiness is “piety towards God” [BBC].
2 Cor. 5:17) (KJV) What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!
MY COMMENTS: When you got down on your knees and asked Jesus to save you, the same “you” that bowed down is the same “you” that got up, in the eyes of everyone watching that event. But God doesn’t see it that way! In His reality the “you” that bowed down is in no way remotely similar to the “you” that got up! You, in the eyes of God, are, in every way a brand new creation! “The old life is gone. A new life has begun” [2 Cor. above]. When you were born into Adam {the human family} you were born into sin; when you were born into the “last Adam” {Jesus} you were born into “righteousness and true holiness” [vs. 24 above]. You were created to do “good works” [Eph. 2:10].
*which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.*
“Rev., correctly, in righteousness and holiness of truth” [Vincent].
“After God. After the pattern God, the new birth, the new life in Christ, destined to be like God in the end (Rom_8:29) [Robertson].
MY COMMENTS: We were created in the image of God [Gen. 1:27]. Sin marred that image [Rom. 3:23]. God’s eternal plan has been to restore us to that image by conforming us to the image of His Son [Rom. 8:29]. In the meantime we have been recreated to live out our lives here in “righteousness” {which means we live our lives with a right relationship with a Holy God that results in our doing “good works” that we were created to do [Eph. 2:10]. Let me repeat a comment I wrote on vs. 12 of this chapter, “We aren’t ‘holy’ because we live better than anyone else; we are ‘holy’ because a Holy God has written His name on us; in other words, we are ‘holy’ because we belong to a Holy God!!” Let me add to that, we are holy for the same reason the Temple was holy, the same reason the Temple utensils were holy, the same reason Jerusalem was holy, the same reason the people of Israel were holy; we are holy because “we have been separated from a profane to a sacred use.” In other words, we are holy because we are now in God’s pile of stuff!! That’s “true holiness,” or “holiness of truth.” The challenge is now to align our actions with the position of holiness God has given us. Paul is telling his readers in this chapter to quit living badly and start living the right way. The following verses will give us a clearer understanding of what that right way is.
(Verse Twenty Four of Chapter Four in my own words.)
And you must put on the new man, which is created after the pattern of God to enable you to walk out the righteousness you have received by being united to God, and to reflect the holiness that you have because you are the possession of God!
Ephesians 4:25
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
*Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor:*
“Lying here includes every form of dishonesty, whether it is shading of the truth, exaggeration, cheating, failure to keep promises, betrayal of confidence, flattery, or fudging on income taxes. The Christian’s word should be absolutely trustworthy. His yes should mean yes, and his no, no. — Truth is a debt we owe to all men. However, when Paul uses the word, neighbor, here, he is thinking particularly of our fellow believers” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: Here Paul begins to explain to us what it looks like when we “put off” the old man [vs. 22] and “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” [vs. 24]. The first thing he tells us is to quit lying! He then tells us that we are to replace lying with telling the truth!
Col. 3:8-9) (KJV) But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9) Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
MY COMMENTS: Paul wrote the same thing to the Colossian believers. He told them that putting off the old man results in being truthful with others, especially other believers.
*for we are members one of another.*
Sometimes we’re afraid to trust others with the truth. Maybe a gentle rebuke from us will offend them. Maybe siding with the other party in a dispute will anger them. Maybe telling them the truth about ourselves will cause them to lose respect for us.
James 5:16) (KJV) Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
MORE COMMENTS: When I mentioned above that sometimes we’re afraid to trust others I’m not referring to confessing our faults/sins to others as in the James’ passage above. We should be very careful in selecting someone to confess our faults to; because some would simply tell others what you told them. You must pick a very trustworthy Christian brother or sister to confess your faults to. In the above mention of being afraid to trust others I was simply expressing that fear can cause us to be afraid to show others who we really are because we don’t think they’ll like the real us. I heard a man say one time, “You who are always worried about what others think about you might be surprised at how seldom they do.” To stop lying to others and to begin to be honest with them takes a certain amount of courage; but remember, “we are members one of another” [current vs.] because “there is” just “one body” [vs. 4].
(Verse Twenty Five of Chapter Four in my own words.)
