Ephesians
4:1-16
v. 1 – “walk worthy
of the vocation wherewith ye are called”
In the last eight
verses of the last chapter, Paul prayed to God on the behalf
of the Ephesians that He would bestow on them
the full measure of His grace
to which they were entitled.
Their call was to be
God’s people and with true grace in their hearts, God’s
people must show it by true goodness in their
lives. It is called a “walk” –
a Christian walk – “Enoch walked with God”
and he pleased Him!
This walk is both a
great obligation and a great blessing.
Every Christian
congregation should have a number of model Christians fitted to be examples
to all the rest – the elders and elderly
people especially.
v. 2 – “with all
lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one
another in
love” – a list of some passive graces that are characteristic
of a
“worthy walk”.
The points of a
worthy walk are: (1) lowliness (2)
meekness (3) longsuffering
(4) forbearing one another (5) trying to keep peace
This passage speaks
volumes.
Consistency is our aim, the world has a keen eye for inconsistencies in
Christians and
exposes them mercilessly! It gives them
comfort to continue
in sin and to blaspheme the name of God.
Sins detestable in
the godly are thought of as nothing in the world. If
Nebuchadnezzar had done what David did to Uriah, no one would have
thought much about it.
A consistent walk
with God is within reach of us all and the Holy Spirit
enables us.
“But as many as received Him, to them gave He
power to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” - John 1:12 - We are
to be an unrefutable
sermon to the world. Let us all preach
this sermon,
though it be your only one!
(1) A walk of:
Lowliness – humbleness, from a chastened sense of sin and
unworthiness.
(2) Meekness – An
inwrought grace of the soul, chiefly towards God, that
temper
of spirit where we accept God’s dealings with us as good
and
therefore without disputing or resisting.
It is closely linked
with
the word humble, the meek heart which does not fight
against
God or more or less struggle with Him.
Meekness is the natural expression of a
lowly state of mind, opposed to boisterous
self-assertion and rude striving with others; it genders
a subdued manner and a
peace-loving spirit that studies to give the soft
answer that turneth away wrath.
(Proverbs 15:1)
In Galatians 5:23, meekness is associated
with self-control.
Of Jesus, I Peter 3:23 says “Who when He
was reviled, reviled not again, when He
suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself
to Him that judgeth righteously”
prau`>thv, — prah-oo’-tace; from (4239) (prau`>v); mildness, i.e.
(by implication) humility: —
meekness.
The meaning
of prautes is not readily expressed in English,
for the terms meekness, mildness,
commonly used, suggest
weakness, whereas prautes does nothing of the kind. Nevertheless, it is difficult to find a
rendering less open to objection than “meekness”; “gentleness” has been suggested, but
as prautes
describes a condition of mind and heart, and as “gentleness” is
appropriate rather to
actions, this word is no better than that used in both English versions.
It must
clearly be understood, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended
to the believer is the fruit of power.
The common assumption is that when a man is meek it is because he cannot
help himself; but the Lord was “meek” because He had the infinite resources of
God at His
command. Described negatively, meekness is the
opposite to self-assertiveness
and self-
interest; it is equanimity of spirit that is neither elated
nor cast down, simply because
it is not occupied with self at all! (from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New
Testament Words)
Meekness is one of the nine graces of the
Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23 – it brings
us nearer and nearer to Him who was
pre-eminently “meek and lowly of
spirit” – Matthew 11:29 – and it has the promise
of the earth for an
inheritance – Matthew 5:5.
(3) Longsuffering and
(4) Forbearance - patience, opposite to
hastiness, crankiness,
touchy, testy, or cross -
Long-suffering and loving forbearance are
phases of the same state of mind — denoting the absence of that irascibility
and proneness to take offence which flares up at every provocation or fancied
neglect, and strives to maintain self-control on every occasion.
THE SPIRIT IN WHICH THIS LONG-SUFFERING IS TO BE
EXERCISED. “Forbearing one another in love.”
Christians are not to
resent injuries or retaliate for wrongs done to them, but are to
bear with
each other’s infirmities, to cover each other’s weaknesses, to pity each
other’s frailties, and to forgive the provocations they inflict
upon each
other. This is to be done, not from a principle of merely
worldly courtesy
or
from contemptuous indifference, but from that love which “suffereth
long, and is kind.” It is “charity which covereth
a multitude of sins,” just as
surely as “hatred stirreth up strife”
(Proverbs 10:12).
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It is from such qualities in God that our
redemption has come; it is miserable to accept the
redemption and not try to attain and exhibit its true spirit. Neglect of this verse has produced untold evil in the
Christian Church.
