English · KJV

Ephesians 4:4

“Unity in the Body of Christ”Ephesians 4:1–6
King James Version
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

KJV (with Strong's)
There is one G1520 body G4983, and G2532 one G1520 Spirit G4151, even as G2531 G2532 ye are called G2564 in G1722 one G3391 hope G1680 of your G5216 calling G2821;

Bible text: King James Version with Strong's numbers · Public domain

Berean Standard Bible
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible · Public domain

American Standard Version
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling;

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

World English Bible Messianic
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling;

Bible text: World English Bible, Messianic edition · Public domain

Geneva Bible (1599)
There is one body, and one Spirit, euen as yee are called in one hope of your vocation.

Bible text: Geneva Bible (1599) · Public domain

Young's Literal Translation
one body and one Spirit, according as also ye were called in one hope of your calling;

Bible text: Young's Literal Translation · Public domain

King James Version — Interlinear
14 Greek words
  1. ἓνhenoneG1520A-NSNAdjective Nominative Singular Neuter
  2. σῶμαsōmabodyG4983N-NSNNoun Nominative Singular Neuter
  3. καὶkaiandG2532CONJConjunction
  4. ἓνhenoneG1520A-NSNAdjective Nominative Singular Neuter
  5. πνεῦμαpneumaSpiritG4151N-NSNNoun Nominative Singular Neuter
  6. καθὼςkathōseven asG2531CONJConjunction
  7. καὶkaialsoG2532CONJConjunction
  8. ἐκλήθητεeklēthēteyou were calledG2564V-API-2PVerb Aorist Passive Indicative 2nd Plural
  9. ἐνenintoG1722PREPPreposition
  10. μιᾷmiaoneG1520A-DSFAdjective Dative Singular Feminine
  11. ἐλπίδιelpidihopeG1680N-DSFNoun Dative Singular Feminine
  12. τῆςtēsof theG3588T-GSFDefinite article Genitive Singular Feminine
  13. κλήσεωςklēseōscallingG2821N-GSFNoun Genitive Singular Feminine
  14. ὑμῶν·humōnof youG4771P-2GPPersonal pronoun Genitive 2nd Plural
English is a literal word-by-word gloss of the Greek, not the KJV's wording. Why?

This is the original text the KJV's translators worked from — each Greek word with its own literal English meaning in this verse, prepared by scholars at Tyndale House, Cambridge. The KJV translates whole sentences, not word by word, so its wording differs: one Greek word can become several English words, and the KJV may choose “charity” where the gloss reads “love”. Both are faithful — they answer different questions. For the KJV's own rendering, switch to the KJV text.

Words in [ ] are added by the English.

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In the KJVVerse 29,277 of 31,102 · 94.1%

Study this verse

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This verse

The church is one body with one Spirit, and every believer has been called into the same hope.

“There is one body,”

The KJV supplies “There is” to complete the sense. The body (sōma) is the church, with Christ its head.

“and one Spirit,”

The one Holy Spirit (pneûma), who lives in every believer and baptizes all into one body.

“even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;”

“Even as” (kathṓs) ties the oneness of body and Spirit to the one hope (elpís) all were called into.

Walk Worthy and Keep the Unity of the Spirit

Ephesians 4:1–6

Summary

Paul turns here from what God has done for his people to how they are to live. From prison he pleads with believers to walk worthy of God’s calling, and he names the character that walk needs: lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, and a love that bears with one another. With that character they are to keep the unity the Holy Spirit has already made, held together by peace. Then he gives the ground of that unity in seven “ones”: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in all his people.

Walking worthy of God’s calling

Why does Paul begin with “therefore”?

Paul begins with “therefore” because everything he now asks of believers follows from what God has already done for them. Ephesians 4:1 is the hinge of the letter. Chapters 1 to 3 tell how God chose his people in Christ to be holy and without blame before him (Ephesians 1:4), blessed them with every spiritual blessing, and joined Jews and Gentiles into one people (Ephesians 2:11–22). Chapters 4 to 6 tell how those who have received all this are to live. The word oûn, “therefore”, marks what follows as the consequence of what came before. Paul’s letters often run this way, with the truth about who we are in Christ first and the call to live it second, and he opens the practical half of Romans with almost the same words: “I beseech you therefore” (Romans 12:1).

People ask whether walking worthy is a way to earn God’s favour. Paul calls believers to walk worthy of a calling they have already received, so the worthy walk is our answer to grace already given, and the Holy Spirit gives the strength for it. This is how God goes on making us like Christ, and it joins what we believe to how we behave.

The prisoner of the Lord

Paul was writing from prison, most likely in Rome around A.D. 60–62, and he calls himself “the prisoner of the Lord”. The word désmios means one who is bound, a captive, and the Greek says literally “the prisoner in the Lord”, en kyríō. Earlier in the letter he wrote “the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles” (Ephesians 3:1), and he gives himself the same title in Philemon 1:9. His chains came from his faithfulness to Christ, and he held them to be under Christ’s rule and part of the Lord’s purpose. He tells the Philippians that they share in his grace in his bonds and in the defence of the gospel (Philippians 1:7). A man in chains for Christ who asks others to live for Christ speaks with weight, and his suffering shows that he means every word.

Paul could have given orders as an apostle, and he chose to plead. His verb, parakaléō, is built from words meaning “to call” and “near”, and in use it means to ask earnestly, to invite, to exhort or encourage. It is the earnest appeal of a pastor to people he loves, and it asks for a willing response.