This means that we should stop lying to others and start being honest with them. After all, we are members of one another.
Ephesians 4:26
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
*Be ye angry, and sin not:*
“The man who is never angry is lacking in moral fiber. Christ was sometimes angry (Mar_3:5). God is angry with the wicked (Psa_7:11)” [Pulpit].
“It is in danger of being indulged for our own satisfaction instead of the resistance and checking of moral evil. Personal revenge is likely to usurp the place of righteous indignation [also Pulpit].
Mark 3:5) (KJV) And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
Psalm 7:11) (KJV) God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
MY COMMENTS: As you can see from the above notes and Scripture passages being angry, in and of itself, is not sin! If you came upon someone harming a child it would make you angry; and you would try to rescue that child. The danger with even righteous anger is that it will be accompanied by a desire to execute wrath on the perpetrator. That would be sin! So Paul tells us that the nature of this new man we’ve become is to be angry when it is warranted, but not to allow righteous anger to turn into a sinful act.
*let not the sun go down upon your wrath:*
“Reprove your brother, and be reconciled immediately. Lose not one day. A clear, express command” [Wesley].
“That is: If you do get angry with any one, see that the fire be cast with the utmost speed out of your bosom” [Clarke].
MY COMMENTS: The main point concerning not letting “the sun go down upon your wrath” is let it go quickly. Don’t allow the anger of the moment to become a wedge between you and a Christian brother or sister.
ANOTHER THOUGHT: The commentators look at this in the way it’s presented above. Let me also point to another truth about this. Sometimes we get angry at someone simply because they hurt our feelings. It’s going to happen sometimes even in the Christian community, or in a Christian home. Husbands and wives sometimes get angry with one another. We’re not perfect; even when it’s just us be angry with someone we are being taught in this verse two things: if you always see anger as sin, when it’s not legitimately righteous anger {which I don’t}, don’t allow that anger to cause you to sin more. Learn to take measures that keep that anger from turning into long term resentment. Sometimes it’s as simple as separating from the other individual for a few moments, or a few hours. When you calm down you see things differently.
I don’t believe all anger is sin when it’s not righteous anger; sometimes it’s simply an emotion. What we do with that emotion will determine rather or not sin becomes involved.
(Verse Twenty Six of Chapter Four in my own words.)
There might be times when you’re angry; but don’t allow that anger to cause you to sin. And don’t allow that anger to cause you to become vengeful. You’re a new man in Christ; submit to God and get over your anger quickly!
Ephesians 4:27
Neither give place to the devil.
*Neither give place to the devil.*
Don’t give the devil a way to defeat you [ERV].
Don’t give the Devil a chance [TEV].
And do not give the devil a foothold [NIV].
“The devil’s work is to accuse and divide the family of God, and to sow discord among them. When we harbor anger in our heart, we do the devil’s work for him. The name devil literally means ‘slanderer.’ Paul may be saying that when we hold on to our anger, creating bitterness, we give place to the slanderer – either because we become one or because we provoke their slander” [Guzik].
“Anger is not to interfere with love. While Christ looked round on the hypocrites with anger he was at the same time grieved because of the hardening of their hearts. And we must ever draw this distinction between the sinner and his sin” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: We get frustrated because the car in front of us at the McDonald’s Drive Thru seems to be ordering for fifteen people. We’re not gifted with our hands when it comes to carpentry and we’re trying to put together a new desk that came in a box. It should be a half hour job and it takes us two hours. We get frustrated. Frustration turns to anger. That anger must not turn into wrath! Again, we are new creations in Christ Jesus; allow His Spirit to envelop you and calm you down before you sin by aggressively honking your horn in the first scenario, or throwing you hammer in the second. We mustn’t allow our frustration to cause a scene where someone is honking back in the first scenario, or the dog’s running to hide in the second! We must not “give place to the devil.”
(Verse Twenty Seven of Chapter Four in my own words.)
You must never allow the devil to win in any situation!
Ephesians 4:28
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
*Let him that stole steal no more:*
If you are a thief, quit stealing. [CEV].
Whoever has been stealing must stop it and start working [ERV].