Ver. 3. — Striving to
keep the unity of the Spirit. Spouda>zontev is stronger than
the A.V. “endeavoring,” and denotes an object to be carefully and earnestly
watched for and promoted. The use of the
word “endeavoring” implies that it may be kept with a greater
or
lesser degree of fidelity.
spouda>zw, — spoo-dad’-zo; from (4710) (spoudh>); to use
speed, i.e. to make
effort, be prompt or earnest: — do (give)
diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavour,
labour, study.
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(5) Keeping “the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
There is a danger of
breaking the unity of the Spirit – a readiness to take offense,
pride getting in the way, forgetting others and
its effects on the Christian work.
These graces have
reference mainly to our daily social life.
Those who are combative, censorious, careless of peace, do
not walk worthy
of their vocation!
vs. 4-6 – Where unity exists, it consists of seven
particulars:
We are called by the God of peace, redeemed by Christ who
is our Peace,
sanctified by the Spirit whose fruit is peace, and
edified by the gospel
of peace, that we may walk as sons of peace.
(1) One body – the
church
(2) One Spirit – The
Holy Spirit – the Third Person of the Trinity, who alone applies the redemption of
Christ, and works in the membership
of the church
with the graces of the new creation.
(3) One hope – of
eternal life at the Second Appearing of Jesus Christ
(4) One Lord – The
Son of God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ – unique and
beyond
comparison. Isaiah 40:18
(5) One faith – the
instrument of receiving salvation through Jesus Christ
(6) One baptism –
the one initiatory rite into the visible church that is symbolic
of
the washing of regeneration.
(7) One God and
Father of all,…..above all,…..through all, …in you all
–
(See I Corinthians 15:24-28)
One God and Father of all. We rise now to the
fountain of Godhead, the one
supreme Being with whom all have to do, the only Being who is or can be the
Father of us all; who can be to us what is implied in the name “Father,” whose
love and grace can satisfy our hearts. Who is over all; the supreme and only Potentate, exercising undivided jurisdiction, “doing according to his will in the armies of heaven.” etc. 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. (to the brim with all
“the fullness of God” - ch. 3:19)
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There is much inward agreement
wherever the Spirit of God works!
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they
shall be called the children of God.”
The danger of
breaking the unity of the Spirit is great; readiness to take offence, pride, regardlessness of the welfare of others, forgetfulness of
the vast Christian work and warfare committed to us, are temptations to this.
On the other hand, the habitual striving after the graces enumerated above, and
trying to exercise them habitually, tend to preserve the unity of the Spirit.
v. 7 – To each and “every one of us
is given grace” – not in equal measures as
the manna in the wilderness but these graces are
varied. What each
gets, he gets for the good of the rest. The Church is a fellowship or
brotherhood, where each has an interest in all, and all in
each, and is
bound to act accordingly.
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH IS CONSISTENT WITH GREAT
DIVERSITY OF GIFTS. As in the human body there are many members
with different functions, so the Church is “not one member, but many.”
Diversity of gift, so far from being inconsistent with unity, is really essential
to it. “If all were one member, where were the body?” All the great
purposes of life would be frustrated if every part of the organism did not
find its due place.
EACH MEMBER OF THE CHURCH HAS HIS SEPARATE GIFT.
This does not say that any one member has all gifts. Each has received his
measure. There are those who would make the Church all “tongue,” as if
all were called to the gospel ministry. The gifts differ both in nature and in
measure. One has the gift of speech, another the gift of sagacity, another
the gift of enterprise, another the gift of sympathy,
another the gift of
wealth and influence. All ought to be contributory to the unity of the
Church.
THE ORIGIN AS WELL AS MEASURE OF THE GIFTS IS TO BE
TRACED TO CHRIST. The position of each member in the body is not
determined by itself, but by God. The eye does not make itself the
eye, nor
the
hand the hand. So the position of believers in the Church is determined,
not
by themselves, but by Christ. The grace “is given according to the
measure of the gift of Christ.” Christ is the Source of all
spiritual gifts, and
he
determines their adjustment as well as their amount. He does not give
according to our merit, or our capacity, or our desires, but
according to his
sovereign pleasure. There is, therefore,
(1) no room for self-inflation if we have received the largest
gifts;
(2) there is no room for envy or jealousy because others have
received
more gifts than ourselves;
(3) but rather an argument in the fact that one has a grace which
another
wants, for our helping each other in the Lord. Thus the true
unity of the
Church is promoted.
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When I once coached basketball at
City. When their players came out of
a huddle, they would say a chant that was
hard for the bystander to understand.