What it means to walk worthy

“Walk”, peripatéō, means to walk or walk about, and the New Testament uses it for how a person lives and behaves. It speaks of conduct carried on day after day. Paul returns to the word four more times in this half of the letter (Ephesians 4:17, 5:2, 5:8, 5:15).

“Worthy”, axíōs, means fittingly or “as becometh”, and it carries the picture of something of equal weight. A worthy walk is a life that matches the calling in weight, so that what we do corresponds to what God has made us. Paul asks the same of other churches. He prays that the Colossians would walk worthy of the Lord (Colossians 1:10), tells the Philippians to live “as it becometh the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27), and urged the Thessalonians to walk worthy of God (1 Thessalonians 2:12).

“Vocation”, klēsis, comes from the verb kaléō, “to call”, and means a calling, invitation or summons. It is the same word Paul used when he prayed that believers would know “the hope of his calling” (Ephesians 1:18), and it comes again in verse 4. Here it names God’s own summons: his call to salvation, to fellowship with his Son, and to a share in his purposes. It is a holy calling, given by grace and rooted in his choice of us (2 Timothy 1:9).

Christ is both the source of this calling and the pattern of the worthy walk. He made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant, obedient unto death (Philippians 2:5–8), and his life of obedience and humility is our standard. Through his atoning work and the Spirit he gives, we put off the old man and put on the new man, “which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:22–24). Our life is hid with Christ in God, and so we set our affection on things above (Colossians 3:1–4).

The character that keeps believers together

Verse 2 shows what the worthy walk looks like among fellow believers. Paul writes “with” twice (Greek metá), so that these qualities go along with every step.

Lowliness, tapeinophrosýnē, means humility of mind or modesty, a humble estimate of oneself and freedom from pride. In the Greek and Roman world around the church, pride, self-assertion and social standing were prized, and humility was often thought weak or servile. Scripture treats it as a virtue: the honest view of ourselves that comes from seeing God’s greatness and his grace. Paul writes the same to the Philippians: “in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3–4). The word “all” in “all lowliness” means this humility should mark every part of our attitude and conduct.

Meekness, praiótēs, means gentleness or mildness, and by implication humility. It is a calm temper, slow to take offence, mild toward others, willing to yield, and submissive to God’s will. Lowliness is the humble mind within, and meekness is how that humility shows in the way we treat people.

Longsuffering, makrothymía, is patience that lasts, a slowness to anger that goes on enduring offences and difficult people over a long time and waits for God’s timing and justice. “Forbearing one another” uses anéchomai, to hold oneself up, to endure or put up with. It is the patient bearing of the faults, weaknesses and odd ways of fellow believers, given freely because all of us are imperfect and need grace.

Paul gathers the same qualities in Colossians 3:12–13: “humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another”. Several of them are also the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23), which tells us where they come from. They are hard, and God grows them in us.

How do longsuffering and forbearing differ?

Longsuffering is the inner quality, the patience that can endure people and circumstances for a long time without giving way to anger. Forbearing is that patience put into action toward a particular brother or sister, the choice to put up with their faults and stay in fellowship with them. Both are needed if the unity of verse 3 is to be kept.

In love

All of this is done “in love”. The word is agápē, the self-giving love of God that we are called to walk in (Ephesians 5:2). Love closes the list because it is the setting, the motive and the strength of everything before it, and Paul calls charity “the bond of perfectness” (Colossians 3:14). In love, humility and patience become Christ’s own love flowing through us to one another.

Christ, meek and lowly in heart

Jesus called himself “meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29), and he humbled himself to take the form of a servant (Philippians 2:5–8). His meekness showed in his submission to the Father’s will in Gethsemane (Luke 22:42). His whole ministry was longsuffering and forbearance toward rebellious people. He died for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8), and “he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). His love laid down his life for his friends (John 15:13). When we practise these virtues, we follow our Saviour.

Keeping the unity the Spirit has made

“Endeavouring”, spoudázō, means to make haste, to make effort, to be earnest. Paul asks for diligent, intentional, continuing work. What we work at is to “keep”, tēréō, to guard and preserve. People ask what it means to keep a unity that the Spirit has already made. It means guarding, in the way we treat one another, the oneness God gave every believer when he joined them to Christ, because quarrels and pride can damage in practice what he has made.

Unity, henótēs, means oneness. In the New Testament it is found only here and in Ephesians 4:13, “the unity of the faith”. The unity of the Spirit is the oneness the Holy Spirit creates among all believers, forming people of every background into one body. God’s purpose is to “gather together in one all things in Christ” (Ephesians 1:9–10), and that purpose is already seen in the church, where Jew and Gentile are made “one new man” (Ephesians 2:15). The church in Ephesus held Jews and Gentiles of very different customs and social standing, and this call spoke straight into its life. Christ’s people are many members in one body (Romans 12:4–5).

The “bond”, sýndesmos, is whatever ties things together, like the ligaments that join the bones of a body. Paul uses the word for the body’s “joints and bands” (Colossians 2:19) and for charity, “the bond of perfectness” (Colossians 3:14). Here the bond is peace, eirḗnē, which means rest, harmony and well-being. It includes the peace with God that we have through Christ (Romans 5:1), and the peace we pursue with one another as we forgive, settle quarrels and seek reconciliation. Where believers live as peacemakers, the unity holds as a body holds together by its ligaments.

That peace comes from Christ. On the cross he broke down the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile, made of the two one new man, and so made peace (Ephesians 2:14–16). He gives his peace to his disciples (John 14:27), and he prayed for this very unity (John 17:20–23): “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:21). When the church keeps its unity, the world sees the reconciling power of the gospel.