“Commentators disagree on whether occasional or full-time thievery is implied; the positive injunction to work, however, would seem to indicate that the writer is talking about people who would support themselves by stealing. The new life in Christ requires a new way of making a living” [UBS].
MY COMMENTS: Maybe the individual here was a thief; or maybe he was a user, someone who was always asking someone else who was a hard worker to bail him out of some financial mess he was in. Certainly in the Christian community today anyone who is confessing he is a Christian would already understand that he wasn’t supposed to be a thief. However, he might justify his own laziness and spend what he doesn’t have and then call a Christian friend to help him out another time. You might call that a more Christian way to steal. Whichever case it is the command is simple, “Stop stealing!”
*but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good,*
and start working. They must use their hands for doing something good [ERV].
and start working, in order to earn an honest living for himself [TEV].
MY COMMENTS: The first thing the thief must do if he wants to follow Christ is to “stop stealing;” the second thing he must do is to “start working”! Whatever work he decides to do must by “the thing that is good.” In other words, it shouldn’t be a shady job; it should be a honest job.
*that he may have to give to him that needeth.*
Then they will have something to share with those who are poor [ERV].
and then give generously to others in need [NLT].
MY COMMENTS: Again, “The first thing the thief must do if he wants to follow Christ is to “stop stealing;” the second thing he must do is to “start working”! Now we see that the third thing the thief should do is to quit being the taker and start being the giver! Understand that there are real individuals in need who need someone to give them a helping hand.
(Verse Twenty Eight of Chapter Four in my own words.)
No Christian should steal, rather it be actual theft, or rather it be simply always showing up with a sob story and your hand open. Stop that! Rather go and get an honest job and learn to support yourself! Then quit being a taker and start being a giver!
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
*Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,*
“Corrupt” (4550) – “rotten, putrefied” [Thayer].
Matt. 7:17) (KJV) Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
“Corrupt” – (4550) “Rotten, putrid, like fruit” [Robertson].
(ERV) When you talk, don’t say anything bad.
(GNB) Do not use harmful words,
(GW) Don’t say anything that would hurt another person.
(NLT) Don’t use foul or abusive language.
MY COMMENTS: You can see from the above notes that the word “corrupt” in our Ephesian passage is the same Greek word {Strong’s # 4550} for “corrupt” in the Matthew passage. Thayer’s Greek Definitions says it means “rotten, putrefied;” and Robertson’s Word Pictures says it means “rotten, putrid, like fruit.” What are you not to allow to “proceed out of your mouth”? The answer is any kind of words that are “rotten, putrid, like fruit.” In today’s American it would certainly include any kind of foul language that the movies would consider PG or R rated language. But it would include so much more. It would include words that needlessly hurt other individuals. That would include words that defame others, abuse others, spread lies about others, or pridefully talking down to others.
*but that which is good to the use of edifying,*
(ERV) But say the good things that people need–whatever will help them grow stronger.
“The Christian’s speech should be:
Edifying. It should result in building up the hearers.
Appropriate. It should be suitable to the occasion.
Gracious. It should impart grace to the hearers” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: We should aspire to speak words that uplift others rather than tearing them down.
*that it may minister grace unto the hearers.*
(ERV) Then what you say will be a blessing to those who hear you.
MY COMMENTS: The main idea of ministering “grace unto the hearers” is most likely the idea of saying encouraging, uplifting things to them. However, Paul wrote this letter. Paul was perhaps the biggest preacher of grace who ever lived! I’m convinced that he, at least to some extent, is telling us to use our words to encourage others to understand grace, to walk in grace, to know how much a Holy God loves them because His amazing grace has so thoroughly cleansed them!
(Verse Twenty Nine of Chapter Four in my own words.)
Don’t communicate the wrong things with the words you speak! But rather use your words for the good purpose of building others up in the Lord; that way your words will minister God’s message of grace to His people!
Ephesians 4:30
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
*And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,*
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him] [Amp].
“And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, lit, ‘the Spirit, the Holy (Spirit) of God.’ This emphatic form shows the importance of the command. The verb means to disturb, render sorrowful, while ‘and’ shows that corrupt words do thus ‘grieve’ the Spirit, which dwells in us and in others, and can be thus ill treated by foul speech” [Popular N.T.].
