Ephesians 4

Section One 4:17-24

The ways of sin versus the way of Truth

Introduction to Section One

There are many ways to hinder the Spirit of God at work in your life and grieve Him deeply. You can also bring the truth of God down in the eyes of others by displaying a lie in your life. Whenever we think like lost people, act like lost people, and fail to honor God, like lost people always do, then we are living a lie and failing to represent Him in truth (2 John 1:6).

“It is one thing to know that we have life in the Lord Jesus, together with full forgiveness and acceptance before the Father, and it is quite another to be in continual fellowship with Him–feeding upon Him by faith–making Him the exclusive food for our souls.” –C.H. Mackintosh

Not only is the Christian in Christ, but also He is in the Christian as the source of new, heavenly life. The branch receives all its life from the vine; as we abide in Him we draw upon Him for the qualities of life, which are in Him alone. Often a man is heard to say, “I’m trying to live a Christian life,” which means that he is depending upon himself to do it. His resource is himself. Along with many others in our churches today he is substituting a good life for a Christian life. –N.B. Harrison

“Christ in you” is unto our being “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). It is to work in us that which has been perfected by Him. It is the whole realm of our being made Christ-like; having all the faculties and features of the Lord Jesus, which are resident in the new life received at new birth, brought to maturity. Every spiritual virtue will be nurtured and developed; love, meekness, goodness, gentleness, intelligence, etc., so that we are not just theoretical Christians, but real ones, spiritually responsible and accountable.–T. Austin-Sparks

Section Two 4:25-5:2

Imitate God In Christ, Walk in Love

Introduction to Section Two

Now we get practical advice as to how to take on the character of God by walking in Christ. That is accomplished by adopting the principles of the life of Christ through yielding our lives and bodies to the Holy Spirit so that His life becomes our own. Since we are a single body in Him, there are some universal truths, which will be characteristic of all believers. Correspondingly, there will be some behaviors that will be characteristically absent from our lives. These last are obvious traits associated with being led by the enemy, Satan, the father of lies.

Ephesians 4:1

(4:1,2) Paul declares himself to be “a prisoner in (in the sphere of) the Lord”. This is a locative word that places him entirely within the life of the Lord Jesus. He has died to all that he is naturally and is only alive in the life of the Lord Jesus. From that position, he pleads with believers to “live” consistent with “the calling” they have received from God. He goes on to describe some of the elements of that calling–“humble, gentle…patient, longsuffering”.

Ephesians 4:3

(4:3,4) Believers are bound by a common “peace” between themselves and between them and God. That peace is the unifying character trait that we all share, whether we realize it or not! One of the works of the Holy Spirit is to instruct us according to the revealed Word of God (the Son) as to our assets and privileges as members of the family of God. We are a single company, the Body of Christ, with “one hope” a single destiny.

Ephesians 4:5

(4:5,6) We share, “one Lord”, the Lord Jesus Christ; “one faith”, that measure of faith given to us by the Father to bring us to the Cross; “one baptism”, the baptism into Christ by the infilling of the Holy Spirit; “one God and Father”, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, into who’s family we have been reborn.

Ephesians 4:7

(4:7) “But” introduces a contrast. In contrast to all of the previously mentioned things, which we hold in common, we have also been given abilities and/or opportunities specifically suited to our individual responsibilities in Christ. Each is equipped to accomplish his/her particular tasks or to meet his/her specific challenge. Immediately after giving the list of gifts to those in Corinth, Paul reminds them that each individual is equipped as God intended. Further, that the application of like gifts will not necessarily follow any given pattern. Have you ever noticed how much different preachers seem to follow just a few limited styles of delivery?

Who made the rule that said a normal conversational tone and delivery was not acceptable? Why the measured, forced, cadence of so many messages? How much of the whole operation is simply role-playing and staging?