The seven “ones” that make the church one

Having told believers to keep the unity, Paul shows what it rests on. Across verses 4 to 6 he names seven things that are each one: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all. The repeated “one” (Greek heîs, mía or hén, according to the gender of the noun) gives the list its force, and in verse 5 the three are simply set side by side. These are statements of fact: “There is one body”. The unity believers are told to keep is real because God himself has made it.

The list rests on the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Spirit is named in verse 4, the Lord Jesus in verse 5 and the Father in verse 6, and the body, the hope, the faith and the baptism all belong to that saving work.

One body, one Spirit, one hope

The one body, sōma, is the church, all who believe in Christ, with Christ as its head (Ephesians 1:22–23) and each believer a member, joined to the others and depending on them. “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Jew and Gentile are reconciled to God “in one body by the cross” (Ephesians 2:16). Across distance, culture and denomination, all true believers belong to this one body.

The one Spirit is the Holy Spirit. The word pneûma means breath or wind, and also spirit, and here it names the third person of the Trinity. “For as the body is one, and hath many members… so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12–13). He lives in every believer, gives them a common life, and gives differing gifts for the good of all. Through Christ, Jew and Gentile both have access by one Spirit unto the Father and are built together for a habitation of God (Ephesians 2:18–22). He is the Comforter that Christ promised (John 14:26), the Spirit of Christ himself (Romans 8:9), and it is by him that we confess Jesus, for “no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Corinthians 12:3).

“Even as”, kathṓs, ties the calling to the unity, because the oneness of body and Spirit matches the one hope all believers were called into. Hope, elpís, means hope or expectation, looking forward with confidence to what God has promised. Every believer has the same hope: eternal life, the resurrection of the body, the return of Christ and the full coming of God’s kingdom. We are “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Christ in us is “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27), and the Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13–14). It is “the hope of your calling” because the call that brought us to Christ points us to that future. People walking toward the same future have every reason to be patient with one another on the way.

One Lord, one faith, one baptism

The one Lord is Jesus Christ. Kýrios means lord or master, one with supreme authority, and the Greek translation of the Old Testament often used it for the name of God, Yᵉhôvâh. Calling Jesus Lord confesses his divine rule over the church and all creation. God has made him “both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36), and Paul writes, “to us there is but one God, the Father… and one Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:6). In Ephesus, a city of many gods with the great temple of Artemis, under an empire where Caesar was hailed as lord, this confession set Christ above every rival. All believers serve the same Master, and that is the first thing that makes them one.

The word for faith, pístis, can mean the act of trusting or the content of what is believed, and believers differ on which Paul means by “one faith”. Many take it as the one body of truth all believers confess, the gospel about who God is, who Jesus is and how we are saved, “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3). Others take it as the one trust in Christ by which every believer is saved. The two belong together, for we confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in the heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). At its centre is the gospel that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3–4), and its object is a person, Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

Baptism, báptisma, is the Christian rite of baptism, and the word is also used figuratively for the baptism of the Spirit and for suffering. The “one baptism” is the shared beginning of the Christian life, our entry into Christ and his body. In it we are identified with his death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:3–4), and “as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ”, so that all are “one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:27–28).

Does “one baptism” settle how to baptize?

Paul’s point is that every believer has entered Christ through the same baptism, and that shared beginning unites them. Believers differ on its mode, immersion or sprinkling, and on its timing, as infants or as believers, and faithful people hold each conviction. This verse stresses the one baptism that all share, whatever a church’s practice of the rite.

One God and Father of all

The seventh “one” crowns the list, and all the others come from it. Heîs, one, declares that there is one God, as Israel confessed: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4). In a world of many gods, Paul names the one living God, and he names him Father. He has already bowed his knees “unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14–15).

Three phrases tell how this God stands toward “all”. He is “above all”, epí, over and upon everything, ruling every power in heaven and on earth, and he has set Christ “far above all principality, and power” (Ephesians 1:20–23). He is “through all”, at work throughout his creation and among his people, using people and circumstances to carry out his purposes, as all things were created by Christ and by him all things consist (Colossians 1:16–17). And he is “in you all”, en, dwelling within his people by his Spirit, so that the church is “an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). He rules high over all and lives close within every believer at once.

Is everyone God’s child?

In this verse “Father of all” speaks of God as the Father of all who belong to Christ, whatever their background. He is the Creator and sustainer of all humanity, and in that sense the Father of all creation, but Paul is writing to the church, to those God predestinated “unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:5). That sonship comes through faith in Christ, by whom we receive “the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). Because we all have the same Father, division among his children goes against his nature and his design for his church.

Christ at the centre of this unity

Every one of these “ones” meets in Christ. He is the head of the one body, the one Lord, the hope of glory, and the one into whom we are baptized. The Spirit who is “in you all” is given through him (John 14:16–17), and he brings us to the one God and Father, saying, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). His death broke down the wall between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:14) and reconciled both to God in one body by the cross. The unity of the church is a share in his own life by his Spirit, and he prayed that it would be seen.

Bearing with one another in the one body

Since God made this unity, we begin by receiving it with thanks. A believer of another background, culture or church has the same Lord, the same Spirit and the same Father as you, and is walking toward the same hope. That is reason enough to bear with what tries our patience in them, to be slow to take offence and quick to forgive, and to put the peace of the body ahead of our own preferences. The virtues of verse 2 are hard, and the God who is “in you all” gives the strength for them. A church where people of every kind bear with one another in love shows the world that Christ has broken down the walls between us.

Last revised

Public-domain commentary

Matthew Henry

From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry wrote on whole passages, and this entry covers Ephesians 4:2–16. He set out his notes in a three-level outline, kept here as he numbered it.