“1. God is a living Spirit. He can be grieved.
- God is our Father, related to us, loving us. It is of the self-sacrificing nature of love that it lays itself out to be wounded when it is treated unworthily. We can always hurt most those who love us most.
- God is within us. The Holy Spirit is God dwelling in our spirits. Because he is so near he is much concerned with our character and conduct” [Pulpit].
MY COMMENTS: As the above comment from Popular N.T. shows us this verse is a continuation of vs. 29. It’s telling us that if we allow our words to needlessly harm others we are grieving “the Holy Spirit of God”! God desires that work with Him in ministering grace to His children.
*whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.*
by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin) [Amp].
Eph. 1:13-14) (KJV) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14) Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
MY COMMENTS: Why would we ever carelessly “grieve” the Holy Spirit Who is the God Who lives in us.
Rom. 8:26, 33-34) (KJV) Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
33) Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
34) Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
MY COMMENTS: Jesus lives in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. How much confidence does God have in you when it comes to you doing what is necessary to get you to Heaven? Zero! “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure” [Rom. 4:16]. We are saved by faith so that God, Who through Jesus is the author of our faith, can take the matter of us getting to Heaven out of our hands and place it squarely into His hands, Who through Jesus is the finisher of our faith [Heb. 12:2]. God has zero confidence in us so He has placed the Holy Spirit inside of us to intercede for us; and God always answers the prayers of the Holy Spirit because He always prays for the will of the Father [Rom. 8:26-27]. And then the Father has His Son, Jesus, always sitting “at the right hand of” Him in Heaven so that He, Jesus, can always make “intercession for us” [Rom. 8:33-34].
God has sealed us unto “the day of redemption;” and God, the Father and God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit never fail to get the job done!! We are going to Heaven!! So, in the meantime, we should be to “grieve not the Holy Spirit of God”!!
(Verse Thirty of Chapter Four in my own words.)
And definitely don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God! It is through that Holy Spirit that God has placed a seal on you to signify that you are one of His; and you are absolutely going to Heaven!
Ephesians 4:31
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
*Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:*
“All sins of temper and tongue should be put away. The apostle lists several of them. Though it is not possible to distinguish each one precisely, the overall meaning is clear:
Bitterness—Smoldering resentment, unwillingness to forgive, harsh feeling.
Wrath—Bursts of rage, violent passion, temper tantrums.
Anger—Grouchiness, animosity, hostility.
Clamor—Loud outcries of anger, bawling, angry bickering, shouting down of opponents.
Evil speaking—Insulting language, slander, abusive speech.
Malice—Wishing evil on others, spite, meanness [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: In vs. 17 Paul tells his non-Jewish readers to stop living like the other Gentiles do, those who are unsaved. In vs. 18-19 he tells them that those unsaved Gentiles have never come to know God; and so they are ignorant of the way they should live. They have no guiding conscience and so they live horrible, ungodly lives. In vs. 20-21 he tells them they know better than the others do because they have become acquainted with Christ. In vs. 22 he tells them to put off the “old man,” in other words lay aside your old way of living your lives. In vs. 23-24 he tells them to put on the “new man,” in other words adopt a new way of living your lives that reflect your relationship with Jesus! In vs. 25-29 he gives them a list of things they should not be doing as Christians. They shouldn’t lie; they shouldn’t let anger run its ungodly course, which is allowing the devil to win; they shouldn’t take what isn’t there’s, but they should earn an honest living; and they should not use words to hurt and destroy others; but they should use words to encourage others. Then he tells them in vs. 30 that doing those things he is telling them not to do grieves the Holy Spirit! Now in vs. 31 he adds a few more things to that list of things not to do!
(Verse Thirty One of Chapter Four in my own words.)
So let all bitterness, and the desire to get even, and anger, and loud outbreaks of that anger, and speaking evil things to others be a part of your past, along with malice.
Ephesians 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
*And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,*
“The new man seeks to show the same kindness, tender heartedness and forgiveness to others that God shows him. If we treat others as God treats us, we fulfill everything Paul told us to do in this chapter” [Guzik].
