Ephesians 4:1-10

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Ephesians

Rusty's Notes

• We come now to an important dividing point in this letter. The first three chapters contain doctrine, the last three, exhortation.
• In brief, God says in chapters 1–3, “I have made you a saint.”
• In chapters 4–6, He says, “Now, live a saintly life.”

 
UNITY AND DIVERSITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
EPHESIANS 4:1-10
1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,

• Unity is not uniformity.
• Unity comes from within and is a spiritual grace.
• “Therefore” reaches back to all the blessings and exalted positions in salvation which the saints enjoy (ch. 1–3), and reaches ahead to the byproduct with such privileges put upon the saints.
• The word “worthy” (axiōs) means “equal weight”; one’s calling and conduct should be in balance.
• The word “calling” in English sometimes means “occupation” as, “His calling was that of a shoemaker.”
• But it is not so used here.
• Paul’s thought is that sinners were called into salvation and made saints.
• They are to be obedient to that heavenly calling or summons to be saints, and live saintly lives. (Wuest)
• Matt Chandler – Suspended – inappropriate behavior
• As an overseer, be above reproach
• Reproach - a cause or occasion of blame, discredit, or disgrace.

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

• 1) Humility - lowliness
• 2) Gentleness - Meekness is not weakness - It is power under control
• 3) Patience - long-suffering - long-tempered - ability to endure discomfort without fighting back
• 4) Forbearance - accepting one another - a grace that cannot be experienced apart from love
• 5) Love - Fruit of the Spirit
• We are to bear with one another “in love.”
• It is in the sphere of the love that God the Holy Spirit produces in the heart of the yielded believer (Gal. 5:22), that we are to be patient with each other as misunderstandings arise, as cutting words are said, as unkind actions are done.
• The love shown at Calvary was a forgiving love.
• Ours should be the same.

3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

• 6) Endeavor - diligently keeping unity of the Spirit - maintain or guard
• 7) Peace - When the peace of God rules in our hearts, then we build upon unity.
• Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other?
• They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow.
• So one hundred worshipers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in better tune to each other than they could possibly be were they to become “unity” conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.
• Social faith is perfected when private faith is purified.
• The body becomes stronger as its members become healthier.
• The whole church of God gains when the members that compose it begin to seek a better and a higher life. (Tozer)
• Blessed is the congregation that has found the spiritual maturity and understanding to honestly confess, “Our congregation is so keenly aware of the presence of Jesus in our midst that our entire fellowship is an unceasing communion!”
• What a joyful experience it is for us in this church age to be part of a congregation drawn together by the desire to know God’s presence, to sense His nearness.
• Unity in Christ is not something to be achieved; it is something to be recognized.
• Peace is the binding factor which will preserve the unity which the Spirit has produced.
• Peace means… sometimes it is better to just shut your mouth.

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope, at your calling--

• Unity built on anything other than Bible truth is standing on a very shaky foundation.
• Paul names here the seven basic spiritual realities that unite all true Christians.
• 1) One Body - The body is the invisible Church, the Mystical Body of Christ composed of believers saved between Pentecost when the Church was formed and when Jesus returns.
• 2) One Spirit - The Holy Spirit that indwells every believer.
• 3) One hope of your calling - Ephesians 1:13-14 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.[1]

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

• 4) One Lord - Jesus Christ - It is difficult to believe that two believers can claim to obey the same Lord, and yet not be able to walk together in unity.
• 5) One Faith - “Faith” is not the Christian Faith as a system of doctrine and its respective responsibilities.
• It refers to the principle of faith by means of which all the saints enter into salvation.
• 6) One Baptism - There was and is one common placing into the Body of Christ. (Jews & Gentiles)
• 1 Corinthians 12:13 - For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink.[2]

6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

• 7) One God and Father - We are children in the same family, loving and serving the same Father, so we ought to be able to walk together in unity.
• For Paul the unity of the church reflects the unity of the Godhead: One God, One Lord and One Spirit.

7 Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

• A spiritual gift is a God-given ability to serve God and other Christians in such a way that Christ is glorified and believers are edified.
• One having it in larger measure and another in smaller, but each getting it from the same Hand and with the same purpose.”
• We must be careful to note that this grace has to do with the exercise of special gifts for service, not the grace for daily living.
• The former is limited, and is adjusted to the kind of gift and the extent to which the Holy Spirit desires to use that gift in the believer’s service.
• The latter is unlimited and subject only to the limitations which the believer puts upon it by a lack of yieldedness to the Spirit.
• The context here, (4:11-12), is one of service, not of general Christian experience.
• Every believer (each one) has been given a spiritual gift to use for the purpose of the body of Christ.
• This is where the Church gets you to take a spiritual gifts analysis and then assigns you an assortment of tasks and committees to serve as part of the church programming.
• What is your spiritual gift? Most of you, I could tell you what it is because I can see it.
• Be involved in the fellowship and figure out what your gift is… something that edifies Christ through the people or body of Christ.

8 For it says:
When he ascended on high,
he took the captives captive;
he gave gifts to people. (Psalm 68:18)

• or "He lead the captives"
• The word here is not charisma (χαρισμα), referring to special gifts such as the gifts noted in I Cor. 12:4–11, but doma (δομα), a general term for that which is given.
• These gifts are the gifted men mentioned in 4:11.
• Christ gave these gifts to the Church when He ascended to Heaven.

9 But what does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things.[3]

• During the OT time, the souls of the dead went to a place in the lower parts of the earth referred to as Sheoul (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek).
• Sheoul/Hades had two sides (Luke 16:19-31 - Rich Man & Abraham). The saved side is known as Abaraham's Bosom or Paradise (Luke 23:43). The lost side, hell, was a place of torment for the unrighteous dead.
• When Jesus physically died his body was placed in a tomb.
• His soul & Spirit went to the saved side of Sheoul/Hades known as Paradise.
• Jesus made a proclamation to the spirits on the hell side (1 Peter 3:19).
• God would not allow for Jesus to remain in Sheoul (Psalm 16:10) so he was joined with his resurrected body and ascended to heaven (Acts 1:1-11).
• That is one interpretation.
• What if it is in reference to Jesus descending to earth as a human being?
• What if it is in reference to the Spirit being sent to live in each believer? (Acts 2:4)
• Paul taught that Christ is the Giver of these gifts, through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:8–10).
• He ascended to heaven as Victor forevermore.
• The picture here is of a military conqueror leading his captives and sharing the spoil with his followers.
• Only in this case, the “captives” are not His enemies, but His own.
• Sinners who once were held captives by sin and Satan have now been taken captive by Christ.
• Even death itself is a defeated foe![4]
• No matter what, you have a Spirit living in you.

You have been gifted by this Spirit to love one another, therefore edifying God the Father, Jesus the Son through the work of the indwelling Spirit.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Eph 1:13–14). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (1 Co 12:13). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Eph 4:1–10). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 37). Victor Books.