1662–1714 · 15 verses
Passage under commentEphesians 4:2–16
I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points(1.) (2.) Details

Here the apostle proceeds to more particular exhortations. Two he enlarges upon in this chapter: - To unity an love, purity and holiness, which Christians should very much study. We do not walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called if we be not faithful friends to all Christians, and sworn enemies to all sin.

This section contains the exhortation to mutual love, unity, and concord, with the proper means and motives to promote them. Nothing is pressed upon us more earnestly in the scriptures than this. Love is the law of Christ's kingdom, the lesson of his school, the livery of his family. Observe,

I.The means of unity:

Lowliness and meekness, long-suffering, and forbearing one another in love, Ephesians 4:2. By lowliness we are to understand humility, entertaining mean thoughts of ourselves, which is opposed to pride. By meekness, that excellent disposition of soul which makes men unwilling to provoke others, and not easily to be provoked or offended with their infirmities; and it is opposed to angry resentments and peevishness. Long-suffering implies a patient bearing of injuries, without seeking revenge. Forbearing one another in love signifies bearing their infirmities out of a principle of love, and so as not to cease to love them on the account of these. The best Christians have need to bear one with another, and to make the best one of another, to provoke one another's graces and not their passions. We find much in ourselves which it is hard to forgive ourselves; and therefore we must not think it much if we find that in others which we think hard to forgive them, and yet we must forgive them as we forgive ourselves. Now without these things unity cannot be preserved. The first step towards unity is humility; without this there will be no meekness, no patience, or forbearance; and without these no unity. Pride and passion break the peace, and make all the mischief. Humility and meekness restore the peace, and keep it. Only by pride comes contention; only by humility comes love. The more lowly-mindedness the more like-mindedness. We do not walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called if we be not meek and lowly of heart: for he by whom we are called, he to whom we are called, was eminent for meekness and lowliness of heart, and has commanded us therein to learn of him.

II.The nature of that unity which the apostle prescribes:

it is the unity of the Spirit, Ephesians 4:3. The seat of Christian unity is in the heart or spirit: it does not lie in one set of thoughts, nor in one form and mode of worship, but in one heart and one soul. This unity of heart and affection may be said to be of the Spirit of God; it is wrought by him, and is one of the fruits of the Spirit. This we should endeavour to keep. Endeavouring is a gospel word. We must do our utmost. If others will quarrel with us, we must take all possible care not to quarrel with them. If others will despise and hate us, we must not despise and hate them. In the bond of peace. Peace is a bond, as it unites persons, and makes them live friendly one with another. A peaceable disposition and conduct bind Christians together, whereas discord and quarrelling disband and disunite their hearts and affections. Many slender twigs, bound together, become strong. The bond of peace is the strength of society. Not that it can be imagined that all good people, and all the members of societies, should be in every thing just of the same length, and the same sentiments, and the same judgment: buy the bond of peace unites them all together, with a non obstante to these. As in a bundle of rods, they may be of different lengths and different strength; but, when they are tied together by one bond, they are stronger than any, even than the thickest and strongest was of itself.

III.The motives proper to promote this Christian unity and concord. The apostle urges several, to persuade us thereto.

1.Consider how many unities there are that are the joy and glory of our Christian profession. There should be one heart; for there is one body, and one spirit, Ephesians 4:4. Two hearts in one body would be monstrous. If there be but one body, all that belong to that body should have one heart. The Catholic church is one mystical body of Christ, and all good Christians make up but one body, incorporated by one charter, that of the gospel, animated by one Spirit, the same Holy Spirit who by his gifts and graces quickens, enlivens, and governs that body. If we belong to Christ, we are all actuated by one and the same Spirit, and therefore should be one. Even as you are called in one hope of your calling. Hope is here put for its object, the thing hoped for, the heavenly inheritance, to the hope of which we are called. All Christians are called to the same hope of eternal life. There is one Christ that they all hope in, and one heaven that they are all hoping for; and therefore they should be of one heart. One Lord (Ephesians 4:5), that is, Christ, the head of the church, to whom, by God's appointment, all Christians are immediately subject. One faith, that is, the gospel, containing the doctrine of the Christian faith: or, it is the same grace of faith (faith in Christ) whereby all Christians are saved. One baptism, by which we profess our faith, being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and so the same sacramental covenant, whereby we engage ourselves to the Lord Christ. One God and Father of all, Ephesians 4:6. One God, who owns all the true members of the church for his children; for he is the Father of all such by special relation, as he is the Father of all men by creation: and he is above all, by his essence, and with respect to the glorious perfections of his nature, and as he has dominion over all creatures and especially over his church, and through all, by his providence upholding and governing them: and in you all, in all believers, in whom he dwells as in his holy temple, by his Spirit and special grace. If then there be so many ones, it is a pity but there should be one more - one heart, or one soul.