Ephesians 4:8

(4:8) Speaking of the ascension of Christ to the right hand of the Father, Paul recalls Psalms 68:18–“captivity” refers to all those Old Testament saints held in Abraham’s Bosom awaiting the Messiah’s coming. These, the family of the groom at the wedding of the Lamb to His Bride the Church, are the saved of Israel and not members of the Body of Christ. These are the ones that He led “captive” to Himself when He ascended to the Father.

At the same time, He “gave gifts to men” in order that they might be equipped to serve Him on earth. The gifts are divine enablements for us to minister the Gospel to other men and women. They are not mere talents or skills in the human sense of the term, but always refer to the ministry of His directives to His own, the Word.

Ephesians 4:9

(4:9,10) The ascension of Christ is applicable here in two senses. One, He “descended” to earth from His heavenly home with the Father at the instance of His birth as a man. Two, He “descended” into the grave from His place on earth as the Last Adam, there to present Himself to those who rejected Him across the span of time from Adam to the Cross. This was done so that all creation might know that God had met them in their own individual element and in a way that they could understand and accept. It was that which they rejected during life and on which they were now condemned. He who was held in total disregard was now the ruler of all creation in His omnipresence. (This is a great verse on the omnipresence of God)

Ephesians 4:11

(4:11,12) The gifts to men are listed here. These are not offices, but abilities to serve the Body. Note that they are all intended for service to and within the Church. “Apostles” are “those sent with a message and with authority.” “Prophets” are “forth-tellers”, not necessarily “foretellers”, but announcers of God’s work and intent for man. “Evangelists” are those whose service it is to proclaim the Gospel, (as opposed to those who instruct in doctrine and training). “ Pastor-teachers" are linked and refer to individuals given the specific skills required to impart Christian principles and to guide in their application to all of life’s various circumstances.

The purpose of the gifts is given next–“to equip the Saints”. It is every believer’s joy to share the Gospel with all. And, it is also true that every believer might display any of the skills necessary to accomplish God’s work at any given time. But, in retrospect, one can see that God usually has used you in some consistent manner repeatedly and that He has thoroughly prepared you for that particular area of service to the Church. It is my belief that the gifts for service are best discovered in looking back at a life spent in open service to Him. In the everyday schedule of your activities, you should be open to any and every opportunity for serving God that is presented, regardless of the area of talent that is required. He will audit your time and use you where He deems best.

Ephesians 4:13

(4:13) Look at the goals of this gifting of the Body of Christ–One, “unity in the faith”. We are in union with one another in a single body, the Church, which is joined to Christ as His Bride. Two, “the knowledge of the Son of God.” This is an intimate understanding gained through the experience of living “in Him”. The result of these is the end product of child training of each believer through to maturity, the “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” It is through having our lives taken over step-by-step and by being in-filled by the Holy Spirit that the believer experiences the truths of our standing in peace and union with God. We are one with God. Through maturity we become aware of, and experience, oneness with Him.

Ephesians 4:14

(4:14,15) At the earliest phase of child training we are “infants” without strength but with great energy. In that state, we are easily “tossed back and forth” by the circumstances of life. New fads in teaching techniques and new thoughts attract us to leaders who are self-serving and “deceitful”. “Instead” presents contrasts; “speaking the truth in love” is the means of our living and growing. The opposite of that is being carried through life by changing winds of teaching and situational ethics. The end product of “speaking the truth” is that we will “grow up into Him” in every aspect of our life. Look at the simplicity of this –we live in the sphere of truth and He manages our growth in every area of our life.

Ephesians 4:17

(4:17) “..futility of their thinking” is “empty thought processes”. “Stop being empty headed!” is the phrase. “Use your minds intelligently and scripturally”. Faith is not mindless, but rational, tactile and very, very practical. The first way that we can grieve the Holy Spirit is to use human viewpoint instead of divine viewpoint in assessing our condition in the world. Human viewpoint is assessment of our circumstance solely on the basis of human, natural phenomena and experience. Divine viewpoint is assessment of our circumstance on the basis of what the Word of God instructs us to expect. What could be more reasonable than that?