Years later, I talked to Coach Wayne Devine,
at the State Tournament and asked him about it. He said they were saying “All for
one and one for all” - a good
practice for basketball teams and churches!
vs. 8-10 - 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
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, aijcmalwsi>a, 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.Ephesians 1:22).
Ver. 9. — Now (the fact)
that He ascended, what does it imply but that
He descended first? The
ascent implied a previous descent; that is, the
ascent of the Son of God — of one who was Himself in heaven,
who was in
the
bosom of the Father (comp. John 3:13), implied that He had come
down from heaven, a striking proof of His interest in and love for the
children of men. And the descent was net merely to the ordinary
condition
of
humanity, but to a more than ordinarily degraded condition, not merely
to
the surface of the earth, but to the lower parts of the earth. This has
sometimes been interpreted of Hades, but surely without reason. If
the
expression denotes more than Christ’s humble condition, it probably
means
the
grave. This was the climax of Christ’s humiliation; to be removed out
of
men’s sight, as too offensive for them to look on — to be hidden away
in
the depths of the earth, in the grave, was indeed supremely humbling.
The object is to show that, in bestowing gifts on men,
Christ did not merely
bring into play His inherent bountifulness as the Son of God,
but acted as
Mediator, by right of special purchase, through His work of
humiliation on
earth; and thus to lead us to think the more highly both of the
Giver and of
his
gifts.
Ver. 10. — He that
descended is the same also that ascended far
above all the heavens. There
was a proportion between the descent and
the
ascent. His descent was deep — into the lower parts of earth; but His
ascent was more glorious than His descent had been humbling. The
Hebrew
idea of various heavens is brought in; the ascent was not merely to the
third
heaven, but far above all heavens. That he might fill all
things. A very
sublime view of the purpose for which Christ reigns on high. The
specific
idea with which the apostle started — to give gifts to men — is swallowed
up
for the moment by a view far grander and more comprehensive, “to fill
all
things.” Jesus has gone on high to pour His glory and excellence over
every creature in the universe who is the subject of grace, to
be the Light
of
the world, the one Source of all good. As in the solar system it is from
one
sun that all the supplies of light and heat come, all the colors that
beautify earth, sea, and sky, all the influences that ripen
the grain and
mature the fruit, all the chemical power that transforms and
new-creates;
so
the ascended Jesus is the Sun of the universe; all healing, all life, all
blessing are from Him. It is quite in the manner of the apostle,
when he
introduces the mention of Christ, to be carried, in the contemplation
of His
person, far above the immediate occasion, and extol the infinite
perfection
and
glory that distinguish him.
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The grand object of the apostle in
this section of his Epistle is to show the
ample provision made by Christ for the welfare
of his Church and show the
Lord’s earnest desire to raise His Church to the highest possible
condition of
grace and honor; to make her complete and glorious, as the one body
of which
He is the Head,
the one vessel into which He is to pour all His fullness, the bride
on whom He is to
exhaust every ornament. The marks of Christ’s care for His Church are
innumerable; they recede back through all
eternity and forward for evermore (Ephesians
3:18, 19).
CHRIST LEAVES NO ONE OUT; TO EVERY
ONE OF US IS GIVEN GRACE!
vs. 12-16 – one sentence
v. 11 – “And He gave some….” – The
organization of the Church is not
a mere human
arrangement; its officers
are
of Divine appointment.
(1) apostles
– had their commission straight from Christ and it was
required of them that they
had seen the Lord
(2) prophets
– messengers of God’s will, present and future
(3) evangelists
– more general work of spreading the gospel over larger areas
than pastors
(4) pastors
– settled ministers of congregations, overseers of the flock
and leaders
in the right ways of the Lord
(5) teachers
– communicators of Divine knowledge
v. 12 – Christ has a work of perfection on
hand.
“For the perfecting of the
saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ…..unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” – this
was the ultimate end for which the gifts were bestowed. What
a high aim with reference to creatures so poor and needy as
the
members of His church.
They are not mere promoters of
civilization, men of culture planted among
the rude, but instruments for advancing men to complete holiness.
Their offices were not as “lords”
but as “servants” as Christ Himself was!
Matthew 20:28
“for the building up of the body of Christ” - bringing
bone to its bone and
sinew to
its sinew, increasing the number of believers, and promoting the
spiritual
life of each; carrying
on all their work as Christ’s servants and with a definite eye to the promotion
of the great work which He undertook when He came to seek and to save the lost.
v. 13 – “Until we all come” – the
duration of the ministry
“to the unity of the faith, and of
the knowledge of the Son of God” - a state which shall characterize all – trust in the Son of God based on knowledge, of His Person, His
work, and His relation to them that receive Him. To bring all the elect to this
faith is the object of the ministry; when they are all brought to it, the body
of Christ will be complete, and the functions of the Christian ministry will
cease.
“unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” – this
involves the maturity of each individual who is a constituent
part of that body; and the measure or sign of
maturity, both for the individual and for the whole, is the stature of the
fullness of Christ.
“For whom He did foreknow, He also did
predestinate to be conformed to the
image of His Son,
that He might be the firstborn among many brethren”
Romans 8:29
A Perfect Man – This
points to the full development of our manhood.
The believer is imperfect both in faith and
in knowledge, but he is
growing into that unity of life which involves
perfect knowledge and
perfect holiness.
The true standard is conformity to Christ. The end
of this growth cannot be seen in this life. The Bible nowhere
represents the perfection of the Church as occurring on earth. It is to
be without spot or
wrinkle when the day of its glorious presentation comes.
Thus the design of the Christian ministry is to labor for the perfection
of the Church.
v. 14 – “That we henceforth be no more
children, tossed to and fro, and
carried about with
every wind of doctrine (teaching)”
This was designed to remedy
childish fickleness and the causes that lead to it.
“by the
sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive”
This counsel is much needed in this
age of startling suggestion, radical
denial, philosophical
speculation and
promotion of “The Lie” at the
insistence of the means of “MODERN
MEDIA”
Such teachers employ crafty methods, apparently harmless,
but tending to further the
method or scheme of error. The strong language here used
corresponds with that in which, at
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v. 15
– “But speaking the truth in love” – especially truth “as it is in Jesus” –
v. 21
- 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; the charm of
the message is destroyed by the discordant
spirit of the messenger.
Exodus 34:6 – God is “abundant…in truth””
“may grow up into
Him in all things who is the Head, namely Christ”
THE SOURCE OF ITS GROWTH — CHRIST THE HEAD.
As the
Church is a spiritual body, so the
characteristics of the natural body are
found in it. It is a body divinely framed as
truly as the natural body, and
designed to bring greater glory to God than the
body which types it. Its
Head is the Lord
himself. It has its being and form in Him, as well as all its
nurture, such as its life and light, grace and
joy, strength and fruitfulness; it
depends upon the Head for subsistence and for
safety; it is united to the
Head by a bond that is both
close and indissoluble.
Growth tends to a closer union to Christ,
as, on the other hand, union to
Christ causes the growth – Jesus is Himself the great Source of growth.
Growth in knowledge, righteousness and
holiness – we see our potential
and need of growth
when we compare the gulf between Christ and ourselves.
v. 16 – “From whom the whole body
fitly joined together and compacted
by that which every joint supplieth”
- It is from Christ that the
body derives its vital substance – not in an individual
sense but as
an organization – the
parts being adapted and articulated to one
another
- 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.
“according to the
effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh
increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in
love” – growth from
within – depending on the energy furnished by
Christ - In a healthy Church
there is a continual work of building up: construction, not destruction, is its
proper business —
promoting peace, purity, prayerfulness, trust, activity in
the work of the Lord, but all in love, the
absence of which makes winter
instead of summer, declension instead of progress,
death instead of life.
The whole Church is articulated with
Christ; its parts are articulated with
each other, but all are designed to communicate
with the Head, and to
assist in conveying vital influence from the Head
to the members. So it is in
the human body; it is all jointed and
connected together; but the object of
this is to facilitate the transmission of the
vital force throughout the whole.
All the members
of the Church should realize their position as parts of a
body connected with
the head, and should regard the measure of energy
received by them as
designed for the general good (ver. 16).
THE RELATION OF THE MEMBERS TO EACH OTHER. “The
whole body is fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint
supplieth.” Each member is in relation with all other members as well as
with the Head. Each is dependent upon the other. No member can dismiss
another as useless; none is so great as not to be indebted to the least. “God
has tempered the body together.” Now, just as the parts of the human
frame are necessarily of different functions, and set, some in superior, some
in inferior, places, yet all act together in the fullest
sympathy; so all the
members of Christ’s body must keep rank and order, acting within their
own sphere with due wisdom, harmony, and love, the eye not doing the
work of the hand, nor the hand the work of the foot, but abiding each in his
own calling.
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The Church has
truth for its nourishment, love for its atmosphere and
Christ Jesus for
its head! This spirit of love is
indispensable – the church
cannot edify itself except in love. Strife and division are sure to rise,
but these are disintegrating, not edifying
forces.
Take Christ from
the Church and “Ichabod” – (the glory is departed)
may be inscribed on the wall – in the Laodecian
church in Revelation 3:14-22, Christ is depicted as outside the church,
knocking for an entrance.