2.Consider the variety of gifts that Christ has bestowed among Christians: But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Though the members of Christ's church agree in so many things, yet there are some things wherein they differ: but this should breed no difference of affection among them, since they are all derived from the same bountiful author and designed for the same great ends. Unto every one of us Christians is given grace, some gift of grace, in some kind or degree or other, for the mutual help of one another. Unto every one of us ministers is given grace; to some a greater measure of gifts, to others a less measure. The different gifts of Christ's ministers proved a great occasion of contention among the first Christians: one was for Paul, and another for Apollos. The apostle shows that they had no reason to quarrel about them, but all the reason in the world to agree in the joint use of them, for common edification; because all was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ, in such a measure as seemed best to Christ to bestow upon every one. Observe, All the ministers, and all the members of Christ, owe all the gifts and graces that they are possessed of to him; and this is a good reason why we should love one another, because to every one of us is given grace. All to whom Christ has given grace, and on whom he has bestowed his gifts (though they are of different sizes, different names, and different sentiments, yet), ought to love one another. The apostle takes this occasion to specify some of the gifts which Christ bestowed. And that they were bestowed by Christ he makes appear by those words of David wherein he foretold this concerning him (Psalm 68:18), Wherefore he saith (Ephesians 4:8), that is, the Psalmist saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. David prophesied of the ascension of Christ; and the apostle descants upon it here, and in the three following verses. When he ascended up on high. We may understand the apostle both of the place into which he ascended in his human nature, that is, the highest heavens, and particularly of the state to which he was advanced, he being then highly exalted, and eminently glorified, by his Father. Let us set ourselves to think of the ascension of Jesus Christ: that our blessed Redeemer, having risen from the dead, in gone to heaven, where he sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high, which completed the proof of his being the Son of God. As great conquerors, when they rode in their triumphal chariots, used to be attended with the most illustrious of their captives led in chains, and were wont to scatter their largesses and bounty among the soldiers and other spectators of their triumphs, so Christ, when he ascended into heaven, as a triumphant conqueror, led captivity captive. It is a phrase used in the Old Testament to signify a conquest over enemies, especially over such as formerly had led others captive; see Judges 5:12. Captivity is here put for captives, and signifies all our spiritual enemies, who brought us into captivity before. He conquered those who had conquered us; such as sin, the devil, and death. Indeed, he triumphed over these on the cross; but the triumph was completed at his ascension, when he became Lord over all, and had the keys of death and hades put into his hands. And he gave gifts unto men: in the psalm it is, He received gifts for men. He received for them, that he might give to them, a large measure of gifts and graces; particularly, he enriched his disciples with the gift of the Holy Ghost. The apostle, thus speaking of the ascension of Christ, takes notice that he descended first, Ephesians 4:9. As much as if he had said, "When David speaks of Christ's ascension, he intimates the knowledge he had of Christ's humiliation on earth; for, when it is said that he ascended, this implies that he first descended: for what is it but a proof or demonstration of his having done so?" Into the lower parts of the earth; this may refer either to his incarnation, according to that of David, Psalm 139:15, My substance was not hidden from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth; or, to his burial, according to that of Psalm 63:9, Those that seek my soul to destroy it shall go into the lower parts of the earth. He calls his death (say some of the fathers) his descent into the lower parts of the earth. He descended to the earth in his incarnation. He descended into the earth in his burial. As Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so was the Son of man in the heart of the earth. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens (Ephesians 4:10), far above the airy and starry (which are the visible) heavens, into the heaven of heavens; that he might fill all things, all the members of his church, with gifts and graces suitable to their several conditions and stations. Observe, Our Lord humbled himself first, and then he was exalted. He descended first, and then ascended. The apostle next tells us what were Christ's gifts at his ascension: He gave some apostles, etc., Ephesians 4:11. Indeed he sent forth some of these before his ascension, Matthew 10:1-5. But one was then added, Acts 1:26. And all of them were more solemnly installed, and publicly confirmed, in their office, by his visibly pouring forth the Holy Ghost in an extraordinary manner and measure upon them. Note, The great gift that Christ gave to the church at his ascension was that of the ministry of peace and reconciliation. The gift of the ministry is the fruit of Christ's ascension. And ministers have their various gifts, which are all given them by the Lord Jesus. The officers which Christ gave to his church were of two sorts - extraordinary ones advanced to a higher office in the church: such were apostles, prophets, and evangelists. The apostles were chief. These Christ immediately called, furnished them with extraordinary gifts and the power of working miracles, and with infallibility in delivering his truth; and, they having been the witnesses of his miracles and doctrine, he sent them forth to spread the gospel and to plant and govern churches. The prophets seem to have been such as expounded the writings of the Old Testament, and foretold things to come. The evangelists were ordained persons (2 Timothy 1:6), whom the apostles took for their companions in travel (Galatians 2:1), and sent them out to settle and establish such churches as the apostles themselves had planted (Acts 19:22), and, not being fixed to any particular place, they were to continue till recalled, 2 Timothy 4:9. And then there are ordinary ministers, employed in a lower and narrower sphere; as pastors and teachers. Some take these two names to signify one office, implying the duties of ruling and teaching belonging to it. Others think they design two distinct offices, both ordinary, and of standing use in the church; and then pastors are such as are fixed at the head of particular churches, with design to guide, instruct, and feed them in the manner appointed by Christ; and they are frequently called bishops and elders: and the teachers were those whose work it was also to preach the gospel and to instruct the people by way of exhortation. We see here that it is Christ's prerogative to appoint what officers and offices he pleases in his church. And how rich is the church, that had at first such a variety of officers and has still such a variety of gifts! How kind is Christ to his church! How careful of it and of its edification! When he ascended, he procured the gift of the Holy Ghost; and the gifts of the Holy Ghost are various: some have greater, others have less measures; but all for the good of the body, which brings us to the third argument,