Here is a written record and pattern to live by, pay attention to it and use it in your decisions about life and living. “Gentiles” refers to those uninitiated in Scripture and/or who are unrelated to God. Phi 2:5 says, “..let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 4:18

(4:18) The second way that we grieve the Holy Spirit is to lose our sensitivity to sin and remain ignorant of truth by remaining untaught in the Word of God and cold to the fellowship of other believers. “Ignorance” is not imposed but is the result of a heart and mind that have turned away from God in rejection of His entreaties.

Ephesians 4:19

(4:19) The third way of grieving the Holy Spirit is to engage in sexual sins (“sensuality”) and the pursuit of promiscuous relationships that use others in order to gratify our growing desires. Pornography leads to an increased appetite for more stimulation, which in turn leads to increased sexual activity. This process yields the myriad of social and health problems that are today’s plagues of the inner city and of adolescents in general. “Indulge” is “to practice as a pattern of living” and describes habitual behavior. Hard rock music with rhythms that dull cognitive thought, and suggestive dance routines that simulate the sex act, are simply the first steps in this pathway of physical and mental stimulation. Performers like Madonna, Kiss, the dancers of Soul Train, or any one of a thousand MTV Video casts are only further declinations of what has become sensual common fare on prime time television illustrating this very principle. As a whole, black comedians’ routines are fast becoming the worst offenders in this venue. Their language is base, crude and vile and the mental images they draw for their audiences deny dignity and respect for individuals or honor for the authority of God.

Ephesians 4:20

(4:20,21) “But” introduces a contrast. We “did not come to know Christ” through self-gratification, but through what we “heard of Him” by other’s testimony, and by what we “were taught in Him”. All that we “know” (facts and information, not experience) of Christ (His Messiah-ship) we learned through “the truth that is in Jesus”. In other words, the man, Jesus, explained the Messiah (the Christ) in terms of the truth.

Ephesians 4:22

(4:22) The contrasts continue. In Christ, “you were taught” that you possessed an Old Nature associated with Adam. That inner nature, “your old self”, is constantly “being corrupted by its deceitful desires”. That Old Self is training itself through the experiences of the flesh.

Ephesians 4:23

(4:23,24) On the other hand, we should be renewing our minds; putting “on the New Nature, (which is) created to be like God”. Our New Nature has been created to be “like God” and render us suitable as members of His family. That New Inner Self is trained by God through the Holy Spirit within, not by our animal experiences. “New” is ‘kainos’ (new in quality not in simple occurrence) and refers to the new order of being that the believer is, now having been joined to Jesus. It begins with a renewing of the mind and is a continuing process throughout life.

Ephesians 4:25

(4:25) “Therefore” refers back to the previous passage and the truth in which we are being trained. Because “we are all members of one body” (the Body of Christ) we must not lie and practice deceit. (We must remember that Satan is the Father of lies and the master deceiver.

Ephesians 4:26

(4:26,27) The Greek word for “angry” is orge, which means a settled indignation based on a studied attitude of rejection. There is a place in the Christian’s life for being predisposed against sin and unrighteousness. In situations where that attitude is warranted, do not let sin creep in and corrupt. “Provocation” is a different concept. That is an attitude of irritation, aggravation, and/or bitterness. That is what the believer is to avoid, for it robs you of presence of mind, joy, and focus on the Word of God. In addition, it is the thing that brings stress into your life with serious cardiac results. (The Word of God is not only profound, it is extremely practical)

The purpose is clear, that we “do not give Satan a foothold” in our lives.

Ephesians 4:28

Lest we be confused as to how this is to be accomplished, Paul give us a short list of behaviors, the means of correction, and the goal to be displayed in our lives.

A list of contrasts and purposes…

(4:28-32)

The Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Means The Goal

Stop stealing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ..Go to work Something to share

Stop profanity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Encourage others Benefit the hearers

Stop grieving the Holy Spirit . . . . . . . Go to work. . . . . . . . . . Imitate God

Eliminate bitterness,. . . . . . . . . . Be kind, compassionate,

rage, anger, brawling, and forgiving Imitate God

slander, and malice

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:28-32