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Ephesians 4

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Unity in the Body of Christ 1–6

1
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, ​
2
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ​
4
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
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One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. ​

Gifts for the Unity of the Body 7–16

7
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. ​
8
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, 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.)
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And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; ​
12
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: ​
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Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: ​
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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;
15
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: ​
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. ​

Putting Off the Old Man 17–24

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This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, ​
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: ​
19
Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
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But ye have not so learned Christ;
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If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
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That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; ​
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And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
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And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Specific Commands for the New Life 25–32

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Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. ​
26
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: ​
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Neither give place to the devil. ​
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. ​
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. ​
30
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. ​
31
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. ​

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

Study Notes for Ephesians 4

Verse 1

the prisoner of the Lord — The 'therefore' turns from the teaching of chs.1–3 to the walk. 'Prisoner' echoes 3:1, 'the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles', and 6:20, 'an ambassador in bonds'. 'Walk' (peripateo) recurs in 4:17; 5:2, 8, 15, and the 'vocation' is the 'calling' (klesis) of 1:18, 'the hope of his calling'.

Verse 3

the unity of the Spirit — Henotes, unity, occurs only here and in v.13. 'Endeavouring' is spoudazo, to be diligent, and 'keep' is tereo, to guard: the unity is guarded, not made. 'Bond' is sundesmos, the word of Col 3:14 and of 'joints and bands' in Col 2:19; peace is what binds.

Verse 6

One God and Father of all — 'One' stands seven times in vv.4–6: one body, Spirit and hope; one Lord, faith and baptism; one God. The order runs Spirit, Lord, Father. Paul joins the last two in 1 Cor 8:6, 'one God, the Father, of whom are all things… and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things'.

Verse 7

according to the measure of the gift of Christ — 'Grace' (charis) is here the gift for service, given 'unto every one of us'; so Rom 12:6, 'gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us', and 1 Cor 12:7, 'the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal'. 'Measure' (metron) returns in vv.13 and 16.

Verse 8

he led captivity captive — Paul quotes Ps 68:18, 'Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive', and continues 'gave gifts unto men' where the psalm has 'thou hast received gifts for men'. The ascent is that of Acts 1:9, 'he was taken up'; v.10 gives its height, 'far above all heavens'.

Verse 9

the lower parts of the earth — 'Lower' (katoteros) occurs only here. Christians read the phrase two ways: of Christ's going down into death, 'three days and three nights in the heart of the earth' (Matt 12:40), or of his coming down from heaven, 'he that came down from heaven' (John 3:13). Either way the descent precedes the ascent of v.10.

Verse 11

pastors and teachers — Poimen, shepherd, is rendered 'pastors' only here in the KJV New Testament. 'Evangelists' (euaggelistes) is found only here, in Acts 21:8 ('Philip the evangelist') and 2 Tim 4:5. Each other gift has its own 'some', but pastors and teachers share one; Christians differ whether that marks one office or two.

Verse 12

the perfecting of the saints — Katartismos, fitting out or equipping, occurs only here; its verb katartizo is the word for 'mending their nets' (Matt 4:21). Three purposes stand side by side: the saints equipped, 'the work of the ministry' (diakonia), and 'the edifying of the body of Christ' (oikodome, also vv.16, 29).

Verse 13

a perfect man — Teleios, complete or full-grown, the word of Col 1:28, 'present every man perfect in Christ Jesus'. 'Unity of the faith' uses the henotes of v.3, and 'knowledge' is epignosis, as in Col 1:9. The standard is Christ himself: 'the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ', the metron of vv.7 and 16.

Verse 15

speaking the truth in love — One Greek verb, aletheuo, found only here and Gal 4:16. 'In love' stands in vv.2, 15 and 16. 'Grow up' is auxano; the head is Christ, as in 5:23, 'Christ is the head of the church'. The 'children' of v.14, carried about by every wind, are the contrast with this growth.

Verse 16

fitly joined together and compacted — Sunarmologeo is the builder's verb of Eph 2:21, 'all the building fitly framed together'. Sumbibazo, 'compacted', is the 'knit together' of Col 2:2 and 2:19, where the 'joints' (haphe) also appear. 'Effectual working' is energeia (Col 1:29); the body builds itself up 'in love'.

Verse 17

the vanity of their mind — Mataiotes, futility, is found only in Rom 8:20 ('subject to vanity'), here, and 2 Pet 2:18. 'Other Gentiles' sets the readers against their own earlier course: 'Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world' (2:2). 'Testify' is martyromai, to affirm solemnly, 'in the Lord'.

Verse 18

alienated from the life of God — Apallotrioo, to estrange, is used only here, in Eph 2:12 and Col 1:21. 'Darkened' is skotizo, the verb of Rom 1:21, 'their foolish heart was darkened'; 'blindness' is porosis, hardness, rendered 'hardness of their hearts' in Mark 3:5. 'Ignorance' is agnoia, as in Acts 17:30 and 1 Pet 1:14.

Verse 22

put off… the old man — Apotithemi, to lay aside as a garment; Col 3:9 has 'put off the old man with his deeds', and Rom 6:6 'our old man is crucified with him'. 'Conversation' is anastrophe, manner of life, and the 'deceitful lusts' are desires that deceive. The three verbs of vv.22–24 are put off, be renewed, put on.

Verse 25

putting away lying — 'Putting away' is apotithemi, the verb of v.22: lying belongs to the old man's clothing. 'Speak every man truth with his neighbour' takes up Zech 8:16, 'Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour'. The reason, 'we are members one of another', recalls Rom 12:5, 'every one members one of another'.

Verse 26

Be ye angry, and sin not — The words are those of the Greek of Ps 4:4, which the KJV renders 'Stand in awe, and sin not'. 'Wrath' is parorgismos, provocation, a word found only here; 'angry' is orgizo. The limit is time: 'let not the sun go down upon your wrath'.

Verse 27

give place to the devil — 'Place' is topos, room or opportunity; the idiom is that of Rom 12:19, 'give place unto wrath'. 'Devil' is diabolos, slanderer. Paul names his devices in 6:11, 'the wiles of the devil', and Jas 4:7 states the answer: 'Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.'

Verse 28

Let him that stole steal no more — 'Labour' is kopiao, to toil, the word of Col 1:29, and 1 Thess 4:11 has 'work with your own hands'. The aim is 'to give to him that needeth': 'give' is metadidomi, to share, the verb of Luke 3:11, 'let him impart to him that hath none'.

Verse 29

corrupt communication — Sapros, rotten, is the word for the 'corrupt tree' that bears evil fruit (Matt 7:17–18; 12:33). The good word serves 'edifying' (oikodome, as in vv.12, 16) and 'may minister grace unto the hearers'; compare Col 4:6, 'Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt'.

Verse 30

grieve not the holy Spirit of God — Lupeo, to cause pain. Israel before 'rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit' (Isa 63:10). 'Sealed' is sphragizo, as in 1:13, 'sealed with that holy Spirit of promise'; the 'day of redemption' is the 'redemption of the purchased possession' of 1:14.

Verse 32

kind one to another — 'Kind' is chrestos, the word of 'he is kind unto the unthankful' (Luke 6:35); 'tenderhearted' (eusplagchnos) occurs only here and 1 Pet 3:8. 'Forgiving' is charizomai, to give freely as a favour, used also in Col 3:13, 'even as Christ forgave you'. 'For Christ's sake' is literally 'in Christ'.