3.Which is taken from Christ's great end and design in giving gifts unto men. The gifts of Christ were intended for the good of his church, and in order to advance his kingdom and interest among men. All these being designed for one common end is a good reason why all Christians should agree in brotherly love, and not envy one another's gifts. All are for the perfecting of the saints (Ephesians 4:12); that is, according to the import of the original, to bring into an orderly spiritual state and frame those who had been as it were dislocated and disjointed by sin, and then to strengthen, confirm, and advance them therein, that so each, in his proper place and function, might contribute to the good of the whole. - For the work of the ministry, or for the work of dispensation; that is, that they might dispense the doctrines of the gospel, and successfully discharge the several parts of their ministerial function. - For the edifying of the body of Christ; that is, to build up the church, which is Christ's mystical body, by an increase of their graces, and an addition of new members. All are designed to prepare us for heaven: Till we all come, etc., Ephesians 4:13. The gifts and offices (some of them) which have been spoken of are to continue in the church till the saints be perfected, which will not be till they all come in the unity of the faith (till all true believers meet together, by means of the same precious faith) and of the knowledge of the Son of God, by which we are to understand, not a bare speculative knowledge, or the acknowledging of Christ to be the Son of God and the great Mediator, but such as is attended with appropriation and affection, with all due honour, trust, and obedience. - Unto a perfect man, to our full growth of gifts and graces, free from those childish infirmities that we are subject to in the present world. - Unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, so as to be Christians of a full maturity and ripeness in all the graces derived from Christ's fulness: or, according to the measure of that stature which is to make up the fulness of Christ, which is to complete his mystical body. Now we shall never come to the perfect man, till we come to the perfect world. There is a fulness in Christ, and a fulness to be derived from him; and a certain stature of that fulness, and a measure of that stature, are assigned in the counsel of God to every believer, and we never come to that measure till we come to heaven. God's children, as long as they are in this world, are growing. Dr Lightfoot understands the apostle as speaking here of Jews and Gentiles knit in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, so making a perfect man, and the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. The apostle further shows, in the following verses, what was God's design in his sacred institutions, and what effect they ought to have upon us. As,

(1.)That we henceforth be no more children, etc. (Ephesians 4:14); that is, that we may be no longer children in knowledge, weak in the faith, and inconstant in our judgments, easily yielding to every temptation, readily complying with every one's humour, and being at every one's back. Children are easily imposed upon. We must take care of this, and of being tossed to and fro, like ships without ballast, and carried about, like clouds in the air, with such doctrines as have no truth nor solidity in them, but nevertheless spread themselves far and wide, and are therefore compared to wind. By the sleight of men; this is a metaphor taken from gamesters, and signifies the mischievous subtlety of seducers: and cunning craftiness, by which is meant their skilfulness in finding ways to seduce and deceive; for it follows, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, as in an ambush, in order to circumvent the weak, and draw them from the truth. Note, Those must be very wicked and ungodly men who set themselves to seduce and deceive others into false doctrines and errors. The apostle describes them here as base men, using a great deal of devilish art and cunning, in order thereunto. The best method we can take to fortify ourselves against such is to study the sacred oracles, and to pray for the illumination and grace of the Spirit of Christ, that we may know the truth as it is in Jesus, and be established in it.

(2.)That we should speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), or follow the truth in love, or be sincere in love to our fellow-christians. While we adhere to the doctrine of Christ, which is the truth, we should live in love one with another. Love is an excellent thing; but we must be careful to preserve truth together with it. Truth is an excellent thing; yet it is requisite that we speak it in love, and not in contention. These two should go together - truth and peace.

(3.)That we should grow up into Christ in all things. Into Christ, so as to be more deeply rooted in him. In all things; in knowledge, love, faith, and all the parts of the new man. We should grow up towards maturity, which is opposed to being children. Those are improving Christians who grow up into Christ. The more we grow into an acquaintance with Christ, faith in him, love to him, dependence upon him, the more we shall flourish in every grace. He is the head; and we should thus grow, that we may thereby honour our head. The Christian's growth tends to the glory of Christ.

(4.)We should be assisting and helpful one to another, as members of the same body, Ephesians 4:16. Here the apostle makes a comparison between the natural body and Christ's mystical body, that body of which Christ is the head: and he observes that as there must be communion and mutual communications of the members of the body among themselves, in order to their growth and improvement, so there must be mutual love and unity, together with the proper fruits of these, among Christians, in order to their spiritual improvement and growth in grace. From whom, says he (that is, from Christ their head, who conveys influence and nourishment to every particular member), the whole body of Christians, fitly joined together and compacted (being orderly and firmly united among themselves, every one in his proper place and station), by that which every joint supplies (by the assistance which every one of the parts, thus united, gives to the whole, or by the Spirit, faith, love, sacraments, etc., which, like the veins and arteries in the body, serve to unite Christians to Christ their head, and to one another as fellow-members), according to the effectual working in the measure of every part (that is, say some, according to the power which the Holy Ghost exerts to make God's appointed means effectual for this great end, in such a measure as Christ judges to be sufficient and proper for every member, according to its respective place and office in the body; or, as others, according to the power of Christ, who, as head, influences and enlivens every member; or, according to the effectual working of every member, in communicating to others of what it has received, nourishment is conveyed to all in their proportions, and according to the state and exigence of every part) makes increase of the body, such an increase as is convenient for the body. Observe, Particular Christians receive their gifts and graces from Christ for the sake and benefit of the whole body. Unto the edifying of itself in love. We may understand this two ways: - Either that all the members of the church may attain a greater measure of love to Christ and to one another; or that they are moved to act in the manner mentioned from love to Christ and to one another. Observe, Mutual love among Christians is a great friend to spiritual growth: it is in love that the body edifies itself; whereas a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.

Historical interpretation

Three Centuries of Reception

12 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.

