Ephesians4

Paul exhorts believers to walk worthy of their calling, maintaining unity in the Spirit through lowliness, meekness, and love, recognizing the singular nature of God, Lord, faith, and body. He explains that Christ gave diverse spiritual gifts for the church's edification and maturity, preventing them from being swayed by false doctrines. Believers are urged to abandon their former Gentile ways, putting off the "old man" and putting on the "new man" characterized by truth, righteousness, and mutual forgiveness. This transformation is to be evident in their ethical conduct and communication.

Call to Walk Worthy of Calling

Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love,

and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope.

And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion,

and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.

Gifts for the Unity of the Body

Each one of us, however, has been given grace to be measured by the Messiah’s bounty.

This is why it says, “After he went up into the heights, he led captivity captive and he gave gifts to mankind.”

Now this phrase, “he went up,” what can it mean if not that he first went down into the lower parts, that is, the earth?

The one who went down is himself the one who also went up, far above all of heaven, in order to fill all things.

Furthermore, he gave some people as emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers.

Their task is to equip God’s people for the work of service that builds the body of the Messiah,

until we all arrive at the unity implied by trusting and knowing the Son of God, at full manhood, at the standard of maturity set by the Messiah’s perfection.

We will then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and blown along by every wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in devising ways to deceive.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah.

Under his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the body grows and builds itself up in love.

Putting Off the Old Man

Therefore I say this — indeed, in union with the Lord I insist on it: do not live any longer as the pagans live, with their sterile ways of thinking.

Their intelligence has been shrouded in darkness, and they are estranged from the life of God, because of the ignorance in them, which in turn comes from resisting God’s will.

They have lost all feeling, so they have abandoned themselves to sensuality, practicing any kind of impurity and always greedy for more.

But this is not the lesson you learned from the Messiah!

If you really listened to him and were instructed about him, then you learned that since what is in Yeshua is truth,

then, so far as your former way of life is concerned, you must strip off your old nature, because your old nature is thoroughly rotted by its deceptive desires;

and you must let your spirits and minds keep being renewed,

and clothe yourselves with the new nature created to be godly, which expresses itself in the righteousness and holiness that flow from the truth.

Specific Commands for the New Life

Therefore, stripping off falsehood, let everyone speak truth with his neighbor, because we are intimately related to each other as parts of a body.

Be angry, but don’t sin — don’t let the sun go down before you have dealt with the cause of your anger;

otherwise you leave room for the Adversary.

The thief must stop stealing; instead, he should make an honest living by his own efforts. This way he will be able to share with those in need.

Let no harmful language come from your mouth, only good words that are helpful in meeting the need, words that will benefit those who hear them.

Don’t cause grief to God’s Ruach HaKodesh, for he has stamped you as his property until the day of final redemption.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, violent assertiveness and slander, along with all spitefulness.

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted; and forgive each other, just as in the Messiah God has also forgiven you.

Study Notes for Ephesians 4

Verse 1

Paul transitions from the great theological truths of chapters 1–3 to the practical ethical demands of Christian living (chapters 4–6). Being a 'prisoner of the Lord' lends authority to his appeal for humble obedience.

Verse 3

Unity is not something the church creates, but something it must maintain ('endeavouring to keep'). The Holy Spirit establishes the unity; peace is the 'bond' that holds believers together practically.

Verse 6

Verses 4–6 list the 'seven ones,' stressing the non-negotiable theological foundations of the Christian life. This profound theological unity demands practical relational unity among believers.

Verse 7

While unity is stressed, diversity in gifting is also divine. Grace here refers specifically to the enablement and spiritual gifts distributed by Christ to every believer for service.

Verse 8

Paul quotes Psalm 68:18 (adapting it slightly) to prove Christ’s authority to dispense gifts following His victorious ascension. 'He led captivity captive' refers to Christ triumphing over the powers of sin and death.

Verse 9

The 'lower parts of the earth' refers either to Christ’s descent into the grave/Hades or simply to His humiliation in the Incarnation, contrasting with His ascension 'far above all heavens.'

Verse 11

These roles represent Christ's structural gifts to the church, designed to equip the entire body. The grouping 'pastors and teachers' often indicates a single office combining two functions: leading and instructing.

Verse 12

This verse clarifies the threefold purpose of ministry: equipping the saints (believers), performing the service (ministry), and building up (edifying) the church.

Verse 13

The ultimate goal of ministry is corporate maturity ('a perfect man'), defined by spiritual stability and full knowledge of Christ, reaching His standard of spiritual completeness.

Verse 15

Maturity involves 'speaking the truth in love,' balancing conviction with compassion, ensuring that growth is always directed toward Christ, the Head of the church.

Verse 16

The body metaphor illustrates how every individual part must function effectively ('effectual working in the measure of every part') for the entire church to grow and increase in love.

Verse 17

Paul issues a direct command based on the contrast between the life received in Christ and the futile, morally corrupt way of life characteristic of unregenerate paganism ('other Gentiles').

Verse 18

Describes the spiritual alienation of the unregenerate: intellectual futility, spiritual separation ('alienated from the life of God'), and moral callousness due to willful ignorance.

Verse 22

Verses 22–24 summarize the ethical demand of conversion using the metaphor of changing clothes: 'Put off' the corrupt old life, 'be renewed' inwardly, and 'put on' the new, righteous life.

Verse 25

The first specific command addresses truthfulness, motivated by the theological reality that believers are interconnected members of one body.

Verse 26

This command, likely referencing Psalm 4:4, acknowledges that anger is a natural emotion but strictly limits its duration and expression, lest it become sinful.

Verse 27

Unresolved anger provides the devil a 'place' or foothold (Gk. *topos*), allowing negative influences to take root in the believer's life or community.

Verse 28

Conversion results in an ethical reversal: stealing is replaced by diligent labor, motivated by the desire not just for self-sufficiency but to provide for the needy.

Verse 29

Addresses the use of language. 'Corrupt communication' (Gk. *sapros*, meaning rotten or worthless) must be replaced by speech that is constructive, positive, and ministers grace to the hearers.

Verse 30

The Holy Spirit seals believers as God's guaranteed possession until the final day of redemption. Sinful behavior, especially malice and bitterness, is viewed as personally grieving the Spirit who lives within them.

Verse 32

The pinnacle of Christian ethics: forgiveness toward others is mandatory and must be modeled after the radical, gracious, and unconditional forgiveness God has demonstrated toward believers through Christ.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate

Ephesians4

Call to Walk Worthy of Calling

Gifts for the Unity of the Body

Putting Off the Old Man

Specific Commands for the New Life

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Options