“The foregoing sins of temper should be terminated, but the vacuum must be filled by the cultivation of Christlike qualities. The former are natural vices; the following are supernatural virtues:
Kindness—An unselfish concern for the welfare of others, and a desire to be helpful even at great personal sacrifice.
Tenderheartedness—A sympathetic, affectionate, and compassionate interest in others, and a willingness to bear their burden.
Forgiveness—A readiness to pardon offenses, to overlook personal wrongs against oneself, and to harbor no desire for retaliation” [BBC].
MY COMMENTS: Paul explained the “minus” side of how the “new man” in Christ is supposed to live in vs. 17-31. In other words he told us what the “new man” wasn’t supposed to do! In this verse Paul tells us some of the “plus” side of what the “new man” is supposed to do! Being kind and compassionate towards others should be an obvious quality of a believer in Christ! How about forgiving others though?
*forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.*
- “God forgives our sin knowing that we will sin again, often in exactly the same way.
- God’s forgiveness is so complete and glorious that He grants adoption to those former offenders.
- God, in His forgiveness, bore all the penalty for the wrong we did against Him.
- God requires no probationary period to receive His forgiveness.
- God’s forgiveness offers complete restoration and honor. He loves, adopts, honors, and associates those who once wronged Him” [Guzik, some of his remarks on God’s forgiveness of our sins].
MY COMMENTS: Paul here is instructing us in the area of our Christian responsibilities. In this area of responsibility we are to “forgive one another” in the very same way that God has forgiven us. David Guzik gives us some incredible examples of how God has forgiven us; and those examples portray to us how we are to forgive one another.
- When we forgive someone it should not be contingent upon their never sinning against us again.
- Our forgiveness should be an absolute forgiveness.
- We can’t bear the guilt of their offense against us the way that God did for us; but we should forgive them for all the wrong they did against us.
- We should not require a probationary period that the one who offended us has to go through before we forgive.
- When we forgive one another that forgiveness should include complete restoration of our fellowship [Guzik].
Understand this though; when God forgives us He does not enable us to continue on our destructive path. When we forgive others that forgiveness must not turn into our becoming that individual’s enabler. Forgiving does not mean that we continue bailing them out of predicaments caused by their bad choices. We can totally forgive and love them without enabling them!
ALLOW ME TO TAKE MY COMMENTS ANOTHER DIRECTION: There is another amazing truth that can be found in the phrase “even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.” There has always been the question, “How can a just God forgive my sins and remain just?”
1 John 1:9) (KJV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
MY COMMENTS: This verse is telling me that when I confess to God that I have sinned against Him His faithfulness and His being just requires Him to forgive me. What? Wow! Why does justice require God to forgive me? I’m the sinner; He’s the Judge! It makes absolutely no sense until we understand that “God for Christ’s sake” forgives us. Please note the following passage from Romans 11:35 in six different translations:
Rom. 11:35) (KJV) Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
[NLT] And who could ever give him so much that he would have to pay it back?
[CEV] Has anyone loaned something to the Lord that must be repaid?
[ERV] Who has ever given God anything? God owes nothing to anyone.
[TEV] Who has ever given him anything, so that he had to pay it back?
[GW] Who gave the Lord something which the Lord must pay back?
MORE COMMENTS: Paul writes to the Romans that no man has ever indebted God! God owes me nothing; so why is He “faithful and just” to forgive me? God has never been in debt to me, or to no other man; period! Not one single plain ol’ man has ever indebted God. Well, there was this one guy; — not a man exactly, but a God-Man! God sent His “only begotten Son” to pay the penalty for my sin, and for your sin! Jesus did what the Father sent Him to do! The Father sent Him to indebt Him to forgive my sin, and your sin, and the sin of absolutely everyone who will come to Him for forgiveness! How did He do that? He paid the debt I owed His Father for my sins! My debt has been paid in full! Now, because of what Jesus has done on my behalf God now is “faithful and just” to forgive me because He, for Christ’s sake,” forgives me because, my bill having been paid in full, causes Justice to demand my forgiveness, and God’s faithfulness to His Son requires my forgiveness!
(Verse Thirty Two of Chapter Four in my own words.)
On the contrary, be kind to each other, be compassionate, and forgive one another just like God, for Christ’s sake, forgives you and me.