12 quotes · AD 99–420
Ante-NicenePost-Nicene
100200300400

Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.

d. AD 99Clement of RomeAnte-NiceneSourceLetter to the Corinthians (Clement)
Let us cleave, therefore, to the innocent and righteous, since these are the elect of God. Why are there strifes, and tumults, and divisions, and schisms, and wars among you? Have we not [all] one God and one Christ? Is there not one Spirit of grace poured out upon us? And have we not one calling in Christ? [Ephesians 4:4-6] Why do we divide and tear in pieces the members of Christ, and raise up strife against our own body, and have reached such a height of madness as to forget that "we are members one of another?" [Romans 12:5]
d. AD 108Ignatius of AntiochAnte-NiceneSourceEpistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians
The more, therefore, you see the bishop silent, the more do you reverence him. For we ought to receive every one whom the Master of the house sends to be over His household, as we would do Him that sent him. It is manifest, therefore, that we should look upon the bishop even as we would look upon the Lord Himself, standing, as he does, before the Lord. For "it behoves the man who looks carefully about him, and is active in his business, to stand before kings, and not to stand before slothful men." And indeed Onesimus himself greatly commends your good order in God, that ye all live according to the truth, and that no sect `has any dwelling-place among you. Nor indeed do ye hearken to any one rather than to Jesus Christ, the true Shepherd and Teacher. And ye are, as Paul wrote to you, "one body and one spirit, because ye have also been called in one hope of the faith. Since also "there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all." Such, then, are ye, having been taught by such instructors, Paul the Christ-bearer, and Timothy the most faithful.
d. AD 108Ignatius of AntiochAnte-NiceneSourceEpistle of Pseudo-Ignatius to the Philippians
There is then one God and Father, and not two or three; One who is; and there is no other besides Him, the only true [God]. For "the Lord thy God," saith [the Scripture], "is one Lord." And again, "Hath not one God created us? Have we not all one Father? And there is also one Son, God the Word. For "the only-begotten Son," saith [the Scripture], "who is in the bosom of the Father." And again, "One Lord Jesus Christ." And in another place, "What is His name, or what His Son's name, that we may know? " And there is also one Paraclete. For "there is also," saith [the Scripture], "one Spirit," since "we have been called in one hope of our calling." And again, "We have drunk of one Spirit," with what follows. And it is manifest that all these gifts [possessed by believers] "worketh one and the self-same Spirit." There are not then either three Fathers, or three Sons, or three Paracletes, but one Father, and one Son, and one Paraclete. Wherefore also the Lord, when He sent forth the apostles to make disciples of all nations, commanded them to "baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," not unto one [person] having three names, nor into three [persons] who became incarnate, but into three possessed of equal honour.
d. AD 220TertullianAnte-NiceneSourceOn Baptism
There is to us one, and but one, baptism; as well according to the Lord's gospel as according to the apostle's letters, inasmuch as he says, "One God, and one baptism, and one church in the heavens." But it must be admitted that the question, "What rules are to be observed with regard to heretics? "is worthy of being treated.
d. AD 258CyprianAnte-NiceneSourceTreatise I On the Unity of the Church
If any one consider and examine these things, there is no need for lengthened discussion and arguments. There is easy proof for faith in a short summary of the truth. The Lord speaks to Peter, saying, "I say unto thee, that thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." And again to the same He says, after His resurrection, "Feed nay sheep." And although to all the apostles, after His resurrection, He gives an equal power, and says, "As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you: Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they shall be remitted unto him; and whose soever sins ye retain, they shall be retained; " yet, that He might set forth unity, He arranged by His authority the origin of that unity, as beginning from one. Assuredly the rest of the apostles were also the same as was Peter, endowed with a like partnership both of honour and power; but the beginning proceeds from unity. Which one Church, also, the Holy Spirit in the Song of Songs designated in the person of our Lord, and says, "My dove, my spotless one, is but one. She is the only one of her mother, elect of her that bare her." Does he who does not hold this unity of the Church think that he holds the faith? Does he who strives against and resists the Church trust that he is in the Church, when moreover the blessed Apostle Paul teaches the same thing, and sets forth the sacrament of unity, saying, "There is one body and one spirit, one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God? "
AD 380Apostolic ConstitutionsPost-NiceneSourceApostolic Constitutions (Book II), Section 6, XLIV
Be of one mind, O you bishops, one with another, and be at peace with one another; sympathize with one another, love the brethren, and feed the people with care; with one consent teach those that are under you to be of the same sentiments and to be of the same opinions about the same matters, "that there may be no schisms among you; that you may be one body and one spirit, perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment," [1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:4] according to the appointment of the Lord. And let the deacon refer all things to the bishop, as Christ does to His Father. But let him order such things as he is able by himself, receiving power from the bishop, as the Lord did from His Father the power of creation and of providence. But the weighty matters let the bishop judge; but let the deacon be the bishop's ear, and eye, and mouth, and heart, and soul, that the bishop may not be distracted with many cares, but with such only as are more considerable, as Jethro did appoint for Moses, and his counsel was received.
d. AD 407John ChrysostomPost-NiceneSourceHomily on Ephesians 10
Now why am I saying this? There are great numbers in the Church; there are those who, like the head, are raised up to a height; who, like the eyes that are in the head, survey heavenly things, who stand far aloof from the earth, and have nothing in common with it, whilst others occupy the rank of feet, and tread upon the earth; of healthy feet indeed, for to tread upon the earth is no crime in feet, but to run to evil. "Their feet," saith the Prophet, "run to evil." Neither then let these, the head, saith he, be high-minded against the feet, nor the feet look with evil eye at them. For thus the peculiar beauty of each is destroyed, and the perfectness of its function impeded. And naturally enough; inasmuch as he who lays snares for his neighbor will be laying snares first of all for himself. And should the feet therefore not choose to convey the head anywhere upon its necessary journey, they will at the same time be injuring themselves by their inactivity and sloth. Or again, should the head not choose to take any care of the feet, itself will be the first to sustain the damage. However, those members do not rise up one against the other; it is not likely, for it has been so ordered by nature that they should not. But with man, how is it possible for him not to rise up against man? No one, we know, ever rises up against Angels; since neither do they rise against the Archangels. Nor, on the other hand, can the irrational creatures proudly exalt themselves over us; but where the nature is equal in dignity, and the gift one, and where one has no more than another, how shall this be prevented?

And yet surely these are the very reasons why thou oughtest not to rise up against thy neighbors. For if all things are common, and one has nothing more than another, whence this mad folly? We partake of the same nature, partake alike of soul and body, we breathe the same air, we use the same food. Whence this rebellious rising of one against another?
d. AD 407John ChrysostomPost-NiceneSourceHomily on Ephesians 10
When the blessed Paul exhorts us to anything of special importance, so truly wise and spiritual as he is, he grounds his exhortation upon things in Heaven: this itself being a lesson he had learned from the Lord. Thus he saith also elsewhere, "Walk in love, even as Christ also hath loved us." And again, "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God." This is what he is doing here also, for whenever the examples he is setting before us are great, he is intense in his zeal and feeling. What then does he say, now he is inciting us to unity? "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: One Lord, one faith, one baptism."
d. AD 407John ChrysostomPost-NiceneSourceHomily on Ephesians 10
Now what is this one body? The faithful throughout the whole world, both which are, and which have been, and which shall be. And again, they that before Christ's coming pleased God, are "one body." How so? Because they also knew Christ. Whence does this appear? "Your father Abraham," saith He, "rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it, and was glad." And again, "If ye had believed Moses," He saith, "ye would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me." And the prophets too would not have written of One, of whom they knew not what they said; whereas they both knew Him, and worshiped Him. Thus then were they also "one body."

The body is not disjoined from the spirit, for then would it not be a body. Thus it is customary also with us, touching things which are united, and which have any great consistency or coherence, to say, they are one body. And thus again, touching union, we take that to be a body which is under one head. If there be one head, then is there one body. The body is composed of members both honorable and dishonorable. Only the greater is not to rise up even against the meanest, nor this latter to envy the other. They do not all indeed contribute the same share, but severally according to the proportion of need. And forasmuch as all are formed for necessary and for different purposes, all are of equal honor. Some indeed there are, which are more especially principal members, others less so: for example, the head is more a principal member than all the rest of the body, as containing within itself all the senses, and the governing principle of the soul. And to live without the head is impossible; whereas many persons have lived for a long time with their feet cut off. So that it is better than they, not only by its position, but also by its very vital energy and its function.
d. AD 407John ChrysostomPost-NiceneSourceHomily on Ephesians 11
The love Paul requires of us is no common love, but that which cements us together, and makes us cleave inseparably to one another, and effects as great and as perfect a union as though it were between limb and limb. For this is that love which produces great and glorious fruits. Hence he saith, there is "one body"; one, both by sympathy, and by not opposing the good of others, and by sharing their joy, having expressed all at once by this figure. He then beautifully adds, "and one Spirit," showing that from the one body there will be one Spirit: or, that it is possible that there may be indeed one body, and yet not one Spirit; as, for instance, if any member of it should be a friend of heretics: or else he is, by this expression, shaming them into unanimity, saying, as it were, "Ye who have received one Spirit, and have been made to drink at one fountain, ought not to be divided in mind"; or else by spirit here he means their zeal. Then he adds, "Even as ye were called in one hope of your calling," that is, God hath called you all on the same terms. He hath bestowed nothing upon one more than upon another. To all He hath freely given immortality, to all eternal life, to all immortal glory, to all brotherhood, to all inheritance. He is the common Head of all; "He hath raised all" up, "and made them sit with Him." Ye then who in the spiritual world have so great equality of privileges, whence is it that ye are high-minded? Is it that one is wealthy and another strong? How ridiculous must this be? For tell me, if the emperor some day were to take ten persons, and to array them all in purple, and seat them on the royal throne, and to bestow upon all the same honor, would any one of these, think ye, venture to reproach another, as being more wealthy or more illustrious than he? Surely never. And I have not yet said all; for the difference is not so great in heaven as here below we differ. There is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Behold "the hope of your calling. One God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all." For can it be, that thou art called by the name of a greater God, another, of a lesser God? That thou art saved by faith, and another by works? That thou hast received remission in baptism, whilst another has not? "There is one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all." "Who is over all," that is, the Lord and above all; and "through all," that is, providing for, ordering all; and "in you all," that is, who dwelleth in you all. Now this they own to be an attribute of the Son; so that were it an argument of inferiority, it never would have been said of the Father.
d. AD 420JeromePost-NiceneSourceCommentary on Ephesians 4:3-4
If the Father’s house has many mansions, how are we to say that we are called to one hope? One reply is that the one hope of the calling is the kingdom of God. It is as though we were to speak of the one house of God or say that in one house are many mansions. … Or again, this subtler meaning may be implied: at the end and consummation of all things everything is to be restored to its original condition, when we are all made one body and formed anew into a perfect man.
d. AD 420JeromePost-NiceneSourceCommentary on Ephesians 4:3-4
His words one body and one Spirit can be taken most simply to mean the one body of Christ, which is the church. Or it could refer to the humanity of the Lord, which he assumed from the Virgin.… Yet indeed the one body can also refer to life and the works that are called in Greek “the practical life.” These are distinguished from the oneness of the Spirit in the heart that finds its unity in contemplation.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.

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